12/31/2012
It’s already January 1st in my corner of the universe and it’s Tuesday.
This year I’m starting a new weekly post on Tuesday’s called “A Taste of Tuesday”. I’m inviting authors to submit an extract or a taste of their novel, answer a few food related questions and include a recipe – maybe one that relates to their novel or something they eat to get themselves through writer’s block…something related.
So I thought I’d go first.
Taste of Tuesday – a food-related author interview
1. Do you prefer sweet or savoury foods (ie cheese or chocolate)?
Easy for me I’m a savoury girl all the way. Look for me by the dip or cheese at a party.
2. Red wine or white? (wine obviously)
Red baby…though good champagne will never be refused.
3. Do you have a favourite food memory?
I have a couple. When I was a child my grandmother made an apple pie she called an Apple Charlotte. It was a pie with a very short crust and also it had chocolate icing..it sounds weird but it was heaven. She used to visit us when Iw as little and bring it to my house just for me on a ferry and two trains. I don’t think it is a coincidence my daughter is called Charlotte.
My most amazing meal ever taste-wise was in a tiny hold in the wall family restaurant in Assisi, Italy. I ate truffle pasta and it was heavenly.
4. Does food feature in your novel(s)?
In Mr Right and Other Mongrels Allegra likes to cook organic, in Hearts Afire the lovely Cassie is a caterer and in my next novel Alphabet Dating Serena has an obsession with soups, so I would have to say – yes!
5. What recipe are you sharing with us and why?
I’m cheating. I actually have my own food blog so I’m going to add the link. You can pop on over to see lots of my favourite recipes…for example today I’m making the ribs featured on the site!
(I’ll come back and do a new post here on Taste of Tuesday when Alphabet Dating is released).
mysydneykitchen
Excerpt -Mr Right and Other Mongrels
My mother, however, was going nowhere. Worse than that she kept leering at Teddy, which simply made me uncomfortable.
I really didn’t know what was going on with Teddy and me but I surely didn’t want anything going on between Teddy and Moonbeam.
“Teddy, do you want to help me get some dinner together?”
“No Allegra, he can stay and keep me company.” She was good.
“How about we both help Ally out.” What a guy.
So we piled into my small kitchen with her standing a bit too close to Teddy for my liking.
“So what are we having?”
“Potato gnocchi with tomato sauce and a salad.”
“Cool, what can I do?’
I had already cooked the potatoes so I put Teddy to work mashing them. And I pulled down a jar of sauce I had made from organic tomatoes earlier in the summer and put it on to simmer.
Teddy looked at me quizzically “You jar your own sauce?”
“Uhmm yes”. I was always kind of embarrassed by my love of cooking. It makes me seem like a possessed potential housewife or something. I mean I know you don’t go to a club and discuss organic cooking; it doesn’t get the men flocking. Ultimately though I just like to cook and eat well.
“Well, Allegra, that being the case I may have to marry you.” He winked just so I’d know he wasn’t serious. “I’ll grow the veggies and you can make the sauce.”
I noticed Moonbeams dark eyes got a tad darker and flashed a bit wilder.
“I don’t know that there is room for a veggie patch in my flat or your designer terrace either for that matter,” I laughed.
“Well, we’ll just have to move to the country.”
“Sorry can’t leave the shop.”
“I’m heartbroken,” he feigned distress as he mashed. “I offer to give up my lucrative TV career and to grow veggies and marry you and you won’t leave the bookshop!”
***
You can read more about Allegra and Teddy in Mr Right and Other Mongrels.
Comment
Anne R. Allen
1/1/2013 11:03:10 am
This is such a fun idea for interviews–a creative new twist for getting to know an author and introducing new books. I came over from the Facebook “Official Chick Lit” page. Happy New Year!
It’s New Year’s Eve and as we all know it’s a time for reflection if we choose to let it be.
Anyway Hearts Afire eventually hit the shelves in October and that has been a whole lot of fun as well.
Some of the Writers’ Dozen in Milton in February for a writing retreat.
I asked my 12 year old to put together a guest post today with book recommendations for 10-13year olds. Here is what she came up with. She is an avid reader but she focussed on series that she thinks have mass appeal to both boys and girls.
It’s summer in Sydney. I love summer. I’m not really designed for summer what with the red hair and the pale skin and the freckles but I love it anyway.
I’m busy working on getting my third novel ready for release in January.