Chatting and Fall Preview

This week, I had another chat with the lovely Liz McMullen for the The Liz McMullen Show. The show will air on September 6, 2013.

We talked about books, characters, relationships, motivations, and other cool stuff. And then I did a reading.

The selection was from my new novella, called Add Spice to Taste. This is a romance about a chef instructor who falls for a student in one of her public (leisure) cooking classes. The chef, Jo (short for Giovanna), is deeply scarred by her last relationship, which ended, after eight years, with her girlfriend cheating on her. She’s not only gun-shy about entering into another relationship, but she feels that it’s very possible that she is incapable of maintaining a healthy relationship.

Jo also feels the agony of failure. Her dream was to open her own café, which she did, but after two years of working long, hard hours, the café failed. To rub salt in the wound, her girlfriend decided that Jo had spent too many hours away from home and her, and left Jo for another woman. Jo had wanted to succeed, not just for herself but so that Brenda would be proud of her. She wanted to make a success of the café for both of them. In the end, she lost both, and Jo was no longer sure what she was supposed to do.

Julianna is the student who is energetic and vibrant and, despite a few moments of insecurity, does not give up on Jo. The insecurity she experiences is embodied in Brit, young woman who exudes sexuality and who also sets her sights on Jo. Brit comes from a wealthy family and takes Jo’s cooking class for shits and giggles, since cooking is the new black. Somehow, Jo figures out what’s going on and convinces Julianna that she very much wants to be with her.

Meanwhile, Brit has hired Jo to cater a party for her younger sister’s birthday, to take place in their swanky Manhattan penthouse. Jo has enlisted Julianna’s help and during an evening of crowded revelry, luxurious decorations, decadent food, and even a cake shaped like a shoe, Jo’s faithfulness is put to the test.

Did I mention that Jo is teaching a four-day Moroccan cooking class? Mm hmm. There are menus, recipes, and even photos.

So, come take a listen to reading and see if you’d like the entire novella. It’s going to be available on Kindle in a few weeks. I’ll keep you posted.