FOODFIC: Please Welcome Cindy Bennett, Author of Rapunzel Untangled

Imagine living your life only exposed to foods that someone else has decided you can have. Close your eyes and think of your top five favorite things to eat, the things that bring you the most pleasure. Now imagine being locked in a tower where not only can you not have those foods, you haven’t even heard of many of them.

In Rapunzel Untangled, a modern-day retelling of the classic fairytale, Rapunzel is kidnapped as a baby and locked in a tower by the crazy witch Gothel. That means that she doesn’t get to experience teen life as most American’s do—or teens from anywhere, for that matter. As I tried to imagine what things would be missed, my first thought went to chocolate. Of course, there are very few situation where my mind doesn’t go to chocolate, but that’s another story.

When Fane first comes to Rapunzel’s tower and climbs up for a visit, like any typical seventeen-year-old boy he thinks about food. On his second visit he comes prepared with pizza and garlic bread. Rapunzel has never had anything like it before. Try to imagine for yourself never tasting either of those, and then having them for the first time. I tried to convey her joy at tasting something we take for granted as commonplace.

Fane also exposes her to M&M’s and Skittles. Rapunzel’s never had candy of any kind before, so the sugary treats also give her endless pleasure. Thanksgiving, our excuse for gorging ourselves silly on food, is also a new experience for her—including stuffing ourselves then following it with pie.

Food for most of us is something we don’t really give a lot of thought to, other than when we’re really craving something, so I wanted to be sure to show Fane’s almost lackadaisical attitude toward food which is the norm for those who have enough food to not have to worry about it, and Rapunzel’s discovery of things she’s never tasted before.

Food is by no means the main theme in Rapunzel Untangled—she has plenty of other things to deal with like discovering she’s been kidnapped, and that she’s the main character in a twisted plot of witchcraft, magic, and murder. However, it’s an important side note to her story as she steps forward and discovers the world she lives in but had been kept hidden from. So grab a bag of M&M’s, or a pizza, and enjoy the ride!

Thanks for stopping by to share your food for thought, Cindy!

Cindy C Bennett is the bestselling young adult author. She lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with her high school sweetheart who also happens to be her husband. She's the proud mom of two sons and two daughters, as well as two daughter-in-laws. When she's not writing (or any of the many activities that go hand-in-hand with that) you might find her on her Harley Davidson, cruising the canyons near her home. She happens to adore her readers, and is grateful to them for reading her work and giving her the chance to do this thing that she is so very passionate about. Yup, she's living the dream!

You can find Cindy here:

Official Website

Twitter @CinBennett

Facebook

Goodreads

Purchase Cindy's books at Amazon.com

     

FOODFIC: The Space Between - Brenna Yovanoff

 

I once saw a comedian do a bit about cave people, noting that the first man to eat a raw egg had to be the bravest person in history. My husband finds pretty much no humor and all horror at the consumption of un- and under-cooked eggs, going so far as to knock the spoon out of my hand when I’m shoveling cookie dough into my mouth and cringing almost cartoonishly when I use runny egg yolk as dip for my homefries.

Whether you view it as brave, stupid, or simply a matter of (good ;) taste, Between’s heroine Daphne dives right into her first diner experience by devouring bacon swirled around in a yolk puddle. Okay, so she’s a demon and it’s her first trip up to the Earth’s surface (from Pandemonium below), which means she hasn’t developed a human palate, nor does she fear things like salmonella. She actually doesn’t fear much of anything at all, especially after thwarting a vagrant man’s attempted assault by merely touching her fingers to his throat and leaving smoking fingerprints on his scorched skin.

So no, Daphne’s not fully aware of what she can do…but she is aware of what she must do – what she came to Chicago for – and that is find her brother Obie, who mysteriously disappeared. Her prime suspect is the archangel Azrael, who will “do everything he can to keep [demons like Daphne] from infesting Earth,” and her only ally is a suicidal boy named Truman whom she finds herself inexplicably wanting to save as badly as her brother.

Good thing she’s fortified with all that protein. ;)

FOODFIC: Please Welcome Michael Gallagher, Author of Tsunami Connection

Months spent taking tango courses in Buenos Aires provided most of the scenes relating to tango in the story. Passion for tango spills uncontrollably into life. From gun-metal colored mussel shells to raw beef turning on a spit, Argentinean cuisine reflects a diverse culture. The meal lays bare hopes and then a denouement lends a human aspect to the nature of lust and love.

In this scene I used the meal to set up a fall, to be a little unpredictable.

Tsunami Connection tells the story of a ballsy woman spy, Kefira. Guided by her eclectic intuitions, she builds on a chance meeting. The allure of her homemade body oil and her contagious warmth conspire to cement a bond between Kefira and a tango maestro.

A table thoughtfully set with a crisp white cloth will whet your appetite for Italian cuisine and the potential for a budding relationship. Reviewers say... The book is peopled with characters who are very immersed in their "super-hero" mode but are also motivated by everyday emotions. This food scene opens a door between two previously unconnected people.

The waiter approached the table with a half bottle of white wine and two risottos decorated with leafy lettuce and accompanied by a basket of crusty white rolls sitting beside a bowl of olive oil.
"I hope you are hungry," said Fripo.

"Ravenous," said Kefira, as she tipped her wine glass in his direction and ran her tongue over her upper lip to recover any leftovers.

The pasta came next. It was decorated with chopped garlic and smothered with caramelized onions. Crushed walnuts and a hint of béchamel coated the wide noodles topped with fresh parsley, served on a bed of lettuce. Ever attentive the waiter appeared to top up their wine glasses. The second glass of wine started as they sampled the pasta. Kefira knew enough not to eat the whole plate of noodles. Fripo paused in the telling of a joke about a Jewish restaurant owner in New York as the waiter brought a full bottle of Argentinean red wine from Bodega y Vinedo Maurico Lorca, called Inspirado 2008.

"This wine is an excellent choice selected for you by the owner. You will see that it goes down like liquid velvet. Enjoy your meal he said with a flourishing twist of the wrist, preventing spillage as he finished pouring Kefira's glass. As a visitor to the country, the waiter asked her to do the honours with the wine. Kefira smiled widely and let the bouquet pass over her nose. Then she sipped a small amount of wine and then sloshed it around in her mouth and swallowed the wine with a very appreciative nod to the waiter, never taking her eyes from Fripo. Her date blushed at all this attention and the waiter, disappointed that he was unable to distract this strikingly attractive woman from her much older partner, busied himself with serving the thin sliced beef seared slightly and coated with pepper. When the waiter left, Fripo continued his joke.

Months spent taking tango courses in Buenos Aires provided most of the scenes relating to tango in the story. Passion for tango spills uncontrollably into life. 

From gun-metal colored mussel shells to raw beef turning on a spit, Argentinean cuisine reflects a diverse culture. The meal lays bare hopes and then a denouement lends a human aspect to the nature of lust and love. 

Special brands of booze, wine to go with every occasion and aromatic coffee to heighten tense situations all add zest to character development. Novels without food are like characters without clothes.

Thanks for stopping by to share your food for thought, Michael!

You can find more about Michael
and Tsunami Connection here:

WIX Author Page

Twitter @Tsunamic Michael

Facebook

Authors in Bloom Giveaway Hop!

Welcome, hoppers!

Now just because I only planted my first garden last summer, don’t think my post stop isn’t clearly the one you should read the most thoroughly and take to heart!

I have one stellar piece of gardening advice and here it is:

Leave. It. Alone.

Brilliant, right? Okay, maybe I should give a little background so you can appreciate the wisdom of those words.

I’ve had plants in my life. Lots, actually. And I’ve killed them all. Even my “indestructible” brain cactus grew some sort of fungus and died. (It may or may not be relevant that the rotting began after my cat ate a chunk out of the plant, but at least the cat went on to live a long and happy life.)

ANYWAY – last summer I finally identified the root (pun intended) of my planticide career: trying too hard. Every plant in my past passed because I over-watered, over-sunned, or over-thought it to death.

So when I began the garden, assuming nothing would make it, I planted a gazillion seeds and didn’t even dare hope for the best. But when I checked the pots days later, the seeds had magically ALL sprouted. And of course the first thing I wanted to do was, well, something. Water them, touch them, anything. But for once I decided to just leave them alone, and when I checked them again after the 2^nd week, this is what I found:

Unbelievable, right? I actually ended up with so many healthy plants that I couldn’t fit them all in my garden plot!

But don’t cue the happily-ever-after music just yet. (Although you shouldn’t jump to the conclusion that I reverted back to my murderous ways, either!)

This is the point where a self-proclaimed gardener extraordinaire threw in her two cents about which vines needed to be cut and which plants had to be moved. Sadly, after following her expert advice, 7 of my 8 beautiful young pumpkins died, along with all but one of my watermelons and my entire cauliflower and pea sections. 

If only I’d left them alone, I could’ve raked in cash hand-over-fist at a roadside stand instead of ending up back at the market purchasing the fruits of someone else’s labor. Or non-labor, really, which is what I now know is the key!

But wait - there's more than just free advice here today;
there are prizes, too:

My giveaway here at BWATE? is a set of 2 ebooks (the first 2 of my SOLID series): 

AND Dianne Venetta is giving also giving away an EREADER and a $25 gift card to start filling it up! (Winning one prize doesn't exclude from winning the other; you can win both.)

To enter BOTH giveaways:

Follow this blog and leave a comment/question,
along with a way to contact you.

Optional Extra Entries:

+1 Follow on Twitter

+1 Like Solid Series on Facebook 
+1 Add series to your to-read list on Goodreads

Winners will be chosen from the comments ACROSS ALL OF THE PARTICIPATING BLOGS, so here are the notable points:

1. Leave a comment here that includes your contact email address.

2. Leave a separate comment for each additional entry (i.e. follow the blog and leave a comment that you did so, then leave another comment once you follow on Twitter, a third once you've followed on FB, and a final one for the GR add, allowing up to 4 entries here).

3. Visit as many of the other blogs as you can, leaving comments with contact information there as well.

4. The hop runs from April 10th through the 19th; last day to enter is April 19th. 

Good luck to you all - Happy Reading and Happy Spring!

 Participating blogs:

		1.  Dianne Venetta (INTL)   2.  Rose Anderson   3.  Margay Leah Justice   4.  Catherine Chant   5.  PJ Sharon   6.  Darcy Flynn (US)   7.  Katharina Gerlach   8.  Amy Saunders   9.  DarcyholicDiversions/Barbara Tiller Cole   10.  Sheila Seabrook   11.  Mina Khan   12.  Caron Rider   13.  Lakisha Spletzer   14.  Christie Palmer   15.  Karl Fields   16.  Beverly Nault   17.  Shelley Workinger   18.  Samantha March   19.  Cat Lavoie   20.  Courtney Vail - Gotta Have YA   21.  Lisa Lim   22.  Candy Ann Little   23.  Lynette Sofras   24.  Boys on the Brink   25.  Dee S White (INTL)   26.  Patti Callahan Henry   27.  Elizabeth Allen   28.  Maria Geraci   29.  Linda Andrews   30.  Mary L. Laudien   31.  Edie Ramer   32.  Kate Copsey   33.  Kate Austin   34.  Best-Selling author Jennifer Conner   35.  Anna Patterson   36.  Bestselling Author Danica Winters   37.  Sharon Kleve's Romantic Ramblings   38.  Jennie Bentley   39.  Leanne Tyler   40.  Stacy Juba's One Stop Reading   41.  Gemma Juliana   42.  Kara Ashley Dey   43.  Dey for Love   44.  Sara Walter Ellwood   45.  Jennifer Lowery   46.  Summer Kinard   47.  Tracy Solheim   48.  Alexa Grace   49.  Teena Stewart   50.  Cynthia Vespia - Author of Thrills and Chills   51.  J.D. Faver   52.  Laina Turner - Being Fabulous is a Skill   53.  Lise Saffran   54.  Ninette Swann   55.  Jencey Gortney   56.  Kaira Rouda   57.  A Cozy Readers Corner