Tell Me a Story...

Today, I'm joined by the articulate and awesome Louisa Edwards.  Ms. Edwards first came to my attention with Can't Stand the Heat, and I've been eagerly inhaling reading her contemporary romances ever since. 

What compelled you to write foodie romances? Was it as simple as “writing what you know” or did you stop and wonder why the heck there weren’t more contemporary romances set in the kitchen (things are bound to get hot, you know)?

LOUISA: Both of those reasons played into it, definitely—I’d been reading every chef memoir and kitchen nonfiction title that I could get my hands on, playing around in the kitchen and cooking my way through Julia Child. So when my agent advised me to set aside the paranormal I’d been working on and write something that I felt truly connected to and passionate about, I realized I’d done all the research I needed to write a culinary romance.

And even though I worried it would never sell because there tend to be certain professions we like our heroes to have, and a chef is not a cop, an FBI agent, or a tycoon—still, I thought I couldn’t be the only girl out there swooning over Gordon Ramsay, Anthony Bourdain, Eric Ripert, Tyler Florence, Jamie Oliver, Curtis Stone. . . and it turns out, I was right!

I loved Rosemary from Just One Taste. Her stream-of-consciousness conversations and pop culture references made her so relatable, despite the fact that she’d never properly socialized before. How much research did you conduct for her various scientific hypotheses? They sound absolutely perfect coming from her mouth.

LOUISA: Thank you so much! I had a great time with Rosemary, at least in part because I felt very much like a nerd, growing up. I think she’s relatable because we’ve all had those times in our lives when we feel out of step with what the crowd is doing, as if everyone else in the world is happily doing the Macarena while we fumble along, flailing and looking ridiculous.

All of Rosemary’s hypotheses are either random bits of trivia I’ve accumulated over the years, specific information I looked up (I really should’ve thanked Wikipedia in the acknowledgments!) and completely fabricated, totally made up lies. For instance, in case my other disclaimers aren’t clear—there’s no scientific real life evidence of an aphrodisiac connection between chocolate and strawberries. Unless you count the mood they put you in . . .

One of the things I've enjoyed about your series is the reemergence of secondary characters, particularly Frankie and Jess. I’m sure you’re asked about them often, but any chance they’ll pop up again in future books or in their own novella/free read, a la Violet, the pastry chef?

LOUISA: I’m so glad you enjoyed them. Frankie and Jess are some of my favorite characters I’ve ever written, and now that I’ve moved on to writing the Hot trilogy (Too Hot to Touch, Some Like it Hot, and Hot Under Pressure) I have to say, I’m missing them quite a bit! The Hot trilogy takes place in the same world, so familiar faces will be popping up. But as for Frankie and Jess in particular, I’m hoping to have time to write a short free read for their many fans as a holiday gift. Other than that . . . write to my publisher! If enough people want them to have their own book, maybe they’ll let me write it. Goodness knows, I’d love to have the chance.

Can you dish on your upcoming trilogy? Things still coming together in the mix, so to speak?

LOUISA: It’s definitely a work in progress, but the Hot trilogy, which will be released very close together in late summer 2011, consumes my whole imagination right now. The cast of characters has been such a joy to discover and play with—a whole new group of talented young chefs (more women chefs, this time!) are gathering to throw their knives in the ring of a high-stakes culinary competition. Things are getting hot already . . .

Look for an excerpt of the first book in the Hot trilogy, Too Hot to Touch, sometime in the next couple of months! And if that’s too long to wait, I’ll be posting a new installment in the Violet-the-pastry-chef and Jonathan-the-hot-farmer free read series in the next few weeks. Sign up for my newsletter or “Like” my official fan page on Facebook to stay up to date on all the new, fun stuff posted at my website!

And, remember, I have one autographed copy of my new book for one of you today!


Thank you, Ms. Edwards!  I've got your Hot trilogy on my TBR calendar already -- can't wait!

To be entered to win an autographed copy of Just One Taste, please leave a comment with your name and e-mail address.  Contest is open until 2:00 p.m. EST, Friday, October 15, 2010.