In July I did something completely new. I put out a call to other authors for #Friday Foodie posts. The process was easy. I asked, “What do you feed your characters?”
The responses have been tasty.
Today’s guest author, Norah Wilson is a multi published author who crosses the genre lines with fascinating efficiency.
So without further chatting on my part, here’s Norah!
My sister makes a killer spinach stuffed chicken breast – I think it’s a Joy of Cooking recipe, and I seriously thought about using that dish in my book (NIGHTFALL, A Vampire Romance). In the end, I decided I needed something just a little more esoteric. So I scoured the interwebs and found this awesome recipe for stuffed pork chops. I also wanted it to have a bit of an Italian flavor, since the heroine’s lost heritage is Sicilian. Incorporating pine nuts, parsley, capers, garlic and pecorino (a hard cheese made from sheep’s milk), this definitely qualifies as Italian!
The recipe itself is pretty easy. You prepare the chops by slicing them open, pounding them out and seasoning them. Then you combine the stuffing ingredients, put the stuffing on the chops, pinch them closed, dredge them in flour, sear them on both sides in a skillet, then finish them in the oven with onion and cherry tomatoes. Pretty straight forward, yet exotic and delicious!
Here’s the URL for the step-by-step recipe: http://bit.ly/N8CG9O
Food is actually pretty important in this book. My heroine, Sam Shea, enjoys fine dining and deplores fast food, but hates to cook for herself. Fortunately, she earns more than enough money with her world-class photography to indulge her love of gourmet food. My hero, Aiden, is a vampire who hasn’t eaten food in 200 years, but paradoxically, he enjoys cooking. He especially enjoys cooking for Sam, because as he tells her, a person’s diet shows not just in her skin and hair, but in her blood. He aims to enjoy the fruits of his cooking in an indirect way, as soon as he can talk her into bed. But that whole getting-her-into-bed thing is taking way longer than he anticipated. In addition to being psychic, Sam has something else no other woman has shown him: the ability to resist him.
Of course, there’s more to the story than just that! It’s a paranormal romance, but it’s also a fast-paced romantic suspense/thriller. Aiden is the best of the vampire hunters, a slayer of rogue vampires who pray on society’s most marginalized citizens. When he discovers that his proximity to Sam causes her psychic compass to suddenly focus on vampire violence instead of the fantastic storms she usually chases, he convinces her she must cooperate with him to save those innocent lives. But as they will discover, their collaboration puts them squarely in the crosshairs of some nasty villains.
Here’s a short excerpt around the above recipe:
Sam woke in her own bed to the smell of something amazing cooking. She glanced at her clock radio. Almost 11:00 p.m. Wow, she’d slept late.
Of course, she’d stayed up long after Aiden had retired. She’d been too wired to sleep, for a couple of reasons.
First, she’d actually slept on the plane, in Aiden’s arms as they reclined in the big leather chair. After kissing her into a state of achingly sweet arousal, he’d soothed her back down, and she’d fallen asleep with her head resting on his chest.
Secondly, once they got back home, the memory of what had happened on that roof back in Boston kept playing in her head on an endless loop. She’d wound up checking email, returning calls, catching up on some financial stuff, and even doing a little housework. Anything to keep her mind occupied.
Finally, around mid-afternoon, she’d succumbed to the need for sleep, only to have her sleep disturbed almost immediately by a vision. Of course, she’d gotten up to jot down the details, then struggled for the next hour to get back to sleep. Even now, she felt like she could use a few more hours. Her stomach, however, declared it was time to get up and investigate those smells.
Ten minutes later, freshly showered, she walked into her kitchen to find Aiden setting the table.
“Hey, look who’s finally awake.”
“I didn’t sleep all that well.” She glanced around. Ah, good. He’d made a salad. “What’s in the oven?”
“A stuffed pork chop, with a nice side of roasted Campari tomatoes and roasted onions.”
“Oh, yum. I could get used to this having dinner for breakfast.”
He made a face. “Breakfast is boring. Besides, what could I make you for breakfast that I could stuff with pecorino, pine nuts, garlic and capers?”
She nabbed a piece of raw onion from the salad. “What’s pecarino?”
“A cheese made from sheep’s milk. It’s Italian. You’ll like it.” He caught her hand and pulled her to him. “I’ll like it.”
She blushed. “Well, that’s the main thing, isn’t it?”
“Baby, you can have Pop Tarts washed down with diet cola and I’d still want you.”
She snorted. “You silver-tongued devil, you.”
“Mmmmm, tongue.”
He caught her head and kissed her, and her laughter dissolved.
Thank you for having me, Aithne! I hope I haven’t rambled on too long. Once you get me started on my hero, Aiden Affleck, it can be hard to get me stopped. LOL. He’s one of my favorites.
AUTHOR BIO:
Norah Wilson lives in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada with her husband and two adult children, a Rotti-Lab mix dog and one rat (the pet kind). She has been writing romance a long while, and has finaled multiple times in the Romance Writers of America's Golden Heart® contest. She also won Dorchester Publishing's New Voice in Romance contest in 2003. In addition to the romance, Norah writes paranormal YA stories with writing partner Heather Doherty, under the name Wilson Doherty. She and Heather also write the laugh-out-loud Dix Dodd mysteries under the name N.L. Wilson.
Website/Blog: http://www.norahwilsonwrites.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/norah_wilson
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/norah.wilson1
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/norah_wilson
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/norah.wilson1
Buy NIGHTFALL at Amazon, B&N, Apple, Kobo, Smashwords
Thanks for sharing your post, Norah. I've been hungry for stuffed pork chops all week. lol
* * * * * * * * *
Thanks to all Blog Readers for stopping by. Enjoy your day & happy reading!
Magically Entising: Is Your Shapeshifter Sexy today?
Mother, Daughter & Plot Bunny Tracks, Oh My! #amwriting
* * * * * * * * *
Amazon Kindle: Concentric Circles (Shayla's story)
Amazon Kindle & Print: Claire: the Lost Fae
* * * * * * * * *
Peace & Love be with you always.
Mother, Daughter & Plot Bunny Tracks, Oh My! #amwriting
* * * * * * * * *
Amazon Kindle: Concentric Circles (Shayla's story)
Amazon Kindle & Print: Claire: the Lost Fae
* * * * * * * * *
Peace & Love be with you always.
~ Aithne Jarretta
Norah, what a delicious recipe and equally delicious excerpt! I am a bona fide foodie and can't wait to try this recipe. Thank you!
That looks absolutely mouth watering. While some experts say not to have your hero and heroine doing things like eating and drinking, I say, 'Come on, it's part of life!'
Thank you so much, Aithne, Norah! I love this idea.
You've just made me sooo hungry! Fun post, Norah. And the book sounds great!
Thank you, Sophia! And folks, Sophia truly is a foodie. Check out her romantic comedy GRILL ME, which pit two chefs against each other. :)
Thank you, Barbara! I think the advice to avoid having your hero and heroine do mundane things like consume a meal together, or make your reader suffer through a dinner date, is generally very solid advice. But I think there's a place for this stuff, at the right time. In this case, my hero and heroine have had to disappear, and are holed up in a cabin in the deep woods in Restigouche County, New Brunswick. They have to do *something*. Well, something besides THAT!,-) It's a momentary lull in the action during which the romantic relationship will deepen.
Norah, that book sounds as delicious as the recipe.
I loved Nightfall! Aiden is soooo sexy. Pop Tarts, LOL!
The stuffed pork recipe sounds yummy! Now if only I could cook...
Thank you, Alicia! I just had a boring chicken sandwich for lunch. Tonight, stuffed chicken breast at my sister's. One of my favorite recipes of hers, next to the balsamic pork loin she does. I love Canasta night. :)
Thank you, Alice! I wish I were more motivated to cook myself. I'm sort of like Sam, but not as discriminating. I'll eat anything is someone else cooks it. ,-)
Oh, thank you, Bonnie! Smooches for loving Aiden. He might be my favorite hero to date. Of mine, that is. I haven't met a werewolf of yours I didn't love.
Ouch! Your killing my diet with such a tasty sounding recipe! Being a "vampwriter" myself, Nightfall sounds like it might be right up my dark and sexy (vs. deadly) alley! LOL
Thanks, Vamp Writer! I think you'd like Aiden. Of course, Aiden's pretty sure everyone likes him, too. ,-)
I went away for a few hours and Wow! when I return. I'm so glad Norah's fans have stopped by. ;D
Dr. Dyer said something very wise. "Own your imagination!" So yes, I agree with Norah. I also believe these foodie moments can allow the H/H to get acquainted, they can also reveal aspects of a character's personality.
Thank you everyone for commenting. Hope you enjoy your stuffed pork chops this weekend!
~ Aithne
Yum! on the pork chops, on Aiden's cooking and on Aiden. :-) Love the "Pop Tarts washed down with diet cola" line.
A new must read vampire for me.
Thanks, Virginia! This book has lots of danger and action and tense moments and high stakes, but it also has a couple of laugh-out-loud moments. Maybe that's why I like it/Aiden so much.
lol Norah,
That's the best kind of read -- danger, action, tension & high stakes. Laughter is good, too.
~ Aithne
Thanks for the great recipe and the "taste" of Nightfall.
*hugs*
~JD
So glad you stopped by J.D. Have a tasty Friday 'Nightfall" and a Magical Weekend!
~ Aithne
Thanks for dropping by, JD! Glad you enjoyed that taste. :)
And Aithne, thank you for having me! You are a gracious host indeed!