Cindy Arora's Blog, page 8

Holiday Hottie in August

It’s been Christmas in my world. I’ve been working on a short story for Simon And Fig and have been dreaming about pies, mistletoe and goodlooking heroes who make my leading ladies get a little moony.

I don’t always use celebrities for inspiration, but admittedly  I have a bit of a crush on actor Mark Duplass and he has definitly been on my mind while I’ve been writing. I first spotted him as a sexy new age doctor on The Mindy Project and then watched him in the movie “Your Sister’s Sister’s.  And if you will allow me to be 14 for a moment, “he is soooo hot!’

 

 

It’s like my Jason Batemen in  Silver Spoons crush all over again.  Swoooon!

Enjoy the eyecandy and don’t forget to look for the Winter Anthology scheduled to release this winter season, maybe you’ll be able to see some of my inspiration.  Also, stay tuned for more information on my forthcoming novel Heartbreak Cake and it’s release date.

 

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Meet Book Mama: Marlene Roberts Engel

One of the best things about being in the Twitterverse is “e-meeting” great people who also love good books. Good Chick Lit books. This is how I met Marlene Roberts Engel  or A.K.A  BookMama:  a proud  and tough mama, a book reviewer and a Chick Lit/Women’s fiction champion.

I chatted with Marlene to find out what she’s eating, reading and loving these days.

EATING  CUPCAKES!!! I love, love, love cupcakes. I’m not eating any this second, but I had my fair share of them over the weekend. There is one bakery in particular that I love getting cupcakes at and it’s an Italian bakery in my town called Dolce & Biscotti.  Their strawberry cupcake is my all time fave! They also have a wide variety of Italian cookies as well. I’m guilty of buying a bunch of cookies and a cupcake and eating them all before I get home. I really think there should be a law against eating and driving. I don’t know if it’s the act itself or the combination of operating a vehicle and eating my favorite desserts that turn into a huge hazard. There really sh lovingould be a 12 step program when it comes to my love of cupcakes.

READING I’m currently reading The Lost Husband by Katherine Center. I’m only a few chapters in, but I am really enjoying it.  I do book reviews at both Chick Lit Central and at my blog, Book Mama. We have recently affiliated our blogs and are now “sister blogs”. Melissa Amster, who started Chick Lit Central, is the person who gave me my start at reviewing books on a blog. I have always had a passion for reading and books. No matter where I am, you will always find a book (and it has to be a print copy) in my purse.  I tend to choose which books to review based on the story. Authors/publishers will send a snippet from the book and  based on that information, I determine if I will review the book or not. I know how important reviews are to authors and the sale of books, so  I would NEVER write a negative review. If I feel I can’t do a book justice with my review, then I won’t post a review.

LOVING  Right now I’m loving seeing my daughter Bella grow and learn new things. She is three now. We adopted her when she was only two months old and she is just so much fun to spend time with, we’re always smiling and laughing at something.  I also have three grown boys who are all in college and had a special needs daughter who passed away almost seven years ago from Leukemia. Several months after she passed my husband and I decided to become foster parents and  we only took in special needs foster children, because it can be nearly impossible to place them and we wanted to give them the opportunity to know how it feels to be loved, be a part of a family and have a sense of normalcy. We fostered for a few years until we decided that we wanted a child who wouldn’t end up leaving. That’s when we pursued private adoption and went through the special needs department. Our daughter was placed in the special needs department of the agency due to her prematurity (since she was approximately four months premature). Thankfully she is a healthy little girl.

Thank you for asking me to be a part of your blog!!

  Check out Book Mama at http://bookmama2.blogspot.com/

 

RECIPE: Chai with My Cousin

I have been hiding out a bit. Not tweeting with my tweeps. No Facebook with my Frookers. Sometimes life happens and you just have to take a deep breath and go underground for while.

So, I’ve been home,  watching Finding Nemo with my son and spending time with my family.

I’ve also started drinking chai with my cousin Rita every night.

Well, sort of.

The last time I saw her I was a little girl and we were in Bombay  on a family vacation staying at my Aunt Raj’s house and we had half a dozen cousins to play with and show us India through the eyes of children our own age. Needless to say, we did a lot of jumping on beds and drinking ice cold Coca Cola during  humid rain storms.

I have’t seen Rita or any of my  cousins in 30 years.  But we’ve reconnected thanks to the Internet and I couldn’t be more excited to have found a piece of my childhood.

She and I talk about cooking a lot and recently she sent me a wonderful chai recipe that she makes for herself and so I’ve taken to making it at night to help wind me down for bed. It’s a cozy recipe, something about the aromatic scent of cardamom, sweet creamy milk and sugar that comforts.

Sometimes, that’s just what you need … a little tea with a cousin to help get you through life’s many bumpy roads.

Chai Tea

1/2cup each of water

1/2 cup of milk ( I use half and half because I like it extra creamy)

2 teaspoon of sugar

1 teaspoon of tea powder (Taj Mahal or Brook Bond Red Label) *** You can also use English Breakfast or Darjeeling

Freshly crushed cardamom

Freshly crushed ginger

Dash of cinnamon

Directions

Boil, reduce to medium heat while stirring occasionally. Strain and serve.

 

 

JUST READ: FINDING LUCAS by Samantha Stroh Bailey

Editors Note: I don’t do book reviews but I do like to chat with authors whose books I’ve just read and ask them what they are eating, writing and loving. So I’m happy to introduce Samantha Stroh Bailey who wrote the fun, sassy and lively FINDING LUCAS. It was such fast ride from the very first page! 

Thanks for taking the time Samantha!

EAT

I live in Toronto, and we don’t lack for incredible restaurants. But there is one very special place that I always return to and it’s called Southern Accent, in the heart of The Annex, one of Toronto’s coolest,  and most eclectic neighborhoods. The food is Cajun Creole Soul and the best drink I’ve ever had in my life is a jalapeno-infused Caesar that will burn your mouth and tickle your tongue until your taste buds explode with pleasure. Hush puppies, crab cakes and the most mouth-watering lamb are just a few of the delicious foods on their funky menu. The moment you step inside you’re transported to New Orleans. Mardi Gras masks and beads line the walls, and the dim lighting and background Zydeco music will have you whipping off your top in no time.

WRITE (Reading ..)

I just finished Sophie’s Turn by the fabulous Nicky Wells. As an author, I am so lucky to meet and get to know incredible writers, and I fell in love with Nicky’s funny, fast paced, addictive voice. She’s a soul sister, for sure. I can’t wait to read Sophie’s Run, out now, and Sophie’s Encore, being released in September. I’m writing my second novel, Everything But, contemporary women’s fiction, about a woman who risks her marriage and closest friendship to have the baby she never thought she wanted. It is a story that I hope will resonate with anyone who has ever struggled to have a child.

LOVE

I’ve been writing for thirty years and in 2011, I opened my freelance writing/editing company, Perfect Pen Communications . I finally got to live my dreams of writing/editing fulltime, becoming a journalist and in 2012, I published Finding Lucas. I couldn’t believe that what I have wanted my entire life was happening. I never expected my debut novel to be read by people all over the world, and I certainly never thought I’d be getting tweets and emails from strangers telling me they loved my book. It is mind-boggling and the best feeling ever. I also never knew how warm, kind and supportive the author and blogger community is and I’m so grateful. I have always been scared of social media, but once I published Finding Lucas, I had to put myself out there in a big way and the rewards have been tremendous. So, what I’m loving right now is my life and the rare opportunity to live my every dream.

Thanks so much, Cindy, for inviting me to your blog. I’m so excited to read HEARTBREAK CAKE!

 

 Connect with Samantha!
 Twitter: @perfectpen
 Blog
 Facebook Author Page
 Goodreads
 Buy links:
 Amazon
 Kobo

Writing While Driving

 I’ve discovered that writing doesn’t just happen when seated in front of my computer.

It happens when I’m washing dishes, folding laundry, putting almond butter on toast or best of all … when I’m driving. This weekend, I spent a lot  time heading out to parks, museums and the beach with my son in tow and music on the radio. Both of us enjoying the drive, me with my coffee and he with his sippy cup of water.

 I found myself mulling over ideas on my Work-In-Progess and had some great ideas pop up all while I was driving  to my different destinations.

Writing is a journey and the simmering part can be just as important part as the writing itself.  Sometimes it’s during the simmering that characters freely chatter, make funny quips and lead me toward their path in the story.  I find myself laughing or even talking out loud (yes, i look nuts)  while I work through a scene and it moves my story along or even in a new direction. .

It’s always an experience. And this was a good weekend for simmering, lots of creative ideas cooking in my mind that I am excited to get to this week!

What about you? What’s your process?

Let’s Eat ~Write~Love with Taste of Home Editor Emily Betz Tyra

Backstory: I met Emily when I moved to Wisconsin to work as a food writer for a spice company. She and I became fast friends and bonded over our love of food writing, champagne for breakfast and cooking up beautiful meals, which Emily does with complete ease.  She  is now Senior Editor at Taste of Home magazine and  is here to help me kick off summer with brunch talk. 

Welcome Emily!

 

EAT It’s so close to summer I can taste it! I love making this blueberry coffee cake  for friends. Your house smells like blueberry heaven. All of Taste of Home’s recipes come from our readers, and this one from Lori Snedden in Sherman, Texas, is very similar to something my mom baked when we were growing up that we called Huckle Buckle. It’s old-fashioned, not too sweet. I add even more blueberries to the batter and always put cinnamon in the streusel topping. Make peppered bacon to go with it—I do mine on a cookie sheet in the oven. Recipe here.  If you haven’t tried it, you will not believe how easy it is. And no splatters on your cute apron!

 

WRITE (READ) South of Superior by Ellen Airgood. The protagonist, Madeline, leaves behind her job and boyfriend in Chicago and moves 500 miles north to a coastal village on Lake Superior to take care of a family friend. It’s tender and quirky. I’m rooting for Madeline to find someone to love, even in a very small, remote beach town. I met the author, Ellen, when I was doing a travel story about Grand Marais, Michigan, which is a real-life far-flung beach town way up in northern Michigan. She runs a diner with her husband during the day and writes at night. The morning I met her, a bear had broken in the back kitchen door and devoured all the homemade hamburger buns she had on the baking rack. She even showed me the greasy bear paw print on the back door. Just a part of living up north!

LOVE (ing)

Our front porch is back in business after the long Wisconsin winter, wahoo. My house is tiny, so the extra room on the porch means now I can have more people over for big-laugh brunches, or just a glass of something cold. We like to say hi to the dogs and their people trotting by and count the neighbors making a bratwurst run to the meat market on the corner. Backyards are awesome, and so is privacy, but I am discovering the front porch is the better place to watch the world and feel like a part of it. Makes me happy.

SUMMER EDITION

Do check out the new summer edition of Taste of Home magazine. It’s our June/July America the Tasty issue with the best homemade regional dishes from coast to coast. We talked to military spouses about the one food that they can’t wait to have—or to make for the person they love—when returning from deployment. After the kissing is out of the way, of course. Also there is a crazy-good Bloody Mary recipe in there with garnish ideas from all over the country. And my personal favorite, a milkshake from every state. It’s on newsstands June 11.

 

 

Emily Betz Tyra is originally a Michigan girl  from Traverse City, she grew up on a  cherry orchard and slept in a haunted lighthouse all in the name of journalism. These days she cooks, writes and edits in Milwaukee, where she’s a senior editor at Taste of Home magazine. She and her husband Andy can’t wait to camp this summer.

REVEAL:Heartbreak Cake Cover and Blurb

It’s hard to imagine that I’m even able to blog about this, because it all just seemed like a dream I had years ago that one day I would write a book. And after several years of spurts and stops, different plotlines, lots of wine, lots of chocolate and lots of long walks I am thrilled to announce that my publisher Simon & Fig has just released the cover and blurb for Heartbreak Cake.

I really love it and I hope you do too! I’ll make sure to write more as we get closer on the inspiration behind the cover but today, let’s just soak in the beauty of this cover and blurb!

Heartbreak Cake

By

Cindy Arora

Business is sweet for pastry chef Indira Aguilar. Her indie bakery, Cake Pan, is fast becoming the talk of the wedding circuit for its unique take on cakes and homespun creations for the modern bride, garnering national recognition and drawing in celebrity clients. But while her professional life is blossoming, her personal life is crumbling.

Indira may have a talent for blending buttercream into bliss, but when it comes to relationships, she’s got a lot to learn. Considering that the love of her life, Josh Oliver is not only married, but also runs the award-winning pastry department of her fiercest competition, Crystal Cove Resort, Indira puts much more at stake than just her heart when she ends her affair with him.

Rumors begin to fly as the small seaside community of Long Beach learns of her secret relationship, and Indira must defend not only her actions, but her wedding business and her reputation while trying to maneuver the choppy heartbreak waters of starting over, finding new love, and facing her past. With the support of friends, family, a fondness for butter, and a determined spirit, Indira may just bake her way back to happiness and possibly into the heart of Crystal Cove’s dishy new chef, Noah. But one thing is certain. Where there’s heartbreak, there must be cake.