Cuisine in Contemporary books – Is it Just About the Food?

By: Carmen Falcone

Congratulations to "Jo-Anne", the winner in Robin's giveaway. Thank you to all who participated!!

I like to think not. I’ll explain. 

I don’t write foodie romance by any means, and those long paragraphs about a chef cooking something super elaborate and going into great detail usually make me hungry, so I either skim that page, or I go grab something to eat. Fancy, I know.

What I find interesting is how food, just by being there, can play a part in romance books. The heroine, deep in thought, can glance at her spaghetti and play with her fork instead of eating. The hero may crunch into an apple to buy some time and think about a question he was just asked. An extravagant dinner might make a humble character feel out of place. 

In my latest release, A Night of Misbehaving, my characters Brent and Georgia meet at an upscale restaurant, with her under the impression that he is the guy from the online dating site. However, as their kids go to the same preschool, she’s uneasy. I won’t spoil it, but there are other reasons on both sides as to why the date can lead to bad consequences. So. As the dinner is filled with tension, the food becomes one of the main topics. She orders salmon, he goes with the Beef Wellington. Being that Brent owns a chain of gyms, Georgia questions his choice and a trivial conversation leads to a deeper realization. Food is only second to weather on the scale of safe subjects – you can’t go wrong. 

And sometimes things can go very, very right. Later in the book, Georgia and Brent eat chili hot dogs as they stroll down a hipster-friendly street in downtown Austin. Although it’s a more casual setting, the tension is still there. A little bit of sauce drips from Brent’s mouth and his tongue slides out and fetches it – and a hot awareness ripples through Georgia’s body. BAM! 

Yeah. Food and sexual tension go hand in hand, don’t they? :) Or maybe it’s just me… 

Giveaway:
Question: What is your favorite cuisine? Please leave a comment to enter for a gifted copy of A Night of Misbehaving. 

A NIGHT OF MISBEHAVING

For just one night, Georgia Taylor wants to forget about her demanding job and the everyday struggles of being a single mom. Her track record with men is pitiful, but that’s fine because her responsibilities don’t leave room for love anyway. The new online dating site is perfect for what she’s after.

But Georgia’s plans are crushed when Brent Turner, aka Sexy Dad and father of her daughter’s classmate, turns out to be her internet date, therefore, eliminating any possibility for a night without consequences.

All of Brent Turner’s honorable intentions fly out the window when he sees highly strung “Super Mom” waiting for her date at the bar. Determined to win Georgia’s trust and show her a good time, their no-strings evening promises to become so much more…until, that is, she discovers what he's really up to.

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Author bio: 
Carmen Falcone learned at an early age that fantasizing about fictional characters beat doing math homework any day. Brazilian by birth and traveler by nature, she moved to central Texas after college and met her broody Swiss husband—living proof that opposites attract. She found in writing her deepest passion and the best excuse to avoid the healthy lifestyle everyone keeps talking about. When she’s not lost in the world of romance, she enjoys spending time with her two kids, being walked by her three crazy pugs, reading, catching up with friends, and chatting with random people in the checkout line.
She loves to procrastinate, so please indulge her and drop her a line. For more info, visit her website: www.carmenfalcone.com 

Carmen on the web: 
http://www.carmenfalcone.com/
https://twitter.com/CarmenExpress
http://www.facebook.com/carmenauthor http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6443964.Carmen_Falcone

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