Please welcome my good friend and fellow Carina UK/Harlequin author, Rebecca Raisin, as she guest-hosts the blog today. She’s serving up a delicious and festive tale of cooking and romance in her new novella, “Christmas at the Gingerbread Cafe.”
She’s even included a yummy recipe for chocolate and ginger truffles on the blog today. So find a comfy chair and settle back – you’re in for a real treat!
Take it away, Rebecca…
♥ ♥ ♥
Christmas at the Gingerbread Café had me feeling festive from the get-go. There’s something special about writing about Christmas, the snow, the carols, the palpable excitement of children, and most important of all, those foodie treats we lovingly bake at this time of year. I must admit, I thoroughly enjoyed researching the multitude of ways you can use ginger in recipes to turn it from a simple spice into an amazing dessert. From gingerbread men, to ginger truffles, pancakes, and so many more!
My main character, Lil, has had her heart broken in the past, and uses cooking almost like a meditation. It’s something that soothes her, and something she’s passionate about. Add Christmas to the mix, and you can’t help but feel like joining Lil at the Gingerbread Café, whiling away some time by the cozy fire while she whips you up a gingerbread coffee, and CeeCee, her best friend, shoots the breeze while baking the pies she’s famous for.
Ashford is close knit town, so when newcomer Damon arrives, and opens up a shop across the road from the café, everyone is curious about him. Including Lil. After all, it’s a small town, there’s barely enough business for her to stay afloat. I loved writing about the vulnerability of Lil, she’s soft by nature, but she’s not a doormat, and she fights for what she believes in. Damon has the girls in town swooning with his good looks and sweet nature. But Lil’s not so sure. Who keeps calling him?
I found it hard not to fall in love with the characters in this novella, so I hope that translates on the page. There’s something magical about small towns and the way in which the locals look after each other.
Food brings people together at Christmas, and to me, there’s nothing sweeter than receiving a gift that has been affectionately home-made.
I thought I’d share a chocolate and ginger truffle recipe that I found at http://www.abeautifulbite.com/gingerbread-truffles/. I’ve tried a few different recipes and this one is by far the best.
Truffles are something you can pre-make as a gift for Christmas. You can wrap them in little gift boxes, or buy some draw string Christmas pouches.
Christmas at the Gingerbread Cafe
Christmas is the season the Gingerbread Café was made for…but owner Lily couldn’t be feeling less merry if she tried. She’s spent another year dreaming of being whisked away on a sleigh ride for two, but she’s facing festive season alone – again. And, just to give her another reason to feel anything other than candy-cane perky, a new shop across the road has opened… Not only is it sellingé baked goods, but the owner, with his seriously charming smile, has every girl in town swooning.
But Lily isn’t about to let her business crumble — the Gingerbread Café is the heart of the community, and she’s going to fight for it! This could be the Christmas that maybe, just maybe, all her dreams – even the someone-to-decorate-the-Christmas-tree-with ones – really do come true!
Check out the novella:
Amazon.com http://goo.gl/MiJrdE
Amazon UK http://ow.ly/qvis0
Connect with Rebecca:
https://www.facebook.com/RebeccaRaisinAuthor
http://rebeccaraisin.wordpress.com
www.twitter.com/jaxandwillsmum
Follow me on Bookbub!
