The Hawaiian word of the day is
Wela.
It is heat.
Hawaii is feeling the heat with its scorthing sun. So is romance author Kate Meader as she celebrates today the release of FEEL THE HEAT from Forever. Kate joins me for a cozy chat ... from her bio (at this link),
Kate Meader writes contemporary romance that serves up delicious food, to-die-for heroes, and heroines with a dash of sass. Originally from Ireland, she cut her romance reader teeth on Catherine Cookson and Jilly Cooper novels, with some Mills & Boons thrown in for variety. Give her tales about brooding mill owners, oversexed equestrians, and men who can rock an apron, and she’s there. She has a bachelor’s in law (useless), a master’s in history (not as useless), and another master’s in library and information science (yay, using). When not writing about men who cook and the women who drool over them, she works in an academic library. Her stories are set in her adopted home town of Chicago, a city made for food, romance, and laughter – and where she met her own sexy hero. For news, excerpts, and recipes, check out her website at
katemeader.com.
Kim: Ireland! What is your favorite sight, sound, and smell?
Kate: As an Irish person, I’m supposed to say the smell of a peat fire or the clink of Guinness pint glasses, but that’s a bit too much of a stereotype ;) I’ve lived in the United States for almost twenty years and for the longest time, I could only afford to go back once a year and always at Christmas. My favorite sight is the huge “Welcome Home” sign that greets the returning flock as you leave Dublin Airport, heading into the city. It never fails to make me teary because for so long, Ireland’s biggest export was its young people. My favorite sound is the calls of the street sellers on Moore Street, a decades-old street market in the city center. At Christmas time, they’re usually selling “Rappen papur, foive for a euro” (That’s “wrapping paper, five sheets for one Euro”.) And my favorite smell? Sigh, I love the smell of a peat fire. So sue me J
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Peat for the holiday fire
Public Domain |
Kim: Chicago - "a city made for food, romance, and laughter". What is your favorite food (I know it's hard to pick just one). Where is the perfect place for a romantic moment? What makes you laugh in The Windy City?
Kate: My favorite food is pasta! There are so many great Italian restaurants in Chicago, some more romantic than others. One of my faves is Coco Pazzo – their pappardelle al cinghiale is to-die-for (noodles with boar ragu). But for sheer unadulterated romance, I’d have to go French. One of the most romantic spots in Chicago is Bistro Campagne, a lovely neighborhood bistro in Lincoln Square. As for what makes me laugh in the Windy City, that’d be my husband who has been keeping me in giggles since I first met him while we slung coffee together at Starbucks, ahem, all those years ago.
By the way, I just want to mention that I took a wonderful trip to Hawaii in 2009 and one of my favorite foods was pineapple with Li hing mui powder. My husband and I love that stuff!
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I, too, love pineapple with Li Hing Mui from
the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet. |
Kim: Tell us about FEEL THE HEAT - what inspired it? Any personal connection, i.e, does a man cook for you?
Kate: I’m a big fan of chef memoirs, cooking shows, and culinary romance. There’s something about a strong, in-charge leader in the kitchen becoming undone by love, and any guy who knows how to seduce with food—and a few well-chosen words—just sets my heart aflutter. I also wanted to examine the perils of fame and how the anonymity of the Internet allows consumers a weird measure of ownership over people they don’t know. That all sounds very serious, but Feel the Heat is really a funny take on a love affair played out in the public eye. With pasta.
As for a personal connection, my husband is more of a baker, so he seduces with delicious baked treats. And I eat them all.
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| Hawaii's Liluha Bakery offers cocopuffs with Li Hung Mui. |
Kim: What's next for Kate Meader?
Kate: Next up is Book 2 of the Hot in the Kitchen series, All Fired Up about Cara, an ice cool events planner, and Shane, a hot Irish pastry chef. That’ll be available on August 6. Right now I’m finishing up Book 3 about Tad DeLuca, the cousin of the heroines in the first two books, and Jules Kilroy, the sister of my hero in Feel the Heat. It’s a friends-to-lovers story and I expect it will be released by the end of 2013. So three books in one year—I’m pretty excited!
FEEL THE HEAT by Kate Meader
Hot in the Kitchen, Book 1
IF YOU CAN'T STAND THE HEAT . . .
Photographer Lili DeLuca spends all her time managing her family's Italian restaurant, instead of following her dream of getting an MFA. When famous British chef Jack Kilroy unexpectedly challenges her father to a cook-off, Lili decides she's tired of playing it safe and vows to seduce the tempting Brit. But once a video of her and Jack kissing goes viral and her luscious butt starts trending on Twitter, Lili fears she's cooked up a recipe for disaster.
. . . GET INTO THE BEDROOM
Jack Kilroy's celebrity has left him feeling used and used up. While Lili's oh-so-sexy moans when she tastes his delicious creations turn him on, he's even more aroused by how unimpressed this beautiful, funny woman is with his fame. He knows they could be amazing together, if she could only see past his bitch fork-wielding fan base. Now, as he's about to start a new prime time TV cooking show, can Jack convince Lili to realize her own ambitions - and turn up the heat in his kitchen?
Amazon: link
During the Feel the Heat release tour, I am giving away foodie-related swag: one Grand Prize and five smaller prize packs! Details and pics on my website.
