What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?
I was sitting on the sofa in my beach condo in 2024, two nights before my daughter’s wedding, and talking to my mother about writing fiction. I’ve written my entire adult life, but it was nonfiction and marketing copy. I told her I had a lot of ideas for novels, but couldn’t turn any of them into full-length novels: how no tiramisus I’d eaten in my life were the same, discovering that another woman was named Forsyth (I thought I was the only one), a marketing consultant who wanted to stop writing corporate jargon, and a quilt by an unknown woman in an asylum in the 1850s that showed a baby being taken away. My mother knew the story of the quilt and said, “I always had one question about that quilt. ‘Where’s the baby?’”
A lightbulb went off in my head, and suddenly I saw that one book could have multiple stories. I played with it in my head, and after Christmas that year, I told my sister, who was writing her own novel, about my idea, and she asked, “What are you waiting for?” The next day, I started writing.
Interestingly, my characters took over. Nick wasn’t supposed to be a main character and certainly not a hot chef. He was supposed to be an overweight, older, cranky chef. But he insisted he had main-character energy, and he was right. Also, Danny wasn’t supposed to have his own layer, but he demanded it.
If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of your book, what would they be?
Meg — “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” by The Police
Nick — “Wicked Game” by Chris Isaak
Ella — “Hey Girl” by Lady Gaga and Florence Welch
Annie — “Butterfly” by Crazy Town
Remy — “Here With Me” by d4vd
Angelique — “The Painter” by Neil Young
Ceel — “Love Again” by Dua Lipa
Alejandro — “Hero” by Enrique Iglesias
Chamblee — “Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress” by The Hollies
Joey — “Summer Breeze” — Seals and Crofts
Cam — “To Be Free” by Sam Smith
Francesco — “How Would You Feel?” by Ed Sheeran
Natalie — “Espacial” by Raymix
Danny — “Lust for Life” by Lana Del Rey and The Weeknd
Zia — “Emiliana” by CKay
What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?
Favorite genre to read: Mysteries of all kinds: cozy, police procedurals, thrillers, FBI, and suspense.
Favorite genre to write: Rom-coms that are more chick lit than spicy.
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
Road Trip by Mary Kay Andrews
While You Were Trending by Pippa Grant
Fury in Death by J. D. Robb (when it’s released in September)
The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts by Robert Thorogood
When in Rome by Sarah Adams
What scene in your book was your favorite to write?
It’s a tie between the scene when Chamblee breaks down from the stress of solving a mystery, and Joey takes care of her, and the scene where Nick shows up at Meg’s apartment after he opens the Christmas gifts when she told him to wait until Christmas. I also loved writing the MMMFrenchGarden YouTube and TikTok videos.
Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)
I like to write after I’ve worked out because endorphins make me extra creative. I also write better when I’m in my beach condo looking at the ocean.
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained."
If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?
It’s Alejandro’s line: “Love is an adventure, and we get to do it together.” Love means you’re never totally alone in anything, and that with love, all things are possible.
