I’m starving! This was the primary thought on my mind while I was writing my new release, DESPERATELY SEEKING SUZANNA. I was mid-diet when I started writing this story, running on the treadmill every day, surviving on nuts and berries in an attempt to fit into a slinky dress for an event. So, is it surprising there are a great deal of scenes involving food in this story? Not really. Holden and Sue snack from the night they meet to the end of Desperately Seeking Suzanna. There is always a bowl of candy or a table of refreshments at a ball, over which they hover. But, it isn’t just any food they share a fondness for, it’s a fondness for sweets and more specifically chocolate. Some authors speak of themes of injustice or redemption in their stories, in this book there’s a theme of chocolate. *grins* That’s right, lovely, tasty ribbons of chocolate are woven through Sue and Holden’s story. In this scene, Holden has just taken Sue’s sketches from her while she sat drawing in the park—where she thought she was alone. She’s nervously watching him look through her artwork, but before long their conversation turns to—what else? Chocolate….

Awk-ward! While shopping in the grocery store, have you ever tried to avoid an unwanted conversation with someone you know by diving behind a display of potato chips? You attempt to shrink down to half your size while hoping your acquaintance keeps walking and doesn’t notice the quivering display of salty goodness concealing your location. You hold your breath. Have they had time to round the end of the isle and disappear into the frozen food department? The seconds tick past as your hands begin to sweat beneath your white-knuckled grasp on the shopping cart. You finally stand and peer around the tower of chips only to see your acquaintance stopped to investigate a table of seasonal cookies from the bakery. They turn, somehow aware of your gaze on their back. Their eyes widen with surprise. There’s nowhere to run. It’s too late to slip away unnoticed. Then comes the drawn out, “Hi—iii. What are you doing here?” There’s no escape, you’re in an uncomfortable conversation. At one point or another, most people have been there. Maybe not there, hiding behind a stack of potato chips, but there in life in some fashion. From the long-winded lady who will talk…