I am honored to feature Author Gail Pallotta on my blog! She has cooked up an new book called, Cooking up a Mystery. Let's check in with her and see what she has to share:
When my publisher asked how much of my life I put into Cooking up a Mystery , I couldn’t help but smile.

The story’s about a young woman, Laney, who pulls herself from the jaws of poverty after her parents die and her husband leaves her for another woman. That is after she sent him to dental school instead of going to college herself. She inherited the tea house she and her mom started in her mother’s kitchen. She doesn’t know how she can run it without her mother’s help, but George, her assistant says, “You ... have your mom’s wonderful recipes and you whip them up like a pro.”

That’s where I come in with my real life experience. I learned to cook when I was ten years old. The reason, according to my father—I’d know how when I got married. I didn’t marry until I was thirty. By then, I’d received lots of instruction, so I knew how to prepare some pretty good dinners. After we were married my husband said, “You could start a restaurant.” I wanted to do other things instead, such as write, but I started one in this book.

However, cooking is only part of the story. Here’s the rest of it:

Laney’s on edge from the emotional scars left by her parents’ deaths and her husband’s betrayal. Then she hears unexplained noises in the kitchen in the tea house, and her anxiety is tripled. Add a budding romance with Eric—a guy with a fear of commitment—and it's all too much to handle. She cuts ties with Eric and plunges into making her business pay off.

When Eric discovers that Laney's in danger, he vows to protect her. But can he make a lasting promise? Will she trust him? . . .and when they overhear a threat that could cause national turmoil, will anyone believe them? There's more brewing than herbal tea in Cooking up a Mystery .

The recipes in the back of the book in the Laney’s Chefs in the Making section are supplied by a charitable organization, Mission Love Seeds. They’re taken from Heavenly Delights , a book authored by Pam Nichols Griffin. The group helps children throughout the world and responds locally after disasters to demonstrate God’s love. They’re online at missionloveseeds.org and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/120924667405/.

Laney shares her recipe for Pineapple Rice:

Ingredients:

Rice (can be instant, but not boil-in-the-bag)

Cooking oil or spray

One small onion (chopped thin)

Five cloves garlic (or minced gloves equaling five cloves)

One tablespoon fresh grated ginger

One cup fresh pineapple

Small amount of pineapple juice

One teaspoon sugar

One lime

Procedure:
Cook rice according to directions on the box, but substitute a couple of tablespoons to 1/4 cup pineapple juice (depending on taste) for part of the water. Chill rice.

Coat a heavy bottom skillet with oil. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, pineapple and sugar and stir. Add cold rice, break up, squirt with the juice of one lime and stir until heated and blended.




I think this book sounds delicious to read. I can't wait to read it! I wish you much success, Gail. The release date is April 24th. Here's where you can purchase her book:

Buy Cooking Up A Mystery

on Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Cooking-up-Mystery-Gail-Pallotta-ebook/dp/B085LJMH5V/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Cooking+Up+A+Mystery+by+gail+pallotta&qid=1584709195&s=books&sr=1-1

Barnes and Noble - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cooking-up-a-mystery-gail-pallotta/1136612098?ean=9781522398806

Pelican - https://pelicanbookgroup.com/ec/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1468


Bio: Gail Pallotta’s a wife, mom, swimmer and bargain shopper who loves God, beach sunsets and getting together with friends and family. A 2013 Grace Awards finalist, she’s a Reader’s Favorite 2017 Book Award winner and a TopShelf 2020 Book Awards Nominee. She’s published six books, poems, short stories and several hundred articles. Some of her articles appear in anthologies while two are in museums. She loves to connect with readers. Visit her website at https://gailpallotta.com.



Cindy A. Christiansen
Sweet Romance, Humor, Suspense...and Dogs!
Fly into a good book at: http://www.dragonflyromance.com




Cindy A. Christiansen
Sweet (clean) Romance Author