Pinch of Me, A Dash of You by Heather Thurmeier Interview & Excerpt

Title: Pinch of Me, A Dash of You
Author: Heather Thurmeier
Publisher: Fated Desires
Pages: 119
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format: Kindle

Purchase at AMAZON

Kali can’t cook to save her life, but she can write. As a foodie reviewer for both a huge national paper and a successful blog, she’s well on her way to achieving her dreams. When she’s offered a cookbook deal, she thinks she’s finally made it…until her latest review comes out a little harsher than expected and the restaurateur threatens to expose all her secrets.

Mac’s whole life is spent in the kitchen, running a New York City restaurant and a culinary school for underprivileged youth. When donations stop pouring in for Mac’s culinary school after a scathing review of his restaurant, he fears he may have to shut the doors if he can’t find a way to turn things around. Then he meets Kali, the reviewer who admits she has no culinary skills. Now he’s made her an offer she can’t refuse—he’ll teach her to cook over the summer and help her with recipes for the cookbook if she’ll agree to write an insider piece highlighting the strengths of his culinary school.

But when things start heating up in Mac’s kitchen, keeping her hands on the food and off of Mac is proving harder than Kali expected.

Book Excerpt:

Mac watched as his name finally sank in. She stared at him, unspeaking. Her sea blue eyes were captivating, and made his tough facade waver. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but simply licked her cherry red, glossy lips instead.

What could she say? Sorry for slamming your business with an unfair and untrue review? That would be a good start, but highly unlikely given her history.

Kali leaned back into her chair while her fingers twirled a strand of strawberry blonde hair where it fell over her shoulder. “I’m still not sure I understand what this is about. So you own a restaurant. Good for you.”

Really? She took the playing dumb route.

He leaned forward, crossing his arms on the table. “I saw your logo. I know it’s you. So instead of pretending to be someone else, why don’t you admit it?”

“Why should I?”

“Because I’d like to have a normal, professional conversation with you and it would be easier to do that if you’d own up to who you really are. I know you’re the one writing Kali’s Kuisine.”

She sat forward suddenly, her face only inches away from his. “Would you hush up?” she whispered, her gaze shifting around the room. “If everyone knew who I was, or who you think I am, I’d be out of a job. Do you understand?”

He smiled—smirked, actually. It felt good to have her backed into a corner, like he was. “I do understand. Better than you could imagine. I bet outing you would be a career killer. Sort of like how a scathing review can kill a restaurant in a down economy. Funny how things are very similar for us.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. Oh, this girl had a temper. He kind of liked it.

Clearly he needed more caffeine if he was starting to be intrigued by the girl who’d slammed his restaurant and apparently didn’t care.

He understood why she had to keep her identity hidden. If restaurants knew what she looked like, they’d never serve her. He certainly wouldn’t have. Every place would be magically booked solid as soon as she walked through the door. No one would risk a terrible review from Kali’s Kuisine since she almost never wrote a good review.

A twinge of remorse for being so loud and obvious about her profession caught him off guard. He glanced around the small café wondering if he’d accidentally caught anyone’s attention. It didn’t look like he had. Of course, he didn’t know why he cared either.

“Did you just passive aggressively threaten me?” A mix of disbelief and anger rippled in her voice.

“No, but if you want to take it that way, I won’t stop you.”

There was something intriguing about the twinkle in her eye—a spark behind the anger. Something that told him she knew exactly what she was doing with those reviews and she was both shocked and amused someone would threaten to do the same to her. She would challenge him and he couldn’t wait. He was ready to take her on.

He was right, she was wrong, end of story.

 About the Author

Heather Thurmeier is a lover of strawberry margaritas, a hater of spiders, and a reality TV junkie. Born and raised in the Canadian prairies, she now lives in New York with her husband and kids where she’s become some kind of odd Canuck-Yankee hybrid. Constantly wondering if she’s about to use the Canadian or American word, Heather often chooses wrong, confusing her editor and friends alike. Occasionally, she still adds an extra “u” to random words for no reason other than, “It looks right that way!” She firmly believes that world peace could be achieved if people used their mouths for things like kissing and eating delicious chocolate instead of talking so much. Living life like a romance heroine, Heather knew in their first kiss that she would marry her high school sweetheart. Two countries, two kids, and half a dozen pets later they are still happily in love. Heather’s currently writing her next romance, which will probably be filled with sassy heroines, sexy heroes, laugh out loud moments, and always a happily ever after. She loves to hear from readers on social media and her website!

Her latest release is the contemporary romance, Pinch of Me, Dash of You.

For More Information

• Visit Heather Thurmeier’s website.
• Connect with Heather on Facebook and Twitter.
• Find out more about Heather at Goodreads.
• More books (paranormal romance/sci fi, contemporary romance, new adult romance, post-apoc action, contemporary, and single titles) by Heather Thurmeier.
• Contact Heather.

Interview

Where are you from?  Originally, I’m from the Canadian prairies, but for the last 14 years I’ve lived in New York State.

Tell us your latest news? My newest release is Pinch of Me, Dash of You. It’s a funny, sexy, foodie romance that I’m so excited for readers to get their hands on.

When and why did you begin writing? I’ve always wanted to be a writer. It started as poetry in high school. Then about five years ago, I finally got a good idea for a book and I just had to try. The rest is history.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?  That’s tough. I think it was when I finished my first book and finally wrote The End. I felt as if I wasn’t just playing around anymore, but I’d actually completed an entire book and that made me feel like a real writer!

What inspired you to write your first book?  I love watching reality TV (I know! I know!) and my first idea was for Falling For You. It was definitely inspired by my love of reality TV and the relationships portrayed on those shows.

Do you have a specific writing style?  I’d say my style is lighthearted, funny and has a decent does of sexiness to spice things up! If you’re looking for a deep, dark, meaningful read, maybe check out someone else’s books! LOL.

How did you come up with the title?  Pinch of Me, Dash of You was born out of a desire to have a foodie-sounding title. I wanted something that said foodie romance but was unique. I didn’t want it to sound like every other foodie romance out there.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?  I think the message in my book is to reach for your dreams and keep working hard.

How much of the book is realistic? Well, Kali can’t cook, and neither can I. LOL. Well, that’s not entirely true. I can cook enough to feed my family. But other than that, the whole book is fictional!

Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life? No. I try to keep real life out of my books as much as possible.

What books have most influenced your life most? I’ve been influenced by so many books I don’t even know where to begin. I think I take a little something from every book I read.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor? I don’t know. I think I learn something from every book I read, from every critique I receive and from every critique I give. Being a writer is really a constant learning experience.

What book are you reading now? I’m reading Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon and The Clan of The Cave Bear by Jean M Auel. I’m also usually reading an adventure book by Preston & Child, but haven’t started a new one yet.

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest? I love Stephanie Haefner’s books! They are so funny, sexy, and sweet with real characters we can all relate to. I highly recommend giving one a try!

What are your current projects? I’m usually working on a new category length romance, and my full-length paranormal romance series.

Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members? I could easily name a few. If I’ve learned anything from my short years of writing, it’s that the romance novel community is super supportive and amazing. Two people who have supported me are my agent Jill Marsal and my first critique partner, Best Selling author Shoshanna Evers. Both have been amazing.

What would you like my readers to know? I’d like readers to know that I’m just a regular girl trying to follow my dream and that by buying one of my books, they are helping to validate all the time I’ve spent working toward my goals. When you buy a book, you don’t just buy a product. You buy a piece of the author’s heart and soul.