Hey there!

My husband and I have a fairly solid arrangement when we're both home and our schedule is firing on all cylinders.

(Which, to be fair, is 50% of the time at best given both of our travel schedules.)

He makes lunch, because by the time noon rolls around I'm normally a) starving and b) still super into my work. If left to my own devices, I'll normally just grab the fastest thing that resembles food from the kitchen and eat back at my desk.

(This is why leftovers are the best)

My husband, on the other hand, is actually discerning about lunch. He knows that if he wants something more than hastily-reheated leftovers or a miserable half-assed sandwich, he's got to be in charge.

Dinner is another matter entirely.

By dinnertime, my work brain is thoroughly demolished. I can’t stare at the computer another second — sometimes I can barely put words together in a sentence. At that point, I want nothing more than to throw on KEXP (an excellent Seattle radio station we both love) and lose myself in cooking dinner.

Cooking dinner is incredibly relaxing for me. I also love to bake, and enjoy having friends over for elaborate dinners. (In my family, cooking for people is how you tell them you love them.)

Several of my characters share my enjoyment of cooking.

Oriol has recently discovered the joys of cooking, even though the action in the Bulari Saga never slowed down enough for him to actually make a meal for Manu on screen. Jay is also an excellent cook, which he's been able to demonstrate more as the crew of the Nanshe deepens their family bonds.

But while I have written characters who love to cook into my books, I’m trying something that I’ve never actually done before: cooking recipes from my books as part of the Bulari Saga Travel Guide Kickstarter.

That’s one of the cool things about doing a Kickstarter. Instead of just releasing a short story collection, I get to create something a little weirder. So why not throw in some recipes? :)

I’ve been experimenting with a couple things, and almost have recipes ready to share!

The big one is Jade’s famous chicken and black bean sauce, which is Manu’s favorite dish to order for takeout. He orders it a few times during the Bulari Saga, and Jade's famous takeout even makes an appearance in Nanshe Chronicles 5. I figured we should all get a chance to taste whatever Manu finds so appealing.

I really love mole negro (that smoky, chocolaty sauce from Oaxaca), and I've even made it myself a couple of times. The problem is that it takes hours, requires several dozen ingredients, and at the end your kitchen is a disaster.

(At least, my kitchen is always a disaster.)

I envisioned chicken and black bean sauce as being a simpler recipe with a similar flavor profile to mole negro. I've attempted it a few times so far, and am still making changes. But it's starting to turn out pretty good!

The other recipes I'm working on are cocktails that Phaera serve at the Lorelei and the Devil's Table. Obviously, because Phaera loves mezcal (and so do I), one of these would have to be a mezcal cocktail. For the other one, I'm experimenting with rhum agricole.

I'll also include mocktail versions for those who don't drink, or who just want a fun fancy drink without the buzz. :)

I can't wait to show you what I'm cooking up!

The kickstarter will go live in a couple of weeks, once I get a few more ducks in a row. But until then, be sure to follow it so the Kicstarter algorithms give it love on launch. <3

For Your TBR

Who says vacation reads need to be light and fluffy! I love the theme of this sci-fi beach reads promo — go stock up your e-reader with free adventures.

P.S. I'm sure I've asked this question before, but what fictional food would you be most interested in tasting? Me, I'd love to go to a feast in Redwall.