One of the most gratifying aspects of writing Rescued was speaking with so many thoughtful and insightful people about their second-chance dogs and their relationships with them. I spoke with Elissa Altman, the James Beard-award winning food writer at an especially tender time. Just a few weeks earlier, Elissa, her partner Susan, and their other rescue, […]
Tag Archives | book club
A Gentleman in Moscow Latvian Stew recipe from Amor Towles
In writing a novel, I work from an extensive outline that describes in detail the events of every chapter, the settings, and the psychological states of the characters. As a result, when I began composing the “Advent” chapter in A Gentleman in Moscow, I knew that the Count would visit the Piazza (the main restaurant […]
Alexandra Risen’s Maple Granola
I lived in Montréal for almost two decades and cherished its multicultural culinary treats. Traditional neighborhoods abound, and I wandered from French bistros to little Italy to Schwartz’s smoked meat deli to my favorite shawarma restaurant whose pita sandwiches fueled me through university. I carry two beloved Montréal memories with me: the sweet beauty of […]
Historical Dutch Apple Pie recipe from author Dominic Smith
Life is weather. Life is meals. I always recall this James Salter quote from Light Years whenever I think about food in fiction. Meals are also a signifier in novels and stories. What a character eats—and how they eat it, and with whom—tells us a lot about their background and worldview. In The Last Painting of […]
Ona Vitkus’ Tomato Soup Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Hello, readers. If you’re reading The One-in-a-Million Boy for your book club, here is a cupcake version of my main character Ona’s tomato soup cake. I know, they sound awful. But don’t leave before trying one! My publisher also puts out cookbooks, so the recipe went through their test kitchen. I got the idea for tomato […]