Won't you be Elisa Lorello's neighbor? (Plus a book giveaway.)

When we see the title of Elisa Lorello's latest novel, we hear the score of Star Wars in our head. Maybe it's just a word thing because the two couldn't be more different if they tried. For starters, Elisa's book does not take place in outer space, nor does it feature Jedis, Darth Vader, or R2D2. However, it does involve an "empire." Or at least one in the food industry. That's right...Elisa's latest novel is about Italian food...namely, pasta. And thanks to Adaptive Studios, a copy of Pasta Wars could be yours, as they have TWO to give away!

What we know of Elisa from Twitter tells us a lot...basically that she loves Duran Duran and Pop Tarts, and that she's a bad guitar player. You can also find her at her website and on Facebook.

Check out Melissa A's review of one of Elisa's previous novels, Why I Love Singlehood (written with Sarah Girrell). She is also the author of Faking It, Adulation, and Friends of Mine (a memoir).

Watch a funny video promo for Pasta Wars:

Synopsis:
Slim, successful, and soon to marry the man of her dreams, Katie Cravens is leading the life she always wanted. As the face and CEO of Pasta Pronto, a “Carbs for the Calorie-Conscious” line of frozen food, Katie chooses to live life like one of her Slimline Spaghetti dinners―no mess, no surprises, and everything tied up in a neat little package. But when Katie’s fiancé runs off with another woman and a quality control fiasco sends her customers running for the hills, it’s time for Katie to make a change.

Her company’s salvation presents itself in the form of a partnership opportunity with the legendary Ristorante Caramelli of Rome, and Katie has no other choice but to jet off to Italy to convince gorgeous, hotheaded co-owner Luca Caramelli that she’s a worthy partner. Gaining Luca’s respect proves harder than Katie could have ever imagined, however, when he insists that she must learn how to cook―and how to eat―true Italian food before he will ever agree to their companies’ partnership.

Katie and Luca's tension in Italy mounts into a fierce public rivalry that erupts back in the States with a nationally televised cooking competition. As Katie tries to channel her inner Mario Batali to win the competition, she must choose between the flavorless prepackaged life that she worked so hard to maintain and the mouth-watering uncertainty of a life chock full of carbohydrates and Caramellis. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

What is one thing that always makes you laugh hysterically?
Just about everything my fiancé says, as well as my twin brother. They’re both hilarious, albeit with slightly different senses of humor. Most of the time, my twin brother and I keep building on one joke, and anyone else would likely find it stupid, if they could understand it. I guess it’s a twin thing.

If you were going to someone's house for a dinner party, what would you bring?
I usually like to bring homemade dessert or flowers. Dessert is more tasty.

Where is the worst place to be stuck waiting?
The airport. Whether it’s on the TSA line, at the gate, or on the plane. Drives me batty. Doesn’t matter which airport or airline.

Which historical figure would you most like to have a discussion with?
Oooh, good question! Tough one, too. I don’t think Fred Rogers (from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood) is considered “historical,” but I wish he’d lived longer and I’d met him. I imagine Albert Einstein was probably a hoot. I don’t think I’d want to engage in an actual discussion with many historical figures as much as just observe them in discussion with someone else.

If you could own one type of store, what would it be?
I used to dream of having my own private coffee shop (I got it out of my system when I wrote Why I Love Singlehood, hahaha). I’ve also had fantasies of owning my own vinyl record store. Ditto for a bookstore, although my fiancé and I just bought shares in the co-op bookstore (This House of Books) coming to Billings, MT, this fall, so I guess technically we are owners now!

Which one song do you sing very well?
I sing a lot of Beatles songs well, especially the harmonies. Hard to choose just one. I also think I sing “The Very Thought of You” pretty well. I absolutely love the Nat King Cole version.

Thanks to Elisa for chatting with us and to Adaptive Studios for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 

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Ends July 19th at midnight EST.