Sharing a snack with Orly Konig...plus a book giveaway

Happy pub day to Orly Konig for her sophomore novel, Carousel Beach! The cover is looks so inviting and the story inside sounds fascinating. Orly is here today to talk about food and she has one copy to give away!

After years of pushing the creativity boundary in corporate communications, Orly Konig decided it was time for a new challenge and made the switch to fiction. She’s a co-founder and past president of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, a member of the Tall Poppy Writers, and a quarterly contributor to the Writers in the Storm blog. Her first novel, The Distance Home, released May 2017.

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Synopsis:
A cryptic letter on her grandmother’s grave and a mysterious inscription on a carousel horse leads artist Maya Brice to Hank Hauser, the ninety-year-old carver of the beloved carousel she has been hired to restore in time for its Fourth of July reopening in her Delaware beach town. Hank suffers from Alzheimer’s, but on his “better” days, Maya is enthralled by the stories of his career. On his “off” days, he mistakes her for her grandmother—his secret first love.

While stripping chipped layers of paint from the old horse and peeling layers of fragmented memories from the old man, Maya untangles the intertwined secrets of love, heartbreak, and misunderstandings between three generations of strong willed women. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

What is your go-to recipe?
I don’t really have one go-to recipe. To some extent it depends on the season. When it’s cold I love comfort food. Goulash is probably at the top of that list. And anything with mashed potatoes. Or nothing with mashed potatoes. I just love mashed potatoes in case you couldn’t tell. :-) Lately we seem to be one a risotto kick as well. It’s easy to “customize” depending on mood or craving.

What snack would be a good pairing with your book?
Probably anything with shrimp. There’s a scene in the book where the main character, Maya, is helping her best friend at the friend’s boutique and they have a surprise food delivery from a mutual friend. He brings spicy shrimp that’s one of their favorites and a specialty at his restaurant. It leads into a fun discussion about why the carousel Maya is restoring doesn’t have a seahorse or any other sea creatures. It was a fun scene to write and it always make me crave shrimp.

What is your favorite movie snack?
Ouuu, that’s a tough one since we rarely go to the movies anymore. Popcorn is always a must. But I love getting a bag of gummy bears as well. Then again, I'll go for the gummy bears anytime, anywhere! If we’re watching a movie at home, then my favorite snack is fresh out of the oven Oreo chunk cookies.

What is your favorite holiday that involves a lot of food and your favorite recipe for that holiday?
Oh wow, I really don’t know. We’re not traditional as far as celebrating holidays so I don’t really associate a favorite recipe with any one particular holiday. I’m pretty equal-opportunity when it comes to both holidays and fabulous food.

Tell us about a cooking disaster (yours or someone close to you).
I’m a bit (lot) squeamish and not much of a meat eater. Not long after my husband and I were married, we decided to invite friends over for Thanksgiving. I’m sure all the veteran Turkey chefs reading this already know what’s coming. Anyway, I managed to get the thing out of the bag and into the pan, prepped it the way the recipe said and shoved it into the oven. Friends arrived, wine was poured, hors d’oeuvres enjoyed, and then it was time for the turkey. My husband started carving and promptly dissolved into laughter. What can I say? The coupons were nicely seasoned and moist. I haven’t lived that down. Although now my husband has a Thanksgiving cooking incident on his record as well (that one has been written into my current manuscript), so he no longer teases me about mine.

What is your favorite book involving food?
So many! I loved Barbara O’Neal’s books How To Bake A Perfect Life. I’ve always loved baking bread, that’s one of my favorite stress relievers. That book spoke to me on many levels, and inspired quite a few new breads.

Thanks to Orly for visiting with us and for sharing her book with our readers.


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Giveaway ends May 13th at midnight EST.