I’m so pleased to welcome Friend of the Wickeds, Krista Davis back to the blog. Krista’s latest book, The Diva Spices It Up, the thirteenth book in her Domestic Diva series, debuted Tuesday. To celebrate Krista is giving away a signed hardcover copy to one lucky commenter below. (US addresses only.)
Here’s the description:
Sophie never considered ghostwriting as a side gig, until former actress and aspiring lifestyle guru, Tilly Stratford, trophy wife of Wesley Winthrope, needs someone to write her celebrity cookbook. Sophie agrees, hoping she’ll earn enough bread on this assignment to finish her bathroom renovations. But as it turns out, Sophie isn’t the first foodie to get a taste for recipe ghostwriting, and if the marginalia are any indication, this project could be a killer . . .
Thanks for joining us and take it away, Krista!
Thank you so much for inviting me. I’m truly honored to be a guest at The Wickeds.
Sometimes when I get an idea for a book, I start researching and wonder why I ever thought it was a good idea. But having Sophie Winston ghostwrite a cookbook was fun.
I knew that some cookbooks were ghostwritten but according to my research, it’s much more common than I thought. A lot of the celebrity chefs use ghostwriters to write their cookbooks. Some of them have two TV shows and four restaurants, not to mention public appearances, so maybe it’s not too surprising that they don’t have the time to write and compile all those recipes. There are some fun articles on the web about ghostwriters tailing the celebrities, trying to stay out of the way in hectic restaurant kitchens while writing down the ingredients and steps as the chef is cooking. One ghostwriter found herself packing a bag and following the chef to exotic locations, all the while trying to elicit recipe information from the chef.
It’s not quite so hectic for Sophie. At the request of her ex-husband, Mars, she’s helping Tilly Stratford, a woman who was a child star on television. Tilly is the wife of a congressman, trying to establish her own identity and brand. She’s totally intimidated by the other congressional wives. Sophie finds that hard to believe, after all Tilly was a star! But Tilly sees it differently, “Honey, have you seen some of these women? They run miles every day and lift weights. I break into hives when I pass a gym on the sidewalk.”
The trouble is that the original ghostwriter abruptly left the job, leaving Tilly in the lurch with an unfinished book. No one knows why and even worse, no one can find her. Sophie discovers odd numbers and letters on some of the recipes. They don’t look like any cooking instructions she has ever seen. Are they some kind of code that means add garlic? The ghostwriter’s elderly neighbor who was lucky enough to try some of the recipes says they needed a little spicing up. Still, that doesn’t explain the odd notes.
Readers of the series may be interested to know that there’s a major change in Natasha’s life in this book. No spoilers here, though!
Readers: We’re all cooking a lot more now that we’re staying home. What have you cooked or baked in the last few weeks that you absolutely loved? (To celebrate the release of The Diva Spices It Up, I’m giving away a signed hardcover copy. Please leave a comment to enter. Sorry, US addresses only.)
Find Krista at:
www.facebook.com/KristaDavisAuthor