When Books Make You Hungry by Laura Hunsaker

 Have you ever read a book that made you hungry? I was reading one the other day and by the end of the scene I wanted minestrone and a glass of wine. It was kind of a fitting scene since at work we are having a soup and salad potluck this week, and I shall be bringing lentil minestrone (all the dessert slots were empty and it's a soup and salad potluck).

[here's the recipe I'll be using. I substitute spinach for kale though, since no one in my family likes kale]

There are two authors I can think of off-hand whose books always make me crave whatever it is the characters are eating. Both write in such a different style than I do, that I think describing the meal to the point the food is so detailed you make the reader hungry is usually only seen in certain genres. I just don't know if I can pause the scene where a serial killer is after someone long enough to describe the meal. Then again, words are literally my job, and I like to think I'm pretty good with them, so maybe I could absolutely pull it off!

I'm going to have to ponder this. I wonder if readers are reading and thinking, "What did the characters eat for lunch?" Or even "Have the characters eaten lunch?" I think if I'm reading an action scene, I might not worry about it, but then again, don't they need the calories if they're on the run? I mean, if I'm running for my life, am I thinking about food at all? Or am I thinking that I can't run another step if I don't get a decent supper? Or are we picturing a villain chasing them while the main characters try to scarf down some fast food like this poor chap:

As I said, I don't typically describe the foods in my books to the extent that I think I would make anyone hungry. It's not really relevant to my story, but I'm wondering if maybe at least once per book I should really go all in on a meal for my poor hungry characters! 

I have a new Romantic Suspense coming out in a couple of months called DANGEROUS PAST, and while there is no eating on the run, there is lots of romance. I look forward to sharing it with you all once I get a firm date! In the mean time, are you a reader who enjoys that in a book? Are you a writer who adds that in? And what do you bring to a potluck? Any recipe ideas are welcome ;)

And you can start my Fatal Instincts series with DARK PAST, available now:

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The small town was supposed to be safe...

Kate Landry is tired of running. Thinking she's safe, she settles in the small logging town of Chester, California to manage a cafe. She may be keeping a low profile, but she's hoping to return to a normal life.
When FBI agent Kyle Donovan visits to Chester to stay with a friend, and to recover from his latest case, he never expects to meet sexy barista Kate.

But someone is following Kate...

Kyle worries he brought trouble to her door, while Kate worries her dark past is coming after her.
With danger lurking around every corner, her safe haven isn't as safe as she'd thought. Kate will finally have to trust someone enough to tell him her secrets. Secrets that may just get them killed...