A Slice of Cake With... Kathryn Gauci

Today I am having a slice of cake with author Kathryn Gauci.

Kathryn is a critically acclaimed international, bestselling, author who produces strong, colourful, characters and riveting storylines. She is the recipient of numerous major international awards for her works of historical fiction.

Kathryn was born in Leicestershire, England, and studied textile design at Loughborough College of Art and later at Kidderminster College of Art and Design where she specialised in carpet design and technology. After graduating, she spent a year in Vienna, Austria, before moving to Greece to work as carpet designer in Athens for six years. There followed another brief period in New Zealand before eventually settling in Melbourne, Australia.

Before turning to writing full-time, Kathryn ran her own textile design studio in Melbourne for over fifteen years, work which she enjoyed tremendously as it allowed her the luxury of travelling worldwide, often taking her off the beaten track and exploring other cultures. The Embroiderer is her first novel; a culmination of those wonderful years of design and travel, and especially of those glorious years in her youth living and working in Greece. It has since been followed by more novels, set in both Greece and Turkey.

What kind of books do you write?

My books are historical fiction based on real events. I have two eras of interest. The first is Greece/Turkey from the Greek War of Independence (1821) through WWI to WWII. The other area is WWII Europe, which so far has included several books set in France and one in Vienna, Austria. 

Can you describe your writing why?

I have always loved history, particularly these periods which I came to know better because of living and working in the areas. I was a textile designer for many years and never thought I would end up becoming a writer, so it was a case of write what you know, but that’s only the beginning as there’s always research to do. I find writing very creative, and for me it’s a way of remembering the places and people I’ve been too, and also a way of honouring their history. In a way, writing is just as creative as being a designer and the thought process is similar. 

Share with us your favourite passage from the book you enjoyed writing the most

A difficult one. This is the beginning of The Poseidon Network.

Cairo, June 1942 

One never knows where fate will take us. Cairo taught me that. Expect the unexpected. Little did I realise when I left London that I would walk out of one nightmare into another. In Cairo, the incessant noise of London’s air-raids heralding the arrival of Goering’s Luftwaffe was replaced by the jingling cacophony of Egyptian street-life: the call of the Muezzin, the braying of donkeys, and the honking of a thousand horns from dilapidated vehicles, as tired and worn-out as the animals that sauntered through the streets at a leisurely pace. The city was an assault on the senses, a pungent mixture of incense, sweet-smelling sheesha, animal dung, and petrol fumes. Added to this was the ever-present musky odour of dust from the Western Desert – the smell of a long-buried civilisation.

Tell us about your latest project

The Song of the Partisans begins in Paris in 1944 but moves to Reims and the champagne region. My protagonist, Simone – alias, Martine Dumont – is sent to work with the Resistance and Maquis in the area. All she is told is that it is an important mission, sanctioned by the British and de Gaulle, and that it is extremely dangerous. Under the care of a Maquis leader, she excels as a saboteur and sniper, skills that will enable her to carry out her secret mission. Like many of my books, it’s an emotional roller-coaster with lots of twists and turns. Historical fiction that reads like a thriller.

What is your favourite cake?

Greek Bougatsa.

You can connect with Kathryn here:

Website: kathryngauci.com

Facebook: facebook.com/profile.php?id=100006545417928 

Facebook Author Page: facebook.com/KGauciAuthor 

Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/~/e/B00OPW68SM 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kathryn-gauci-409a638b

Twitter: @KathrynGauci 

Instagram: instagram.com/kathryngauci

Join me next week when I will be having a slice of cake with Jessica Moore. 

If you would like to take part in A Slice of Cake With... please fill in the form found here. I'd be delighted to have you.

You can also support my writing endeavours through Kofi and buy me virtual tea & cake - it's what makes the world go round!

Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find out more about her books on her website clairebuss.co.uk. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop. Never miss out on future posts by following me.

A Slice of Cake With... Maurice Alvarez

Today I am delighted to have a slice of cake with author Maurice Alvarez.

Maurice X. Alvarez was born and raised in New York City. He began writing fiction at an early age, taking events in his daily life and altering them to fill the pages. He quickly developed a fascination with science and technology, and his reading interests shifted into the realms of science fiction and fantasy as a result. His writing soon followed suit.

When Maurice isn't writing he can be found cruising around the county on his bicycle, experimenting with DIY projects around the house or building his amateur carpentry skills.

What kind of books do you write?

My goal is to write stories that are character-driven and thought-provoking.  Typically they are set in a sci-fi or sci-fan environment because that kind of escapism has been my go-to choice since I was a kid reading the likes of Philip Dick and Isaac Asimov.  But I do like to mix in some levity now and then, drawing from my enjoyment of Harry Harrison and Douglas Adams.  If I’m not having fun writing, I can’t expect my readers to have fun reading what I write.

Can you describe your writing why?

Honestly, when I was a child, writing just seemed natural.  Other people wrote stories that I read and enjoyed, therefore I should be able to write my own so other people could read and enjoy them too.  I was also fortunate to have had some great friends growing up with whom I’d have imaginary adventures, each building on the other’s plot points until we had full 3-act stories without even realizing it.

I’m a very visual person, meaning that I think in images first and then break those down into words.  This has been the flow of most of my writing since I was in my single digits.  I started with a drawing toy I had that let me mix and match legs and torsos to create monsters, and based on those drawings, I wrote simple horror stories until I was twelve years old.  That’s when my cousin gave me a treasure trove of sci-fi books, and I fell in love with that setting.

Years later, a drawing that my wife and co-author drew when we were in college became the source for our trilogy, The Trouble With Thieves.  Immediately upon seeing her drawing, the three people depicted started telling me their names and backgrounds and how they’d arrived at that scene.  By the end of the day, I had a basic plot outline.

Share with us your favourite passage from the book you enjoyed writing the most

In this scene, the main character, Kormèr is back on the planet Averia for the first time in six years. He’s received word that a local he’d fallen madly in love with six years earlier is waiting for him in the lounge of the hotel at which he’s staying.  They’ve both grown while separated, and it’s their uncertainty as they come back into each other’s lives that really makes me like this scene.

Freshly groomed, Kormèr anxiously strolled into the lounge.  He hadn’t felt this nervous about meeting a woman in a very long time.  But Sylvestra was no ordinary woman.  And he had left her somewhat unexpectedly.  The fact that she was here now, that she had come knowing he too would be here was promising.  But he couldn’t be sure of the reception; she could be here to start over or just as easily to slap him.

He spotted her perched at the bar, and his heart leaped.  Until that very moment, Kormèr’s presence here on Averia had been surreal.  Seeing Sylvestra, resplendent in her snowy-white plumage, solidified the reality of the moment.

He approached her from the side, not wanting to sneak up on her.  She noticed him almost immediately, her glittering black eyes turning to meet his, questioningly.  He realized she probably didn’t recognize him with his moustache and beard.

||Hello, Sylvee.||

She glanced down at the dozen red hwyiite he offered her, then her eyes widened with recognition.

||KL!||  She stood and embraced him warmly.

Tell us about your latest project

We are a team of two, often with multiple works in progress at the same time, so we’re not a fast operation cranking out a half-dozen books a year, unlike some.

We’ve just finished the final edits on a prequel to The Trouble With Thieves trilogy. The trilogy begins with the book Return to Averia. So the prequel, titled The Trouble With Love, tells the tale of our protagonist’s first visit to that planet.  He’s younger and rougher around the edges, but no less prone to stumbling into situations that are sometimes over his head, especially when he falls head over heels for a local.

The synopsis is:

Teenage thief, Kormèr Lezàl, tumbles through his inter-dimensional portal to the distant future and into the middle of a fire fight on a far off world. Swept into a web of industrial espionage, an impossible jewel heist and romantic intrigue, there's trouble at every turn, but he'll do whatever it takes to win over Averia's beautiful chief of police... if she doesn't arrest him first.

What is your favourite cake?

Hands down, Italian cheese cake.  It’s not as creamy but also not as cloying. And ricotta cheese has less calories, so I can indulge in a larger slice without guilt.

You can connect with Maurice at the following places:

Twitter: twitter.com/mauricexalvarez

On Amazon: amazon.com/author/maurice-x-alvarez

With Ande on Twitter: twitter.com/andeliauthor

On Amazon: amazon.com/author/andeli

Find them on Facebook: facebook.com/Room808Press

Join me next week when I will be having a slice of cake with Kathryn Gauci. 

If you would like to take part in A Slice of Cake With... please fill in the form found here. I'd be delighted to have you.

You can also support my writing endeavours through Kofi and buy me virtual tea & cake - it's what makes the world go round!

Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find out more about her books on her website clairebuss.co.uk. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop. Never miss out on future posts by following me.

A Slice of Cake With... Jessica Thompson

Today I am delighted to have a slice of cake with author Jessica Thompson.

When Jessica discovered mystery novels with recipes, she knew she had found her niche.

Now Jessica is the author of the Amazon best-selling culinary cozy mysteries A Caterer's Guide to Love and Murder and A Caterer’s Guide to Holidays and Homicide. She is active in her local writing community and is a member of the Writers’ League of Texas and the Storymakers Guild. She received a bachelor's degree in Horticulture from Brigham Young University but has always enjoyed writing and reading mysteries.

As an avid home chef and food science geek, Jessica has won cooking competitions and been featured in the online Taste of Home recipe collection.  She also tends to be the go-to source for recipes, taste-testing, and food advice among her peers. 

Jessica is originally from California, but now has adopted the Austin, Texas lifestyle. She enjoys living in the suburbs with her husband and young children, but also enjoys helping her parents with their nearby longhorn cattle ranch. 

What kind of books do you write?

I write cute and clean whodunnits that center around food, so then I include the recipes for the food they just talked about.

Can you describe your writing why?

I do enjoy it, but I’m trying to play the long game. I’m not trying to get famous, in fact I would hate being famous, but I want to get enough of a foothold in the publishing industry to make a living in a few years. Maybe like by retirement. This is my retirement planning. I’ve heard that by the time you have 25 books published, then you are actually making enough money to make writing your day job. If I put out one book a year, then I should be there by the time I retire.

Share with us your favourite passage from the book you enjoyed writing the most

I loved the end the most, but I can’t give away the mystery! So here is a small part of the end:

Just then, the view of two bright headlights and two higher spotlights came over a rise. The lights blinked between trees as a wide, yellow plow appeared where Violet had expected to see a front bumper.

“Oh, my goodness! We’re saved!” Violet exclaimed as tingles shot from her throat out to her extremities.

After the hairpin turn in the driveway and the crime scene where Dr. Yang held his vigil, Jake raced ahead of the plow and parked the snowmobile next to Violet.

“I found them just coming up the main road,” Jake said as he swung his leg over the snowmobile.

“My hero!” Violet cried as she jumped into his arms. “You saved us!”

“Well, just a little.” Jake spoke into Violet’s coat as he hugged her and spun her around. “I might have helped them find the turn, but that’s it.”

Jake set her down and pulled back to look into Violet’s eyes. His forget-me-not blue eyes shone with excitement and pride as Violet basked in his signature crooked smile as he said, “No, you already saved us.”

They kissed until Violet was ready to tell him her big news.

“Well, I have a surprise, too.” Violet could feel her coy smile morph into a manic grin. “While you were gone, I had to go to the bathroom.”

Jake’s eyebrows scrunched in confusion, then rose in understanding. “Oh, for the first time this morning? And?”

Violet nodded with such vigor that her vision blurred with a delirious joy.

Jake threw his head back and let out a call that echoed around the clearing and off the house and Willem’s cabin, “WAHOOOOO!”

Tell us about your latest project

A Caterer’s Guide to Holidays and Homicide is so fun! It’s a holiday sequel to my first cozy mystery, A Caterer’s Guide to Love and Murder, and to be honest, it’s much better.

Our main character, Violet, and her husband have been hired at personal chefs for the week before Christmas at a remote cabin. During the same big snowstorm, one member of the party dies and they all get snowed in. They’re stuck and Violet is asked to investigate. They have their supplies so they think they’re all set, until it becomes clear that it was murder. Suspicion jumps from person to person until another person dies, driving everyone into their rooms as Violet continues to work on discovering the guilty party.

What is your favourite cake?

Maybe devil’s food, maybe a chocolate cheesecake, or a flourless chocolate cake. Basically it has to be chocolate. I would even go so far as to say that if it doesn’t have chocolate then it is not worth the calories.

You can connect with Jessica on her website Jessicathompsonauthor.com and on social media:

Instagram: @jessicathauthor
Facebook: facebook.com/jessicathauthor
Twitter: @jessicathauthor
TikTok: @jessicathauthor 
Goodreads: goodreads.com/jessicathauthor
BookBub: bookbub.com/profile/jessica-thompson-ede71ffc-5762-4778-a116-3c3a048cb45f
Amazon: amazon.com/author/jessicathompsonmystery

Join me next week when I will be having a slice of cake with Maurice Alvarez. 

If you would like to take part in A Slice of Cake With... please fill in the form found here. I'd be delighted to have you.

You can also support my writing endeavours through Kofi and buy me virtual tea & cake - it's what makes the world go round!

Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find out more about her books on her website clairebuss.co.uk. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop. Never miss out on future posts by following me.

A Slice of Cake With... Anne Coates

Today I am delighted to have a slice of cake with author Anne Coates.

Reading and writing has been Anne's passion for as long as she can remember. Inspired by her mother who taught her to read before she went to school and by the Deputy Head at her secondary school in Harlow, Essex who encouraged her hunger for reading by granting her free access to the books not yet in the school library – she feels still grateful for this, in her eyes, amazing privilege. 

After her degree in English and French, Anne moved to London where she has lived ever since. During her career, she worked for publishers, as a journalist, writer, editor, and translator. The birth of her daughter, Olivia inspired her to write non-fiction books, such as Your Only Child (Bloomsbury, 1996), books about applying to and surviving university, NeedtoKnow 2013, but also short stories, tales with a twist, and stories exploring relationships, published in in various women’s magazines including Bella and Candis. 

After working on Woman’s Weekly and Woman & Home, Anne went freelance and found herself interviewing all types of people from those working on gas rigs to prostitutes and some of their situations made her think “What if…” And so, investigative journalist Hannah Weybridge was born.

The Hannah Weybridge series was first published by Urbane Publications who ceased trading in April 2021. New editions of Dancers in the Wind, Death's Silent Judgement, Songs of Innocence plus Perdition’s Child have been released by Red Dog Press in preparation for the publication of the latest, Stage Call on 18 January, 2022.

Anne Coates lives with three demanding cats and enjoys reading, going to the theatre and cinema, wining and dining and time with her family and friends.

What kind of books do you write?

I write the type of books I enjoy reading. My current series featuring freelance journalist and single parent Hannah Weybridge is set in the 90s so not quite historical. The crimes Hannah investigates involve injustices (as well as murder). Sadly many of the themes are pertinent today like trafficking, child abuse and forced marriage.

Can you describe your writing why?

My motivation comes from the stories in my head, which have to be told. Much of my inspiration for my series (and short stories) comes from my earlier journalism. I take the kernel of an idea and begin the “what if” process. There are lows and highs in being an author sometimes the lows prevail but when the highs hit there is no better motivation.

Share with us your favourite passage from the book you enjoyed writing the most

Always difficult to make such a choice but here’s the opening paragraphs from Perdition’s Child.

The stairwell echoed with the ungainly clump of her footsteps. Her weathered walking boots with unmatched laces knotted and frayed were far too hot and heavy for summer—even with the flow of air offered through various holes—and these last few weeks had been sweltering. Her feet were hot and clammy; a blister had formed where the back rubbed her heel. Whenever she removed her socks, layers of skin flaked away. Her feet, more than any other part of her body, disgusted her. Between her toes were signs of an infection. She’d tried talking to the chemist in Boots down The Marsh, but he wanted to see her feet. Her embarrassment overcame her discomfort, so she left without showing him. But these boots were the only footwear she possessed. Flip-flops, she thought. Or those plastic sandals. What were they called? Jellies. Silly name. They were cheap. She should store these bloody boots somewhere or better still, get rid of them. And her feet could heal in the sun and air.

Her clothes, which had long since lost any of their original colour or shape, stuck to some parts of her body and hung from others. Beneath her skirt, the flesh at the top of her thighs was rubbed raw. There were times when she wished she could peel off her skin and start again. In the depths of night, when no one could see her, she wept. Tears were sometimes the only liquid to touch her face for days on end. A caress no person would give.

She paused at the second landing, breathing heavily. The smells of leftover food wafted over from the waste disposal chute with its ornate black front, which opened but never completely closed on what had been thrown into it. Lucy wondered if anyone ever cleaned it. Her mother used to. Not here, but in the similar block of 1930s flats they had lived in nearby. Her mother had scrubbed the steps as well. The steps she used to run up two at a time in her eagerness to get home. How long ago was that? Too long ago to think about. A lifetime ago.

On the third floor she rested against the wall, rubbing her hand, sticky from the balustrade, on her skirt. One more bit of dirt wouldn’t show. She stared out over the sun-dappled square. Everywhere looked so much better in the sunshine. Strangely, there was no one around. No kids on skateboards. No dealers loitering in the shadows. No one screaming obscenities from an open window. An enormous ginger cat, balancing precariously on a window ledge, stared at her disdainfully for a moment, then carried on with his meticulous grooming. Everywhere seemed still and quiet. Unnaturally so. Maybe the heat had sucked out the energy from the residents. 

Tell us about your latest project

My latest Hannah Weybridge, Stage Call, was published in January by Red Dog Press who have just published new editions of the previous four books originally released by Urbane Publications. Stage Call is my lockdown book. I had started writing a standalone psychological thriller but was finding concentration difficult. Then I had a “vision” for another Weybridge investigation (the inspiration for my books often begins with an image or scene). This one was on stage in a theatre. I chose The Old Vic as it is a theatre close to my heart; somewhere my mother went with her mother as they lived in Waterloo.

In Stage Call, Hannah was helping to write the autobiography of a leading actress, a “national treasure” who is found dead on stage. Suicide is suspected but her son, another actor, is convinced otherwise and sharing his concerns with Hannah, begs her to help. Once again the journalist steps into a minefield of corruption. 

What is your favourite cake?

I have a problem with finding cakes I can eat as I am dairy intolerant and also aim to be gluten free (as my daughter is allergic). However I have a great recipe (gluten and dairy-free) for lemon drizzle cake, which has become a firm favourite.

You can connect with Anne at the following places:

Twitter: @Anne_Coates1

Facebook: facebook.com/AnneCoatesAuthor

Instagram: @anne_coates1

Website: annecoatesauthor.com

Join me next week when I will be having a slice of cake with Jessica Thompson. 

If you would like to take part in A Slice of Cake With... please fill in the form found here. I'd be delighted to have you.

You can also support my writing endeavours through Kofi and buy me tea & cake - it's what makes the world go round!

Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find out more about her books on her website clairebuss.co.uk. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop. Never miss out on future posts by following me.

A Slice of Cake With... Lisa Stanbridge

Today I am delighted to have a slice of cake with author Lisa Stanbridge.

Award-winning Australian author Lisa Stanbridge has been writing ever since she could string sentences together. As a child, it started off with princesses in castles being rescued by Prince Charming. As a teenager she moved on to angsty teens struggling through life with raging hormones. Now, as a semi-mature adult, she writes sweet contemporary romances about real people going through real struggles who want their HEA.

In 2019, Lisa won the Romance Writers of Australia Little Gems short story contest with Clarity, and was shortlisted in the RWAus Emerald Award for unpublished manuscripts for Abandoned Hearts where she ranked second place. Abandoned Hearts was published the following year by Boroughs Publishing Group. 2020 saw Lisa shortlisted again in the RWAus Sweet Treats contest with The Cupcake Catastrophe.

In 2021, Lisa came fifth place in the RWAus First Kiss Award, and was shortlisted in the RWAus Sapphire Award for unpublished manuscripts for Oceans Apart where she ranked third place. Abandoned Hearts also won ‘Best First Book’ for Romance Writers of New Zealand Koru Award of Excellence.

When she’s not writing, Lisa works full time as a Software Tester. She reads anything she can sink her teeth into, and occasionally binges on the latest Netflix series. Lisa loves lazy days at the beach reading or writing, but rarely swimming, and loves spending time with her husband and her friends.

What kind of books do you write?

Sweet and heartwarming stories with vivid locations, and in-depth characters on a journey of self-discovery while trying to find the love of their lives.

Can you describe your writing why?

Multiple reasons! But I think the main reason is that I absolutely love creating stories for people to enjoy. The characters become my friends and I love seeing them grow. All that aside, I also view writing as an outlet... an escape from reality. When I don’t write, I feel really antsy and on edge.

Share with us your favourite passage from the book you enjoyed writing the most

This is from my debut novel, Abandoned Hearts. This book wrote itself so easily. I knew where I wanted the story to go, and the characters carried it for me. I had so much fun writing it. This scene is where the hero and heroine have finally let down their guards to fully embrace their feelings for each other:

Winding her arms up and around his neck, she held him close, their warm breath mixing with the salty spring breeze. She held on so tightly, almost afraid of letting go. This kiss was so different to their first one—rather than being tentative, it was lively. Passionate. It spoke of promises, of a future with no fear, no pain, no suffering.

She sighed into the kiss and Michael tightened his hold. His soft lips caressed and massaged hers in such a sensual way, sending her heart beating rapidly against her ribcage. He held her so close she could feel his heartbeat against her own. Two abandoned hearts beating together…healing together.

Tell us about your latest project

I wrote a novella for a Paris Anthology that released in September 2022. My story, Lonely in Paris, is all about an Aussie girl working in Paris for six months. She hasn’t had a very good time so far and is feeling lonely. Until she meets the enigmatic Frenchman, Jacques, who shows her what Paris really has to offer. She only falls in love with Paris, but with Jacques too.

What is your favourite cake?

Black Forest Gateau.

You can connect with Lisa at the following places:

Website: lisastanbridgeauthor.com
Newsletter: hdl.bookfunnel.com/aq98k4c5gw (receive a free short story when subscribing)
Instagram: instagram.com/lisastanbridgeauthor
Facebook: facebook.com/LisaStanbridgeAuthor

Join me next week when I will be having a slice of cake with Anne Coates. 

If you would like to take part in A Slice of Cake With... please fill in the form found here. I'd be delighted to have you.

You can also support my writing endeavours through Kofi and buy me virtual tea & cake - it's what makes the world go round!

Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find out more about her books on her website clairebuss.co.uk. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop. Never miss out on future posts by following me.