A warm welcome to author C.J Burke joining us today to talk about new release together with 2 other authors in the new novel “Babe in the Woodshop”.
Welcome C.J 🙂
Hi everyone! I’m C.J. Burke, one of the authors of Babe in the Woodshop. Claudia Mayrant, Ashlyn Kane, and I are delighted to be hosted by Love Bytes today. Thank you, Dani, for the hospitality!
And speaking of hospitality, that’s sort of the theme of this post!
When long hours and crushing stress push Bellamy Alexander to his breaking point, he walks away from his consulting job and drives until he runs out of gas. Fortune deposits him in front of Antonio’s, a place with decent pizza and an opening for a delivery boy. Even better, he finds an apartment right across the street from his new job. And best of all, Chris McGregor, the property manager who runs the custom furniture shop below Bell’s new digs, is super hot—and super into Bell.
It seems too good to be true—and maybe it is. Things aren’t exactly going smoothly. Bell avoids telling his mother the truth about his new job because he doesn’t want to hear how he should go back to the corporate world. On the other hand, he doesn’t think he wants to deliver pizza forever either. He’d like to think about settling down, but Chris runs hot and cold. Between Bell’s uncertainty and the hang-ups Chris refuses to talk about, they have their work cut out for them. Fortune may have caused their paths to dovetail, but it will take more than wood glue to hold them together.
Babe in the Woodshop opens with Bell looking for something to eat but quickly segues into him bringing food to others. We didn’t necessarily intend to write about how feeding someone else can feed your soul, but it’s something the three of us all feel, so it makes sense that the message is there, and not just in the opening chapter. It’s a theme that’s woven throughout the book—the way food creates and strengthens relationships. Whether it’s an all-you-can-eat plate of pancakes at the local diner counter or a turkey sandwich set quietly on the desk of someone focused on a stack of bank statements, our guys use food as a way to reinforce their growing interest in each other—even if they’re not quite aware that they’re doing it. I knew I’d love writing with Claudia and Ashlyn as soon as I noticed we were putting our favorite recipes into the story.
Perhaps my favorite moment in the book is when Chris makes butternut squash soup for Bell. It’s a scene full of unspoken feelings and worries, though ultimately both soup and relationship end up better than they’d started out. Since soup is one of my favorite things to eat and to cook, I’d love to share my butternut squash soup recipe—as well as a roundup of some other recipes I’ve enjoyed—with Love Bytes readers. It’s a perfect soup for a crisp fall day, or for a bleary winter one that could use a splash of color.
Woodshop Butternut Squash Soup
3 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 bay leaves 1 teaspoon red chili flakes 2 to 3 lbs butternut squash (peeled, seeded, and chopped) 1 medium to large onion, chopped 2 stalks celery, chopped 6 cups chicken stock ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika (or to taste) salt and pepper to taste
Heat butter in a deep stock pot. When the butter starts to foam, add chili flakes and bay leaves. Sauté for 30 seconds and then add the chopped onion, celery, and squash. Cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock and paprika. Simmer the soup for 30 minutes, then take it off the burner. Add salt and pepper to taste.
After the soup has cooled for five minutes, use an immersion blender to puree the soup. Be careful! Squash splatters can create painful burns. Alternatively, puree the soup in small batches with a regular blender. Reheat soup if necessary, and serve.
This soup is fun to garnish: sour cream, vegan yogurt, pumpkin seeds, chopped walnuts or hazelnuts, or a drizzle of flavorful oil.
Other great recipes:
Creamy Cashew Butternut Squash Soup
Smoky Butternut Squash Soup with Roasted Pepitas
Creamy Vegan Roasted Butternut Soup
Thai Curried Butternut Squash Soup (Ashlyn’s favorite—but she likes to roast the squash in the oven first for a deeper flavor, and because it’s easier to peel once it’s cooked!)
- Release Date
- Type Novels
- Pages 200
Cover Artist: Alexandria Corza
When long hours and crushing stress push Bellamy Alexander to his breaking point, he walks away from his consulting job and drives until he runs out of gas. Fortune deposits him in front of Antonio’s, a place with decent pizza and an opening for a delivery boy. Even better, he finds an apartment right across the street from his new job. And best of all, Chris McGregor, the property manager who runs the custom furniture shop below Bell’s new digs, is super hot—and super into Bell.
It seems too good to be true—and maybe it is. Things aren’t exactly going smoothly. Bell avoids telling his mother the truth about his new job because he doesn’t want to hear how he should go back to the corporate world. On the other hand, he doesn’t think he wants to deliver pizza forever either. He’d like to think about settling down, but Chris runs hot and cold. Between Bell’s uncertainty and the hang-ups Chris refuses to talk about, they have their work cut out for them. Fortune may have caused their paths to dovetail, but it will take more than wood glue to hold them together.
Babe in the Woodshop is available from Amazon, Dreamspinner Press, and AllRomance eBooks
Ashlyn Kane is a Canadian former expat and current hockey fan. She is a writer, editor, handyperson, dog mom, and friend—sometimes all at once.
On any given day she can usually be found walking her ninety-pound baby chocolate lapdog, Indy, or holed up in her office avoiding housework. She has a deep and abiding love of romance novel tropes, a habit of dropping too many f-bombs, and—fortunately—a very forgiving family.
Find her on Twitter @ashlynkane or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ashlyn.kane.94, or at her website.
Claudia Mayrant has been exploring the world around her since she was old enough to get around under her own power. Her early travels took her on her bicycle “all the way to but not on the main road.” Happily, since then, she’s enjoyed visiting as many places as she can, from bustling marketplaces and enchanting castles to funky dives. She can’t possibly decide which she likes best, but details of her favorite people, places, and things usually get put in the fiction blender so they can make an appearance in her stories.
Claudia maintains that each new adventure requires the appropriate footwear, which explains her closet. Her passion for taking photographs of the things she sees, does, and eats far exceeds her skill with the camera, but no matter the setting, she has fun trying to get a good shot.
For all her love of travel, she’s most relaxed back in the South on a Gulf Coast beach with good friends, refreshing beverages, and plenty of sunscreen.
Her smartphone isn’t literally connected to her hand, but anyone would be forgiven for thinking so.
Twitter: @claudiamayrant
Pinterest: ClaudiaMayrant
CJ Burke’s first book was the self-published A Fancy Witch, illustrated in crayon with particular attention to the witch’s footwear. While CJ is now long past first grade, she’s still hunting that perfect pair of equestrian boots. CJ’s life has always been centered on words. She’s written a couple of those familiar yellow books about computers, and more user guides for obscure software than necessary, but she’s never given up the habit of plotting romances in her head during boring lectures or staff meetings. Along the way, she’s been a lifeguard, an English professor, and a dozen other things in between. In a perfect world, CJ would work between an independent coffee shop and an amazing yarn & fabric store, then go home to alphabetize her spices while dancing around the kitchen to whatever’s on the 80s channel. CJ can be found on Ravelry, Instagram, and Twitter as cjburkebooks.