Guest Post: Cindy Arora

Welcome to my second stop for the tour of Heartbreak Cake by Cindy Arora! I reviewed the novel earlier this week (my review is here) and I thought it was really sweet! Today Cindy was kind enough to stop by with a great guest post. I was curious to know how she made her novel stand out when there are all sorts of baking themed chick lit novels out there. I hope you enjoy her post!

When I set out to write HEARTBREAK CAKE, my desire was not to just write about a bakery, but to write about the food world as it stands today. These days, in the world of Twitter, Facebook, food blogs and Pulitzer Prize winning food writing, it can be said that chefs and food people have a certain level of celebrity panache—but  with that also comes a newfound level of accountability.

Here in Los Angeles, food culture has reached a new level of cool. People who are interested can get their daily dose of food gossip from media outlets. People follow with interest when new restaurants open, old favorites are closing, when chefs have tantrums or when they change their seasonal menus. Much like celebrity magazines or online news channels, people who love food and want to be in the know can easily find out “who’s who and what’s what” with the click of their mouse or iPhone.

I come from years of working in the food industry in one form or another—I’ve been a coffee girl, fromager, baker’s assistant, cocktail waitress and ornery breakfast slinger. The last 10 years, I worked as a food writer and publicist, so I was able to get behind the scenes and see how the media has become a huge part of the food industry. It also allowed me to witness how small the world is and how one’s reputation can and does precede you! So play nicely!

HEARTBREAK CAKE is set in a bakery, and there’s plenty of talk about cake, cookies and pie. But at the core of the book, it’s about the unique dynamic of the food community and how the main character, Indira Aguilar, must delicately weave her way through it in order to save her business while also trying to get over heartbreak with the wrong guy, deal with family issues, and also meet a great new guy.

When I created all of the characters, I pulled from different parts of the food world to play important roles for the heroine and her merry band of friends—the city Farmers Market, the luxury resort hotel on the California coast, a national award winning chef who works on a food reality television show, a French patisserie, and the media (blogs, newspapers, social media). They all affect Indira and the decisions she has to make in order to find the right journey for herself.

It’s a tough time for Indira, but nothing a little heartbreak cake, some laughs and good friendships won’t help her get through!

Thanks so much for having me here to talk about HEARTBREAK CAKE! It’s been a real pleasure. You can learn more about me and my book at www.cindyarora.com.