"Along Elena's smooth white back is an ancient scar that cuts downward in grotesque beauty like a long, graceful snake." So, goes the first sentence of Barbara O'Neal's first novel, The Lost Recipe of Happiness." Like a snake charmer, O'Neal has written her first novel with beautifully crafted characters and a storyline filled with human frailties and dreams of happiness.

Everyone needs a fresh start. When that opportunity falls into Elena Alvarez's lap five minutes after getting fired from a hot Seattle restaurant, it almost seems too good to be true. Given the opportunity to run her own kitchen in Aspen, Colorado, Elena takes a leap of faith that Aspen is the fresh start she needs. However, Elena is no fool and the ghosts from her past creep up at every chance they get. Working hard to create an authenticate menu blended from her culinary and personal experiences, she also finds herself working hard to avoid her attraction to the famous Hollywood celebrity and restaurant owner, Julian Liswood. What is the Lost Recipe of Happiness? It's a blend of food, family, and love through all the ups and downs of life.

Barbara O'Neal is a selected Bantam Discovery author and travels the world teaching workshops and lectures on several subjects. One of her most popular workshops and lectures are on helping women to create an artful life "because most women are trying to figure out how to take care of themselves and everbody else!" She is currently at work on her next novel, which is tentatively another foodie book, centered in a town that has got a reputation for food culture. I can't wait to check it out!