This month, my guest is Rachel Linden. Rachel is the bestselling author of seven works of women’s fiction and is known for writing uplifting novels that feature delicious food, second chances at life and love, served up with a touch of magic. Her new novel, THE SECRET OF ORANGE BLOSSOM CAKE, set on a picturesque olive oil farm in Italy, will be published by Berkley on September 30, 2025.
Thanks for joining me today, Rachel! Can you share a little about your new novel THE SECRET OF ORANGE BLOSSOM CAKE?
Absolutely! Here’s the story in a nutshell: A magical cookbook and a summer on her family’s Italian olive farm help a brokenhearted social media chef cook up a satisfying new life in this delectable novel about three generations of strong women, a second chance romance with the handsome olive farmer next door, and a lost recipe that can show you the happiest moment of your life!
What drew you to write this particular story?
I really wanted to explore a story about a woman who is letting grief and fear of loss hold her back from embracing what she most values in life. I also really love Italy and wanted to set a story near where my dad’s heritage is in the beautiful lake region of northern Italy. I loved this story so much and especially enjoyed getting to weave in themes of food, family, lost love, and finding the courage to risk and embrace the right hard things in life. And I really loved getting to set this book on a gorgeous olive farm!
Did the story change during your writing process?
Yes it did! I usually write a book a year, but I always roll ideas around in my head for a while before I decide to write them. I usually have a few ideas I’m noodling on at any given time. I loved exploring the themes of finding your true path in life when you go back to your roots and rediscovering what you truly value in life. Those themes didn’t change, but some of the magical and relational elements did, particularly the magical cookbook. I brainstormed with my editor and we decided a magical cookbook that only shows one recipe at a time, the recipe the person cooking needs most in their life, was a really fun concept to use in the story.
Did you learn anything new or surprising while writing this book?
I learned a lot about regional Italian cooking and was surprised by how varied it is. Every region has specialties. I was also surprised to learn about the process of making olive oil and how many variety of olives there are. When I did an olive oil tasting, it was fascinating to learn all about the old methods that are still in use today!
I also learned so much about Italian culture through this process. An Italian writer friend of mine read through the story to make sure all the Italian was correct (it definitely needed her help!) and that everything rang true about Italian culture, food, and customs.
What did you most love about writing this book?
I loved immersing myself in all things Italian for this story, and I even got to travel to Italy to research on location. It was the best research trip – olive oil tastings, driving around the lake region in Italy, and eating LOTS of gelato! It’s been a joy to realize how much people love Italy and how excited they are to read a book that feels like it transports them to a beautiful, sun-drenched olive grove on Italy’s largest lake. This book feels like a hug from your favorite nonna and a vacation to Italy all rolled into one story!
What do you hope readers will get out of this story?
My biggest hope is always that readers find a nugget of truth in my books that they can put in their pocket and take into their own lives. For this book, I hope readers think about how loss and grief can make us afraid to risk for what we really want in life. This book is about finding the courage to take those risks for the right hard things we most value in life – like family, community, love, and a sense of purpose and our place in the world.
You’ve written seven novels so far; do you have a favorite?
Books are like children, each one is beloved and unique. That said, there are certain books that hold a special place in my heart. I would say THE SECRET OF ORANGE BLOSSOM CAKE is tied for first place in my heart with THE MAGIC OF LEMON DROP PIE, but I have a new novel coming out in the spring called A Sprinkle of Sweet Serendipity and I’m really enjoying the story so maybe that one will end up being a favorite too!
How can readers connect with you?
I love to connect personally with readers. You can find me on Instagram, on Facebook, or you can contact me through my website. You can also sign up on my website to receive my occasional email bookish updates, and as a free gift, I’ll send you a cute little e-book cookbook of my favorite recipes from my childhood and travels around the world!
A magical cookbook and a summer on her family’s Italian olive farm help a brokenhearted social media chef cook up a satisfying new life in this delectable novel from the bestselling author of Recipe for a Charmed Life.
Rising star Jules Costa loves re-creating vintage recipes for her popular online cooking show. But when personal and professional disaster strikes, her only chance to save her career is to complete her new cookbook before the end of the summer. Panicked, Jules returns to her family’s beloved olive farm on the shores of Italy’s stunning Lake Garda. Seeking culinary inspiration, she’s hoping to convince her spunky eighty-year-old Nonna Bruna to share her precious collection of family recipes.
Jules’s plans quickly go awry as she discovers that Nonna’s cookbook has magical and unpredictable powers. It reveals only one recipe at a time, offering a cooking experience guaranteed to satisfy the chef’s palate and bring clarity to their life. Yet the pages remain stubbornly blank for Jules. To make matters worse, the olive farm is in deep financial trouble, and Jules soon uncovers a web of family secrets involving the cookbook and a lost recipe for orange blossom cake that holds the key to everything. Then there’s Nicolo, the boy next door, who broke her young heart years ago. He is now all grown up, even more attractive, and the only person poised to help Jules find answers.
In a whirlwind summer beyond her imagination, Jules begins to unravel the mysteries baked into her family’s history and discovers the essential ingredients to create the future of her dreams.
Audiobook Narrator- Taylor Harvey.
Women's Fiction Family Life | Women's Fiction Friendship [Berkley, On Sale: September 30, 2025, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780593816639 / eISBN: 9780593816646]
Rachel Linden spent her childhood in a magical world of make-believe, enjoying countless hours playing pioneer house under a towering blue spruce tree, mixing potions for enchantments, and pretending to be a member of the French Resistance in WWII. These early adventures prompted her to write stories with such exciting titles as Beans!, which she fashioned into books bound in cardboard from cereal boxes. Rachel’s taste for adventure and her interest in the world led her to a career as an international worker with a faith-based charity, and her experiences living and traveling in forty-seven countries around the globe continue to provide excellent grist for her stories. Rachel holds a BA in Literature from Huntington University, an MA in Intercultural Studies from Wheaton College, and studied creative writing at Oxford University in England during her undergraduate education. She currently splits her time between Seattle, Washington, and Budapest, Hungary, where she lives with her husband and son on the banks of the Danube River. When she is not dreaming up a new story, Rachel spends her time traveling on trains across Central Europe with her family, enjoying good food and wine with friends from around the world, and exploring the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest and the history and architecture of Europe.
When not curled up with a good book, Marie Bostwick can usually be found in her office, trying to write one.
A New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of twenty uplifting works of historical and contemporary fiction, Marie’s books are beloved by readers across the globe.
Drawing on her lifelong love of quilting and her unshakable belief in the power of sisterhood, Marie’s popular Cobbled Court Quilt series has been embraced by quilters and non-sewers alike. Her standalone books have also found a passionate following among lovers of women’s fiction. Marie’s novel, The Second Sister” was adapted into the 2018 Hallmark Hall of Fame feature film “Christmas Everlasting”, starring Patti LaBelle. Marie’s most recent novel, Hope on the Inside, was published in March 2019 and was chosen as a Reader’s Digest “Select Editions” book.
Marie’s novel, Hope on the Inside, was published in March 2019 and was chosen as a Reader’s Digest “Select Editions” book. Marie’s books have been published in fourteen different languages.
Her latest novel, “The Book Club for Troublesome Women”, was published on April 22nd, 2025 by Harper Muse, a fiction imprint of Harper Collins Focus.
Marie lives in Washington state with her husband and a beautiful but moderately spoiled Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
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