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Betsy St. Amant | Let Them Eat Cake
As an author, people often ask me where the ideas for my stories come from. The
answer is โ I have no idea. Sometimes I plot an entire novel around a setting.
Sometimes I plot the book around an internal struggle within my heroine.
Sometimes I plot my story around a theme or a spiritual message, and apparently,
sometimesโI plot the whole thing around a cupcake!
One of my favorite pastimes with my five-year-old daughter is watching Cupcake
Wars on the Food Network channel. Weโll snuggle up in the chair with a can of
Pickle Pringles and a few Capri Suns, pick our team, and then talk smack to each
other in a healthy competition throughout the show. At the end, weโll cheer or
commiserate for each other if our team won (or lost). Itโs uncanny how my
daughter has a knack for picking the winners from the beginning.
So when I needed to start plotting my next story, and someone suggested I write
about cupcakes because I love them so much, I started thinkingโฆwhat if there was
a woman who loved baking, but couldnโt bake what she wanted? What if there was a
heroine who had all these great, fun, adventurous recipes like the contestants
on Cupcake Wars, yet, for some reason, couldnโt share them with the world?
From there, I easily created two characters, best friends Kat and Lucas, who
find themselves struggling with their careers and most of all, struggling with
their not-so-just-friends feelings for each other and what their future will
look likeโboth together and apart. What do you do when your dream doesnโt mesh
with the dream of your true love?
ALL'S FAIR IN LOVE AND
CUPCAKES is about romance and cupcakes and competition,
yes, but itโs also about so much moreโabout sacrificing our dreams because of
love for another, about pushing past the fears and insecurities that hold us
back from those dreams, and about discovering the true meaning of happily ever
afterโand acknowledging that sometimes, our personal happily ever after looks
nothing like we once thought.
Sometimes, it can be even better.
Lucas and Kat have to realize some hard lessons, just like we do in our own Life
Story. For me, I never expected my life to turn out the way it has. An unwanted
divorce, a career change, and a new apartment definitely qualify as a few
unexpected plot twists! But just like the characters in the stories we love, we
often have to walk down difficult roads to get to the happily ever after on the
other side.
Me, Iโm taking Katโs advice and bringing a few cupcakes along for the trip.
Maybe one for each hand ::wink::
Comments
10 comments posted.
Re: Betsy St. Amant | Let Them Eat Cake
I know exactly what you mean about taking a different path
than you expect to, because I did the same thing - not once,
but twice!! I had plans on what I wanted to do with my
schooling once I graduated from High School, but my Mother
gave me so much flak, that I decided to skip College and get
married instead!! Big mistake!! From there, it was a
choice of taking another road, when I decided to get a
divorce 5 years later, and got remarried. I never was able
to go to College, but was able to marry the man of my
dreams, which was some consolation. As for your book, it
sounds like a fresh, Summery book, that would be just the
ticket I need to shake up my reading list a bit. I love the
cover, too!! Your posting made me smile, and I wish I were
able to watch channels like that on my tv. Where I live,
I'm only able to get 2 channels from Canada, since I live
way up North, and the reception isn't very good.
(Peggy Roberson 9:06am June 13, 2014)
Your inspiring post made me think about all the things which
occur in our lives and how we are influenced by them. Your
novel sounds captivating and very special and ideal for summer
reading and enjoyment. Best wishes and continue to write these
lovely stories which are important.
(Sharon Berger 2:12pm June 13, 2014)
Your book wounds really great, will need to add it to my tbr list.
(Jen Frederick 2:33pm June 13, 2014)
story line sounds like my type of book
(Jeri Dickinson 5:18pm June 13, 2014)
Sounds like a fun read. Love it that your inspiration involves something you and your daughter enjoy together.
(Brenda Everett 5:44pm June 13, 2014)
Big cupcake fans...would love to win for my daughter in law!
(Susan Coster 6:34pm June 13, 2014)
Your story line sounds really sweet (so to speak) and I have added it to my TBR list.
I love cupcakes!!
(Vennie Martinisi 1:01pm June 14, 2014)
I also like Cupcake Wars to see how creative they are.
I just changed to Hallmark Channel and the movie, Operation
Cupcake, is on. It has Dean Cain and Kristy Swenson and he is
helping his wife in the bakery. Should be good.
(Leona Olson 2:03pm June 14, 2014)
I love Cupcake Wars and I watch it with my 5 year old grand daughter!
(Denise Austin 10:02pm June 14, 2014)
What a fun summer read! I love books about cooking competitions.
(Bonnie H 10:26pm June 17, 2014)
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