Southern Writers Magazine SW March 2018 PDF MASTER.compressed | Page 8

RECIPE for
SUCCESS
Tamera Alexander blends recipes
and romance for publishing success
in her bestselling Southern series
T
by Tamera
Alexander
ell me now… Is there anything better than the aroma
of a freshly-baked carrot cake, all sweet and spicy,
warm from the oven and slathered with rich cream
cheese icing? Or buttermilk biscuits baked in browned
butter in your grandmother’s seasoned iron skillet? Of
course, any leftover biscuits will be doused in chocolate
gravy and served for dessert following a meal of slow
roasted herb pork loin with buttery mashed potatoes.
So is your mouth watering yet? Even a little? That’s
because we are sensory beings, and our sense of taste is
a powerful one. If you’re a Southerner—or Southern at
heart—then a love of food is second nature. Especially
comfort food. And what’s more comforting than a
homemade pie, cake, or a basketful of cookies?
I have an unrepentant sweet tooth, and desserts grace
my kitchen several times a week. Over the past two
years, I’ve learned to cook and bake quite differently to
accommodate a more healthy lifestyle. But no way am I
giving up my sweets and my baking time. Both nourish
my soul.
They also nourish my writing.
Food is vital. It keeps us alive. Food is social. It brings
people together. Food is obviously very tactile and fosters
deep emotional connections that stay with us, oftentimes
through the years. As a writer, I intentionally tap into
that deep emotional and universal connection. When a
character in a story prepares and enjoys a favorite dish—
either sweet or savory—it makes an impression not only
on the character, but on the reader as well. Or it should. If
the writer has done her work.
I’ve woven my own love of food—and specifically
of baking—into all my novels. It simply came naturally.
But when I began writing my Southern series—The
Belmont Mansion Novels, The Belle Meade Plantation
Novels, and The Carnton Novels—I saw an opportunity
8 Southern Writers
to more closely connect my characters with each other—
and my readers to those characters and the stories—
through scrumptious Southern dishes such as Belle
Meade Plantation Carrot Cake in To Whisper Her Name,
Alexandra’s Chocolate Chess Pie in To Wager Her Heart,
Eleanor’s Buttermilk Pie in A Beauty So Rare, and Aunt
Issy’s Lemon Cookies in To Win Her Favor.
Food can be a powerful tool in novel writing.
Besides evoking a physical and emotional response from
the reader, food can be used to convey emotion and
communicate social status.
For instance, in To Win Her Favor (a Belle Meade
Plantation novel, book 2, and a marriage of convenience
story with a twist), there’s a breakfast scene where the
sexual ten-
sion between
Cullen and
Maggie is
woven into
the fabric
of the meal.
It reflects
where they
are in their
relationship.
Only, Maggie
is doing her
best to keep
it a secret.
But when a secondary character in the novel, Onnie—who
knows Maggie well—clearly picks up on it, that discovery
only serves to heighten the tension for the characters. And
the readers.
Readers love historical dishes they can recreate, such
as Beaten Biscuits in To Whisper Her Name (a Belle