Simmer and Smoke — Peggy Lampman

Kirkus Reviews on this deliciously rendered novel that illuminates the power of mother-daughter relationships, forgiveness and hope: “A sweetly told saga, bubbling with appealing characters and food-related talk…A poor country girl and a fashionable city woman learn about life in a tasty novel that blends romance and recipes.”

SOMEONE'S COOKING IN THE KITCHEN…DESIRE IS SMOKING ON THE STOVE.

1. ASSEMBLE INGREDIENTS:

Shelby Preston -- a young, single mother trapped in a hardscrabble life in rural Georgia -- escapes her reality as she fantasizes herself a respected chef in a kitchen of gleaming stainless steel and pans shimmering with heat. Mallory Lakes -- an Atlanta newspaper food writer -- may lose her job, and searches for her muse in a shot glass of illusion.

2. SIMMER:

Mallory secures her job by crafting a zealous doppelgänger to satisfy the expectations of an illusive cyber audience. This also mollifies the memories of her lover who recently bolted; no warning. Shelby persuades her mother to take care of her daughter so she can pursue her dream of going to chef school in Atlanta. She cooks them a special dinner said to bring good luck; Lord knows her family could use a pot of something good.

3. SMOKE:

Chasing desires and ambitions, the women's lives unravel down a path beyond the kitchen, then weave together in an unsettling culinary landscape of organic farms and shadowy borders -- some borders not meant to be crossed. As Mallory combats her demons with booze and pills, and Shelby battles the odds stacked against her for becoming a chef, the women discover what's really worth fighting for.

10% of net proceeds from the sale of this book are donated to The Southern Poverty Law Center.