SPOTLIGHT: Chick Lit Author Libby Mercer and Her Love of Coca Cola Cake
SPOTLIGHT: Chick Lit Author Libby Mercer and Her Love of Coca Cola Cake
Editor Note: We kick off our new SPOTLIGHT feature with Chick Lit author Libby Mercer who recently released Karmic Connection. She shares her favorite childhood memory,why she thinks opposites attract and her writing inspiration.
To learn more about Libby Mercer, check her out: http://libby-mercer.blogspot.com/
Thanks Libby for sharing!
EAT What’s your favorite childhood food memory?
I actually have loads of memorable times as a child that revolves around food. Is that weird? One that really stands out is when I was probably about eight or nine years old, eating Coca-Cola Cake at my grandmother’s house. I know how that sounds but it was to-die-for delicious. Really. My grandmother was such an incredible cook. Her Coca-Cola cake was favorite, the cake part is rich and dense, the icing even better – tastes like fudge. So I would always eat the cake part first and save the icing for last. On one such occasion, I’d just finished the cake and was about to dig into the icing when my grandfather directed my attention elsewhere so he could swipe my icing. He was always a prankster. I think this food memory sticks out in my mind because it’s not only my grandmother’s amazing recipe but also my grandfather’s goofy side.
WRITE Where do you get your writing inspiration?
Where don’t I get my writing inspiration? Everywhere. From the people I know well to the people I just met. From random situations that just happen to situations I remember from years ago in the past. To give you one random story idea from one random source, when I was nineteen, got a cat I called Priscilla. She was with me all through my twenties and most of my thirties until she sadly passed away last year. I am determined to write a story starring Miss Priscilla – in human form. She had such a distinctive personality, and I want to immortalize her in this way, but I’m not quite sure how to go about it. It’s on the back burner for now.
LOVE What’s your thought on opposites attract?
Oh, I think it absolutely works. I believe that opposites make the best pairs, both in fiction and in real life, with these opposing personalities balancing each other out beautifully. Of all the couples and relationships I’ve known, it’s the ones with the most distinctively differing qualities that have seemed the most solid. Or at least that’s what I’ve observed.
How different are your two main characters Lorraine and Adam?
Well… without getting too spoiler-y, they’re not as different as you might think! On the surface, though, and certainly at the beginning of the novel, they’re polar opposites. Adam is a hopeless workaholic with chronic tunnel vision. He doesn’t care about anything but his career, and he’s livid about being forced not to work. And he’s not the most gracious of people. Riddled with attitude, he’s negative and sarcastic. Lorraine, on the other hand, enjoys the slow-paced life she’s carved out for herself, spending time helping others along the road to wellness. She’s gentle and caring, but she’s also rather tightly wound and rather tense since Adam arrived on the scene.
Describe a yogi breakfast main character Lorraine Jameson would have?
Naturally (pun intended) Lorraine is into health food, and a lot of what she eats is grown right on the Wellness Center’s property. They have an amazing garden. I really enjoyed visualizing it when I was writing some of the scenes. So I think an average breakfast would be a generous portion of fruit grown on the land and a bowl of granola, perhaps with some organic maple syrup from a nearby farm drizzled on top. Lorraine would have a cup of tea to go along with it, and the type of tea would depend on what she felt she needed help with that day – if she’s feeling stressed, she’d go for a relaxing, calming tea. If she’s feeling tired, she’d go for a tea that would infuse her with energy.
Thank you so much for having me here today, Cindy! I’ve really enjoyed these questions!!