Reading and Eating, Eating and Reading by Melissa Yi

I love to eat!

And I love to read!

So I wrote a book that combines both these things in Mr. Chef and Ms. Librarian, which is part of of the wonderful Holiday Book Contest!

Where did Mr. Chef come from? I met a good-looking man named Tariq, and I took an Indian cooking class in our tiny Canadian town where I was starving for good ethnic food. I also had Muslim friends dating people outside their religion, and I wanted to explore that. So I dreamed up a chef named Tariq.

I'm not sure exactly why I concocted Ivy, the British librarian. Except I do love libraries—free books for everyone! If I'm travelling and I need to drink some water or use the bathroom, or just hang out in silence, I go to the library. As for her British roots and the fact that she's estranged from her family, maybe I was subconsciously thinking about "home for the holidays." What does that mean if if you can't go home, or don't have a real home because you're an immigrant like Ivy?

And is it possible to weave a happily ever after when you come from different cultures and have different points a view?

It's a romance, so I think you know the answer. Yes! Happily ever after.

Melissa Yi

But I do like to raise some questions. For example, a single mother wants to leave her children at the library with Ivy to supervise them. Ivy is willing, but a coworker insists on following the rules, which leads to more trouble. But don't fret. Happily ever after for the children too. Abundance, right?

Since our theme this month is abundance, I should mention my privilege. I'm extremely lucky to live in a time and a place with a family that taught me to read and I can afford to eat. Most people in the world aren't so lucky. So I do try and share some of my abundance by donating to charity and treating my friends and accepting treats from them too, especially during tough times.

I welcome everyone, one and all, to our Virtual Speakeasy at the Cornwall, Canada, library  ( on December 1^st at 7:30 pm Eastern Time. We'll celebrate my new Prohibition-inspired Hope Sze medical thriller, White Lightning. Come rest your gams with the other cool cats and learn how to mix a special cocktail, the Corpse Reviver #2, with artisan distiller Nathalie Gamache.

Eat. Read. Love.    ~Melissa