sea urchins and kelp and abalone. oh my!
The life of a romance writer is always an interesting one (though usually not quite as interesting as most people assume when they picture it).
During any given day I can and have Googled everything from how long Viagra takes to work, how much a porn star can make for a single movie and the types and weight of Russian weapons used in the 1980’s. I’ve researched horses, bulls, chaps and ropes for the cowboy books. Bullet-proof vests and ranks for the military ones. But by far the most fun book to research was the one that released today, the book that first led me to the Eat Something Sexy website.
For Gillian’s Island (a naughty twist on the old TV series Gilligan’s Island) I researched wildlife and vegetation native to California’s Channel Islands, small water craft safety and Coast Guard publications, yachts, and most importantly, aphrodisiacs. How excited was I when I first found Amy Reiley’s site listing and explaining all the known aphrodisiacs? Almost as excited as when I compared the list and saw how many were native to where I’d set the book. A bit more research of a few ways to prep and cook these gifts of nature and I had the scene I needed for my two characters to fall in love… and in lust. I even have the characters discuss Amy’s aphrodisiac cookbook, Fork Me, Spoon Me, in my story as a good way to keep their relationship hot after they are rescued and decide they can’t live without each other.
The premise is pretty straight forward. A private cruise and a storm leave us with a group of castaways stranded on an island where all the food they find there is an aphrodisiac. Let the nautiness ensue.
So here you go, a very small portion of the scene where our hero, a nerdy professor, is feeding our heroine her first tastes of nature’s bounty, and she’s not sure she likes it. Enjoy this exclusive excerpt that I plucked from the book just for my Eat Something Sexy readers.
GILLIAN’S ISLAND by Cat Johnson (a contemporary romance)
The furrow between her brows deepened. “Are you sure it’s edible?”
“Yes. Not only is it edible, sea urchins are prized in certain parts of the world.” Figuring he needed to distract her, he launched into all he knew about sea urchins. “The best time to gather them is at night under a full moon.”
Her gaze darted to the luminescent orb above them. “Like tonight.”
He smiled. “Like tonight. Some islanders drizzle them with olive oil and a dash of vinegar.”
Luckily for him, the galley was very well stocked. As he spoke, he did what he described, preparing the raw sea urchin he’d opened for her with the oil and vinegar. With a kitchen towel wrapped around his left hand to protect him from the spines, he used the tines of the fork in his right to lift out the colorful little sections of flesh. He didn’t dare elaborate and tell Gillian the edible part was actually the hermaphroditic creature’s gonads. Some things were better left unsaid.
“What do you do for a living?”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “You’re stalling.”
“No. Well, yes, but I really am curious. You know more about everything than anyone else I know.”
“I know a little bit about a lot of things. That doesn’t mean I know everything about everything. I’m a professor in the anthropology department at the University of Chicago. Since we’re playing question and answer, what do you do?”
“I’m a boring old accountant.”
“You’re not boring or old.”
“I’m so boring I had three years worth of vacation days stored up because I never do anything or go anywhere. That turned out to be lucky, though, since I’ve used them so I could help my sister with the wedding.”
“Lucky indeed. Now enough stalling. Are you ready?” He held the fork up.
She wrinkled her nose. “You first.”
Jamie sighed dramatically while rolling his eyes and was rewarded with a smile from Gillian. He slurped down the custard-like fish then licked his lips. “Mmm. Good. Your turn now.”
That’s it, you only get a taste! But I assure you, there is lots more. LOL.
Until next time.
Cat
I’m going back to the cranberry sauce my tummy just turned and met my toes.
Hehehe! Hey, I never said it was tasty stuff, just that they are natural aphrodisiacs. Pretty sad how many icky foods are.
Cat
Ah, Cat! Your characters have discovered one of my favorite things, uni. However, Judith Jones description in her new book “the pleasures of cooking for one” has scared me a little from trying a fresh urchin from a fisherman’s hand. As Jones, (who like me had previously only had uni in a restaurant) explains, when you go to eat it… It might MOVE! Although I’m willing to put just about anything in my mouth once… I really can’t handle food with a wiggle.