Add Cyanide to Taste by Karmen Špiljak
AUTHOR GUEST POST
If the way to a person’s heart is through their stomach, then the path to their mind must be through stories. The stories that have stuck with me were related to food. Famous Five? Picnics with pie, sandwiches and ginger beer. Hercule Poirot? A foodie detective who can’t go without his tisane. What about those apples? They seem to be a rather popular item in storytelling as they pop up in classic fairytales like ‘Snow White’, but also in contemporary young adult fiction like ‘The Girl Who…’
For me, food and stories have always been connected. Perhaps that’s why I couldn’t resist the temptation of bringing the two together. Admittedly, my early attempts weren’t successful. In my first novel attempt, the sleuth and her sidekick were too busy eating to solve any crimes. Then again, I was only ten years old when I wrote this.
Food kept on sneaking into my stories, though, so a few decades later I decided to give it another go. This time, I’d keep the stories short and perky. Coming up with the ideas was easy. I got one while listening to an interview with a famous author who talked about calming down ghosts with food. Another one popped up in the most convenient place for such stories: in a restaurant. There were podcasts, too, and the more I thought about food stories, the easier it was to write them.
A cursed cake? You got it. A restaurant with a bizarre business model? Definitely, and what about all those foodie influencers with super-healthy lifestyles?
To add a bit of variety, I repurposed some of my old stories and gave them a fresh glaze. All the stories were dark and twisted and would come with recipes for some of the dishes featured in them.
When I shared this with my husband, he was enthusiastic, especially about the recipes part.
‘What kind of recipes?’
‘Pancakes, pasta, cookies and such.’
‘And you’d try them out?’
‘I guess so. Probably more than once.’
‘Who would eat them?
‘I don’t know. Us?’
‘If you insist.’
‘I’ve got a great title for the book, too.’
‘Oh? What is it?’
‘Add Cyanide to Taste.’
‘Cyanide?’
‘It’s only a title.’
‘But the food…’
‘Won’t contain any cyanide.’
‘Phew.’
A couple of months later, I had fourteen short stories and thirteen recipes. Since almost all food books have pictures, I asked my friend, Luka Rejec, a Slovenian artist and writer, to do illustrations. He read the stories before putting his talent to work and I couldn’t be happier with the results.
The ultimate test for ‘Add Cyanide to Taste’ is yet to come. I’m keen to hear whether reading culinary noir will make readers hungry and will lurk on #Cyanide2Taste for their photos of snacks and dishes they make. Preferably without the cyanide.
BLURB
This debut collection of dark tales and recipes by Karmen Špiljak ascends the jagged culinary heights you’ve hungered to explore but could never find on a map. As the characters swoon over every unforgettable mouthful, and sometimes bite off more than they can chew, you’ll find yourself asking: What would I be willing to pay for the meal of a lifetime?
If feasting on culinary noir leaves you hungry, extend your pleasure by preparing the dishes featured in the stories. All recipes provided are cyanide-free.
Karmen Špiljak writes across different genres. Her short fiction has been awarded and anthologised.
More on www.karmenspiljak.com
PURCHASE LINKS
General purchase link (all the other links are here): https://www.karmens.net/books
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Her short fiction has been awarded and anthologised. Her as yet unpublished thriller was shortlisted and received an honourable mention on 'The Black Spring Crime Fiction Prize 2020'. She writes across different genres, from suspense to horror and science fiction.
She currently lives in Brazil with her husband and two cats.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
Twitter: https://twitter.com/karm3ns33ta
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karmenseeta/
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