Life Without Chocolate? That’s a Nightmare

Chris Romeril is my guest today, and we’re talking chocolate and cozies. Take it away, Chris.

Who loves chocolate? I can’t pinpoint the first time I experienced the bliss of eating chocolate, but I’m sure I was quite young. A life without chocolate after experiencing it seems almost, cruel. And yet, I had an acquaintance years ago who had willingly given it up. It may have been for a good reason, like giving up something for Lent, but for the love of all things holy, why chocolate!

It’s October and we all know how this month will end. Most of us will be eating a huge quantity of little bite size chocolate bars. Can these ridiculously tiny miniatures that have gotten smaller each year even be called bars anymore? Now, I don’t want to come across as a chocolate snob, but truth be told, I am one. There are definitely a few chocolate bars I indulge in occasionally, but mostly I save myself for some good quality chocolate. Over the years I have developed a taste for the type of chocolate only found at fine chocolatiers.

Locally, my favorite shop is Chocolate Lethbridge, a purveyor of quality chocolate from the best chocolatiers in the world. I’ve been indulging in their award-winning Bernard Callebaut chocolates for over twenty years and I’ll take ten of their chocolates over a bag full of trick-or-treat surprises any day. It was Chocolate Lethbridge’s chocolates that helped inspire the idea for the Killer Chocolate Mysteries. While the chocolates in the series are all named after poisons, they do not actually contain any poison, at least not at the point of sale. Nor, might I add, do any sold by Chocolate Lethbridge.

As I write this blog post I am in Mexico where chocolate’s 4,000-year history began. It’s here the first cacao plants were found and turned into chocolate drinks used in rituals and as medicine. I often say my consumption of chocolate is medicinal. Who hasn’t had a bad day and used a bit of chocolate to soothe the soul in the evening? Chocolate is a part of almost every workday for me, as well. During most writing sessions I allow myself a piece of good-quality dark chocolate. I love the smooth, rich, bitter taste of chocolate with a high quantity of cocoa solids. 85% to 95% is my favorite as it gives it a multilayered experience.

In A NUTCRACKER NIGHTMARE twin sleuths, Alex and Hanna, own a book and chocolate shop. Hanna is in the process of creating a new bonbon for a local chocolate competition in Whitefish, Montana. Bonbon is the term now used to describe a confection with a hard molded chocolate shell filled with things like nougat, creamy caramel, ganaches, and fruit. Since writing this series, I have had to learn the art of making bonbons. After studying many recipes, and watching tutorials (thank you Bernard Callebuat), I started creating my own recipes and testing them. You’ll find them in the back of the books in the series.

Finely crafted bonbons and truffles are not going to make their way into any Halloween trick-or-treat bags in my neighborhood. Those bags will be filled with those mass produced chocolate bites made by well-known brands. These are not inherently bad, but they simply don’t compare to fine chocolate. I’m not suggesting you give up your favorite Nestle or Cadbury chocolate bar, but the next time you pass by a real chocolatier’s shop, go in and try one of their bonbons. Be prepared, one chocolate may cost you upwards of two dollars, but in my opinion it’s worth it.

Ideally, take home the chocolate and in a moment of peace and calm (no kids allowed), may be with a little quiet background music, perhaps Chopin’s Nocturne No. 2, Op.9, take a bite. Feel it on your tongue. Let the nuances of flavor release in your mouth. Savor it. This experience should tell you whether you are a chocolate snob. Are you forever ruined for a cheap(ish), mass produced convenience store chocolate bar, or did you shrug your shoulders and think, I don’t get it? If you are in the latter category, congratulations and enjoy your Halloween candy, but if you are in the former, welcome to my world.

Perfect for fans of Joanne Fluke and Laura Childs, when twin sisters Hanna and Alex help out at the local high school reunion, volunteering takes a turn when they find a former classmate’s dead body.

Hanna and Alex, owners of the Murder and Mayhem book and chocolate shop, are busy preparing for the Harriston High School’s reunion weekend. Neighbors will connect with old friends and perhaps try to avoid old foes. One person no one can avoid is Kyle, the former star quarterback, who is busy using his entire playbook to try and score with Hanna, even threatening her if she doesn’t play nice. At the reunion, Alex glimpses more drama than nostalgia as insults are flung around like a football at a Friday night game. The party is put on hold when Alex finds the dead body of none other than Kyle himself, bludgeoned to death by a nutcracker that the sisters admired earlier in the night.

Hanna quickly becomes the prime suspect—someone saw her slap Kyle in the face at the reunion dance. She’ll need her sister, their sleuthing canine, Watson, and their old friends and colleagues to help break this case wide open. While looking through old yearbooks and taking a stroll down memory lane, Alex uncovers a few secrets about Kyle, now, it seems like everyone had a motive to kill him.

But when the suspects start becoming the victims, Alex and Hanna know that they can’t melt under the pressure—they must find the killer before they become just another yearbook memory.

Christina Romeril is the author of the Killer Chocolate Mystery series. The series is set in Montana at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, one of her favorite places to visit. She and her husband live a few hours away in a small village in Southern Alberta. When Christina isn’t writing she loves to hike in Waterton Lakes National Park, or just hang out there eating gourmet hot dogs and ice cream. Christina is a former banker and the daughter of German immigrants. Any similarity between her family and her fictional characters is purely coincidental. You can find out more about her at https://www.christinaromeril.com

You can also connect with Christina on social media at these links.

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/christinaromerilwriter?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ChristinaRomerilWriter

Chris, thank you for spending time with us today. I think we’re all ready to buy A Nutcracker Nightmare and some good chocolate.