Slice of a Modern Love Story

Claire Huston lives in Warwickshire with her husband and two children.

Claire Huston has been a friend of Books in Handbag for many years. I have enjoyed following her blog Art and Soul because she presents some lovely, simple recipes and she is always so positive. I was delighted to learn she has written a romance and wanted to discover more. I invited Claire to talk about her novel.

Claire: My debut novel, Art and Soul, is a cheerful modern love story.

There’s no problem Becky Watson can’t fix. Except her own love life…

An expert in solving other people’s problems, single mum Becky is hired to help artist Charlie get out of his creative slump. But when she starts falling for her client, she’s forced to wonder: will she be able to fix her own love life?

To add some extra sweetness to the slow burn romance, the story features several delicious cakes. As part of my ongoing baking adventures, I set myself the challenge of making all the cakes which appear in the book. Here are a few of them…

Old school sponge cake with white icing and multi-coloured sprinkles

A classic and the favourite cake of Charlie, the hero of the story. A generous slice of this light, fluffy sponge brings back fond memories of his school days.

Favourite cake of Charlie, the hero of the story.

Chocolate fudge cake with chocolate buttercream

This is Becky’s favourite cake. She enjoys scoffing a restorative slice while having a good gossip with her best friend, Ronnie, who owns a cake shop.

This is Becky’s favourite cake.

Cappuccino cake with caramel buttercream

With life-fixer work being thin on the ground, Becky has been making ends meet by working behind the scenes at upmarket weddings to prevent problems and make sure the bride and groom’s big day goes off without a hitch. This deliciously sweet coffee confection is the cake chosen by one of the happy couples Becky is hired to help.

This deliciously sweet coffee confection is the cake chosen by one of the happy couples Becky is hired to help

Make these cakes!

If you fancy making any of these cakes, you can find all the recipes and over a hundred more on my website: www.clairehuston.co.uk

Introducing Claire Huston

Claire Huston lives in Warwickshire with her husband and two children. Art and Soul is her first novel. A keen amateur baker, she enjoys making cakes, biscuits and brownies almost as much as eating them. You can find recipes for all the cakes mentioned in Art and Soul at

Claire Huston has been a friend of Books in Handbag for many years. I have enjoyed following her blog Art and Soul because she presents some lovely, simple recipes and she is always so positive. I was delighted to learn she has written a romance and wanted to discover more. I invited Claire to talk about her novel.

Claire: My debut novel, Art and Soul, is a cheerful modern love story.

An expert in solving other people’s problems, single mum Becky is hired to help artist Charlie get out of his creative slump. But when she starts falling for her client, she’s forced to wonder: will she be able to fix her own love life?

To add some extra sweetness to the slow burn romance, the story features several delicious cakes. As part of my ongoing baking adventures, I set myself the challenge of making all the cakes which appear in the book. Here are a few of them…

Old school sponge cake with white icing and multi-coloured sprinkles

A classic and the favourite cake of Charlie, the hero of the story. A generous slice of this light, fluffy sponge brings back fond memories of his school days.

Chocolate fudge cake with chocolate buttercream

This is Becky’s favourite cake. She enjoys scoffing a restorative slice while having a good gossip with her best friend, Ronnie, who owns a cake shop.

Cappuccino cake with caramel buttercream

With life-fixer work being thin on the ground, Becky has been making ends meet by working behind the scenes at upmarket weddings to prevent problems and make sure the bride and groom’s big day goes off without a hitch. This deliciously sweet coffee confection is the cake chosen by one of the happy couples Becky is hired to help.

Make these cakes!

If you fancy making any of these cakes, you can find all the recipes and over a hundred more on my website: www.clairehuston.co.uk

Introducing Claire Huston

Claire Huston lives in Warwickshire with her husband and two children. Art and Soul is her first novel.
A keen amateur baker, she enjoys making cakes, biscuits and brownies almost as much as eating them. You can find recipes for all the cakes mentioned in Art and Soul at www.clairehuston.co.uk along with over 100 other recipes. This is also where she talks about and reviews books.

You can also follow Claire’s baking and writing endeavours on social media: linktr.ee/clairehuston_author

Get the book

And if you’d like a copy of Art and Soul, you can get one here. This is also where she talks about and reviews books.

You can also follow Claire’s baking and writing endeavours on social media: linktr.ee/clairehuston_author

 

Kindness on your Doorstep

I am sending you all a big wave, a smile and hope you’ll grab yourself a coffee and send me a message.

Step inside my virtual front door to celebrate kindness, pop in for a virtual chat and see if you want to accept a doorstep challenge.

Chatting with friends and family on the phone and via social media made me realise how much we value the freedom to interact with each other and strangers.  Everyone said they missed daily interaction when out shopping, and even commented on how they loved to chat at the bus stop. To bridge the ugly social distancing gap, I have telephoned people so they can displace anxiety then embark on a happy chat. Others commented on the fact they were going for walks in the countryside, but people were walking metres away from them and it made them feel as if they didn’t exist.  Today, I shouted greetings at other people on their walks and loved the smiles beaming at me.

Let’s open a virtual door to celebrate the kindness of neighbours.

As the books in handbag lady, I considered how books have always been my companion and a welcome escape.  I will place books in bags and take them to neighbours who want a collection of good reads to help them escape. A friend here in Cardiff has decided she will bake Welsh cakes, wrap them up beautifully and leave them on neighbour’s doorsteps.  Obviously, we will telephone them to see if people want the gifts first.

A bag of books ready for delivery

Other friends are pooling their resources and swap goodies rather than fighting for goods in the supermarkets.  Again, we place them on the doorstep.  It makes sense and does encourage us to dig deep into the cupboards for those unwanted items.  I have found home for all those cosmetic gifts sets I have been storing for years.  It’s like Swap Shop all over again, and now I am showing my age.  Nod now if you remember that Saturday morning show from the eighties.

Kindness is free so let’s share it.  I have left a recipe for you on my virtual doorstep.

Welsh cakes for neighbours

Here is a Welsh cake recipe.  Feel free to share another recipe via the comment boxes.
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/welsh-cakes

Here is my virtual kindness challenge.

Could you call on someone who is self-isolating and leave them a bag of goodies on their doorstep?  The challenge is you can’t buy anything new and must create something from whatever you can spare in your home?  Sharing really is caring.

Wishing you all good health! You are always welcome to visit my blog and leave a comment, or you can find me on Facebook and Twitter.  I make of point of responding to comments, so there is no need to be alone.  I am sending you all a big wave, a smile and hope you’ll grab yourself a coffee and send me a message.  Stay safe, everyone and we’ll get by with a little help from our friends!

 

Please see all my Handbag Adventures and also my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.