From the desk of Carolyn Jewel

Dear Reader,

Paisley Nichols, the heroine of MY DANGEROUS PLEASURE, is living her dream. She owns a bakery in San Francisco’s financial district, and she’s making a go of it. It’s hard work and long hours, but she loves what she does. I had some real-life inspiration for her character. When I was a kid, my mother baked from scratch; bread, cinnamon rolls and delicious cookies, which my siblings and I took for granted. It wasn’t until much later in life that I realized that not every mother baked like that. Now I bake goodies for my son, and if I have to taste test what I bake, well, that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.

My youngest brother worked as a pastry chef for a while (he now does catering on the side) and there was a time when he was training when he’d drive up from Santa Barbara where he lived, spend the weekend at our house, bake up a storm, and leave us with a refrigerator full of whatever he was practicing at the time; crème brûlée, chocolate soufflé, chocolate mousse, and what have you. When he got married, the restaurant threw a party for him, and if you’ve never been around a slew of professional chefs, let me tell you, you are missing out on great food and lots of fun.

With my brother as an example, I got more ambitious with my own baking. He taught me that quality ingredients make an enormous difference in the outcome, but there are also any number of little tips and tricks that get left out of many recipes that can transform a dessert from great to amazing or from decent looking to professional looking. For example, when making pie crust, use ice water, not room temperature water. Not even the Joy of Cooking mentions that crucial fact. Suddenly, my pie crusts were a success! I’ve also picked up and shared lots of recipes and tips from people on Twitter (I’m @cjewel).

Lest you think my story is nothing but sweetness and 70% (or higher) pure cocoa chocolate, Iskander, the demon hero of MY DANGEROUS PLEASURE, has a very dark side to him. He’s been tasked with keeping Paisley safe from the mage who’s stalking her, and when she develops some unusual magical abilities, his job gets even more difficult. There are people after them both, and they aren’t very nice. But in between the enslaved demons and magic-using humans chasing them, Paisley and Iskander do find the time and place to indulge themselves with delicious sweets and each other.