Shirley Goldberg EAT YOUR HEART OUT
Eat Your Heart Out is the second book in the series Starting Over. What are five things readers need to know about Dana Narvana, your character?
1. She has a love-hate relationship with food.
2. Lust at first sight is a thing with her.
3. She’d like to punch her ex-sweetie in the face and is secretly embarrassed about it.
4. Her boss scares the crap out of her.
5. She has a crush on a colleague and is trying to deny it.
Share a favorite scene from your book and tell us why it's your favorite.
Dana and her teacher friend Alex are in a restaurant enjoying an excellent wine. He invited her at the last minute and she’s wondering why.
“So, this is what it’s like being on a date with you.” Dana hesitated—caught herself. “This isn’t a date, is it?
Her voice flattened and she took a sip of wine. “Oh, I’m not belittling your gesture, bringing me to this fine establishment. But it isn’t a date because you’re seeing that woman, aren’t you? The one you asked me for advice about.”
Alex fidgeted. Idiot. Asking Dana how to recognize the signs a woman was interested––what had he been thinking? What could be more awkward? This. This was definitely up there on the list of more awkward moments.
“You’ve always been straight with me,” she said, holding the wine glass in midair.
That little flash of skin whenever she raises her arm. He picked up his wine glass. At this rate, he’d have to order a second bottle, simply to block his mind from going where it shouldn’t.
“Alex, do it again, be straight.”
He leaned in, took the glass from her hand and put it on the table. “Come closer,” he said. “I want to whisper sweet somethings in your ear.”
She bent toward him, a puzzled but amused expression percolating, her face glowing in the subtle lighting.
“Yes?” Her voice throaty, challenging.
“This is a date,” he said and tilted his head, brushed her lips with his, pulled back slightly, and did it again.
What are five things Dana can’t live without?
Dana can’t live without her friends, music, her big bed, Double Decadent Chocolate Heaven in the summer, and her students. Family is a given.
You’ve written a lot about relationships and dating so you must be an expert. What advice would you give readers about online dating and a new relationship ?
1. Online dating isn’t dating because nothing counts until you meet. No, emails don’t count as dates. Meet as soon as possible. These days, do one or two Zoom dates. It’s the closest thing to a first meet.
2. You need a great picture and a profile that doesn’t read like spinach. That is, bland and boring. Tell a story, even if it’s short. Get your friends to help you. Seriously.
3. Talk on the phone before you meet. It’s the best way to weed out the clunkers. No offense. Your clunker may be another person’s honeybun.
Any advice for aspiring writers?
I’d give a would-be writer the same advice I give to my friends about online dating. Never give up. Your agent––or publisher––could be right around the corner.
Don’t write in a vacuum. Join a writers group or find a critique partner. It’s so much more fun to have a group plotting party, even if it’s a Zoom event.
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