by Amy Pine
A relationship in your twenties versus a relationship in your forties…which is easier? Does the Gabi/Ethan or Alissa/Matthew dynamic support your assessment?
Gabi’s realization that she is more like her father than she imagined (her wanderlust and desire to live—at least for now—an unconventional life) throws her for a loop. She’s afraid her dreams will tear her and Ethan apart the same way her parents were pulled apart by her dad’s dreams. We don’t know for sure what the future holds for Gabi and Ethan, though it looks pretty bright. But does this ultimately mean that—no matter how hard we run from it—we are, in many ways, just like those who raised us?
There are a few secrets revealed in the book: Alissa’s pregnancy, Matthew’s parents’ common-law marriage, Miriam’s sexual identity, Gabi’s whirlwind summer romance. But the book ends on Alissa uncovering a big secret that could change her sister’s life. Should she tell Becca or confront Jeff and make him tell Becca himself? Or is it none of her business since it’s not her marriage? You’ll have to come back for Becca’s book to find out the answer.
An Interview
with Amy Pine
After multiple books published in romance, what made you decide to dive into the world of women’s fiction?
I love romance, and I will always write stories that contain romance (notice there are most definitely romantic relationships in The Bloom Girls), but I also don’t want to do simply one thing. Variety is important to me. Diversifying my writing experience is important to me. It keeps the creative juices flowing—keeps the ideas fresh. Plus, I’m both a mother and daughter, which makes the mother/daughter relationship particularly special to me, and I wanted to explore that. So whether I’m writing about cowboys, mothers and daughters, or vampires (hey…it could happen), there will always be romantic elements as well as the exploration of the woman’s journey.
The situation of the teen mom growing up to be almost besties with her daughter begs the question: Are you a Gilmore Girls fan? And were you team…Christopher?
Why, yes. I am a Gilmore Girls fan. And no. I am not team Christopher. I was team Max for a bit, but I am happy Luke and Lorelai ended up together. However, that didn’t stop me from wondering what it would have been like if a wayward father like Christopher decided he wanted to get things right. Throw in an accidental pregnancy with the ex-love-of-your-life, and that makes for a pretty fun story to write. I like looking at stories I already know and asking, “But what if this happened instead?” Also, I know you didn’t ask, but I’ll tell you anyway…I am also team Jess.
Why did you write a book with Jewish characters that isn’t about being Jewish?
Because Jewish people are simply people. Their stories aren’t only about being Jewish. I speak from experience. Yes, Holocaust stories are important. Stories of anti-Semitism are important, as are all stories where a minority group is othered. But it’s also important to simply see Jewish people living their day-to-day lives, falling in love, getting accidentally pregnant or purposely engaged…In order to (hopefully) chip away at othering, I want to write stories that breed connection and familiarity.
You are a forty-something Jewish woman living in the Chicago suburbs. Is any of this book autobiographical?
All characters represented in this story are fictional and not based on any persons, dead or alive. Any resemblance to such persons is purely coincidental. Or something to that effect. Ha! But real talk…Bloom is a family name, and I wanted to give a little nod to my Jewish roots in my first book with all Jewish characters. I did set the book in a real town, Highland Park, Illinois. It’s not where I grew up, but it’s where I lived after college. It’s where my mom lives now. It is a bit of a Jewish epicenter of the North Shore, so it made sense to me to set the story there because it would be believable that all of these people whose lives intersected could be in such close proximity to one another. Plus, with Ethan living in the city, it is easy travel back and forth for Gabi on the train. Other than the locale, though, there isn’t much drawn from my own life. I did spend ten months abroad in Scotland and have been to Galway, Ireland. I also had an experience of bumping into a friend who was studying in England while we were both randomly in Rome. So—it can happen, folks. Sure, ours wasn’t a meet cute where one of us almost ran the other off the road, but we met. In a foreign country. And only lived a stone’s throw from each other back in Illinois. But other than setting and verification of coincidences, the story is completely fictional. I don’t have a sister who is also my gynecologist. I don’t have hippie in-laws (thought that would be fun) or a mom who nitpicks at my appearance or any aspect of my life. My mom is actually pretty awesome, especially since she reads all my books.
Do you have a daughter, and if so, do you have a Rory/Lorelai relationship? Will you let her jet off to Europe on her own when she’s in her twenties?
I have, at the time of writing this response, a fifteen-year-old daughter. She is the best (as is my son, by the way). Not gonna lie, I have always wanted a Lorelai/Rory relationship with her, and I think I’m doing pretty well. Granted, because of this wonderful pandemic we are in, she has no choice but to call me her best friend because she can only see her same-aged friends virtually or, when it’s warm enough outside, at a safe distance. So I get to be BFF material by proximity! But I think because I’m a kid at heart (this might just be a nice way of calling myself immature), we connect on a lot of fun levels. I’ve been a teen librarian for the past six years, and I love my YA books. She’s now reading all my favorites and fangirling with me. She has jumped on the vampire bandwagon (first Twilight and then Vampire Diaries), so we connect big-time there. Hmmm…that’s the second time I’ve brought up vampires…And yes, she does want to travel abroad for college, and I love that journey for her. But I might have told both my kids that wherever they go after high school, I’m going with them. I’m not overprotective. They’re just both so super cool, and I want to hang with them. Always. I’ll let you know if that changes.
Is Lightscape at the Chicago Botanic Garden a real thing?
It is! It’s a gorgeous holiday event that sold out its first year (but we made it) and still was able to happen during the pandemic. It’s a mile-long walk through the Chicago Botanic Garden experiencing light installations set to holiday music (many by local Chicago artists). Talking about it on the page does not do it justice. It’s truly a magical experience, and I cannot wait to do it again.
Are you trying to make any sort of comment about marriage or divorce in this book?
I’ve experienced both marriage and divorce, and everyone’s story is their own. This book tells Gabi and Ethan’s story, Alissa and Matt’s story, and part of Becca and Jeff’s. There is no singular, universal experience when it comes to love and marriage, but what I do think is universal is the idea that you are never too old to figure out what you want and that everyone deserves happiness and fulfillment.
Do you bake as well as Alissa does?
Oh goodness, no. I do bake better than I cook, though. But no way in the world could I create something as intricate as a wedding cake, and I don’t even know the first thing about making a fondant. Still, I can share my grandma Gloria’s recipe for mandel bread, a Jewish biscotti-type cookie, and our family recipe for kugel, a sweet noodle casserole, which is delicious! The mandel bread always tasted better when my grandma made it, but I’m so grateful I have her recipe. Now when I make it, I’m reminded of her—and how that little pinch of grandma magic was truly the key ingredient.
Grandma Gloria’s Mandel Bread
Servings: 30
½ pound (2 sticks) butter or ¾ cup oil
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
3½ cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
Choice of fillings: chocolate chips, jelly (not together, though!)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
&nbs
p; Cream together the butter and sugar, then mix in the vanilla and eggs. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt (you may need more flour to make the dough consistent). Divide into three balls to make with three different fillings. Mix one ball with chocolate chips. (She doesn’t have a measurement, so you get to decide!) Roll all three into logs and hand-shape into rectangles that are about 3 to 4 inches wide. Make an indentation in the centers of the plain logs and fill with the jelly flavor of your choice. Place on nonstick cookie sheets (I like to cover the sheet with parchment paper). Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Slice into biscotti-sized pieces and serve.
Note: I have read other recipes that twice-bake the mandel bread (after slicing, bake at 250 degrees F for another 15 minutes) to make it crunchier. With my grandmother’s directions, it’s more crumbly than crunchy. But if you’re looking for more of a biscotti crunch, then try twice-baking!
Grandma Gloria/Aunt Lee/Mama Jan’s Noodle Kugel
1 pound wide egg noodles
1 stick butter, divided
1 pound cottage cheese
1 cup sour cream
6 ounces cream cheese
½ cup granulated sugar
1 cup milk
6 eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Frosted Flakes, crushed
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook until tender, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove and drain. Toss the noodles with 2 tablespoons of the butter. In a large mixing bowl, blend the cottage cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, sugar, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Mix well. Fold in the noodles and, again, mix well. Pour the mixture into a buttered 11 by 15-inch pan. Sprinkle the crushed Frosted Flakes evenly on top of the egg mixture. Melt the remaining butter and pour it over the top. (I use a basting brush.) Bake for about 1 hour or until the pudding is set. Remove from the oven and cool before serving.
What have you been watching/reading/listening to?
I am so glad you asked. Speaking of my love for writing and romance, I have fallen in love with Korean Dramas. I wish I’d found them earlier in the pandemic, but alas, what’s done is done. They are in my life now, and I’m never turning back. I fell in love with K-Dramas after watching Crash Landing on You on Netflix and now have purchased the Viki streaming service so I can watch all dramas, all the time. K-Dramas don’t all have romance, but the ones I’ve binged so far do, and truly, they are a master class in writing. They are the super-tropy emotional roller coasters I never knew I needed in my life. I even started a podcast about my K-Drama love with two other writer friends. Find me on social media and you’ll find the podcast. As for reading, I just finished The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo, a fantastic Chinese historical/literary/folktale sort of mash-up, as well as a lovely YA romance featuring Jewish characters called Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon. And I’ve been listening a lot to Ben Platt’s Sing to Me Instead, thanks to the shared love my daughter and I both have for the original Evan Hansen.
Can you tell us what you’re working on next?
I might have wrapped up Alissa and Gabi’s stories for now, but I gave you all a little cliffhanger at the end there, didn’t I! #sorrynotsorry
So, yes, Becca has a story to tell, and she will be joined by Matthew’s sister, Sadie. While their lives aren’t very intertwined at the moment, they will be soon. Both of them have some tough choices to make that could send their lives in much different directions than they anticipated. I don’t want to give away too much, but there will be heartache and romance and maybe some more heartache followed by new beginnings. There. That should spell it out clearly—or not at all. But I cannot wait for you to read!
About the Author
A librarian by day and a writer by night, Amy Pine can’t seem to escape the world of fiction, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. When she finds that twenty-fifth hour in the day, she might indulge in a tiny bit of TV to nourish her undying love of vampires, superheroes, and all things K-Drama. She hails from the far-off galaxy of the Chicago suburbs.
You can learn more at:
AJPine.com
Twitter @AJ_Pine
Facebook.com/AJPineAuthor
Also by Amy Pine
writing as A.J. Pine
MEADOW VALLEY SERIES
Cowboy to the Rescue (novella)
My One and Only Cowboy
Make Mine a Cowboy
A Christmas Cowboy at Heart (novella)
Only a Cowboy Will Do
CROSSROADS RANCH SERIES
Second Chance Cowboy
Saved by the Cowboy (novella)
Tough Luck Cowboy
Hard Loving Cowboy