How wonderful it is to sit down at the table with friends and with family to share a good meal! Perhaps a bottle of wine. Certainly, in my case, a slice of rich chocolate cake. The power of food to bring people together is something so central to our lives that the very act of eating can provide not only physical nourishment but emotional sustenance as well. And to these special dishes - some are regional, some are cultural, some are simply cherished tastes since childhood - we give a name: comfort food. The idea of comfort food creates a sense we are slowing down, nurturing ourselves, and enjoying a treat. And it is that type of good feeling I hope readers experience when they pick up my novel Comfort Food. Taking a few moments to curl up and savor a little bit of relaxation as they share in the characters' lives. Everyone I know in the real world feels as though they are too busy with the day-to-day business of life: They have, as the saying goes, a lot on their plate. So what do we do when we don't feel like eating what's on our emotionally overloaded plates? That's the challenge facing Comfort Food's Augusta "Gus" Simpson, a host of a television cooking program with declining ratings and a widowed mom to two complicated twentysomethings. And Gus's life only gets busier with the addition of her sweet but reclusive neighbor Hannah, her bold new rival Carmen, her daughter's jilted boyfriend Troy, and handsome sous-chef Oliver. But there is also fun in new challenges, and excitement. And as much as Gus would hate to admit it, the changes in her life do spice things up. What interests me most, as a novelist, is sorting out relationships: how we yearn for each other and yet drive each other crazy! And, with Comfort Food, the action is once again in the city that I love - New York - with a bit of a branching out into the 'burbs of Westchester. And the focus is all about food. You know, when I was in high school twenty years ago, I never could have imagined late-afternoon phone calls to my best friends asking, "What are you making for dinner tonight?" and really caring about the answer. But for many, food has become an expression of love, of skill, of creativity. Personally, I'm no chef. I'm a home cook who loves carbs and delicate flavors. But I married a gastronomic adventurer (masquerading as a computer guy) and, with my husband's influence, I have tried all sorts of spicier foods. Similarly, the characters in Comfort Food dare each other - sometimes their motivations are sweet, sometimes bitter - to savor the varied flavors in each bite of life. Even an overloaded plate, it turns out, can be filled with wonderful, nourishing tastes. I do hope you'll take a bite of Comfort Food. All best,