It is so nice to have author Maida Malby here at Creekside Café. Welcome Maida, have you ever been to North Carolina before?

Maida: Yes, I have. The first time I came to the US was in 1994 as a participant in the YMCA International Camp Counselors Program. I was assigned to the Sandy Ridge Girl Scout Camp in Bennettsville, SC for two months. I remember going to Rockingham and Wadesboro.

Sherri: The first time you came to the US? Where are you from?

Maida: I’m originally from the Philippines, now living in San Angelo, Texas.

Sherri: I lived in San Marcos, Texas many years ago. I loved it out there. I visited Laredo and El Paso, and my parents lived in Houston. How did you end up in Texas?

Maida: My husband is a retired US Air Force veteran. He got a job at the Randolph Air Force Base as a civilian contractor that’s why we moved there from Colorado Springs.

Sherri: How has your previous jobs or career influenced your writing?

Maida: My most recent job before I became a writer was as a Public Affairs Specialist at the US Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand. I’m using my experiences there as inspiration for my main characters’ backgrounds. For example, in Singapore Fling, Maddie is a Public Relations Director.

Sherri: That must have been an interesting job, but I can imagine the headaches.

One of my daughters-in-law was born in Thailand, her parents were refugees from Cambodia. I’ve never been to Asia. It’s on my bucket list.

Give us a little insight into you as a person and as a writer.

Maida: I’m easy-going and I make friends easily. I’m a slow writer. I can only write two books a year, one novel and one short story or novella. This is why I self-publish.

Sherri: Tell us about your books.

Maida: Contemporary romance. Multicultural/interracial. International lovers.

Sherri: Your characters are multi-racial and multicultural, why is that important to you?

Maida: I find that couples like my husband and I (American and Filipina) are not well-represented in romance. Since only a handful of authors are writing Filipinas and other Southeast Asians as female main characters, I decided I needed to be one of the few writers who tell our story and share it with the world.

Sherri: I think that’s wonderful. We need more diversity in romance. Do you write full time now?

Maida: Yes, I write full time.

Sherri: How long have you been writing?

Maida: I started writing in November 2016, so nearly three years now.

Sherri: Do you plan to write any other genre in the future?

Maida: I write short stories in other romance sub-genres using a pen name.

Sherri: What is your latest writing/publishing project?

Maida: I just finished Singapore Fling, Book 2 of my first series Carpe Diem Chronicles. It’s publishing on October 21. I also have a Hansel & Gretel retelling novelette publishing on Halloween. I’ll be writing Samui Heat during NaNoWriMo this year. I plan to publish it in April 2020.

Sherri: Ah, look for me in NaNo, my handle is Pamlico Writer. This is only my second NaNo event. I won the first one but I’m not sure about this year, November is such a busy month for me. I’ll be working on Red Steel, the fifth book in my Leeward Files series.

I love writing. I cannot imagine not writing. What do you love about writing?

Maida: The creativity. There’s something about the words adding up into a cohesive story that is super fulfilling.

Sherri: Like most jobs, there is the good and the bad, what do you despise about being a writer?

Maida: Marketing!  Having to convince people to read the product of my blood, sweat, and tears is incredibly stressful.

Sherri: I suspected that answer. Marketing is one of the most difficult things we have to do. We have to figure out what works and then take time away from writing our books to promote and market them. That’s one of the reasons I started doing the author interviews. Is that why you started doing book reviews?

Maida: I was a reader first before I became a writer. Reviewing books, especially romance, helps me improve my writing skills. I learn so much of what appeals and what doesn’t, of what is missing in my work and what’s already there I can continue to build on.

Sherri: I’m a bit of a foodie. I collect recipes and my favorite channel is the Food Network. Do you have a favorite food or recipe?

Maida: Food is a huge part of my books. My current favorite is Hainanese Chicken Rice. It’s Maddie’s favorite dish in Singapore Fling.

Chicken rice is Maddie’s favorite dish in Singapore. Here’s what she has to say about it in Chapter Two:

From the first time she’d tasted this particular meal—one of the country’s national dishes—Maddie was addicted. The plain steamed chicken over rice looked simple. But the gingery, garlicky, oily, fragrant goodness of the white chicken meat—even without the skin she had removed from it—and the savory rice boiled in the same broth won her over. She had already eaten the dish five times since she’d arrived in Singapore.

This recipe is my attempt to capture that deliciousness. It might not be the most authentic–different ingredients, the taste of the water, etc.–but if you make it with love, the meal is sure to satisfy.

Ingredients:

– medium whole chicken (organic, if possible)

– Kosher salt

– 1 thumb ginger, peeled and sliced

– 3-4 stalks green onions, sliced

– 2 cups uncooked Jasmine rice

– several cloves of garlic

– vegetable oil

– Sriracha

– lime

– soy sauce

– sesame oil

Instructions:

For the chicken:

1. Exfoliate the chicken by rubbing salt all over until smooth. Rinse and pat dry.

2. Season the entire bird inside and out with salt. This will also season the broth, so salt generously. Stuff the cavity with sliced ginger and scallions.

3. Place in a big pot and fill with water up to 1 inch above the chicken. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer immediately. Remove the scum as soon as it rises. Simmer for 20-25 minutes until the temperature at the thickest part of the thigh not touching bone is 170 degrees Fahrenheit.

4. Prepare an ice bath and place the chicken in to stop the cooking process and tighten the skin. Set aside.

For the rice:

1. Clean the rice until the water is less cloudy (2-3 times). Soak the rice, then drain after 10 minutes.

2. Sauté minced ginger and garlic in vegetable oil or chicken fat. Add drained rice and fry for one minute. Season with salt. Pour two cups of reserved broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover tightly, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Keep covered and let rest for 5-10 minutes.

If you have a rice cooker, follow instructions p to he frying.

For the dipping sauces:

1. Combine Sriracha, lime juice, sugar, salt, couple of tablespoons of broth, garlic, and ginger in a blender. Give it a whirl.

2. Grate peeled ginger and finely mince garlic. Combine with a dash of salt and vinegar. Cook in hot oil for a few seconds.

3. Mix light soy sauce and a dash of sesame oil.

Ready to serve!

Spoon rice on a plate. Cut chicken into serving pieces and place on top of the rice. Pour soy sauce mix over it. Garnish with cucumber or parsley. Serve with soup and dipping sauces.

Sherri: Do you have any other hobbies or interests?

Maida: Golf and cooking and baking.

Sherri: Do these show up in your writing?

Maida: Very much so. Samui Heat will have a chef hero- Craig Ryan. My short story 19th Hole Fiesta, part of the San Antonio Romance Authors’ anthology Love Fiesta Style, is a golf romance. I’m planning a spin-off series and one of my main characters is Patrick O’Connor, a professional golfer. He appeared in New York Engagement, 19th Hole Fiesta, and Singapore Fling.

Sherri: What do you feel are your greatest writing strengths and your weaknesses?

Maida: I claim that I have a great sense of place. There’s balance in my books in terms of humor and drama. As for weaknesses, I need to improve on utilizing the senses of smell and taste. I’m pretty good with sight, sound, and feel. The other two need to be amplified.

Sherri: Who are your favorite authors/genres?

Maida: Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb is my idol. For non-romance, I like Paulo Coelho.

Sherri: Oh no, our time has run out already. It has been lovely to have you here at Creekside Café Maida. I wish you luck with your new novel, Singapore Fling.

If you enjoyed my chat with Maida Malby be sure to follow her on social media and check out her books, the links are below.

I hope y’all will come back and join me at my Creekside Café.

SINGAPORE FLING

One alluring French-Filipina beauty. One sexy US Air Force officer. One torrid weekend affair.

Maddie Duvall should be living it up at her challenging new job in glamorous Singapore. But two months after her wild weekend with Aidan Ryan, she’s still yearning for him. She craves the passion only he can ignite in her.

Aidan’s job takes him around the world, yet he can’t get Maddie out of his mind. When he returns to his assignment in Singapore, he seeks her out with a proposition she can’t turn down.

Intensely enamored with one another, their relationship takes off. But when Aidan’s mission exposes treachery by someone close to Maddie, lines blur and wires get crossed. Can their growing love survive the intrigue?

Singapore Fling is Book 2 of Carpe Diem Chronicles, a series of multicultural contemporary romance novels. The stories celebrate the rich cultures of exotic Southeast Asian islands through languages, food, and festivals.

Hashtags:

#multicultural #contemporary #romance #contemporaryromance #militaryromance #interracialromance #internationallovers #filipinoamerican #multiracial #diverse #multilingual #writerofcolorinromance #ownvoice #alpha #fling #carpediem

Add to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43467139-singapore-fling

Buy links:

Universal link: https://books2read.com/SingaporeFling

Amazon Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YK5G3F5

Amazon paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0999543237

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/singapore-fling-8

Nook:https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/singapore-fling-maida-malby/1133990268?ean=2940160901091

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=rvCzDwAAQBAJ

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/962398

ABOUT MAIDA

Maida Malby writes, reads, reviews, and lives Romance. Through her multicultural contemporary romance stories, she takes readers on trips to her favorite places in the world and shares her experiences of their rich cultural heritage.

She is a member of the Romance Writers of America (RWA), San Antonio Romance Authors (SARA), Cultural, Interracial, Multicultural Special Interest Chapter of the Romance Writers of America (CIMRWA), and several romance book clubs. Her To-Be-Read Mountain and reviews of romance novels are featured on her website http://www.maidamalby.com.

When not writing, reading, or reviewing books, Maida consults her husband on word selection, debates with her ten-year-old son regarding the Oxford comma, cooks the dishes she features in her stories, procrastibakes using Baileys as her secret yummy ingredient, and watches golf and food shows on TV.

Social Media links:

Website – https://maidamalby.com/

Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Maida-Malby/e/B077GDVPTK

Bookbub – https://www.bookbub.com/profile/862052032

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/carpediemchroniclesbymaidamalby/

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17293971.Maida_Malby

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/carpediemchronicles/

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/maidamalby/

Love Romance Reads – https://www.loveromancereads.com/maidamalby.html

Pinterest- https://www.pinterest.com/maidamalby

Twitter – https://twitter.com/MaidaMalby