Interview with Mona Rossi,
heroine of A Bloody Good Cruise
By Diana Rubino
You, the Heroine . . .
Tell us more about yourself! Readers love to know about their favorite
heroines, and this is your chance to make them feel close to you.
If you have 2 hours free time tonight, what would
you rather do? Why?
Soak in my hot tub overlooking the Tuscany Hills with
a chilled glass of Gianni Brunelli Brunello di Montalcino Riserva from right
there in Tuscany. Fausto bought me a
case of this for our one-year anniversary. It’s
a deep ruby red with intense
aromas of notes of leather and cherry. Upon sipping,
you get an astringent taste.
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At $389
a bottle, I splurge when I sell a book—then I buy another bottle when the
book sales hit the 1,000 copy mark.
But when
I can’t be so decadent I drink Beaujolais
Nouveau,
produced
in the Beaujolais region of France. (sorry, Fausto, it’s not
Italian.) It comes out once a
year, and goes on sale the third Thursday of
November. If you don’t get to a
store in time, you can miss out. It sells out fast.
Distributors deliver it to stores
at 12:01 a.m. local time. I’ve seen people in line
waiting for it. I’d do that for
a Springsteen concert, but not for a bottle of wine!
Yes, I’m
a Springsteen fan, and that’s something else I’d do with two free hours—go to
one of his shows or blast his CDs and dance like crazy.
But along
with the wine, I’d have Sinatra or Dean Martin playing in the background,
with a vanilla candle. And if I’m feeling indulgent, I’ll bring three white
chocolate truffles, and eat them fast so they don’t melt.
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What kind of books do you love to read? Why?
The same kind of romances I
write—suspense, where the heroine gets into one mess after another. I read out
loud, it improves my diction for when I speak at writers’ conferences. I also
like to browse cookbooks. I take a snapshot of the recipe in my head, then go
and improvise.
My favorite author is Linda
Howard. She writes such pulse-pounding suspense. And I know this sounds hokey,
but when I met Fausto, I began reading Anne Rice. Fausto and his family aren’t
the same kinds of vampires she writes about, but it gave me some perspective.
To me, the original book Dracula, by Bram Stoker, was scary as hell. But I do
consider it one of my favorite books because it was so innovative. I never
believed in vampires before that book, and look where I am now!
I like to go to Goodreads to seek out new titles. I don’t read
the reader reviews, though. Too many of them have misled me. I just read the
book summary and make up my own mind.
What is your stress buster?
A Pilates class or watching my favorite shows while
working out on the elliptical trainer—I watch comedy working out, certainly not
the news—I want to bust stress, not increase it. I have DVDs of some classic
sitcoms:
I Love Lucy, the Dick Van Dyke Show, All in the
Family, Seinfeld—and some live standup: Joan Rivers, Phyllis Diller, Richard
Pryor, the pioneers, the greats. No comedians working the clubs today come
close to those legends. Moving for an hour to comedy—or music—is the best way
to relieve stress and work it all off. When not on the elliptical, I’ll get out
my iPod, close the door, pull the shades and torch some calories dancing to my
cardio mix—a scientifically engineered mix of songs that burn 450 calories—one
of my warm up songs is Scream by Usher, one sprint song is Pump It by Black
Eyed Peas, a recover song is Goin’ In by J.Lo, and a cool down song is Halo by
Beyoncé.
What is your favorite food? What food do you seek when you==re sad, sort of a comfort food?
Cheesecake made with cottage cheese—it’s healthy and
low fat, and tastes every bit as good as ‘real’ cheesecake but much lighter. I
also make honey balls, “Struffoli” which is a Christmas treat, but I make them
year round. I added the recipe below. Every morning I make a healthy smoothie
with almond milk, coconut milk, yogurt, either spinach or kale, cinnamon, and
protein powder. If I use chocolate powder, I also add peanut butter. You can’t
even taste the spinach or kale, but it does turn the smoothie green. I also do
some creative things to oatmeal—top it with cinnamon or nutmeg. I make it with
a green tea bag instead of plain water for a healthy boost.
Describe yourself in one word.
Determined.
What is the most adventurous thing you=ve ever done?
Being turned—but it was a matter of life and death. I
trusted Fausto with my life, and here I am.
What makes you happy/sad/disappointed/frustrated/hopeful/angry?
(Pick one)
What makes me angry is intolerance. After I went
through with Fausto and his family, I saw first-hand what someone different
must go through to gain acceptance. I’m trying to change that by giving talks
about vampires, explaining who we really are, so someday prejudice against
us—and anyone else the ‘majority’ deems ‘different’ will be an ugly thing of
the past.
What are your wildest dreams/fantasies/kinks/quirks?
My wildest dream is to live a week in Ancient Rome, as
a Senator’s mistress.
What do you most want out of life, and
what’s its opposite?
I most want social acceptance and its opposite is to disappear
in the crowd, to be an ordinary
citizen.
What would you never say, do or think?
I’d never insult someone just
to show I’m better or smarter.
I’d never let anyone boss me
around.
I’d never think I’m inferior
to anyone because of my new status as a vampire.
What are some of your faults?
I’m too assertive at times. I
still worry about what people think of me. I overcompensate to get them to
accept and like me. I make a mess after cooking and don’t clean it up right
away. This drives Fausto nuts. He’s a neat freak. Another fault that also
drives him nuts is that I put off going to the doctor. We’ve been granted
eternal life, but we do have to get checkups along the way!
Any new projects, work in progress?
Since I joined the vampire world, I began writing The Dark Side, a vampire romance set
during the War of 1812 Salem MA, about the (fictional) son of historical figure
Deacon Brodie, a larger-than-life Scotsman who faked his own death in the
1700s.
What is your advice to aspiring writers?
Even though your first,
second, third, or even fourth novel may never see print, not a word is wasted
if it's considered a learning experience. I also believe that you must write
from the heart, and your passion will shine through in your work. There are many roads to success, but patience is the best way.
An Italian Tradition, Struffoli (Honey
Balls)
When my grandparents came
from Naples and landed at Ellis Island in the early 1900s they brought many
recipes with them, but only in their heads. No one brought cookbooks or written
recipes on the boat along with their possessions. A favorite Chrismas treat is
Struffoli, better known as Honey Balls. One Christmas when I was a kid, I
watched my grandmother make them and scribbled down the ingredients as she sifted
and mixed and baked and drizzled. Here's an accurate recipe in English!
Ingredients
Dough:
•2 cups flour, plus extra for dusting
•1 large lemon, zested (about 2 teaspoons)
•1/2 large orange, zested (about 2 teaspoons)
•3 tablespoons sugar
•1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
•1/4 teaspoon baking powder
•1/2 stick (2 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, at room temperature
•3 large eggs
•1 tablespoon white wine, such as pinot grigio
•1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
•Canola oil, for frying
•1 cup honey
•1/2 cup sugar
•1 tablespoon lemon juice
•1 1/2 cups hazelnuts, toasted (see Cook's Note)
•Vegetable oil cooking spray
•Sugar sprinkles, for decoration
•Powdered sugar, for dusting, optional
•2 cups flour, plus extra for dusting
•1 large lemon, zested (about 2 teaspoons)
•1/2 large orange, zested (about 2 teaspoons)
•3 tablespoons sugar
•1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
•1/4 teaspoon baking powder
•1/2 stick (2 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, at room temperature
•3 large eggs
•1 tablespoon white wine, such as pinot grigio
•1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
•Canola oil, for frying
•1 cup honey
•1/2 cup sugar
•1 tablespoon lemon juice
•1 1/2 cups hazelnuts, toasted (see Cook's Note)
•Vegetable oil cooking spray
•Sugar sprinkles, for decoration
•Powdered sugar, for dusting, optional
Directions
For the dough: In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together 2 cups of flour,
lemon zest, orange zest, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Add the butter and
pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add the eggs, wine, and
vanilla. Pulse until the mixture forms into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap
and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Cut the dough into 4 equal-sized pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll out
each piece of dough until 1/4-inch thick. Cut each piece of dough into 1/2-inch
wide strips. Cut each strip of pastry into 1/2-inch pieces. Roll each piece of
dough into a small ball about the size of a hazelnut. Lightly dredge the dough
balls in flour, shaking off any excess. In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan,
pour enough oil to fill the pan about a third of the way. Heat over medium heat
until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 375 degrees F. (If
you don't have a thermometer a cube of bread will brown in about 3 minutes.).
In batches, fry the dough until lightly golden, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Transfer
to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. (The rested and quartered dough can also
be rolled on a floured work surface into 1/2-inch thick logs and cut into
equal-sized 1/2-inch pieces. The dough pieces can then be rolled into small
balls and fried as above).
In a large saucepan, combine the honey, sugar, and lemon juice over medium
heat.
Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is
dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the fried dough
and hazelnuts and stir until coated in the honey mixture. Allow the mixture to
cool in the pan for 2 minutes.
Spray the outside of a small, straight-sided water glass with vegetable oil
cooking spray and place in the center of a round platter. Using a large spoon
or damp hands, arrange the struffoli and hazelnuts around the glass to form a
wreath shape. Drizzle any remaining honey mixture over the struffoli. Allow to
set for 2 hours (can be made 1 day in advance). Decorate with sprinkles and
dust with powdered sugar, if using. Remove the glass from the center of the
platter and serve.
Note: To toast the hazelnuts, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake
in a preheated 350 degrees F oven until lightly toasted, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool
completely before using.
Total Time: 4 hr 12 min
Prep: 1 hr 30 min
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Prep: 1 hr 30 min
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
A Bloody Good Cruise is coming soon to The Wild Rose Press!
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