Debut author Delise Torres joins the Spotlight this week to chat about her novel, One Tough Cookie
Author Name: Delise Torres
Book Title: One Tough Cookie
Book Genre: Women’s Fiction/Romcom
Release Date: July 18, 2023
Publisher: Alcove Press
Welcome, Delise! How would you describe One Tough Cookie?
One Tough Cookie is foodie women’s fiction set at a cookie company, in which a Latina Fleabag committed to her carefree single life meets the sexy new mechanic determined to break through her defenses.
What sparked the idea for this book?
It actually originated from a dream, a small scene that showed me a man and a woman talking outside of the company where they both worked. This led me to write some scenes, where the characters and plot became clearer. Then it was just about digging deeper and filling up the holes.
Since, in the dream, the characters are talking outside the company I used to work at—a dried cherry processing plant—I knew I had to add that food industry element. I chose to create a fictional cookie company, and designed the product and processes. I used my previous work experience to create the plotline in which the characters are preparing for a food safety inspection.
How long did it take for you to write the book? Did you do any research?
It took me two-and-a-half years from first draft to querying. I had to do a lot of rewriting in order to better blend the romantic storyline with the food inspection storyline.
Since I’m a food scientist, I already knew about food safety and quality, but I’d never worked at a cookie manufacturing plant, so I had to do a lot of research on that specific industry. The design of the company, its processes and products also took me time to figure out.
What drew you to writing women’s fiction?
When I first started writing, I thought I was writing Romance, and when I learned more about Women’s Fiction, I knew I’d found my genre. In contrast to Romance, Women’s Fiction allows me to explore my protagonist beyond her love life and include other storylines that complement it.
What’s your favorite part about writing? What do you find challenging?
My favorite part about writing is discovering the story. I usually have the major plot points in mind when I start, so I basically just download them to paper. Then I get to dig deeper and find out the why of it all. I love those A-ha! Moments where everything connects.
The most challenging part is to not be able to write it all in one go. I have the scenes playing in my head but it takes so long to write them down! It’s really tempting to stay hours and hours just writing so that I’m able to finish it, but it’s physically and mentally impossible. Finding that balance to let go and take care of myself and my family has been a difficult process for me.
If you were speaking to someone who hasn’t read your writing before, why should they want to read One Tough Cookie?
One Tough Cookie has sarcastic humor and a deep POV, so that you’re following Karina’s thoughts and feelings as she makes one bad choice after the other. There is a lot of dialogue, which I’m told I do very well, and the characters are always fighting about something. It’s tightly-plotted, and every side character and situation contributes to Karina’s growth.
What do you hope readers will take away from this story?
I hope they take away that we all deserve love, and that we should respect other people’s choices, even if we don’t understand or agree with them. Each person has a different background, culture, and experiences, and what is right for you may not be right for them, and vice versa.
What about the publishing process has been the most surprising to you so far?
I didn’t know that after signing with an agent, I would spend so much time revising my book. After all the rewriting I had done, I still spent about eight months with my agent polishing the book even further. My agent is very editorial, so I know this isn’t the case for everyone. Though it was a bit frustrating at the time, the book is so much stronger because of this extra work we put in.
Any words of wisdom you could give to a new writer?
Keep an open mind and don’t be too resistant to changing your story. But also stay true to the story you want to tell. I had to make a lot of changes along the way, but the core of the story has remained the same.
Also, keep going and don’t give up! Writing a book takes a lot of patience and time. The process seems never-ending with lots of roadblocks and wrong turns, but if you persist, you will make it!
What are your interests outside of writing and reading?
I’m a movie and TV buff, so on weekends you will find me streaming something with my husband. I’m also a huge fan of True Crime podcasts and documentaries.
Are you working on a new project? Please tell us about it.
I’m currently revising the first novel I ever wrote, PULLING ME BACK IN, after giving up on it years ago. It’s a toxic second-chance romance about an art gallery curator who can’t let go of her playboy ex, and how he keeps pulling her back in, even though she knows he’s not good for her. Both characters need to make peace with the past and speak their truth if they ever want to make it work.
Where can readers find you?
Readers can find me at my website: www.delisetorres.com. I’m also on Instagram as @torresdelise.
Thank you, Delise! One Tough Cookie is out now.
One Tough Cookie
A Latina Fleabag committed to her carefree single life meets the sexy new mechanic determined to break through her defenses, in this humorous and heartfelt foodie women’s fiction set at a cookie company.
All cookies are made with love—even if twenty-seven-year-old Karina Cortés doesn’t believe in the concept. For her, a simple life with no attachments is a good life. And her life is indeed good—even with her biggest accomplishment being passing the GED exam. Karina is able to secure an incredible and well-paying job at Singular Cookies, Inc., a small family-owned cookie manufacturing plant in Fort Pierce, Florida. And although the founders of the company treat her like family, Karina insists she doesn’t need or want one. Not after her mother chose a man over her own daughter, pushing the young Karina to move out and make it on her own.
And she couldn’t be happier with her single life, unlike her friends, whose lives revolve around men.
Work and play collide when she meets the company’s hot new mechanic, Ian Feliciano, who stirs up feelings she tends to avoid. Karina knows she shouldn’t date him, but she’s strong; she’ll never turn pathetic like her friends or, especially, her mom. And with a looming plant inspection and trying to break-up the CEO’s new romance, Karina has enough to distract herself.
As the inspection draws near and Karina battles her heart, she’ll have to decide whether to continue holding on to deeply ingrained beliefs that keep everyone at bay, or learn that love is not as dangerous as she fears and in the end, it is our history—our singular recipe—that shapes how we live.
Author bio:
Delise Torres grew up in Puerto Rico, watching telenovelas and re-enacting scenes with her Barbies. Once she outgrew her dolls, she turned to daydreaming, and it wasn’t until her late thirties when she finally put her own stories to paper, and her passion for writing was born. She has a PhD in Food Science and former work experience as a quality assurance manager in the food industry. When not writing, you can find her trying to time-manage her life, singing, reading, and streaming shows and movies. She lives in Germany with her daughter and German husband. ONE TOUGH COOKIE is her first novel.