Through the magic of Twitter, I have recently become cyber-acquainted with author Charmaine Pauls. Her twitter page describes her as an author of “dark erotic goth pop romance novels.” I’ll admit that romance is not my go-to genre, but that got my attention. I checked out Charmaine’s website and found the descriptions of her novels enticing. For this week’s “Book Bites,” she shares a nibble about her literary romance, Second Best (Mélange Books, 2014). When I first read about the novel on her webpage, I was intrigued by the characters (a juvenile delinquent and a rebel journalist) and the South African setting. Charmaine also shares a recipe for Karoo Pudding, a South African dessert. Yum!
Who is the main character in Second Best? What is she like?
The protagonist is Molly van Aswegen, a scarred and troubled young woman who attended an industrial school for juvenile delinquents in Oudtshoorn, South Africa. Molly is driven and talented, but has to battle against her self-aversion resulting from an abusive background. A soldier and war journalist, Malcolm McLoyd writes her story with ulterior motives, and Molly fights her attraction to him as she has promised herself to never care about anyone enough for it to hurt.
What would Molly van Aswegen choose for her last meal?
Molly would definitely opt for a slice of lemon pie, because it symbolizes a major turning point in her life when she took matters in her own hands in her employer’s bakery.
How about you? What would you choose for your last meal?
For me it would have to be a rich, sweet South African curry like bobotie. The mixture of sharp and subtle flavors, the contrast of the sweet and the salt, and the bite of the chili always leave me feeling satiated and happy on a fundamental level, as if all the receptors in my brain are tingling and standing on attention.
Why should someone bite into Second Best?
Second Best is based on my experiences growing up in an industrial school environment where my father was a teacher. Having witnessed some moving and disturbing life moments, I wanted to write about the difficulty of escaping the social branding that came with the stigma of having attended an industrial or reform school. The story also unfolds during the turbulent time of the 23-year long Border War and politically difficult time in South Africa, making it hard for Molly to define herself and find a place in a society where uniqueness and equality regardless of gender or race are frowned upon. Molly’s character has not been sugarcoated. She is ‘the real thing’. It is a story about not giving up the fight, about rising above the past, and about never settling for second best.
Do you have a recipe you’d like to share?
My favorite dessert is my mother’s Karoo pudding. The Karoo is a semi-desert area in the south of South Africa. The town Oudtshoorn, where a part of Second Best plays off, is situated in the Karoo. This dessert is decadently rich and I love it best when it is served warm with vanilla ice cream and a dollop of cream.
Karoo Pudding (serves 6)
250ml cake flour
250ml sugar
20ml butter
1 egg
20ml apricot jam
250ml milk
5ml bicarbonate of soda
5ml apple cider vinegar
Cream butter and sugar until light and mix with egg and apricot jam. Sift dry ingredients together. Dissolve bicarbonate of soda in vinegar. Mix egg and vinegar mixture with dry ingredients, adding milk little by little. Add salt. Pour into an oven dish and bake 35 minutes at 360°F. In the meantime, prepare the syrup.
250ml cream
5ml vanilla essence
125ml butter
250ml water
500ml sugar
Boil everything together, and pour over pudding as soon as it is removed from the oven. Prick the pudding with a toothpick before sauce is poured over for better absorption. Serve with vanilla ice cream while warm.
Thank you so much Charmaine! I am definitely going to check out the recipe and the book. Both sound incredible.
You can find out more about Charmaine Pauls and Second Best below:
Charmaine Pauls- Author Website
