Welcome!

Posted in Welcome to my website! on 03/13/2011 12:00 am by Melissa Senate

I'm the author of ten novels, including my debut, SEE JANE DATE (called "cheeky" by Newsweek magazine and made into a very cute TV movie), two for teens, and my latest, by Simon & Schuster's Gallery Books: THE LOVE GODDESS' COOKING SCHOOL, which More magazine named as one of 17 food-themed books to eat up!

An Italian cooking class, with special recipes that call for adding wishes and memories to every pot and pan, changes the lives of its new teacher–heartbroken Holly Maguire–and her four students: a twelve-year-old girl; a grieving woman; a serial dater, and a newly separated single father. (Click on Adult Fiction tab for link to bigger pic of cover and more info about the book.) 

Praise!

"Tender, charming, and seasoned with a pinch of old-world magic, The Love Goddess’s Cooking School is a warmly rendered story of loss, heartache, and starting over. Melissa Senate has created a delightful cast of characters who learn about life, love, and the mess they’ve made of both while in, and out of, the kitchen." –Beth Hoffman, bestselling author of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt
 
"The Love Goddess' Cooking School by Melissa Senate reads like a recipe for reinvention, filled with hope and seasoned liberally with forgiveness. But the real magic here is Melissa Senate's writing, which laps rhythmically against your heart like gentle waves along the coast." –Claire Cook, bestselling author of Must Love Dogs and Seven Year Switch

"In this novel about an unlikely chef, Holly Maguire inherits a cooking school from her late grandmother. Holly welcomes a small, eclectic group of students—from a 12-year-old to a heartbroken divorcee—into her kitchen and they cook their way through her grandmother’s cookbook. The stories of each character intertwine as they chop, simmer and stir their way to happiness." –More magazine

"Senate (See Jane Date) serves up a delicious mix of wishes and memories with more than a dash of spice in her latest novel centered on healing and cooking. The story opens as Holly Maguire returns to her grandmother's home on Blue Crab Island in order to make sense of her life, loves, and gifts. Through rebuilding her grandmother's cooking school, Holly learns about events in the past that defined her family's role in local society and established her grandmother as a gifted fortune-teller. Themes of healing, love, and loss circle effortlessly to create mystery, magic, and authentic romance. Voices from Holly's past add gently complicating layers to the narrative and keep the story moving at a satisfying clip. Senate has a tender and humorous touch with her characters and a straightforward style that finds magic in the quotidian. "As she cut out her squares and stuffed each ravioli with the spinach and cheese, she checked the recipe for the final ingredient. A wish." Senate handles the hefty topics of loss and remembrances with lightness and respect and in so doing, redefines comfort food." –Publishers Weekly

Library Journal said some very wonderful things about THE LOVE GODDESS' COOKING SCHOOL and discusses some amazing novels in relation to it. "Senate imbues her novel of food, family, and memory with tenderness, warmth, and comfort. It's a perfect book to read this Valentine's Day as it celebrates not just the possibility of romantic love, but all the kinds of love that fill a life well lived."

"The plot: Rich and filling, like a lovely Italian sauce. The characters: Full of depth, charm and surprises like a savory Italian meal you're experiencing for the first time. You'll absolutely love this book. And I must warn you, it will make you very hungry! So I suggest curling up next to the fire with that glass of wine and a delicious bowl full of spaghetti."
 
Exciting News: The Love Goddess' Cooking School has been selected as an Indie Next List Notable for November!
Foreign rights to The Love Goddess' Cooking School have been sold to Portugal, Korea, and Poland! The novel will be published in a large print edition April 2011. 
 
One of my favorite reviews of The Love Goddess' Cooking School:
"This is a very cute and special story to me. It was almost like a cross between Mystic Pizza and Under the Tuscan Sun. I love the closeness of the characters in this book and the ease of transition that the story gives from beginning to end. The story itself is a memorable one and will make you sit back and laugh, cry, and reminisce about your own life. Overall, I loved it and I know you will too."
 
 “As the novel unfolds, readers are treated to a series of terrific recipes as Holly navigates a new romance. Along the way, she and her students find that their quest for exquisite food serves as an apt metaphor for their own journey toward happiness and bliss.” –Maine Sunday Telegram

 

 THE LOVE GODDESS' COOKING SCHOOL is an original trade paperback published on October 26th by Simon and Schuster's Gallery Books. You can order your copy from Amazon or any online bookstore right this minute!

 
 Visit the Simon and Schuster website for an excerpt (Chapter One) from The Love Goddess' Cooking School and the Reading Group Guide.
 
How did motherhood, Julia Child and a wish for a rodent make a cook out of me? Here's an interview with me about the inspiration behind The Love Goddess' Cooking School at one of my favorite writing websites, The Divining Wand, which features interviews, revealing Q&As and guest posts with some of my favorite authors. P.S. The Divining Wand called the novel "a most savory read."
 
Read reviews, interviews and guest blog posts by checking out the Adult Fiction page!
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Also out now is my latest novel for adults, THE SECRET OF JOY, about 28-year-old New Yorker Rebecca Strand who discovers, via her father's deathbed confession, that she has a 26-year-old half-sister she never knew existed. Off she goes to a small coastal town in Maine to find her. She doesn't exactly receive the warmest welcome–except by the lovable, quirky locals…and a sexy carpenter named Theo. 

One of my favorite and most cherished reviews is by the New York Times bestselling author of SAVING CEECEE HONEYCUTTT, Beth Hoffman:

"This is a wonderful story that encouraged me to take a deeper look at love, relationships, family, disappointment, and most importantly, forgiveness. With a smooth and enjoyable writing style, Melissa Senate whisked me into the lives of Rebecca and Joy, seemingly opposite half-sisters who didn't know the other existed until the death of their father. Though Rebecca is delighted to discover she has a sister, Joy is anything but. It is while Rebecca tries to kindle a relationship with her reluctant half-sister that she begins the process of self-examination, reflection, and ultimately discovery. The author handled this brilliantly. If you yearn for quality contemporary women's fiction that's loaded with wit, insight into the heart, and unusual charm, then this is your book!"

Read an excerpt at Simon & Schuster website! Order from Amazon and check out the rave reviews!! Order from Barnes & Noble or from Borders

Scroll down for my blog, which is updated often with random musings and book recommendations.  The comments are under attack by spam, so feel free to email me with any questions/comments at melissasenate at yahoo.com (use @ symbol and write as all one word–always trying to stay one step ahead of the spammers!)

Be my friend on Facebook! (http://www.facebook.com/MelissaSenate)

And follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MelissaSenate

 

3 Comments

  1. Marilyn Brant
    01/15/2009 at 5:51 pm

    Lovely job on your new site, Melissa! And add me to that ever-growing list of readers who LOVED Charlotte’s story :).

  2. Melissa Senate
    01/15/2009 at 8:15 pm

    Thanks, Marilyn! It’s about time for my annual reading of P&P, now that I think about. :)

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    10/15/2010 at 3:44 pm

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