During the summer, our reading habits often switch to lighter, more fun fare. At the beach or in the backyard, I know I enjoy a juicy, fast moving story that’s suits my summer moods.
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Recently, Caridad Pineiro’s novel, South Beach Love, came my way. It’s the perfect summer or warm weather read! Let me tell you a little bit about the book and its author.
Caridad Pineiro, Prolific Best Selling Author
Caridad Pineiro, born in Havana Cuba but raised in the New York area, is a well-known, New York Times and USA Today best selling author who has written well over 50 novels and novellas over the past two decades. Caridad is well-known as a romance writer, but her romances often mix with other genres like suspense, the paranormal and the military! Plus she sometimes brings in Latin culture and customs to her novels.
A writer who encourages other writers, Caridad Pineiro, helped found the Liberty States Fiction Writers, and she holds workshops to help other writers hone their skills. She also participates in writing conferences to meet others and to continue to develop her own craft. What really blew me away was to learn that while writing so many romance novels, Caridad worked as an attorney practicing in New York City! She even wrote some of her novels aboard New Jersey Transit while she commute to and from the office!
South Beach Love
The novel that I just read by Caridad Pineiro, South Beach Love, published by Hallmark Publishing, has several well-integrated themes. In fact, I would call it a romance, a young adult novel, a multicultural novel, and a novel that leverages our current craze with chefs and cooking! Yet, it all works together seamlessly.
South Beach Love is a story about rival quinceañeras (the Latin coming of age celebration for 15 year old girls), tantalizing Cuban cooking, competition and friendship, family ties, and romance. I hesitate to tell you too much more about the tale for fear of spoiling the twists and turns of the engaging plot, but I know you’ll be hooked from the first page. You may even learn a little conversational Spanish along the way! Plus, at the end, the novel shares a delicious recipe for Tres Leches Cake with Banana & Coconut that I am eager to make.
Getting to Know Caridad Pineiro: An Interview with the Author
Deb Chase, the leader of the Fashion Flash group and a writer herself, sat down virtually with Caridad Pineiro for an in-depth interview and has shared the conversation with Never Say Die Beauty. Hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I have!
- How and when did you start writing romance? I wrote my first book in the fifth grade when a teacher made us write a book for a class lending library. I kept on writing through high school and college and my first book was published in 1999!
- What was your first book? My first book was “Now and Always” which was released by Kensington Publishing. It was a contemporary romance set in Miami about an FBI Agent who goes undercover just as she is beginning a relationship with the handsome doctor who was helping recover from an injury.
- What was your inspiration for South Beach Love? I wanted to write a romance that was about the importance of family ties and traditions. It seemed like a good way to showcase those things was to have the hero and heroine be chefs because I feel that foods can help people learn more about their history. It’s also a great way to share a culture with others since who doesn’t like good food?
- How many books have you written? Titles? OMG, I’ve published over fifty novels and novellas since 1999. This year I have a few releases: “Cold Case Reopened” from Harlequin Intrigue in March 2021, “South Beach Love” from Hallmark Publishing in May 2021, and “Trapping a Terrorist” in October 2021. In February 2022 I have a very special release, “The Family She Never Met” which includes many real life stories from my family, as well as a couple of other releases from Harlequin Intrigue (no titles yet!).
- Do you have a favorite book? I have a few favorite books but one that I have read and reread is “The Wolf and the Dove” by Kathleen Woodiwiss. My favorite series is the IN DEATH series by J.D. Robb.
- Who do you like to read? I like to read mostly contemporary romances, but will sneak in some non-fiction on occasion.
- What is your writing process? Do you plot out the story or do you just start writing? I’m kind of a plotter. I do a very loose synopsis for shorter books or a chapter-by-chapter outline where I just write a few sentences about each chapter. Then I start to write, but I’m flexible if the story takes me somewhere not in the original plan.
- How do you sit down to write? Early morning? Do you give yourself a daily word goal? I usually get up early, around six or so, and write for several hours. I don’t sit at a desk since I did that way too often when I had a 9 to 5 job. I have a comfy futon where I sit with my laptop or if the weather is really nice, I go out on my balcony. I don’t set a word count normally. I will also sometimes write in the afternoon and I work on my blog posts and social media posts at night.
- What are you proudest of? I am very proud to have been a RITA Finalist since that’s like the Oscars of the romance world. I’m also very proud to be a NY Times and USA Today Bestseller. I am also very proud to have a wonderful daughter who also likes to write and is making a name for herself with a unique project, Seoul Searching, an online romance novel where you can learn Korean as well!
- What is your next project? I am currently at work on a Harlequin Intrigue revolving around a K-9 training academy. After that I’ll be writing the first book of a series for Harlequin Intrigue. The series is about a family-run private security company in Miami. I also normally work on a few other projects that I hope we will be able to sell to a publisher.
- I saw that South Beach Love was published by Hallmark. Will it be a TV movie? I am hoping it will be a movie. I really think that it’s very cinematic and would translate well into a movie.
- I loved the recipes in South Beach Love—do you like to cook? I love to cook! It was so much fun sharing the recipes in the book and readers can also download a free copy of a recipe book that I did to celebrate the release of “South Beach Love.” You can find out more about the free e-book via Kindle Unlimited at https://www.caridad.com/books/non-fiction-books/recipes-for-the-romantic-soul/
It was so interesting to learn more about Caridad’s background, influences, writing process, projects, and more. I encourage you to pick up South Beach Love or another of Caridad’s novels. They are available on Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo. Check out her website for even more info! And if you love cooking as much as I do, download her free e-book of recipes. It is available in different formats. I downloaded the free pdf via ProlificWorks, and most of the recipes make terrific party food. Plus, each chapter in the recipe book includes not only a recipe germane to one of her books, but also a glimpse into many of her novels, usually a sample of the book. Not only will you come away with some wonderful recipes, but you can determine which of her novels appeal most to you!
What a wonderful interview! Light reading during the summer, and the pandemic, is very important!
Lola Seicento recently posted…Boxwalla August Beauty Box: Confessions of a Daffodil Featuring Votary
Absolutely, positively! This is a fun one with cooking!
Thank you so much for coming by!
Thanks so much for coming by the interview!
Caridad Pineiro recently posted…Have a great time in Nashville!
Sounds like a good read! Id be interested in that tres leches recipe too!
I am waiting for an occasion to make the tres leches cake. It sounds so delish!
That recipe sounds delicious and tres leches is such a fun dessert to make!
This sounds like a really interesting book and hands up it is always interesting to learn a little more about the author behind the book.
Sarah Bailey recently posted…July 13 – Life in a Lockdown #67
Thanks for coming by and learning a little more about me! I appreciate it!
Caridad Pineiro recently posted…Have a great time in Nashville!
Awesome interview! I will have to read this book. It sounds like a great one!
Amber Myers recently posted…Hey, It’s Okay
Thanks, Amber! It’s such a fun read, and the free recipes are awesome, too
Thank you so much, Amber!
Caridad Pineiro recently posted…Have a great time in Nashville!
This sounds like a great book. It is perfect for a summer read.
Tara Pittman recently posted…10 Unique Ideas to Use Beef Jerky in Meals
It is a good beach read, but be careful! It will make you hungry as you read!
Caridad Pineiro recently posted…Have a great time in Nashville!
I have been trying to read a lot more this year. I’ve been doing pretty okay on that goal, but definitely need to add to my list!
Katie K recently posted…Setting Yourself Up for Blogging Success: Google Tools Basics
I think it’s been a tough year with all that’s going on! I’m a little off my game reading-wise also, but have been trying to read more during the summer.
Caridad Pineiro recently posted…Have a great time in Nashville!
I can’t imagine having a full time career as an author on top of a full-time career in law! So much writing! But I realize some folks find writing relaxing. She must have so much creativity.
It was hard to juggle both, but writing was truly relaxing and so much fun! I’m happy to say I retired from my legal career and am now writing full-time!
Caridad Pineiro recently posted…Have a great time in Nashville!
What a fun sounding book. It seems to have just about everything. I’m sure you’ll end up with a terrific recipe out of all this too.
MarciaF recently posted…Get the best with The Beauty Spotlight Team
Hope so! If I ever have to host book club in the future, I may try the tres leches cake recipe then 🙂
Thanks so much for the kind comment. It was fun putting all the different recipes in the book!
Caridad Pineiro recently posted…Have a great time in Nashville!
This is such a wonderful post, I really enjoyed this interview.
Thank you, Tasheena!
So glad you enjoyed the interview!
Caridad Pineiro recently posted…Have a great time in Nashville!
I enjoyed reading your cool interview, will try to get a copy of her books too.
Thank you, Joy! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Thanks so much, Joy!
Caridad Pineiro recently posted…Have a great time in Nashville!
Thanks for the great read, this interview was very interesting. I don’t remember the last time I was captivated to read an inteview. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Lavanda! I appreciate you coming by to read the interview!
Caridad Pineiro recently posted…Have a great time in Nashville!
Thanks for the review, it’s seems so great to read this!
I love reading interview, especially when it’s about the author. If I loved her interview I’ll surely love her books too!
Thank you, Scarlett! I hope you do give Caridad’s novels a try!
Thank you, Scarlett! I hope you will give the books a try!
Caridad Pineiro recently posted…Have a great time in Nashville!
Caridad Pineiro is definitely new for me but I would like to discover and to read his works!
Thank you, Catalina! I hope you will enjoy the books if you check them out!
Caridad Pineiro recently posted…Have a great time in Nashville!
Wonderful interview and great profile. While I’m not familiar with Caridad Pineiro’s work, I’m excited to learn about her. I love her giving back through workshops and teaching. I’ll certainly check out her books.
Thank you, Rosemary! I really do believe in paying it forward since so many helped me get to where I am in my writing career.
Caridad Pineiro recently posted…Have a great time in Nashville!
This is so cool! I’ve always wanted to write a book!
Krystal recently posted…Love, Indus
Thanks, Krystal. I hope you get to sit down and try to write that book!
Caridad Pineiro recently posted…Have a great time in Nashville!
What an interesting story! I love that Caridad started writing so early in life!
Glamorable recently posted…Nourished 3D Printed Vitamin Gummies
Thank you! I really owe that 5th Grade Teacher for the wonderful gift she gave me!
Caridad Pineiro recently posted…Have a great time in Nashville!
I did start early and I didn’t know it then, but it was a romance!
Caridad Pineiro recently posted…Have a great time in Nashville!
That’s a fabulous interview! It’s great to know about Caridad Pineiro and the book South Beach Love 🙂 I’ll definitely check it out👌🏻
Everything Enchanting recently posted…Birchbox July 2021 Unboxing & Review | Countryside Charm Edition
Thank you, Everything Enchanted! I hope you will enjoy it if you check it out!
Caridad Pineiro recently posted…Have a great time in Nashville!
I really want to check their stuff out. It all looks really great.
Thanks, Kita! I hope you enjoy it if you check it out!
Thank you so much Allison and Deb for taking the time to interview me and sharing South Beach Love! I really appreciate it.
Caridad Pineiro recently posted…Have a great time in Nashville!