Author Piper Huguley is taking on contemporary romance in her latest release. I recently spoke with her about Sweet Tea.
Tell me about your latest book.
Sweet Tea is a contemporary romance that is a modern-day story that takes place in Milford, Georgia. The heroine, Althea, is a descendant of my historical couple Virgil and Amanda Smithson. She has moved away from home to the big city and is an intellectual property lawyer in a high-powered firm. She is compelled to come home when she hears that a white documentarian, Jack Darwent, wants her grandmother’s southern recipes to put into his movie and cookbook. When she gets there, she and Jack clash but find a rocky path to their happy ending.
What inspired you to write it?
The legendary Edna Lewis came out with a cookbook before her death that was co-written with Scott Peacock, and I wondered whether her family cared that she seemed to be sharing her intellectual property, which recipes are, so easily with someone who wasn’t related to her.
When did you fall in love with the written word?
According to my mother, at three years old when I learned how to read.
What’s the best part of being an author?
Hearing that people enjoyed my work and learned something from the history and story that I wrote.
What’s the hardest part of being an author?
Promo. I find it hard to constantly promote myself. I don’t want to get on people’s nerves or impose on their time.
What books have you read lately and loved?
Island Queen by Vanessa Riley, Wild Women and the Blues by Denny Bryce, Sisters in Arms by Kaia Alderson, Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson
What book(s) are you most excited to read next?
When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen and The Great Mrs. Elias by Barbara Chase-Riboud
Who would you cast in a movie to play your main characters?
Hmmm. Granda could be Jenifer Lewis or Loretta Divine. Jack is blond, so Patrick Schwarzenegger comes to mind—even if he’s a bit young for the role. Evan Peters would be good. Aja King or Teyonah Parris would be good for Althea.
What’s next for you?
My historical fiction debut, By Design: the story of Ann Lowe, Society’s Best Kept Secret Fashion Designer will be out in 2022.
Do you have anything you would like to add?
Sweet Tea will be available at some Wal-Marts, Targets, Barnes and Nobles and other bookstores near you. It will also be my first full-length audiobook.
Use the Black Fiction Addiction affiliate link to purchase your copy of Sweet Tea.
To learn more about author Piper Huguley, visit her website or connect with her on social media.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/piperghuguley
Twitter: https://twitter.com/piperhuguley
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/piper_huguley/