The Chocolate Affair is a re-release of an anthology story I wrote in 2012. Featuring a Pleasure Demon (and as one reviewer put it, “’Nuff said”) it’s a romance that features second chances, healing and that sometimes when you’re least looking for it, love will show itself.
In January this year, I received the rights back and decided to re-release it immediately on Valentine’s Day, because, well, chocolates are right up there along with flowers as tokens of love gifted on this day. They promote the endorphins (feel good chemicals) in the brain hence the joy they share. But while there are well known positive influences from chocolate, it also has a very interesting history.
Of course, the concept of chocolate isn’t new, having been around since around 350BC in Mesoamerica, where seed of the cacao plant were harvested and used to create a bitter drink that was believed to have aphrodisiac qualities. See? Bet you feel better about that chocolate already, don’t you? Well, it didn’t taste like the chocolate we know now, but let’s just learn a little bit about it before we go further.
Back to the story of chocolate in modern society. In 1502 it is known the Christopher Columbus, on his fourth expedition came across the cacao bean which was originally named almond (which clearly it wasn’t). Of course, he took these seeds that were greatly valued by the Indians back to Spain but it wasn’t until 1519 that a Spanish Conquistador Hernan Cortez was the first to encounter chocolate in a form that is identifiable to us.
Cacao is very bitter, until paired with sugar or honey, when the bitterness is counteracted.
Of course, once the Spanish introduced it, the magic of chocolate wasn’t going to stay a secret for very long and by 1732 the French had their own mill and by 1760 The Chocolatie Lombard (a chocolate company) was formed.
Today, approximately 2/3rds of all chocolate comes from the Ivory Coast and as with most farmed commodities is subject to the vagaries of the world marketplace.
Of course, I can wax lyrical about chocolate until the cows come home, but while the history of chocolate is certainly interesting, it’s also the future.
In my case, the far future on a planet far far away… (let’s just channel donkey from Shrek for a moment, shall we?)
So, to The Chocolate Affair:
In January this year, I received the rights back and decided to re-release it immediately on Valentine’s Day, because, well, chocolates are right up there along with flowers as tokens of love gifted on this day. They promote the endorphins (feel good chemicals) in the brain hence the joy they share. But while there are well known positive influences from chocolate, it also has a very interesting history.
Of course, the concept of chocolate isn’t new, having been around since around 350BC in Mesoamerica, where seed of the cacao plant were harvested and used to create a bitter drink that was believed to have aphrodisiac qualities. See? Bet you feel better about that chocolate already, don’t you? Well, it didn’t taste like the chocolate we know now, but let’s just learn a little bit about it before we go further.
Back to the story of chocolate in modern society. In 1502 it is known the Christopher Columbus, on his fourth expedition came across the cacao bean which was originally named almond (which clearly it wasn’t). Of course, he took these seeds that were greatly valued by the Indians back to Spain but it wasn’t until 1519 that a Spanish Conquistador Hernan Cortez was the first to encounter chocolate in a form that is identifiable to us.
Cacao is very bitter, until paired with sugar or honey, when the bitterness is counteracted.
Of course, once the Spanish introduced it, the magic of chocolate wasn’t going to stay a secret for very long and by 1732 the French had their own mill and by 1760 The Chocolatie Lombard (a chocolate company) was formed.
Today, approximately 2/3rds of all chocolate comes from the Ivory Coast and as with most farmed commodities is subject to the vagaries of the world marketplace.
Of course, I can wax lyrical about chocolate until the cows come home, but while the history of chocolate is certainly interesting, it’s also the future.
In my case, the far future on a planet far far away… (let’s just channel donkey from Shrek for a moment, shall we?)
So, to The Chocolate Affair:
Secrets, hidden truths and demons will find their way… Especially when chocolate is involved.
When Scheherazade Chocolates is bought out by an off-world consortium, Deanna's livelihood and that of her employees’ are jeopardized.
When that same consortium sends JD Ruan to assess the situation, Deanna is sure things can't get any worse...until they do.
What no one knows is JD's secret. He’s a demon and not just any kind of demon. He’s a pleasure demon.
Deanna has to come to terms with loss, second chances and pleasure demons before she can release herself to a future filled with so much more than she could ever imagine.
When Scheherazade Chocolates is bought out by an off-world consortium, Deanna's livelihood and that of her employees’ are jeopardized.
When that same consortium sends JD Ruan to assess the situation, Deanna is sure things can't get any worse...until they do.
What no one knows is JD's secret. He’s a demon and not just any kind of demon. He’s a pleasure demon.
Deanna has to come to terms with loss, second chances and pleasure demons before she can release herself to a future filled with so much more than she could ever imagine.
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