Today I am so pleased to welcome Ana Newfolk to Joyfully Jay. Ana has come to talk to share an exclusive excerpt from her latest release, Made in Portugal (which we reviewed here). She has also brought along a great giveaway. Please join me in giving her a big welcome!

Excerpt

What happens in the kitchen stays in the kitchen

I love baking. It’s something I got from my mom, who still owns a café at home in Portugal.

Baking is such a big part of my life. I take any opportunity I can to try new recipes, experiment and I particularly enjoy trying my hand at Portuguese recipes.

Those who follow me social media can see my efforts documented for all to see. Recently I even attempted the famous custard tarts, which I took with me to a retreat with fellow British authors. Let’s say I think I’ll be invited back!

In Made In Portugal David and Joel end up having some sexy fun in, and out of the kitchen. Here’s an excerpt from David’s POV of one of such occasions.

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“Joel, are you ready to start?” I said, looking from the camera towards Joel.

“Absolutely!” He said with exaggerated excitement, and I struggled to not roll my eyes.

“Ok so we start by cracking the eggs into the bowl, then we add the sugar and mix it well until dissolved,” I instructed.

While Joel was working on that, I started melting the chocolate with the butter in short bursts in the microwave.

“David, tell me again the name of this recipe?” Joel asked with a playful smile that reached his eyes making them shine brightly.

“This is a Chocolate Salami,” I replied and looked at Joel to see him raising his eyebrows suggestively.

“And this is a strictly non-meaty salami?”

I looked down and shook my head in disbelief, a slight smile teasing my lips.

“We have covered the ingredient list already, it is a non-meaty Chocolate Salami. I’ve also added the ingredients list in the description box below,” I said. “Right, so now you add the cocoa powder and mix well. At this stage, it might look as though this runny mixture will never be hard enough to form a salami–“ Joel’s snort interrupted me as he was struggling to keep a serious face.

“Sorry,” he said still stirring but shaking his head.

I carried on, trying hard to not kick him under the table, “Now that I have combined the melted chocolate and butter, I will add it slowly to Joel’s mix. Please note that if the chocolate is too hot and the eggs aren’t well combined with the sugar, you will end up with scrambled eggs.” I added.

“Ew, I wouldn’t want scrambled eggs in my salami. Remember guys, keep stirring,” Joel said.

Once we had the mix well combined, it was time to add the cookies. I showed towards the camera how to do it best. Holding three or four cookies in the palm of one hand and then pressing the thumb of the other hand to the middle of the cookies to break them in a few chunks.

“You can use any brand of Maria cookies since they all taste the same. We’re getting there, now we start adding the cookie bits but don’t do it all at once as you might find you don’t need them all.”

The cookies were going in, and so far most of them stayed in the bowl. “It’s getting harder to mix them now,” Joel said turning the bowl to me as I leaned in closer.

The smell of Joel’s shower gel and the chocolate were doing funny things to me. Fortunately, it seemed as though Joel was finally concentrating on the job at hand.

“We’re nearly there, now comes the messier part,” I said winking at the camera. “We have two pieces of waxed paper, one on top of the other and now we’re going to transfer the mix to the paper so we can start shaping the salami.”

“Sounds complicated, maybe you should do this bit,” Joel said frowning.

“Nope, we want to show the viewers at home that anyone can follow this recipe.”

I explained how Joel should use the paper to mold the mix and then roll it into a salami shape. Then we folded the ends as though it was a large candy wrapper ready to go in the fridge.

“Now the salami goes in the fridge to set. Once it has set, you can unwrap it, slice it and serve it. It should be in the fridge at least two hours, or ideally overnight, but you can feel how hard it is by touching it.” Cue a cough from my fourteen-year-old companion.

“We’re going to tidy up while the salami sets and then we’ll be back to show you the result. See you in a bit.” I waited a few seconds and then went around the table to turn the camera off.

I stood behind the camera, looked at the small screen and my breath caught in my throat. I looked up to see Joel running a finger inside the bowl that had the Chocolate Salami mix. He put the finger in his mouth to taste the chocolate and moaned. It was the sexiest sound I’ve heard in my life, and it went straight to my dick, so I didn’t have enough brain power to conjure moving or taking my eyes off him.

Blurb

At 10 years old Joel was uprooted from his home and everything he knew in Portugal to start a new life in the States. At 26 he finds himself returning for the first time in thirteen years. So what if looking into the eyes of his childhood best friend again still makes his heart race out of his chest?

Living in sunny, laid-back Portugal isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. For David, dreams of being a pastry chef come second to working in his family’s café where his renowned custard tarts draw in the crowds. Seeing Joel brings old feelings back. Feelings he’s not sure he’s brave enough to acknowledge to anyone other than himself.

With the inspiration of an old travel journal, the two friends embark on a real journey through memories in a country where looking back into the past runs as deep as the blood that courses through their veins.

Falling in love was never meant to be a stop along the way, but maybe inevitable when you have the adventurous spirit and courage to pursue what you want, make love under the stars, and even figure out how to jumpstart an old Citroen 2CV in the middle of the Alentejo countryside.

Bio

Ana Newfolk was born in Portugal where she grew up surrounded by sunshine and countryside. She has always had a deep love of reading, and ever since she can remember her favorite presents and treats have always been books. She would often be found in her not-so-secret spot reading her favorite adventure books (when she was younger) and romance novels (when she discovered boys). At 20 years old she moved to the UK where she has lived since.

In 2015 Ana stumbled across her first MM romance novel by chance, and she was hooked. She loves reading about men falling in love, hard, fast and ever so sweetly. This new found love for LGBTQ+ romance has opened a new world for Ana, and in 2017 she decided to finally listen to the voices in her head and write them down.

In addition to the time she spends reading and writing Ana has a full-time job that involves meeting lots of people with interesting stories to tell. She also loves baking as much as she loves watching people eat what she creates, much to the delight of family, friends and work colleagues alike.

You can follow Ana on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or through her blog for up to date news of her book releases.

Giveaway

Ana has brought a tour-wide giveaway. Just follow the Rafflecopter below to enter. 

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