Bethany House Publishers had a fun blog post pairing their new fall books with a beverage. It got me to thinking what drinks I’d pair with my own books.
I would pair Rightfully Ours, which includes a few sweltering summer scenes, with a glass of ice-cold, fresh-squeezed lemonade. Paul and Rachel could use something to cool them down, in more ways than one!
Here’s a little excerpt. For context, Rachel’s little brother James has just shot her with his squirt gun.
A stream of ice-cold water smacked her upper arm.
She squealed and jumped from her seat, turning in time to see James push off the ground with his forearms and sprint around the side of the house. She let out a growl. “I’m going to kill him.”
Paul sat up, scanning the yard in either direction. “Man, I’ll pay him to hit me. I’m dying out here.” He unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled up his sleeves.
Rachel giggled. “You look ridiculous, you know.” Sleeves and pant legs rolled up. Shirt undone. Bare feet. He needed to put on some shorts. He could leave his shirt off, and she wouldn’t mind one bit. Not one bit. “Why don’t you go get changed?”
…
The screen door creaked behind them, and Rachel jumped. The door closed with a loud crack, and Dad stepped onto the porch.
He held a tall, frosty glass in each hand. “Lemonade?” He offered one to each of them.
Pair a book with a drink – what could be better? Carolyn Astfalk matches a beverage to each of her novels. Click To Tweet
The obvious beverage to pair with Stay With Me is a craft beer, being that Chris goes to work in a brewery. That doesn’t go over well with Rebecca’s Fundamentalist father, but his dad doesn’t mind sampling the brews he brings home.
In this scene, Chris has a lot on his mind and shows up at his parents’ house hoping his dad will lend an ear.
The morning newspaper was spread over the kitchen island. His dad climbed onto the stool in front to it. His seat faced the recently updated cooking area and new cherry wood cabinetry. To the right, a pair of French doors opened onto the deck that descended to his parents’ in-ground swimming pool and three acres of land. Chris raised the two bottles of beer he had brought and set them in the center of the counter.
“Brought you a beer.”
Lifting the bottle to eye level, his dad glanced at it and wrinkled his nose. He read the label aloud. “Bare Ass Ale. There weren’t any bare asses involved in the brewing, were there?”
“Not a one. It’s good, despite the name.” Chris pulled a bottle opener from the drawer in front of him, popped off the caps and passed a bottle to his dad.
Ornamental Graces has its share of cold, snowy scenes. One of my favorites is Dan and Emily enjoying hot chocolate while taking a break from ice skating. Nothing warms you up after playing in the snow like nice, hot cocoa–with marshmallows, of course!
Dan hasn’t been on the ice in years, and this date is about to take a nosedive, but for now, it’s warm and sweet.
With a few refresher lessons from Emily, Dan circled the rink with her at a modest speed without his legs flailing in opposite directions.
The wind picked up, stinging his cheeks as they skidded to the edge of the rink. Dan’s skate caught the rim where ice met concrete, and they both stumbled forward, laughing. Their breaths created little white puffs in the frigid air. “How’s hot chocolate sound?”
“Perfect.”
He bought each of them a steaming cup of cocoa, and they sat on a bench alongside the rink.
Dan sipped his drink, gazing at the glass buildings that towered over them. Once the sun set, the windows glimmered, reflecting the colored lights aimed at them. He’d lived in this city his whole life and had never been to the downtown skating rink before.
In All in Good Time, Melanie sometimes enjoys a glass of wine with Brian after a long day of wrangling her kids. Can anyone relate?
Brian, Melanie, and Melanie’s three young children have just returned to her house from a picnic in the park. The kids are playing in the backyard while the adults relax and watch.
From the darkened kitchen, Melanie observed the kids climbing up and over a small plastic slide while she retrieved a couple of wine goblets from the back of the cupboard. She poured two glasses, smiling as she recalled Kevin’s dip in the creek. Then her smile faded. Was Brian amused by the kids’ shenanigans or was he sitting outside trying to formulate a polite way to end their nascent relationship?
Another glance out the window revealed the kids engaged in a game of monkey-in-the-midle sure to leave poor Penny frustrated and angry. Melanie stepped through the back door, a blast of heat warming the cool sweat on the back of her neck. She crossed the concrete slab they called “the patio” and handed a glass of red wine to Brian.
“Thank you.” He accepted the glass, smiling, his gaze following her as she collapsed into the wrought iron chair. Feet crossed at the ankles, he sat comfortably in the matching chair.
Melanie brought her glass to her lips.
“Ma-ma!” Penny shrieked and ran to her. She must’ve hit her limit with her brothers’ taunts and came crying. Hiccupping between sobs, she pressed her sweaty head into Melanie’s lap.
In Come Back to Me, Alan tries to calm his sister-in-law, Rebecca, who’s in first stage labor, with some herbal tea. It serves the dual purpose of trying to sober him up so he can clear his head enough to get her to the hospital on time.
Alan’s just arrived “home,” more than a little tipsy, to find Rebecca in a panic, having contractions, and unable to get her husband on the phone.
“Can I, uh, make you some tea or something? And I’ll give Chris a call myself. At least let him know we’ve got things under control here.” A laugh bubbled in his throat, but he stifled it. He’d never felt less in control of anything in his life.
Without listening for her answer, he hustled to the kitchen. Fumbling with the handle, he grabbed the stainless steel tea kettle from the stove, filled it with water, and returned it to the burner. Where did she keep the tea bags? She’d been going on about raspberry tea this morning, and he hadn’t paid her any attention. Maybe she stored it in one of those canisters along the countertop. He spun in that direction, teetering slightly.
Rebecca stood so close he almost smacked into her.
“Whoa. I didn’t hear you. Water’s on. You okay?”
…
The tea kettle whistled behind him. First a squeak, then a full-out, blaring whistle.
Maybe a cup of tea would help. He grabbed a couple of mugs from the cupboard and dropped one of Rebecca’s raspberry tea bags into each. After pouring the water and sloshing some over the rims, he pushed them back on the counter to steep for a few minutes.
If you’ve read my books, what other drinks might you pair with them? How about a beverage paired with a classic?
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Oh how incredibly fun!
Fall is such a great time to curl up with a beverage and a book!
It is! A cool night with a good book and a cup of hot tea sounds wonderful to me.