Lust & Chocolate with Author Michele Hauf (Ep. 53)

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, I figured this was a good time to sit down with author Michele Hauf, who has written a romance novel themed around craft and bean to bar chocolate called Lust and Chocolate. During our conversation we talk about her process for writing the book, her own journey into craft chocolate, and whether or not chocolate is really an aphrodisiac.Lust and Chocolate follows Melanie Peters, a plucky food reporter tasked with tracking down and reviewing the world’s most coveted chocolate. Melanie, a chocoholic obsessed with the world of bean to bar chocolate, has set out to try the coveted Sommer Chocolates bon bons. The only problem? There’s a one-year waiting list to buy even a small box of the bon bons, and no one is willing to share. To try the seductive chocolates, she might have to outwit their equally seductive creator, Maksim von Sommer.Chocolate makers mentioned in this episode include French Broad, Map, Amadei, Fjak, Momotombo, and Terroir.You can purchase Lust & Chocolate at Amazon or Barnes & Noble. You can read more about chocolate’s purported role as an aphrodisiac here.You can sign up for David’s twice-a-month email newsletter here. The music for this episode is from the song “Valentine” by my dear friend, indie folk musician Anna ps. You can find out more about Anna’s music in the show notes or at her website annapsmusic.com, where you can also get in touch to book her to play at your brewery or other establishment.Award-winning author Michele Hauf/Michele Renae has published almost 100 novels in historical, paranormal, and contemporary romance, fantasy, and erotica as well as writing action/adventure as Alex Archer. The launch author for numerous series at Harlequin, she likes writing in a variety of genres and instead of ‘writing what she knows’ prefers to write ‘what she would love to know and do’ (and yes, that includes being a jewel thief and/or a brain surgeon).Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together.Follow Bean to Barstool on social media!InstagramFacebookPinterestSign up for host David Nilsen's beer newsletter for regular beer musings, and the Bean to Barstool newsletter for pairings, collaborations, and maker profiles.