Shifty Business, by Olivia Hardin - Guest Post

 

Today I have a real treat for my readers! I am excited to bring you a guest post from Olivia Hardin, the author of the Bend-Bite-Shift Trilogy. You can connect with the author on her Blog | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook 

 The book tour and giveaway for Shifty Business is still going on, so be sure to get your entries in and return daily for those optional daily entries.

Without further ado, I will let Olivia Hardin take the post.

I kind of love getting to be on this blog because I kind of love food. Actually, I really, really love food. My Bend-Bite-Shift Trilogy has been fun because Langston is quite the cook and so I’ve been able to share some of his recipes. Today I thought I’d let Langston take a little break (perhaps spend some quality time with his sweetie, Kristana) and so I’m going to talk about some hometown flavor.

I’m from Southeast Texas, which means there’s a lot of Cajun influence there. In fact, I should probably admit up from that I have some Cajun blood myself. Last March I got to introduce some of my writer friends to a Cajun delicacy… well, perhaps not a delicacy, but still one of my favorites. Boudin Balls.

Okay, I will stop there for those of you who aren't sure what Boudin is… basically, it’s sort of like dirty rice/rice dressing stuffed in a sausage casing. For Boudin Balls, the dirty rice dressing is rolled into a ball and fried. There are different variants, but mmm mmmm, I love me some boudin. Ayee!

So since we've established how much I like food and that I’m from Southeast Texas, there’s a name that pretty much everyone in that area would recognize. Texjoy! 

I had the awesome pleasure of working for the Texas Coffee Company in Beaumont, Texas when I was younger. If you’re not familiar with them, they are the makers of Seaport Coffee – a local favorite in my hometown – and also a huge assortment of spices under the TexJoy name. 

When I worked there it was like a potpourri of scents; the coffee roasting, the mixtures of spices. Ahhhh… And if you've read Shifty Business you will remember the scene about Buck getting locked in the pepper grinder room. Well, nothing like that ever happened (to my knowledge) at the Texas Coffee Company, but I can say remembering my days at there helped me think up that scenario. 

If you haven’t heard of them, take a look at the Texas Coffee Company website. Not only do they have a very interesting history (oh, yeah in addition to loving food, I love history too) but those of you who like to cook can check out some of their products too. 

~Olivia