Wicked Appetite
Two dark romance authors walk into a kitchen. What follows is part book club, part cooking show, part therapy session — and entirely unhinged. Heidi Stark and Finley Brown met on MasterChef, survived it, and have been unable to shut up about books and food ever since. Every episode they're diving into the dark romance world, the chaos of competitive cooking, and the very fine line between a morally grey hero and a man who can't dice an onion. Pull up a chair. Dinner is served.
Wicked Appetite
Episode 1: MasterChef Season 16 E1: Europe
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Before the podcast, before the chaos, there was a moment that changed everything. In this first episode, Heidi Stark and Finley Brown introduce themselves, their books, and the completely unhinged friendship that brought you Wicked Appetite. But first—we need to talk about what Finley did on national television.
Season 16 of MasterChef opens with eight contestants battling for a spot on Team Europe. The pressure is high, the stakes are real, and Finley Brown—dark romance and splatterpunk horror author, walking plot twist, and one of your two new favorite people—decides the best way to impress Gordon Ramsay is to write and recite an original romance passage. About Gordon Ramsay. To Gordon Ramsay's face.
This is who we are. Welcome to Wicked Appetite.
Welcome to Wicked Appetite. She's Finley Brown. She's Heidi Stark. And we are two dark romance authors who somehow ended up on MasterChif, which means we spend our days writing Morally Gray Men and our evenings crying over risotto. This is our podcast. Welcome. So on this podcast, we're going to talk about two of our favorite things, MasterChif, specifically season 16, which is obviously how we met. And we both happen to be dark romance authors. So we're going to talk about books too. Yes. So for this first episode of our podcast, we are going to cover episode one of season 16 of Master Chiff, our theme as Global Gauntlet. So, Finley, how would you describe this season's theme, Global Gauntlet?
SPEAKER_02It was definitely about reaching into your heritage, into your roots and your family and dishes that you ate as a child, and like you were taught to make, you know, generations and generations. So it's definitely cultural and heritage.
SPEAKER_01The global gauntlet was quite different. We've seen previous seasons where it's been different generations, just people cooking the normal thing. What do you think is different about reaching into your heritage to cook versus doing what might come more naturally to you?
SPEAKER_02I think you're representing your, you know, heritage, and I was representing Scotland. I know you were representing New Zealand. So I think there was a lot of pressure to get it right. But for me, it was just like, I mean, I grew up in California, so it was it's like a mismatch of putting, you know, my California roots to my Scottish roots, but still keeping it very Scottish.
SPEAKER_01I agree with you. It's interesting. Being from New Zealand, we're such a melting pot of different cultures, and I don't come from a lineage of people that cook a very specific cuisine. And so that was challenging for me saying what food is associated from New Zealand. Whereas if you're from somewhere like Italy, it might be more obvious that you can make a pasta or something like that, just to stereotype. But um yeah, it was definitely different from what I would normally cook at home on a daily basis as well.
SPEAKER_02Yes, I felt that a lot.
SPEAKER_01All right, so just to give people an idea, I'm sure that many of you are watching the show so you understand. But for those of you who are not, each of the first four episodes are actually qualifying rounds, and this is kind of inspired by the soccer world cup, and they broke it down into different regions. So the first episode looked at Europe, contestants from Europe. So we had eight of those, including our very own Finley Brown. And so we'll take you through one by one each of the contestants, what they made, what the feedback was, our take. We both got to sit in the audience, and in today's episode, it was very special because Finlay got to cook and represent Scotland. So we're going to interview Finley. Our guest, she's both a host and a on the show.
SPEAKER_02This episode, if that tells you anything.
SPEAKER_01Okay, well, let's kick into it. So we started with Dan. Dan is 31 years old. He is living in Austin, Texas, and he was representing the Soviet Union, and he cooked cheese blinces with blackberry compo. Finley, what did you think of Dan's dish?
SPEAKER_02Um, I actually I thought it looked composed, and I know crepes are not an easy thing to cook, so kudos to him for taking that on. Also, shout out to Austin. I lived there for 27 years, so I was excited to have people from that area on the show. But I mean, honestly, I thought it looked good. I know they said it seemed simple, but I don't think there's anything really simple about what he did.
SPEAKER_01I know whenever I try and make crates, they end up sticking to the pen. It doesn't matter if I use nonstick, they're never that beautiful round shape. His were these beautiful little packages, and the judges even made him flip one on camera. I would have dropped it on the floors.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, mine would have stuck to the ceiling or been on my face.
SPEAKER_01So, Dan, his feedback from the judges, Gordon said that the dish felt incredibly simple. Like you say, I think it's one of those dishes that might look or appear simple, but there's a heck of a lot of technique behind it. He wanted more sweetness in the filling. Tiffany said the cheese texture was too chalky for her liking, and ultimately he was sent home. Do you think that was a fair call, Finley?
SPEAKER_02You know, if when it comes to there, it's just five aprons to give out and everyone was cooking at such a high level. I don't want to see anyone go home, but some people we do have to go home. So yeah, it was probably fair.
SPEAKER_01Awesome. Okay, well, why don't you take us through contestant number two?
SPEAKER_02Okay, contestant number two was our sweet, sweet, beautiful Julia, um, 23 years old from Miami, one of the youngest on the show, and gorgeous and beautiful personality inside and out. And she took on probably the scariest challenge of cannolis, with Joe as a judge. I'm like, kudos to her. Also, her grandmother was the contestant on, I believe, season five. Did I get that right? Uh, I think season uh season six. Season six, Mimi, and I know she was known for her apple pie. And so Mimi was there chewing her on, and that was so much fun.
SPEAKER_01Oh my gosh, and Mimi's outfit was the star of the show, in my opinion. She wore this, it was like velvet, green velvet uh suit, and suit, and then she had this beautiful big bow in her hair.
SPEAKER_02I iconic, iconic. She is, yeah, she just has beautiful style. Okay, so let's see. She did three cannolis, tiramisu, pistachio, and a classic one, which went over the judges. And Gordon questioned the plating, it was a little messy, but he the main part was the food, so she got an A plus on that. And Tiffany said one cannoli broke, but in the best way. And then Joe gave the final yes. So she got her white apron and she got to move on and join her grandmother in Master Chef Legendary.
SPEAKER_01That's pretty cool. I'm sure that not many people in the same family can have that claim to fame. Absolutely not. Yeah. Not to foreshadow, but we might it might not be the only person this season. But I did think I was sitting, I couldn't see Julia's dish close up, but I was worried about it while she was cooking it because while she was plating it, I thought she might not have got it on the plate or something because it looked messy. And so when I got to see it on camera, it was it was very almost artistic.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, Jackson Pollock, like one of those like paintings.
SPEAKER_01Exactly. Or like if you've been to the restaurant or seen the meals from the restaurant Alinea, where they used to just like splatter sauces along the table and kind of plate things right there. And I mean, it sounds like her technique was really good and they tasted good, which is the main thing. I did see that Julia is receiving mixed reviews online, and some people are throwing her shade and saying, hey, she only got through because of her grandma, but other people are wondering if she's single and they're asking for her Instagram details.
SPEAKER_02I know I've heard it described as like Love Island, like there are people fangirling over her for sure. I mean, she's gorgeous, and she's lovely as well. But I think she earned her apron. What do you feel?
SPEAKER_01I think so. I think Cannoli was very ambitious, especially with Joe Bastianich as a judge.
SPEAKER_02Yes, absolutely.
SPEAKER_01Speaking of Italy, let's talk about contestant three. Nico, 21 from Milburn, New Jersey, also representing Italy. So Nico showed up. Um, he had a group of cheerleaders, he called them his fans, and each of them wore a letter of his name. Thank goodness his name wasn't Elizabeth, it was a Mariah or something really long. We would have had the whole team there. Exactly. It reminds me once I went to a rug v sevens tournament, and people would dress up in costume for it, and it was kind of a wide variety of costumes. 101 Dalmatians came. Oh no. I don't know how you'd even assemble that many people.
SPEAKER_02So four seems more men. They they definitely threw off frat brother vibes. Like I wouldn't have been if that would have been allowed on TV, I think they would have had no shirts on and like just spray painted his the letter of his spray painted his name, maybe being holding some red solo cups, like it was that vibe for sure. Yeah, for sure.
SPEAKER_01So Nico shared with us that his dream is to one day buy back his late grandfather's house in northern Italy and turn it into a restaurant, which sounds very romantic. He made a red wine risotto with caramelized pears, sage, and gorgonzola. And that's pretty scary to cook risotto in front of Joe Bastianich.
SPEAKER_02Once again, these young kids they have like super big cojones there, like for sure.
SPEAKER_01And so I know when Joe came over while he was cooking, he was worried because it did look very soupy, and he was worried about the liquidity of the dish, I believe is the term that he used. And he was surprised when Nico got to the judging table and the texture looked a lot better. Like I'm not a risotto expert, so it looked quite loose to me, but apparently that's what it's meant to be like. But Joe did call the sage on the plate bad news, and he came and picked it out of the dish and handed it back to Nico. And then Tiffany, Tiffany loved the pairing Gorgonzola pairing, she was much easier to judge in terms of that, as you would expect compared to Joe in an Italian dish, risotto in particular. And Gordon Ramsay agreed to say it should have been left off, but he didn't pick it out of the dish himself. He showed a little restraint. One thing that Gordon said about Nico that kind of surprised me was that he was wary of Nico's age. He still did give him a yes, and and Nico ended up walking away with an apron. But I think we've seen plenty of young contestants, and he's not the only one on this season. So I think I don't know how serious that was, or if it was just more of a negative point to counterbalance all the compliments.
SPEAKER_02Maybe, maybe. I wouldn't be worried about it. Just having spent time with Nico, I he is very mature. He actually goes to a very, very prestigious university. He's a great student. He's he's actually kind of shy, so it was fun to see him. You know, when you get to really know him, it was fun to see him like that. So good for him.
SPEAKER_01Yes, awesome. So we've got a couple of contestants from Italy who've made it through. Yes. Now we're gonna talk about the troublemaker of this episode, Miss Jocelyn, aka Finlay Brown, representing Scotland.
SPEAKER_02Sorry, Scotland.
SPEAKER_01And of course, no pressure because Gordon Ramsay himself is Scottish, is that correct?
SPEAKER_02Uh yes, yes. You know, when I first applied to be on the show, nowhere did it. They leaned into heritage a little in the application, but I literally did not know I was going to be representing Scotland. So a little bit of pressure there.
SPEAKER_01That's amazing. Oh, tell us about what you made.
SPEAKER_02I made a crispy salmon with a cauliflower velloute and a fennel salad. Um, it was it was a simple dish. I mean, it's something I cook salmon all the time, but I somehow managed to mess that up under all the pressure of 45 minutes and judges talking to you constantly.
SPEAKER_01Oh my goodness. Yeah, tell tell me about that a little bit more. So um I noticed that the judges, you know, they do the rounds while you're cooking and they come up and they were chatting with you for quite a while. So what was it like?
SPEAKER_02Oh, I mean, for one thing, you're in awe because you've got like cooking royalty standing in front of you. So they're you know, you you're you're kind of fanning over them, but then you're still trying to cook your dish. Gordon Ramsay, absolutely like a dream, so lovely. We did talk about Scotland quite a bit. He did taste my velloté and say delicious. So I was feeling pretty confident at that point. Joe was, I will not lie, scary. He um he gave me a little bit of a hard time on is my dish Scottish enough? And I just kept saying, Well, salmon is Scottish, because I but was there anything else on the plate Scottish? And he brought up a valid point. Um, no, probably not really, but yeah, I was a little, I was a little afraid of him after that. And Tiffany absolutely gold stars. She is so sweet and so lovely and so funny, and absolutely enjoyed her.
SPEAKER_01She's got an amazing energy, and I think she's stunning on camera. But like in real life, she's just got this exuberant vibe. Like Joe, Joe's funny, he is really good at doing a scary, serious face, but occasionally he smiles, and I've seen it on the season already. He's actually got a really nice smile, but he just doesn't get it through, especially when he's judging.
SPEAKER_02So when I was going in to be judged, I won't lie, I was terrified. I'm like, oh my gosh, he is going to. Well, one, I thought my dish looked absolutely horrible. At those three minutes, it was funny because my husband was there at my side and I told him, Don't talk to me at all. Like, don't just just pretend I'm not here. Because I I just thought I'd get distracted and I didn't, I wasn't gonna do well with like good job, whatever. So I said, Don't talk to me. I said, but maybe you could tell me the time every once in a while. And then he started giving me like minute times, like you have one minute left, you know, you have six minutes left, you have five minutes left, and I'm like, stop. But then it's really you get three minutes to plate, and those passed, it was like 30 seconds. My dish was last minute, like throwing it on there. It looked disastrous. I knew I was going in with a very messy dish. So I went in and set it down, and I was terrified of Joe, and he turns out to like want to be my best friend all of a sudden, and the mood relaxed so much. He asked me on the spot, like to come up with romance about Gordon Ramsay, and I I mean you can see it. I'm like, uh oh, okay, but it delivered.
SPEAKER_01What was it like creating and and and uh saying out loud a romance passage about Gordon Ramsay to Gordon Ramsay?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it was surreal, it really was. I don't even remember, like, so many people have asked, and there's so much about the judging I have put out, I just can't even remember. I got out of there and was just like like what just happened. It's amazing.
SPEAKER_01And I a very surreal moment when Joe was kind of asking you basically to explain what romance was, it was pretty hilarious. So, do you feel like the feedback was fair? I think we were all on ticket.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I think they were they were they're being very generous. I think their word rustic has come to mean messy, but we're just not gonna say that on TV.
SPEAKER_01I thought your dish looked really pretty and delicate personally, but I get I get a little rusty.
SPEAKER_02I got rust. I got the simple and rustic, or they're those, those are kind terms for like, but when they cut in and it was raw, I was just like, what just happened? I mean, I've cooked salmon so many times and it was raw. I knew it was an automatic no. They were very gentle about it.
SPEAKER_01They were so nice. I feel like their their feedback to Dan and Julia, I think it was it came across on screen like very harsh, where I feel like they were they were kind to you. It's like, you know what, this had great potential, the salmon's undercooked, but we think you're all and they still tasted it.
SPEAKER_02That's the thing. They they still tasted it even after it being raw. I mean, there were parts that were cooked. No, they were very kind to me. I think it was the romance. I'm not kidding. It it puts people in a lovely mood. And I mean, how could you how could you yell and tell somebody your dish is horrible after saying you've got piercing blue eyes and formidable shoulders? I think they're still caught up in the mo the romance. Hi.
SPEAKER_01Well, that's good to know. Future contestants keep that in mind, just read love letters out loud to Gordon. There you go. There you go.
SPEAKER_02So I definitely deserved to not get the apron.
SPEAKER_01Would you be on Mastership again given the opportunity?
SPEAKER_02Of course. It was uh it was one of the best experiences, and it really came down to all of the contestants, all the chefs, the home cooks there, amazing people. I would never pass up that opportunity. It was amazing.
SPEAKER_01It really was, and for the listeners out there, I'm on camera the first few episodes. You'll see me lurking in the background. I did get cast and I was made an alternate. So I was there and I got to be part of the cast and and meet everyone as well. Just as Wanley said, it was an incredible experience with some people that were just amazing from all over the country with so many different backgrounds and so much good energy and people's just shared love for food bringing us all together. Yes, yes, it was amazing. Awesome. Well, let's move to the next contestant.
SPEAKER_02Okay, that is Agatha from Westminster, Colorado, and she was representing Spain, and she was born in Valencia, and Agatha said cooking has always been a part of her family's identity. And I don't know if anybody has gone to her socials or looked her up, but she has quite a following, and her reels and videos that she puts out are amazing. After becoming a mother and struggling to find her path, she told the judges that earning a white apron would validate her decision to chase her passion. And she made a rose mel, oh, please don't let me butcher this name, meloso with seafood and snapper. And Gordon loved the fragrance, and Tiffany called it visually beautiful and praised the perfectly cooked rice. And Joe said the dish was subtle and elegant and so refined. And I think all those words describe Agatha perfectly.
SPEAKER_01She wants those things. It was like Agatha on a plate.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and she actually her dish was gorgeous. Like she put out a gorgeous plate.
SPEAKER_01And it was so funny when you know the judges came over and questioned the salinity, and she was basically like, everything's fine, and then as soon as they went away, she's on camera and go like, Oh, I better taste this off. It was awesome. It was sweet, she was lovely. And then Ted, so Ted is 50, he's from Chicago, and he's such a Chicago guy. Love Ted. And he was representing Greece. So Ted said he grew up surrounded by his Greek mother's cooking, and he wants to carry those family traditions into his own home. I believe that he's got restaurants within his family as well. So he prepared a shrimp sudlaki with whipped better and homemade pita, which I was very impressed that he was able to create a pita within 45 minutes as part of his dish.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that is not easy.
SPEAKER_01And Tiffany said the dish looked very inviting. It made her want to soak up every bit of the sauce. Joe said it was speaking his language, which is funny because it was Greek, not Italian. And Gordon praised the beautifully cooked shrimp in the delicious pita. He also smashed plates with a Ted while he was cooking. Yes, yes. So we heard we're sitting there and it was still a little bit of a shock because you can't kind of hear what's happening on the other side of the room except for the odd snippet. And suddenly it goes, oh bah. Yep, oppa. Crash. So I wasn't surprised at all that Ted got an apron. What about you?
SPEAKER_02No, not surprised at all. He definitely deserved it.
SPEAKER_01Yes. Awesome. And would love to taste the Greek food that he makes as well. He's so passionate about it. And he talked on the show about how he really likes that Greek household with all the Greek food. It just sounds so exciting. So I can't wait to see more of him on the show. Yeah, I'm very excited. All right, tell us about Jeff.
SPEAKER_02Okay, Jeff is from Boston and he represented Poland. It was right across his chest on the shirt. He said he was proud to represent Poland in honor of his grandmother, who survived World War II before immigrating to America. He did a pork kotelette with herb spezzle, but the judges had concerns. Gordon warned that pounding the meat too thin risked it drying out, and Joe agreed the pork lacked moisture. So I think he just uh those were the his meat was a little dry, and I think his spezzel was a little dry too.
SPEAKER_01And those are tough things to cook like it's one of those things like some people cook things that I mean I think everything that everyone cooked was ambitious within 45 minutes. But there are things that cook more quickly like that meat and getting the timing just right so that it doesn't dry out is is as challenging as something that might not even cook in time at all.
SPEAKER_02Exactly exactly and uh I mean he took he had he took on a lot so he should be proud of himself and he is so funny in person.
SPEAKER_01He's quite a character he's quite a character and lovely family. Yeah you can lovely family and you can see that on the show as well like he his personality was really coming through while he was cooking and the crowd was getting really fired up as well supporting him. Yeah he he was good so the final contestant of this episode was Varsha from Asbury Park New Jersey and she was also representing Poland. Barsha came into the kitchen she was another person in today's episode that had a very special family connection because her husband Michael actually finished fifth on season 11. Yes so that was pretty cool I'm sure she had some insight as to his experience and still wanted to be on the show so that's saying something. Yes yes and Basha made truple galumpkies with dill oil and that really her dish so it was meat stuffed inside of rolled cabbage and I know that she played with it so the dill oil was a new take on the dish that was traditional family recipe. And then she also added truple so I know that that was quite divisive with the judges. Tiffany praised the dishes complexity and thought that the flavours are really rich. Joe was quite harsh with Basha and he said that putting all the things together really was putting lipstick on a pig which is pretty harsh for you back. And then Gordon pointed out some basic mistakes but ultimately Basha did get an apron.
SPEAKER_02What did you think of Basha's dish? I well you know what here it comes down to how complex it was and how technique driven it was I think so I think it's one of those dishes that they did pick apart but structurally it was a solid dish and so I think that is why she went on I mean they're a power couple Vasha and and like they're wonderful.
SPEAKER_01Oh they're amazing they are and and it's funny I I was chatting with Vasha we're talking like Polish cuisine like there's certain cuisines that they come so my grandparents for example are uh Hungarian and it's a little bit like Polish food like people tend to have been very resourceful with the ingredients that they had availability of yes and so like it's kind of humble food and so to elevate a dish from certain places is more difficult than then when you come from like France or something where it's kind of synonymous with Michelin Stark cuisine and there's a lot of um you know different ingredients. So I think she did a great job of taking something that was a more humble food and making it into something really exceptional.
SPEAKER_02Exactly and I I found this exact same thing with Scotland. Like it's it is you're taking something that was made you know with what you had back what your grandparents had back then and then you're you are trying to elevate it to a different level so that takes a lot of skill for sure of how can I do that and um Bosh is a little powerhouse I'm telling you she she is so fun and so sweet and so nice.
SPEAKER_01She is oh my god I had the funniest experience with her so like she was coming out of the restroom and I was going into the restroom and for some reason like I can't remember which of us opened the door but it flew open we saw each other and she literally went and I went and then we both couldn't stop laughing so yeah yeah so I think that she definitely deserved her apron yes 100% I'm so excited to I enjoy her as a person I am excited to see her go far in this competition. Yes awesome well was there anything about this episode in particular that surprised you I mean like you said before when we were talking about Dan like the competition of Europe alone I wanted everyone to get through as well. I think that everyone was a standout there's no question that everybody in that room could cook. There's no question that having to cook certain dishes within 45 minutes is just really hard. Let alone the lights the cameras Gordon freaking Ramsay walking up to you Joe Bassiad scowling at you thank God for Tiffany Derry coming with her beautiful smiling face and the crowd carrying you on in the background but like all of that said like I think you know obviously everyone couldn't get through I think the judges probably picked the right people but I wouldn't be surprised if we see some of the faces again of the people that didn't get through this time round.
SPEAKER_02I yeah exactly exactly everyone can cook there's no doubt about that it's just this level of competition is really high.
SPEAKER_01Awesome and the thing is we'll put in the show notes but everybody from this episode is as far as I'm aware still doing food stuff and some of them have come up with some really innovative things that they were either doing before or have started since the show. We pop up share where you can follow along whether that's seeing them cooking live streaming all the things all right now Reddit has been a fire with uh comments as people have watched along with the show so Finley I would read her comments I would love your take on some of these so except 9370 says again still can't stand Joe but not so bad not bad so far and every percentage 6982 replies his white sockslash white shoe combo gives Peely Herman vibes I had to pause it. What do you think about that? Oh ooh yes I think it's hysterical he has like he has this plaid suit thing that he does and like he wasn't wearing it this time but it had the same vibe.
SPEAKER_02He's got a very distinctive look yes it is it is a distinctive look he um he comes across very scary but I think that there is some someone really nice he's he actually is very kind.
SPEAKER_01I think so too I think it came out in the Mask Singer when he danced in sang it's spaghetti and meatballs I think that is that was a real joke. Alright Tiffany riffing on Joe is honestly so satisfying he takes himself way too seriously on the show and it's so entertaining to watch her take him down a pig LOL.
SPEAKER_02Tiffany is my hero I love her if she was in a romance fit she would be that badass girl that we love. So I've been a hundred percent Tiffany fan.
SPEAKER_01She's so good and like I loved Aaron when he was a judge on the show and I think that he brought a very specific vibe as well and I know that he always made me remember to add citrus to everything but like Tiffany just like I love that she will take Joe down in a heartbeat. Again I agree with you I think that he's a secret softie and he's actually a really nice person underneath his scariness but I love that she's not afraid to give him a hard time.
SPEAKER_02Yeah and also while you're there like I said he was he kept asking me is it Scottish enough is it Scottish enough but he makes you think and then I did you know when I was tasting I was just like you know you kind of like reevaluate so he does everything he brings up is true and it's just you're listening to and cooking at the same time so it can seem a little harsh exactly but his critiques are usually spot on I think so he gets such a hard time it's just fun to read it to listen to what about this one I'm interested in your take Hammer H D L O says my only takeaway from this night is Joe not understanding how to ask the author if she writes smut Finley Brown and asking her on the spot to write about Gordon Ramsay I could not stop laughing. Oh it was like I said you see me freeze for a second and I'm like and then just put it out there but I that was so funny it was so funny.
SPEAKER_01I mean really I knew I had to keep it P PG because I'm on national TV 100% no I I think if as asked me um I'm into the um writing the masked men shade scenes at the moment and so like no I would have had Gordon Ramsey and Joe wearing masks chasing each other around the woods at night and I don't think they look like that. Yes yes I love that idea no I kept it very um door closed romance romance listeners out there they know exactly what that means um awesome well speaking of which you were quite the hit on Reddit Finley Brown um tiny sprinkles3095 says what is the romance author's full name would love to see if I know her books lol bubbly lunch 4696 replies I found her on social media Instagram account authorfinly brown is that the correct info for you it is the correct info for me and Jocelyn Stebbins I had to I had to link myself I know oh my gosh Finley has got an amazing video on her Instagram that you can watch where she is bringing Finlay Brown to meet Jocelyn Stebbins and it is very entertaining.
SPEAKER_02I mean like that's one thing there's so many authors who write romance who write under pen names because you know you don't sometimes want your worlds to cross because I mean we are writing you know sexy stuff and um I had to out myself like I knew going in after they said like when when Joe said can you come up with something romance they're asking talking about being a romance author I'm like oh my gosh I'm gonna have to out myself so what better way than for Finley and Jocelyn to sit down and have a glass of wine together I hope it was so cute.
SPEAKER_01Yes if you go to to Finley's Instagram or mine you can see we had some fun leading up to the show as well we'll continue to do that as it progresses. So speaking of books our plan for this series is that we will start digging into more book topics each week for this time seeing it's the first episode we'll just kick things off. Finley what are you working on now bookwise?
SPEAKER_02Have you got something coming out soon? Yep I do I do a little bit inspired by being on a cooking competition is called the perfect pairing it comes out on June 16th and I'll just say the tagline 10 chefs are invited only one survives so and it is dark kind of stalker romance.the menu I like it yeah yeah so and and don't worry nobody I didn't create any characters off of any people in the show so maybe in real life like there are people that you know end up infiltrating some side characters usually in my books and the main character well actually maybe not everyone will have to read it to see if I put them in there I mean there are some great personalities in the cast I could see that for sure I mean the judges along and as for me I do have a book coming out very soon.
SPEAKER_01Yes Heidi Heidi tell us all about what you're doing so in the spirit of dark stalker romances I have got a protective yet possessive obsessive jealous manipulative stalker romance coming out very soon called Scars So Lovely it will be on Kindle Unlimited it releases on May the 13th it'll be available on Amazon I'm very excited about this one the beta readers are currently reading it and it's making them cry swear at me all the things like the main characters are Ivy and Sorin and they're falling in love with them does crazy things as stalkers do in Dark Romances.
SPEAKER_02Yes yes I love it I love it awesome so to wrap this episode up we're gonna wrap our episode with a rose and a wooden spoonly who are you giving your rose to this episode I am going to give my rose to Basha because she is a tough cookie and she's gorgeous and she is so fun to be around and I'm so proud of her for getting her white apron so go Basha awesome Basha I love her so yeah I totally agree that standing there with your husband who's been on the show watching you cook cannot be easy.
SPEAKER_01My rose this week goes to Julia um I do love the romance and the Sicilian connection was strong when she turned around and said she was here for justice for Mimi. Yes yes I love it amazing okay and what about the wooden spoon for you this week Finley? Oh I am going to give my well actually I think I give myself the wooden spoon for give for feeding the judges raw salmon I think that's appropriate um and who doesn't like a wooden spoon every once in a while I'm gonna blush if he listens to this um all right my wooden spoon is going to Joe speaking of whom um for literally picking the sage out of Nico's dish and handing it back to him because that was that was a choice there was quite a lot of sage on the dish but handing an ingredient back to the contestant and having him basically put it in his pocket yeah well deserved that's all right he needs ordinary okay well thank you everyone for listening hope you had fun with us we definitely had fun recording this um next time we'll be back covering episode two Asia Pacific qualifying round um as Finley mentioned at the start I do represent New Zealand and so you might see me in the background I did get to cook although I wasn't judged um such a great group of contestants again in this round and I can't wait to talk about it and we will have a book topic that we'll dig into a little bit as well. Until then see you soon have a great week yep bye