By Colleen Walsh Fong

Today I have the pleasure of presenting my interview with Carol Frey, author of “Have You Considered Cooking?” and “The Grits Shall Rise Again” published by Hearts and Tummies Cookbook. Carol writes in the Southern tradition, but explains that is only due to the fact that she grew up in the South.

Her books are intended to help people get back into the kitchen and enjoy cooking. She uses humor to help make cooking fun.

Colleen: Carol, thank you for joining me and my readers today.

Carol: Itʼs good to talk to you.

Colleen: You have written two humorous cookbooks. Would you tell us a little bit about what they contain?

Carol: The first book “Have You Considered Cooking?” is a good general cookbook. It covers recipes of all kinds with the addition of lots of helpful hints and advice.

The second, “The Grits Shall Rise Again!” is a cookbook containing all of my favorite Southern recipes.

Colleen: What inspired you to write the books?

Carol: Iʼve always loved cooking and I love to write so after my youngest child went away to college, in order to maintain what was left of my sanity, I decided to combine those two loves and write a cookbook.

Colleen: You have said that people are afraid of cooking and you want them to know that it isnʼt rocket science. What caused you to come to that conclusion?

Carol: Following a recipe is a very simple thing to do. I feel like some people think that being a good cook is a mysterious experience belonging to only a few. Cooking is a skill which you improve at as you practice. Iʼd like to remove the mystery from the kitchen and help people discover that cooking can be a fun and rewarding experience.

Colleen: What do you want readers to take from your books?

Carol: I hope that they will find many recipes that enjoy serving to family and friends and that they can laugh and have fun while theyʼre at it.

Colleen: What have readers said they like best about your books?

Carol: Many readers have come back to me and mentioned specific recipes that they love and will be preparing again and almost everyone says that they love the humor in the books.

Colleen: What are some of the ways your book can be used?

Carol: It can be used to learn new recipes and helpful cooking techniques or as a weapon if the need arises. Hopefully it wonʼt.

Colleen: (Smile.) I love your Patch articles. How do you find the time to write your cookbooks with all of your other writing activities?

Carol: The cookbooks were already written and published before I began my job as a columnist with Patch.com.

Colleen: I understand you have another book project in mind. Can you tell us a little bit about it?

Carol: Itʼs a childrenʼs birthday party book. It contains 21 completely planned parties for children ages one-teens. It even includes a shopping list for each party.

Colleen: What a great idea! I canʼt wait to read it and Iʼm sure our readers will have the same reaction. In the meantime, please tell readers where they can find “Have You Considered Cooking?” and “The Grits Shall Rise Again!”

Carol: They can be found in a few local bookstores but the easiest way to get them is by ordering them through my website.

Colleen: Carol, thank you so much for spending time with us today. I look forward to seeing your next book in print soon!

Carol: Thanks for spending this time with me. I hope my books will come in handy for lots of people who love to cook, love to laugh or would like to give that gift to others.