Chocolate, anyone?

The young heroine in these books loves chocolate. See all of Vijaya's books http://www.vijayaschartz.com
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I recently autographed my books at the Glendale Chocolate Affaire just before Valentine's day. It made me think about chocolate and its influence on our society. But more interestingly, is it a health food? or is it responsible for weight gain?

Vijaya Schartz holding her latest BWL release, ANGEL OF LUSIGNAN

Writers are addicted to it... so are most readers. We are all guilty of this indulgence. Chocolate is addictive... but did you know it's also a health food?

The pre-Columbian rulers of Central and South America drank it and called it the food of the gods. It was said to keep them young, healthy, and beautiful. 

When the conquistadores brought it back to Europe it quickly became a sensation.

It was a favorite drink at the court of the French king Louis XIV and a beverage reserved for the ruling class. It's only in the 20th century that it spread to the working classes and became a favorite winter drink for all.

There are many ways to drink or eat chocolate. Not all are healthy. My Tai-Chi teacher drinks it with a little Cayenne pepper. Excellent for the heart.

Is chocolate really a health food? Did you know that eating a small piece of 100% dark chocolate every single day will keep your hair from falling? But there is a catch. To be effective as a health food, chocolate should not be mixed with a lot of sugar or other carbohydrates. Sorry. No chocolate cake or candy will do the trick. Only pure dark chocolate will do. I love it. It's a little bitter... an acquired taste. But hey, it works for me.

Chocolate is also touted to be a mood enhancer and I tend to agree.

Wishing you all a wonderful end of winter, with lots of hot chocolate.

Vijaya Schartz
  Action, Romance, Mayhem
  http://www.vijayaschartz.com
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My weekend at the Glendale Chocolate Affaire - by Vijaya Schartz

Each year, on the first weekend of February, for the past twenty years or so, the City of Glendale sponsors the world renowned Chocolate Affaire, a festival of chocolate and romance, with music, art, food vendors, carriage rides through the Historic District, and many other attractions. And, of course, lots and lots of chocolate. Even chocolate pizza.

The local romance authors are invited each year to display and autograph their books, since romance and chocolate go hand in hand. I've been signing my novels at this event since my first book came out in 2000.

The Cerreta Chocolate and Candy Factory in Glendale is one of the sponsors, and they are always friendly to us authors. Each year I go home with a basket of candy, fudge, and chocolate. Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Cerreta.

This year, we even had the famous Romance Cover Model Jimmy Thomas, who showed off his gorgeous physique and graciously let visitors take pictures of him and with him for free. He will also participate in the ARIZONA DREAMIN' Romance Readers Convention in Phoenix the first weekend of June. Don't miss this if you love to read romance.

With my paperbacks now mostly out of print, I still get to participate and sign rare copies of my books. I thoroughly enjoy talking to loyal readers, who, year after year, come to chat and ask me about my next releases.

For those who still do not read electronic books, I was happy to announce the release this spring of WHITE TIGER, the first book in the CHRONICLES OF KASSOUK series, for the first time in paperback from Desert Breeze Publishing. I'm very excited about this upcoming release. It's been a while since one of my titles came out in print.

But nowadays, we chat a lot with the readers about eBooks. It's amazing how this year most readers I asked did own a kindle, a nook, or an ipad. And those who didn't have one still read eBooks on their phone or on their computer. And the rest mostly said they hadn't made the switch to eBooks yet, but were thinking about it.

This is great news for us authors who already committed to the future of books. EBooks are here to stay, and the proof is in the pudding.

Wishing you all good health, happiness and success.

Vijaya Schartz
Blasters, Guns, Swords, Cats, Romance with a Kick
http://www.vijayaschartz.com/

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