A Latina Fleabag committed to her carefree single life meets the sexy new mechanic determined to break through her defenses, in this humorous and heartfelt foodie women’s fiction set at a cookie company.

All cookies are made with love—even if twenty-seven-year-old Karina Cortés doesn’t believe in the concept. For her, a simple life with no attachments is a good life. And her life is indeed good—even with her biggest accomplishment being passing the GED exam. Karina is able to secure an incredible and well-paying job at Singular Cookies, Inc., a small family-owned cookie manufacturing plant in Fort Pierce, Florida. And although the founders of the company treat her like family, Karina insists she doesn’t need or want one. Not after her mother chose a man over her own daughter, pushing the young Karina to move out and make it on her own.

And she couldn’t be happier with her single life, unlike her friends, whose lives revolve around men.

Work and play collide when she meets the company’s hot new mechanic, Ian Feliciano, who stirs up feelings she tends to avoid. Karina knows she shouldn’t date him, but she’s strong; she’ll never turn pathetic like her friends or, especially, her mom. And with a looming plant inspection and trying to break up the CEO’s new romance, Karina has enough to distract herself.

As the inspection draws near and Karina battles her heart, she’ll have to decide whether to continue holding on to deeply ingrained beliefs that keep everyone at bay or learn that love is not as dangerous as she fears and in the end, it is our history—our singular recipe—that shapes how we live.

 A warm welcome to Delise Torres.

What was the inspiration for your book?

The idea for One Tough Cookie originated from a dream, a small moment that showed me a man and a woman talking outside of the company where they both worked. From the dream, I knew they had been in a relationship but had broken up. This led me to write some scenes, where the characters and plot became clearer. 

Since, in the dream, the characters are talking outside the company I used to work at—a dried cherry processing plant—I knew I had to add that food industry element. I chose to create a fictional cookie company and designed the product and processes. I used my previous work experience to create the plotline in which the characters are preparing for a food safety inspection.

How did you choose the title? 

The original title of the book was The Singularity of Cookies. I wanted the name of the company and the title to be the same and liked the idea of the format “The X of Y” as a title, similar to The Coincidence of Coconut Cake and The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake. After searching the dictionary, I chose the word “singular” since it not only meant unique (the company sells cookies with a unique personality) but also single/alone, which describes how my protagonist is independent and wants to remain single. Unfortunately, the publisher decided to change it to One Tough Cookie. Though I still prefer my original title, I agree that this title is simpler and perfectly describes the protagonist, Karina.

Who is your favorite character in your book and why? 

Karina. It was a lot of fun to write from her perspective. I’m shy and don’t always speak my mind, but through Karina, I could say and do things I would never do in real life. Though she’s a tough cookie, I enjoyed peeling her layers and getting to the core of her. When I began to write the book, I thought Karina and I had nothing in common. But then I realized we both have a hard time asking for help and being vulnerable with others. In the book, Karina goes to therapy and it gave me the courage to seek therapy as well. So she inspired me to change and become a better person.

What were the challenges you experienced while writing your novel? 

One of the biggest challenges was the food inspection plotline. Though I had the background, it took many rewrites to incorporate this plotline into Karina’s character arc and make it interesting at the same time. When you know a lot about a subject, you want to add a lot of information and educate the reader, but in the end, less is more.

I also had the challenge of making Karina relatable. She’s an unlikable character, and I had to try to give her dimension and dig deep into her backstory so that the reader would be able to understand where she’s coming from, while also staying true to her character. There were certain sections I was asked to remove that I didn’t because it felt like a betrayal. And even though many readers have commented that they find Karina annoying or unbearable, I don’t regret not making those changes. Karina is a part of me and I love her, even if others don’t.

Was there anything significant that you ended up editing out of your novel? 

I had to delete a lot of scenes that dealt with food safety and quality. My publisher wanted to incorporate more of the research & development side—coming up with new recipes and testing them. Cutting those scenes helped me streamline the plot and simplify it, and I’m really happy with how the book turned out in the end.

What themes are explored in your book?

For me, One Tough Cookie is about accepting other people’s differences and respecting their choices. Karina is very judgmental at the start of the book and as she opens up and learns more about the people around her, she becomes more accepting and lets them see the parts of her that she’s not so proud of.

Do you have a writing method?

I use the structure methods described by K.M. Weiland on her website Helping Writers Become Authors (plot, character, & scene structure). This helps me keep everything organized and divide the novel into sections. As I revise each draft, I go back to my outline and revise it as well, so it becomes more detailed over time.

When I write, I prefer to set goals for time instead of word count. I try to write every weekday (Monday to Friday) for two hours in the morning (10 a.m. to 12 p.m.). 

Do you write in order or as ideas come to you?

For One Tough Cookie and the next book I’m working on, I started writing out of order as the ideas came up. Then I began filling out my outline, creating character profiles, and doing some research. Once I set out to write the first draft, I start in order, filling in the gaps. If I get an idea, I write it down in the outline and then I write the scene when I get to it.

What is your preferred writing environment? 

I prefer to write at home, at my desk, in complete silence. I work while my daughter is at school and my husband is at work. At times when they’re home, I either don’t write or get up at 5 a.m. to write. I really enjoy those quiet mornings.

Talk a little bit about your path to publishing and how you got your publisher. 

I got the idea for this book in 2017 and finished the first draft in 2019. It wasn’t until two years later that I was finally able to query it. I had tried to find an agent before with a different book, so I knew already what to do. It only took me a month before I got an offer. Then I worked with my agent for about eight months before going on submission in February 2022. Three months later, I accepted the offer from Alcove Press.

What is your favorite part about engaging with readers to promote your book? 

My book hasn’t been out that long, so I don’t have that much experience interacting with readers yet. But I’ve enjoyed seeing their social media posts and receiving messages from readers who’ve loved the book.

What is a quote you love from your book? 

“Cookies were like people, not because they had a personality of their own but because they consisted of multiple ingredients that created a singular flavor profile.”

How can readers discover more about you and your work?

Website: https://delisetorres.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/torresdelise/?hl=en

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/torresdelise

About Delise Torres

Delise Torres grew up in Puerto Rico, watching telenovelas and re-enacting scenes with her Barbies. Once she outgrew her dolls, she turned to daydreaming, and it wasn’t until her late thirties when she finally put her own stories to paper, and her passion for writing was born.

She has a PhD in Food Science and former work experience as a quality assurance manager in the food industry. When not writing, you can find her trying to time-manage her life, singing, reading, and streaming shows and movies. She lives in Germany with her daughter and German husband. One Tough Cookie is her first novel.

Annie Cathryn is the author of The Friendship Breakup (Alcove Press, 2/23). She is also the host of Soulful Series Video Chat where she features authors of memoirs, anthologies, and non-fiction motivational books. For eleven years, she worked in corporate marketing for a Fortune 500 company before starting a marketing consulting agency. Annie has a degree in journalism and master’s in communications from Marquette University. She lives with her husband and daughter outside of Chicago. Connect with her on Instagram or visit her website at anniecathryn.com.