FOODFIC: Please Welcome E.J. Stevens, Author of Legend of Witchtrot Road (Spirit Guide #3)

What are they eating?  That is a very good question.  The eating habits of Yuki and her friends lead to arguments, gag-worthy discussions, and fun-filled hilarity.

Spirit Guide series characters are quirky, fun, and somewhat eccentric.  I mean, heck, when you're a teen who smells the dead, it's not like your life is normal.  Yuki and her friends are incredibly close – these are some of the most loyal friends in all of YA fiction – but food is a major polarizing element in these books. 

Yuki is a Lacto Vegetarian.  She loves cheese (pizza anyone?), but doesn't eat meat.  She also smells the dead.  Spirits of the dead may not smell like corpses – ghosts leave behind a smell impression that relates to the person they were in life – but smelling the dead can still have a negative impact on a girl's appetite.  For example, when you're being haunted by someone that smells like vinegar, it's hard to eat anything except pickles and salt and vinegar chips.

Emma, Yuki's BFF, is a strict Vegan – no meat, eggs, dairy, or animal products. This includes honey. "Bee Oppression" is one of Emma's favorite rants.  Emma is a proud animal rights activist and her love of animals often enters into her lunchtime arguments.

**Information about the characters below contains spoilers for the beginning of
She Smells the Dead, the first book in the Spirit Guide series.**

Calvin has a deep respect for all life, but he's a growing teen with a healthy appetite AND an emerging wolf spirit.  Being a werewolf is tough, especially when you discover that you're the pack Alpha, but craving meat while dating a vegetarian and hanging out with a chatty vegan can make meal times an even bigger challenge.

Simon is a werewolf with a wild streak.  He's trying to help teach Cal and Yuki how to control their paranormal powers.  That means LOTS of opportunity for confrontation about Simon's eating habits.  Emma and Simon argue about everything, but food is one of their favorite things to fight about.

Food fight!

Here are some fun, food related excerpts from Legend of Witchtrot Road:

Yuki attempts to stem a fur-flying werewolf fight with pizza...

     “I’ll treat for pizza,” I said.
     That got their attention.  Boys everywhere are the same.  Werewolves, humans, it didn’t matter—they all loved pizza.
     “Trying to win my heart, love?” Simon teased.  “A meat-lover’s pizza will get you…everywhere.”
     Ugh!  I wasn’t really in the mood for Simon’s flirtatious teasing, but at least it meant he wasn’t too depressed by the accusations that Gabriel had been slinging at him.  It was amazing what some tomato sauce and melted cheese could accomplish.  If I were writing a goth girl’s guide to making peace, I’d have an entire chapter on pizza, the ultimate tool for conflict resolution.  Peace-zah?

…and Cal can even make eating rice something to swoon about:

     Cal greeted me with a smile and reached up to brush my hair back behind my ears.  I leaned in closer and closed my eyes.  Cal’s hands moved deeper into my hair as he brushed his lips against mine.  More.
     I waited for my second kiss, but instead, with a flick of warm tongue, Cal licked a patch of skin beside my mouth.  My eyes flew open in surprise to meet Cal’s smiling eyes and toothy grin.
     “Wha…wha…what?” I stuttered.  “I mean, why did you just lick my face?”
     I was totally confused.  Was this some kind of wolf thing?  If so, I was not liking this new development.  At least, I didn’t think I was.  Great, now I’m blushing.
     The skin around Cal’s eyes crinkled even more and he let out a laugh before leaning in to whisper in my ear.
     “Because you’re delicious,” Cal said.  “And you had a piece of rice on your face.”
     Okay, now I’m really blushing.  I could feel the burn of my cheeks as Cal’s voice echoed in my head.  Because you’re delicious.  He did not just say that.  No, wait, he did.

Read more food rants and yummy Cal kissing scenes in Legend of Witchtrot Road, available October 2011.

Thanks for stopping by and sharing some food for thought, E.J.!

E.J. Stevens is author of the haunting collection of dark poetry From the Shadows, the chilling collection of paranormal poetry Shadows of Myth and Legend, and the young adult paranormal Spirit Guide series, which includes She Smells the Dead, Spirit Storm, and Legend of Witchtrot Road. She currently resides in a magical forest on the coast of Maine where she finds daily inspiration for her writing.  When E.J. isn't at her writing desk she can be found blogging at From the Shadows, a paranormal book blog, or hanging out on Goodreads and Twitter.