Rick Atwood, owner of the Seaside Cove Bed & Breakfast, says, “My daughter Alex is best known for loving almost anything made with cheese. The cheesier, the better. At the top of the list is Mac n’ Cheese (not the boxed stuff) and grilled cheese sandwich. Her ‘never touch that’ list is short, but includes anything made with ‘stinky fish.’ That’s her term for things like sardines or mackerel. 

I (Marla Vail) enjoy a cup of coffee throughout the day. Otherwise, I don’t have time to snack. Breakfast may be yogurt or a protein bar. Lunch is often a sandwich. Dinner is a quick prep meal these days with baby Ryder to feed. What food won’t I touch? That would be pork. I don’t keep kosher, but I won’t eat it or ham either.

Dark chocolate and pizza are the two things I (Sarah Blair) am equally known for eating. Even though I’m willing to go with anchovies and almost anything on my pizza, I draw the line at anything to do with lobster. You see, when my sister and I were kids, after our parents went away on a trip, they always took us to a restaurant where my sister ordered lobster tails and I picked chicken. Noting the price discrepancy to my parents, they assured me I was welcome to order lobster, too. I’ve never had so much trouble forcing a meal down. Never again! (Of course, Emily can probably make a lobster to die for in her sleep).

The protagonist of my Paint & Shine Mystery Series, Miranda Trent, is a great fan of a type of ginger soda that originated in Eastern Kentucky. It’s a cold bottle of Ale 8. Its main purpose was as a mixer for home-brewed moonshine. It was probably the inspiration for the creation of Mountain Dew by PepsiCo.

Nina Fleet says she enjoys Mexican food from Tino’s Tacos and practically anything from the local Chinese food restaurant, the Dancing Tiger…both of which conveniently deliver. There’s not a lot she won’t try, food-wise, though okra and oysters are both on her “nope” list. 

Tabby Winslow doesn’t apologize for her unabashed love for ice cream. Though butter pecan is her fav, close seconds are Moose Tracks, Peppermint Ice Cream, Turtle Ice Cream, and orange sherbet mixed with vanilla ice cream and fresh pretzels. She likes her creamy treats in a bowl or in a waffle cone. She enjoys ice cream with pie and cake. In fact, she loves ice cream in every way! As for what she’d never ever eat…Coconut flakes. She hates it when those strands get stuck in her teeth.

Anastasia Pollack says, I’m a fan of baked chocolate anything (cake, cookies, croissants, muffins, cupcakes, donuts, you name it) with a high-test caffeine chaser on the side. This reluctant amateur sleuth can’t live without either. As for what I’ll never eat? Peanut butter. Just the thought of it triggers my gag reflexes. When my kids were little, I’d hold my breath while making them PB&J sandwiches. Now they make their own, but they know not to come near me with peanut butter breath!