What is the title of your latest release?
RECIPE FOR JOY
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
RECIPE FOR JOY is about a book of cherished family recipes, a series of letters sent by a mysterious hand, and two sisters who need directions back to one another.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
This came organically while I was writing the book. At the time we were living in Gates Mills, Ohio, which is the loveliest town on the east side of Cleveland. I knew this was the town I wanted to nestle my story in. The charming village, the memories, and meaningful time spent there…it’s all layered into my novel along with so much love.
Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
Absolutely. She’s a good soul who appreciates delicious food, so at the very least, we’d eat well. But I suspect we’d have some really connective conversations as well.
What are three words that describe your hero?
Loving, searching, tender
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I learned the importance of writing longhand. It was actually my way into this novel. Since then, I’ve incorporated writing longhand into everything, even if it’s just character sketches or keeping track of threads in a timeline. I’ve always been someone who loves paper and pens, as well someone who appreciates seeing things visually, so to incorporate all of this while I write has been a joy.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I do a little bit of both. If I think of a better way to say or plot something that I’ve already written, I’ll address it as I go. There are always multiple big edits when a first draft is done, but I try not to be too rigid about how I write and edit as I’m getting to the end of that first draft. All words on the page are good, even ones that are rewritten.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
This is a tough one because I have so many! Dark chocolate anything. I love a deep dark chocolate dessert. I also love to make dark chocolate truffles and salted nut bark. But on the other end of the spectrum, I also love cheese. Don’t even get me started on homemade pasta. Or salt-and-vinegar potato chips. Honestly, there are too many indulgences to name!
Describe your writing space/office!
I don’t have a dedicated office, so I write anywhere: on couches, on the floor with my laptop perched on the humidifier (seriously), at the dining table, in my building’s lobby. I used to be a journalist, so happily, after a decade of writing on deadline where there’s no room for being precious about process, I’m able to write anywhere. But I do dream of having an office someday. With a door! Oooo…and a desk that’s all mine!
Who is an author you admire?
One author I really admire is Ann Leary. I think she writes about tricky family relationships, challenging emotions, and thorny situations so well. Her characters always feel real and fleshed out, and her stories are always propulsive.
Is there a book that changed your life?
I’m going to dig deep here and say every single Nancy Drew book. As a girl, reading these books with a plucky young woman front and center of every story was pivotal for young me.
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published). Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
I got the call from my agent…and missed it! So I actually heard his voice message saying that he’d gotten an offer for my book. I replayed his message a couple times and I was so stunned, then called him back!
What’s your favorite genre to read?
I love book club fiction, novels that have emotional depth to them. I also love a good mystery or thriller. I read a wide variety of genres - it all depends on what I’m in the mood for.
What’s your favorite movie?
Omigosh this is such a hard question! I love movies and would find giving a list of my top 20 a challenging task. But, I’m going to go back to childhood me and say the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Gene Wilder. My sister and I watched this movie on repeat growing up, so it intertwined with our togetherness. To this day we can still recite it word-for-word.
What is your favorite season?
Fall. I love the leaves changing, the crispness in the air, how you can start the day chilly and have that sweater you put on tied around your waist by mid-afternoon. Also, apple-picking! I go to the same farm every year and follow the tree-ripening updates for pick-your-own apples like it’s my job in the fall. I like getting McIntosh apples early in the season, then Pink Lady apples late in the season, so keeping tabs on how the farm’s crop is shaping up from week to week is pivotal. Being there in the quiet with the surrounding hills ablaze in autumn colors, picking apples…it really does bring me so much joy.
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Quietly. I’m not a big birthday person. So just being with my husband and pup, sharing a good meal, that’s the best gift.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
The Night Manager. I’ve waited for the reboot of this series for years and wow, was it worth it. I love English shows and movies. BritBox, Poirot, serious mysteries, silly hijinks, cozy Cotswolds anything, historical everything, AbFab, I’m here for it all.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Goodness, this is a hard question. I love simply prepared seasonal food. I’m a big cook and during the summer get a box of veggies from a local farm every week. For someone who cooks a lot and really appreciates farm-fresh produce, opening this box makes me feel like a kid on Christmas. So, given that, I think I’d have to go with simple American cuisine, farm-to-table and all that. That said, I also love Italian, Japanese, Thai, and Greek cuisine. I’m a foodie polyglot and, happily, living in NYC really lends itself to that.
What do you do when you have free time?
I love to read, knit, cook, bake, cross-stitch (I love all kinds of crafts…don’t get me started on basket-making), go on long walks through the park, run, and, of course, write.
What can readers expect from you next?
I have two novels ready to go, so expect more book club fiction with tricky family relationships, big emotional stakes, and humor…because no matter the story, I think laughter is important.
A Novel
A grieving woman finds healing and purpose through her late grandmother’s cherished recipes in a poignant and hopeful novel about rediscovering the comfort of family in the most trying of times.
Belle Sutton is a little lost these days.
She has a stalled career, a New York apartment she can’t afford, and her sister, Lexie, is more estranged with each passing year. Belle’s one true consolation is her beloved grandmother, who’s powered through her own broken family ties with a tenacious zest for life and a passion for cooking. But when her grandmother suddenly passes away, a grieving Belle feels her only connection to the past is gone forever.
That’s when Belle receives a series of letters, along with a cookbook, photographs of Belle and Lexie when they were young and happy, and her grandmother’s last wish that the sisters mend severed ties before it’s too late. For the love of Gran, a challenge is met that sets Belle and Lexie on a journey of hope, reconciliation, surprising discoveries, and the nourishing power of family, forgiveness, and tradition. All they have to do is follow the directions.
Fiction Family Life [ Amazon Publishing, On Sale: March 24, 2026, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781662532412 / eISBN: 9781662532429 ]
Monica Comas was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from The Ohio State University and a master’s in journalism from New York University. She’s worked as a newspaper reporter, a journalist covering stocks and the economy, and a financial editor. But fiction has always been her true love. Monica lives in New York with her husband, John, and their tiny shih tzu, Poirot.
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