Behind the Book is a series in which I give you a behind the scenes look at one of the latest installments of The Diamond Collection. For this round, I will be focusing on Diamonds N’ Roses: Part Five of The Diamond Collection.

Diamonds N’ Roses was released on December 25, 2016 and is available at the following online retailers: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Books-A-Million.

Other Available Titles in The Diamond Collection: Diamonds in the Rough, Diamonds are Forever, The Ace of Diamonds, Black Diamonds, The Diamond Tiara (Part Six) and Dirty Red Diamonds (Part Seven).

CHAPTER NINE: ALL NIGHT

Some of my readers know, but I am a real foodie. Such a foodie that I have a separate Instagram page dedicated to food called Miss Black Foodie. So, what does this have to do with Diamonds N’ Roses or The Diamond Collection all together?

Well, I namedrop food in the series on purpose. So, in Chapter 9, what is Jay eating when he can’t sleep because the stress of Casa de Sangre, his parents, conflict diamonds, and his upcoming wedding are all weighing down on him? An Italian crème cake. And yes, I was eating an Italian crème cake around the time I wrote this chapter. The Italian crème cake mentioned in Chapter 9 was inspired by the Italian Crème Cake sold at Carswell Bakery in Rock Hill, SC. This bakery is now permanently closed.

Now, the Italian crème cake is not the focus of Chapter 9, but it’s really about how Jay is trying to escape his thoughts and can’t. These thoughts of Casa de Sangre and his parents are all just a build up to the climax of the book.