Interview with D.K. Christi and Ahoy to Sailor's Key Lime Dip

I’m so pleased to welcome D.K. Christi, author and lecturer. She generously shares with readers insights she’s learned living “on the economy” in European and Asian cultures, as well as from blue-water sailing in the Caribbean. Work as an editor and writer for state departments of education, and even a stint as a political intern in Washington, D. C., round out this Southwest Florida resident’s credentials.

Amazon.com says of D.K. Christi’s work "… themes of friendship surviving tragedy, love conquering adversity, and the triumph of the human spirit over the hardships of life serve to uplift and inspire…” Her latest mystery novel, Ghost Orchid, is rated a “must read.” Don't miss her blog at www.dkchristi.com and her site on www.redroom.com.


D.K., how important is food to your stories? I can barely recall a story I have written that is without food. It’s often said that the language of a culture is critical to understanding. Right up there with language is food. Just as food is critical to understanding a culture, food is critical to a reader investing in a story. Food is tangible and identifiable. Markets and meals arouse the senses of smell, taste and touch, and often represent a visual feast. If the rest of the story is esoteric, the food is real.

What inspired your latest book, and what ingredients do you hope make it a tasty treat for readers? Ghost Orchid was inspired by the 2007 blooming of the very real and endangered ghost orchid in Blair Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. The magic and mystery combined with a spiritual quality found in the beauty of the Everglades provide the ingredients to mix love, lies and redemption with heaping spoonfuls of agony and ecstasy for a sensuous and fulfilling reading experience.

If your book were a menu item, what kind of restaurant would serve it? Ghost Orchid would be served in a five-star restaurant that served gourmet meals with elegant presentation in multiple courses. A harp and violin would play in the background with the occasional accompaniment of a flute. The atmosphere would be formal. Neev was a model; the Everglades are a symphony of rich textures and five-star elegance, bathed in greens and browns and decorated with deep reds, white and purple. The Everglades are as elegant as the love confirmed in Ghost Orchid.

Share your favorite literary feast or treat. What makes this food and/or writing so memorable? Filleting a fish on board Obsession in the novel, Arirang: The Bamboo Connection, is the most memorable because Melani was a delicate woman who learned how to fillet fish to survive alone on the yacht, anchored in the islands of the Caribbean. It represented a victorious moment in her life.

What’s cooking? Can you share a bit about your next project? The next novel is inspired by my ancestor's escape from a Union POW camp in New York and his experiences returning to the line in the South. A love story is of course included.

If you were marooned on an island, and Pots & Pens granted your wish for only one book and one food, what would you choose? I would choose the Bible because it is full of prose and poetry and wonderful, philosophical stories and history. It would provide a wide variety of reading from one book. As for food, I would choose the banana as it is a pretty complete food (look at the size of apes.)

Crunch time: What’s your go-to meal when you need to serve something quick and easy? Bang bang shrimp from Bonefish Grill. Just add veggies and dessert.

Speaking of dessert, tell us about the recipe you have for us today. Sailor's Key Lime Dip is a fake Key Lime pie you can make at the last minute with ingredients usually on hand.

A dessert and a dip? Sounds like best of both worlds! Juice five limes into eight ounces of sweetened, condensed milk and stir until it thickens. Serve with tea biscuits and dip away!

Thanks! And what a perfect dessert for our Labor Day cookout!