I’m not sure why the writing advice books don’t ever mention the necessity of chocolate to finishing a book. I’m deep in (final, hopefully) revision mode, which means I’m stockpiling the chocolate. I was thrilled to read in the news not long ago that chocolate (and hot chocolate and chocolate milk) is also healthy. I love it when they decide these things! My daughter, who is also chocolate-obsessed (wonder where that came from) likes to say at random times: “Chocolate is good for you!” It is! Anyway. I digress. Two new necessities:

Chuao Dark Chocolate Caracas Bar. I picked this up randomly one day at Central Market, and I’m hooked. What makes it so good? Its melty smooth creaminess? The monstrous pistachios? Who knows? I’d like to crawl inside this bar and live there. I want to try the Panko and Honey ones this company makes too, but they don’t sell them here. I spoke to the chocolate guys at both Whole Foods and Central Market and requested/begged/pleaded/offered my body, but still no luck. What does a girl have to do to get some good chocolate around here? (FYI, they also make a Firecracker bar which has Pop Rocks in it, but you know, if you eat it with soda you could DIE.)

Fran’s Smoked Salt Dark Chocolate Caramels. When did sugar + salt become a big thing? I don’t remember that being popular when I was a kid. (We were too busy trying not to die from eating Pop Rocks.) But there’s something especially amazing about the smoky dark salt in these caramels too…oh my god oh my god oh my god. Things have changed since the Kraft blobs of my youth. They’re really expensive though, so I’ve only eaten them on my birthday/mother’s day/during times of utter despair, like when you throw out 90 pages of your book.

Essential Equation to Remember:
Good chocolate + salted caramel + time = novel.

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