YA author Samantha Picaro chats with me about her new young adult contemporary novel, Recipe for Confidence.
Bio:
Samantha Picaro is the author of Limitless Roads Cafe and Recipe for Confidence. Her identity as autistic informs her writing, where the heroines are determined, and comedy is balanced with drama. She has a B.A. in Psychology and a master’s in social work, and she has put those degrees to use in the nonprofit sector and library work. When not writing or at her non-writing job, you can find her trying new coffee flavors, reading (of course), and volunteering for various causes.
Welcome, Samantha. Please tell us about your current release.
It released in 2024. Bryn Caputo dreams of being a graphic designer. The problem? She is not confident enough in her abilities to tell her parents or friends despite wanting to major in it after graduation. She seeks honest feedback by using her skills to help her peers as well as her aunt’s bakery, which specializes in Setback Cakes. Setback Cakes encourage accepting setbacks and not giving up, further motivating Bryn to chase her dreams.
What inspired you to write this book?
I’ve had many setbacks in my life and wanted to write a book about feeling less ashamed of setbacks and even embracing them when one is ready.
Excerpt from Recipe for Confidence:
Lana says, “I was wondering if you’d let Bryn work for me at the bakery.” She leans forward like invading Mom’s space will influence her answer.
Mom shakes her head. “No. You know Bryn struggles with doing too much at once.” I wince but it’s the truth. I struggle with multi-tasking and autistic burnout from too many activities and social interaction. I’ve gotten better at handling those things but Mom and Dad don’t want to take a chance, which frustrates me.
“I won’t give her too many hours.”
“The answer is no. Bryn should focus on school.”
Lana recoils like Mom hit her with a jackhammer. I tug my scrunchie to the point I’m surprised I haven’t broken it.
Mom goes into the foyer to answer a call from the school she works for. Aunt Lana cleans the counter and I put the cookies in the oven.
My aunt puts her hand on my shoulder. She makes sure Mom is really gone before saying, “I still want you to work for me. We just won’t tell her.”
“What?” My heart rate quickens, not liking the idea of keeping secrets from Mom, even if she frustrates me sometimes. I’m super close to my mom. Mom and I spent more time together than the average mother-daughter pair growing up because of constant appointments with specialists and rejection from my peers. Even when she’s overprotective, I don’t want to disappoint her.
“I don’t feel comfortable doing that, even if she treats me like a baby. Shouldn’t you be teaching me not to go behind my mom’s back?”
“When have I ever been a proper adult?” That’s a good point. This is the same woman who let me have ice cream for dinner and watch PG-13 movies whenever she babysat me as a kid. Before she quit Caputo’s, she talked back to rude customers and “accidentally” spilled tomato sauce on a customer who touched her butt.
“I’ll show you how to work the register and other stuff. Best of all, you could use your graphic design skills!”
A pit the size of a canyon forms in my stomach. I don’t want to be the one responsible for the business’s online presence. It’s bad enough I helped Caputo’s fail with grainy photos and amateur posts that looked like they were made by a twelve-year-old, which I was. Editing had never occurred to me until it was too late.
My parents shouldn’t have let a twelve-year-old handle the social media. However, they wanted to give me a sense of purpose after I had told Mom I wasn’t good at anything and didn’t feel useful even at home since I was bad at following instructions. I know Caputo’s failed mostly because of slow business and lack of advertising but I contributed.
I’ve improved my picture-taking, social media and graphic design skills with research and tutorials since then but is it a risk worth taking?
“I don’t know. What if I mess things up for you like I did with Caputo’s?”
“That wasn’t your fault. In hindsight, we probably shouldn’t have let a twelve-year-old handle a business social media account. No offense.” She puts her hands on my shoulders. “You have to at least try.”
We break apart like criminals trying not to get caught when Mom comes back. The oven dings, making me wonder if the anginetti were waiting for the conspiracy to end.
When the cookies cool off, we add white lemony glaze and red sprinkles. The sweetness dazzles our taste buds with its intensity. Each of us devours at least three cookies, not caring if it’s too much or how many crumbs decorate the tiled floor.
What exciting project are you working on next?
I am working on my first holiday book.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
You’ve probably heard this a hundred times, but I considered myself a writer as a child.
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your workday like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I do not write full-time as I have a part-time job and responsibilities such as helping care for a family member with multiple health conditions. I make time to write, and I do not write every day but that is okay. I write when inspiration strikes. Things I do for fun are volunteering, playing video games, and reading, of course.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
Adding too many filter words or making sentences too long.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
So many different things like marine biologist, doctor, baker, and a teacher.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I love analyzing the character development and tropes in TV shows, books, movies, and games.
Links:
Website | Instagram | TikTok | Goodreads | Bluesky | Books2Read – book 1 | Books2Read – book 2