ThrowbackThursday | Caridad Pineiro® Romance Author

September 17, 2026September 17, 2026

Truth is Stranger Than Fiction…

Picture this: A woman with a terminal illness undergoes a radical treatment to save her life. What she doesn’t know is that the team behind the treatments has a secret, evil agenda and that the treatments have a troubling side effect: they make her glow. That’s the premise for SINS OF THE FLESH, a romantic suspense with a touch of science fiction and paranormal elements. Readers loved it, but couldn’t believe one thing: that Caterina, the heroine of the story, has glowing skin. The funny part about this is that’s real science. In fact, the year I released the book, the scientists who developed the process of using glowing green fluorescent proteins to track gene expression won the Nobel Prize! Definitely a case where truth is stranger than fiction. In case you still need some proof, you can visit YouTube to see real glowing cats using this science. Even better, grab SINS OF THE FLESH at https://link.amazon/B080zpKyi. It’s the first book of the SIN HUNTER series which features standalone stories with connected characters and action-packed stories with a blend of suspense, sci fi, and paranormal elements.

September 10, 2026September 10, 2026

Happy Birthday in Heaven, Mom!

Happy Birthday in Heaven, Mom! I think about you and Abuela every day. I wonder what you would think about all that “las niñas” have accomplished in their lives and whether you’d be proud. I think you would be, and I wish you could have met all your beautiful grandchildren and great-grandbabies. God took you way too soon. I named the family matriarch in THE FAMILY SHE NEVER MET after my mom because she has the same indomitable spirit that my mother possessed. My mom was an amazing woman who got us out of Cuba after Castro and communism stole her country. She made a life for us here, and before feminism was even a thing, she made sure to teach her girls that they could accomplish whatever they wanted with determination and hard work. I remember a high school friend telling me once that our family was different, and I thought it was because we spoke Spanish at home and ate different foods. She told me that it wasn’t because of that. It was because my mom told us that we were going to college, and she’d never heard that before in her world. It gave her the determination to go to college like we were doing. Thank you for instilling those beliefs, Mom. They have served me well over the course of my life. I miss you and hope you are happy up in heaven.

August 21, 2026August 21, 2026

Delicious Zucchini Flower Fritters

I’m adventurous in the kitchen (no, not that way) and will try making many different recipes. But when my brother-in-law gifted me some amazing zucchini flowers, I was a little flummoxed. How do I make these? My sister-in-law said she had stuffed them with mozzarella instead of ricotta, and that made sense. I didn’t want to deal with piping bags. You can also chop the flowers up, add chopped zucchini, and make pancake-like fritters. But I decided to go full bore and do them stuffed and fried. Here’s a little video on how I made them and the recipe! P.S. Chef Carol from the At the Shore novels would definitely pipe ricotta into these while he’s trying to win Emma’s heart! But why not grab the first book in the series, ONE SUMMER NIGHT, for only 99 cents at https://amzn.to/4o0DtCW.

Zucchini Flower Fritter Recipe

Ingredients

8-10 male zucchini flowers (stamens removed)
Mozzarella cut into 1-2″ rods

For the tempura Batter

1 egg, beaten
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup ice-cold club soda/seltzer
2 tbsp corn starch

Directions

Heat oil. Your choice of oil, but I use corn oil with some olive oil. The oil should be glistening and you can test it by dropping a little of the batter into it to make sure it’s hot enough. If you have a thermometer, it should be at 350. If the oil is not hot enough, the fritters may turn out greasy.

Carefully open the zucchini flower and stuff mozzarella into the center. Close the flower petals around the cheese. Set aside.

Beat the egg and add the flower and corn starch. Stir to mix and then add the club soda until it is relatively smooth. Do not over beat it because you don’t want to lose the club soda bubbles.

Dip the stuffed flowers into the batter and then gently place in the hot oil. Fry until golden on one side and then turn and fry the other side until golden. Remove from oil and place on a paper towel to drain any excess oil.

Serve warm for the best flavor! You can make a dipping sauce if you want, but honestly, delicious just on their own!

Here’s what the final product looks like!

August 13, 2026August 13, 2026

My Other Life

I had a lovely weekend celebrating a big birthday with my sister and longtime friends with whom I worked for many years. My one friend — the birthday girl — was our law office’s unofficial photographer, always taking photos during office celebrations or candid shots here and there. When the office was about to close, she inherited the photo albums with all the pictures. Over the years, she’s been passing out photos to staff and friends, like this one of me in my office. And no, I didn’t drink on the job. I was lucky to represent the Jose Cuervo company and kept samples of their various bottles in case I needed them for legal actions. I loved my job and the people I worked with. The office politics not so much. Anyway, people often ask if there’s any characters that are like lawyer me, and I would say Connie from WHAT HAPPENS IN SUMMER is the character most like me in some ways while Lara from THE FAMILY SHE NEVER MET has more of me in other ways. Both are career women, but both have a passion for something else. In Connie’s case, it’s control of her life. For Lara, it’s fulfilling her dream of being a writer. Both good goals if you ask me. Goals I strived for over in the many years that I worked full-time as an attorney but also pursued my career as a writer.

August 12, 2026August 12, 2026

Happy National Middle Child Day!

Happy National Middle Child Day! I’m a middle child, but also more like the oldest because there was a ten-year age gap between my brother and me. Today, I’m sharing a very early picture of the three of us. The baby, my sister, is being held by her godparents as she’s being baptized. My brother is off to the right in the photo and I’m the curly-haired toddler being held toward the middle of the photo by my godmother. My dad is off to the left. My mother is not in the photo as back then there was a holdover practice of the mother being absent because she was recuperating. This photo was taken in Cuba and little did we all know that in the months to come, my parents would have to flee and that it would take a couple of years before we were reunited with them in the U.S. If you want a sense of what that was like, some of those experiences have been fictionalized in THE FAMILY SHE NEVER MET which is FREE on Kindle Unlimited at https://amzn.to/45gn7gW.

July 30, 2026July 30, 2026

Fun Times with Friends

I had a lovely time at this year’s Romance Writers of America Conference. It was great to get together with longtime friends and make new ones. The workshops were very helpful and it was lovely to spend time with my editors. I also took part in the book signing along with many fellow authors. Harlequin provided books for all their authors to give away to readers. It was nice to see familiar faces, like Amy, whom I had met at RAGT this year! Next year’s conference will be in Portland, Oregon. Another state off my list of states to visit, but more on that next week. Today I’m sharing some photos from the book signing! P.S. DECOY TRAINING is specially priced at 1.99 until July 31st, so don’t miss out on this deal! Download your copy today at https://amzn.to/4bOBrRk.

July 27, 2026July 27, 2026

Happy National New Jersey Day!

Happy National New Jersey Day! I was raised on Long Island and loved it, but when it came time for hubby and me to buy a house, Long Island was unaffordable for various reasons. When a friend invited us for dinner at their New Jersey condo, we realized that New Jersey could provide the kind of life we wanted. We weren’t wrong. From our first small house to a bigger one when we had our daughter to our lovely condo on the Jersey Shore, we have loved New Jersey. There is so much to see and do here, and so many beautiful places. Today I’m sharing a little video showing you some of my lovely places down the shore! Enjoy! P.S. My love for the Jersey Shore is what inspired Sea Kiss, the fictional town in the At the Shore series. The first book, ONE SUMMER NIGHT, is specially priced at 99 cents. Download this tale of three friends finding their happily ever after at https://amzn.to/4o0DtCW.