New Candy Addict Writers

Saturday, July 7, 2007 - by Brian

Recently I put out a call for more writers. I was overwhelmed by the response – I received 33 applications in the first four days and had to stop accepting applications. I was planning on hiring three, maybe four writers and I ended up hiring six!

I was like a child in a retail outlet that sells sweets while picking writers! I put the applicants through a rigorous application process and ended up with five great writers that had a passion for candy and great writing skills. The new writers are Breanna, Jamie, Michelle G. (since we already have a Michelle on staff), Rachel, and Traci. Interestingly, they are all female. I guess just myself and David will have to present the male Candy Addict perspective.

The new team members are all excellent writers and will fit in perfectly with the style of writing we like here at Candy Addict. Below are their introduction paragraphs to get a taste (no pun intended) of what they are about. Look for more writings from them soon.

Hi, my name is Breanna, and I’m A Candy Addict (at this point, you’re supposed to clap.) My addiction began early; my first memory is sharing peanut M&Ms with my mom (she was what you’d call a candy enabler). As a teen, I moved onto the hard stuff: truffles, gourmet pectin candies, giant novelty Hershey’s Kisses, Pixy Stix, champagne bubbles.

Nowadays I just can’t seem to make it through the day without a candy fix. My obsession even led me to the far East– Tokyo to be exact– in search of the strangest and most exotic specimens of sweets. And believe me, some of the candy here is strange indeed! Right now, I know I need to make a trip to the grocery store because my pantry has only joke food in it: Chocolate-covered Cheetos, Cucumber Pepsi, and Chocolate Corn Cobs. I admit I am powerless against candy, and I think I’d better give my sponsor a call, because there are some lemon Kit-Kats in my purse that are calling my name…

Jamie is a writer and librarian who loves candy, music, dinosaurs, BBC comedies, and any late night infomercial that makes me laugh enough to forget that I’m a complete insomiac.

My favorite candies are Pixy Stix, Nutrageous bars, Atomic Fireballs, and Baby Ruths. I am still mourning the loss of Tan M&M’s. I don’t care how trendy blue is. Tan M&M’s were the best! Alas, we must go on in a world without them. But there are many other wonderful candies out there, and I’m looking forward to discussing them with all of you as a member of the Candy Addict team.

MichelleG‘s philosophy has always been “life’s short – eat dessert first!” and I try to live by that motto. At restaurants (from white tablecloths to the Golden Arches) I always read the dessert section of the menu first, and I often joke that in addition to my normal stomach I’ve got a “dessert stomach.” After several years spent in the mind-numbing world of higher education administration, I finally got the courage to quit and start at culinary school a mere one week later. I am now a fully qualified pastry chef, which among other things means I get to play with chocolate most days of the week! I can’t really think of a better job, so in addition to working for someone else I also own a small ‘bespoke’ cake business – weddings, parties, any excuse to eat butter and couveture, really!

I’ve always wanted to expand my love of confectionery beyond the kitchen, so this foray into writing about candy is a way to do exactly that. As a cultural mutt (born in the US to immigrant parents, and now living in Australia), I have always had access to a wide variety of sweet treats from an array of countries across the globe. I think nothing of traveling several thousand kilometers for a chocolate, candy, or dessert experience – and have done so on a number of occasions. Basically, writing for Candy Addict is really just a thinly-veiled excuse to support my (socially acceptable and totally addictive) habit. Bring on the Pocky!

Greetings, fellow Candy Addicts! My name is Rachel and I am delighted to be joining the Candy Addict team. I will search out and try all the candy I can get my hands on for the purposes of your enjoyment and edification, no matter how questionable its tastiness (dollar store mystery candy) or how indiscernible the ingredients (foreign candy, ahoy!). The life of a Candy Addict is not always easy. Sometimes you get your heart broken. You fall in love with a candy, only to have it torn away from you and cruelly discontinued (bring back Bonkers!). However, I would be remiss in my duties if I shied away from even one sweet that had potential. So I say, bring on the candy!

Hey, folks! I’m Traci, and I couldn’t be happier to be joining the Candy Addict crew. I’m a big fan of just about anything sweet, especially odd creations and unlikely flavor combinations. I’m a big fan of marshmallows, and I can’t resist the candy aisles at discount stores, where you know you’ll see the most interesting stuff. I am an equal opportunity candy lover – I like the expensive stuff, but sometimes nothing but a few Laffy Taffy ropes or a box of Nerds will quell my cravings.

I live at the bottom of Arkansas (though I’m a Texas native and live about a five-minute walk from the state line) with my boyfriend, a rambunctious puppy and two cats. When I’m not eating entirely too much candy, I maintain my city’s websites and do some freelance writing on the side.

With the addition of these five writers, we are up to eleven writers now (12 if you count me). I don’t think we’ll need to hire any more for a while. So what does this mean to you, the reader? More frequent (and even better) candy articles, of course! With our previous staff numbers, sometimes we had a hard time keeping up with the candy happenings – now we should have a much better chance at keeping up!