Today we are excited to share a guest post from author Katie Cicatelli-Kuc (MINT TO BE).
Read on for more about the author, the book, and what she has to say!
Meet the Author: Katie Cicatelli-Kuc
Katie Cicatelli-Kuc spent a decade working as an in-house copy editor for major publishing houses before becoming a full-time freelancer and mom. She lives in Beacon, New York.
About the Book: MINT TO BE
Pour yourself a cup of hot chocolate and settle into this sweet and cozy winter romance by Katie Cicatelli-Kuc, author of the New York Times bestseller Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice! This edition includes a special scratch and sniff cover to keep you in the holiday spirit all year long.
Emma Sherman left without saying goodbye — and her best friend, Aiden, is furious. He knew Emma was thinking of leaving their quaint New England town of Briar Glen for boarding school in New York City. She had shown him her acceptance letter at Cup o’ Jo, their go-to coffee shop, over a mug of their favorite peppermint hot chocolate … before he got the chance to confess his true feelings for her.
Emma knows she shouldn’t have left without saying goodbye, not matter how frosty things got between them. Especially now that Emma is back in town, and she’s brought her new boyfriend, Sam, to visit for the holidays. Talk about icy conditions.
As things grow colder between them, Emma and Aiden must find a way to repair their friendship — but this time, even a peppermint hot chocolate may not be enough to break the ice.
~ Guest Post ~
I am a winter girl. Literally! My birthday is the first day of winter, and it’s also the winter solstice, the darkest day of the year. I live in New York’s Hudson Valley, so it’s pitch black by 5 pm on my birthday. All of which may sound ominous, but to me it often just means it’s the best day of the year to cozy up at home and watch a movie, read a book (holiday-themed or not) and snack on sugar cookies, or any other holiday treats. The early darkness means there is just that much more time to admire all the Christmas lights too! I live in truly a beautiful place, no matter the season. In the winter, though, it takes on almost a magical quality. People decorate their houses and businesses, and there are lights on all the lampposts on Main Street in my town. There are holiday markets, and restaurants and cafes serve hearty, cold-weather food and drinks, including things like peppermint hot chocolate.
My third young adult novel, Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice, is set in a fictional town in the Northeast called Briar Glen, and it’s very much based on where I live. When my editor, Orlando, and I started talking about my fourth novel, Mint to Be, we knew we had to set it in the same town, and winter seemed like the perfect time of year for the story to take place.
Emma and Aiden, my main characters in Mint to Be, have deep roots in their town, and Aiden and his family are responsible for hanging the Christmas lights around Briar Glen. His grandfather is a woodworker, and Aiden helps him sell handmade sleds at the local outdoor market. Emma grew up in Briar Glen, but she’s been at boarding school since June, and she’s come back for the holidays…with a new boyfriend. Who Aiden knows nothing about, because Emma left town without saying goodbye, and they’ve barely spoken since.
As Emma and Aiden try to negotiate the terms of their strained friendship, they do so against the backdrop of all kinds of winter activities, and in all kinds of winter weather. We also witness the evolution of their friendship as a series of festive flashbacks. Throughout the course of the story, we see them first connect at the Briar Glen Christmas tree lighting, which is also the first time they drink a peppermint hot chocolate together (and, it’s one that Emma concocts herself). I based the scene on my own town’s tree lighting. It’s an event with carolers, hot chocolate, holiday crafts, Santa, and well, even joy, which is something I think we all could use in our lives, and not just during the holidays! Emma and her sister make Christmas cookies together, something I did with my mom when I was little. I can still feel my tongue burning from the cinnamon red hots I used as Santa’s buttons! The scene gets a bit…messy, though as Emma confesses to her sister how little she’s spoken to Aiden lately. Emma and Aiden ice-skate together, and they go to holiday parties together. One of those parties is when Aiden meets Mackerel, the dog that his family adopts. He’s another source of joy in the book, and my own rescue dog, Waffles, is a source of joy in my life, along with my rescue cats, Mush and Tuna. I don’t want to give too much away, but I’ll just say that Mackerel has missed Emma while’s she been gone, and he is not a fan of her new boyfriend. And, that he likes the snow. A lot.
Mint to Be is a story about Emma and Aiden’s friendship, and their somewhat complicated feelings for each other, but it’s also about their connection to Briar Glen. Just like my own town, I think of Briar Glen as its own character, and it’s a character full of warmth and comfort, no matter the season.
Title: MINT TO BE
Author: Katie Cicatelli-Kuc
Release Date: 10/7/25
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Genre: YA Romance
Age Range: 14+
