Author Event: Jenn McKinlay

 

Last week Jenn McKinlay visited my library for an after-hours event and it was awesomesauce.

Her newest book Summer Share just came out:

Which I reviewed for Fresh Fiction

"The Perfect Summer Read"

Jenn and I had a conversation where we talked about:

The Bat Scene

How the setting was influenced by her childhood memories

How the grandfathers were influenced by her uncle

The Dude and how she comes up with all the mischievous and cute animals in her books.

The Hallmark+ series for Paris is Always a Good Idea

Sadly, she does not have a cameo in the series

But she did talk about her visit to the set with her two sons

She shared how fast the timeline moved and how surprised she was having heard that Hollywood is VERY slow.

There's another work that has been optioned - this time by Acorn TV

The hat shop series starts with Cloche and Dagger. It's a seven-book series that takes place in England.

I loved this series

Jenn shared how the series idea struck her after watching William and Kate's wedding and seeing the hat Beatrice wore. 
I REALLY hope this happens. 

We talked about her writing habits and how they changed over time (and a little influence from her husband). 

We talked about switching genres (romance, cozies, romance, and fantasy)

We talked about the ending of series because of the end to printing mass market paperbacks (This is SO NOT FAIR! I want more cupcake bakery mystery series)

This ended on a cliffhanger of sorts and I want more.

Jenn signed books afterwards. 

Here I am getting my book signed

All in all, it was a great night! 

* thanks to my co-workers for taking the pictures

Mysterious Saturday Review: Cloche and Dagger

*Hat Shop Mystery Series #1*

Scarlett just learned the truth about her boyfriend of two years - that's he's been married the whole time. She looses it at an anniversary party for him and his wife. She throws cake at him, which unfortunately is recorded and the video put up on YouTube. 

Now she's an internet star - or humiliated  depending on how you look at it. Since she's also lost her job, her cousin insists that she comes back to London to the hat shop. Scarlett and her cousin co-own her the hat shop her grandmother used to own. 

For Scarlett, it's like coming home. She hasn't returned to London in three years. Still, she would have preferred her cousin meet her upon her arrival rather than send someone else. When Viv doesn't show up, Scarlett attempts to manage the best that she can. However, when a difficult customer turns up dead wearing a hat of Viv's creation, the police find it curious. Viv's a major suspect in the murder. Scarlett's worries sick about her cousin and hopes that she'll turn up soon and she's just off on one of her adventures. 

My Thoughts: I devoured this book - what a perfect first book in a series. I felt horrible for Scarlett - learning about her boyfriend's betrayal. I loved the hat shop and all the hats. Very interesting to read about the creation of hats and the people who purchase them. Although, I like Viv, I enjoyed watching Scarlett try to navigate the shop and the customers on her own. I loved how Scarlett met Nick and Andre. I love them - they're funny, witty, and sweet. I found Harrison entertaining - especially when he shared barbs with Scarlett. I can't wait to read more of this series and spend more time with the characters.

Cover Thoughts: Perfect
Source: Bought