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

Books set in Ireland

 Just in time for St. Patrick's Day...

Book List:

Lucky Me

Paris is Always a Good Idea

Love & Luck 

Artemis Fowl

An O'Brien Family Christmas 

Book List: Emily in Paris

 

Recently, I watched Emily in Paris

It's on Netflix.

And I enjoyed it.

I loved the scenery. It made me long to travel again. 

I felt bad for Emily and how she struggled - but most of the time, things worked out for her.

I'm looking forward to what happens next.

Here are some book recommendations. 

Adult Books:

Queen of Babble:

I read this book years ago and I loved it! The main character is always saying the wrong thing to wrong person. But eventually everything works out, just not in the way she imagined.

Paris is Always a Good Idea:

Ireland - France- and Italy

I still think this would make a great movie.

Review here.

One Summer in Paris:

You can't plan for everything - but nothing says recovering from heartbreak like Paris...

Review here.

YA Books:

Anna and the French Kiss:

Boarding school in Paris. One massive crush. 

One heck of a debut novel.

Review here. 

Salty, Bitter, Sweet

Cooking school in France is tough!

The pressure. A new family. New friends.

Nothing is easy.

Violet On the Runway:

I read this years and years ago, but it was really fun. Out of nowhere, a lady stops Violet and makes her into a model. Violet's been tall and thin her whole life...and nothing special. But that changes.

On Your Radar: Paris is Always a Good Idea (39)

Title: Paris is Always a Good Idea

Author: Jenn McKinlay

Publisher: Berkley Books

Publication Date: July 21, 2020

Why It Should be On Your Radar

* Ireland

* Paris

* Italy

* Food

* Traveling in the feet of younger self

* Chasing down feelings from youth

* Enemies to Lovers

* Work Drama

* Emotionally Closed off

* Family

* Re-evaluating Life

* Finding that Work/Life Balance

* Funny

** In truth, this would make an excellent Hallmark movie.

*** ARC given for review