Guest Appearance with author ~ Jennifer J Chow

What is a day in the life like for you as an author?

The common day finds me at home, a cozy space for my introverted self. My most creative hours are in the morning, so I make sure to protect that precious time, when things are quiet and the kids are in school. It’s a special slot when I can create, which I define as brainstorming, outlining, or writing scenes. I prefer writing using sprints, through the Pomodoro method; its name comes from the Italian word for “tomato” because of the well-known tomato kitchen timer. In between flexing my creativity muscles, I do other much-needed tasks like answering emails from my editor and hopping on social media sites. I also regularly do adjacent-to-novel-writing activities, which means I can be found connecting with others in online writing groups or updating my website or commenting on a group blog I’m part of at www.chicksonthecase.com.

A more extroverted day in my writing life involves my semi-frequent virtual events. I’ve now set up a backdrop in my home, where I highlight my most recent novel on an easel and add a fun themed item next to it. Currently, there’s a crochet fortune cookie that sits next to Ill-Fated Fortune, the first book in my Magical Fortune Cookie mystery series. As a writer, I’ll also go out in the real world to do research. Most of the time, I like to get the most info prior to sitting down and actually writing a story. Other times, I’ll do it to refresh my memory, like when I took a day trip to visit a fortune cookie factory in San Francisco’s Chinatown just to make sure I accurately jotted down the wonders of baking. Additionally, I embrace a mix of online and in-person meetings, so I can connect with and be inspired by author friends; I’m very grateful for the tight-knit writing community and am a happy member of Crime Writers of Color, Mystery Writers of America, and Sisters in Crime.

An unusual day in my writerly life happens when I go out on the town. Sometimes I’ll do local book events with an author friend or two—or I’ll swing by a bookstore just to support a writer friend. Other times, I actually get invited to travel and attend a conference or a bookish event. My most recent trip was to St. Louis for Cozy Con 2024. And finally, the most exciting author days involve glamorous evenings, like getting dressed for awards banquets. I’m grateful to have been nominated for the Agatha, Anthony, Lefty, and Lilian Jackson Braun Awards for my mysteries.

– Jennifer J Chow

Wow, thank you so much, Jennifer J Chow, for sharing with us!

I loved getting a peek inside what her day might look like from introverted writing at home, to extroverted research in the wild, to glamours awards ceremonies and book tours!

“My most creative hours are in the morning, so I make sure to protect that precious time, when things are quiet and the kids are in school. It’s a special slot when I can create, which I define as brainstorming, outlining, or writing scenes.“

I’m not an author, but as a mother and book reviewer I totally relate to this! The early morning hours when the kids are still in bed and the house is quiet is my precious time too. I drag myself out of bed and straight to the coffee pot and then fully submerge myself into the fictional world of a good book I’m about to review.

“As a writer, I’ll also go out in the real world to do research. Most of the time, I like to get the most info prior to sitting down and actually writing a story. Other times, I’ll do it to refresh my memory, like when I took a day trip to visit a fortune cookie factory in San Francisco’s Chinatown just to make sure I accurately jotted down the wonders of baking.“

I love this! I often wonder how much of an author’s writing comes from actually real life experiences and tangible research. I think it gives an extra layer of authenticity when describing the decadence of a fortune cookie when they’re drawing from the real life smells and tastes within a bakery!

“ I’m grateful to have been nominated for the Agatha, Anthony, Lefty, and Lilian Jackson Braun Awards for my mysteries.“

What an honor to be nominated! Star-Crossed Egg Tarts was my first book by Jennifer J Chow but it certainly wont be my last. I can see exactly why she earned those nominations!

Read my full review of Star-Crossed Egg Tarts

A MAGICAL FORTUNE COOKIE NOVEL

Jin Bakery has been asked to cater the Lum-Wu outdoor wedding at Pixie Park. The day of the ceremony, Felicity is finishing the “cake” of tiered egg tarts as the wedding party arrives for the ceremony. When one of the groomsmen, Miles Wu, doesn’t arrive, Felicity’s best friend and local florist Kelvin generously steps in for him, and the wedding goes smoothly―until cake cutting time.

That’s when Felicity finds Miles’ dead body beneath the table with her egg tarts display, stabbed by Kelvin’s gardening shears. With the detective’s sights on Kelvin, Felicity starts sleuthing away to prove his innocence, revealing dark secrets about all the wedding’s attendants. They each had something to hide―and a reason to quiet Miles forever. To make matters worse, Felicity’s powers of prediction are on the fritz thanks to the emotional turmoil of a surprise visit from her estranged father.

When the groom gets poisoned at the send-off party and winds up in a coma, the stakes are even higher, not to mention Felicity’s feelings for Kelvin are beginning to feel more than friendly. Will Felicity’s magic return in time to catch the true culprit and rescue her budding relationship with Kelvin?

Read an excerpt:

Chapter 1

I put the last egg tart in place on the tiered circular display, stepped back, and admired my handiwork. From a distance, if you squinted and tilted your head just right, you might actually mistake it for a wedding cake made of gold, or Jin. Fitting, since “Jin” was both my surname and the Mandarin word for “gold.” I grinned. Guess I’d been fated for this job.

Happily, I even got to rope in loved ones as other vendors. My best friend, Kelvin Love (who has the most fitting name to cater a wedding), handled the elaborate floral displays. And my godmother, Alma Paz, made the candle arrangements, including the votives for the cake table. She’d even handcrafted bowl-shaped lace holders for each votive candle.

Once the late afternoon dissolved into evening, the small candles would be lit, and the cake made of egg tarts would turn into an enchanting display. Quite literally, because my mom had used her magic to bake joy into every last bite. After all, that’s what we Jins do—pour joy into our signature recipe treats to flow out to others. Except my own brand of magic came with an extra bonus: I made special fortune cookies that provided happiness and accurately predicted future happenings.

I added a stash of business cards to the table. I’d been made official co-owner of Jin Bakery with my mom, and I now had business cards to attest to that exciting fact. Besides, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to have my contact info out there. If people were in the area for the wedding, maybe they’d decide to check out our local bakery, too.

Plus, many of the guests were from nearby Fresno, the bride’s hometown, though a fair share hailed from up north, where the groom’s relatives lived. It wasn’t too much of a trek from NorCal to visit Pixie, right? Not for delicious egg tarts, pineapple buns, and fortune cookies, all coated with magic.

“It’s beautiful,” someone whispered from near my shoulder. I would have startled at the interruption, but the voice was so gentle, it didn’t scare me in the least.

A bridesmaid must have snuck into the main tent without my noticing. Maybe the soft grass surrounding the tent had masked her footsteps. Or she’d minced along in those stiletto sandals.

She was a wisp of a young woman, just a few years past twenty. Even though I was twenty-eight, I couldn’t imagine having ever been so bright-eyed and hopeful as the girl before me. The twin honey-colored braids wrapped around her head only added to her youthfulness.

“Haley, was it?” I asked.

She nodded, almost bouncing on her heels. “You remembered my name.”

“It’s distinctive. Very pretty.”

She flushed a sweet shade of pink. “I like your name, too. Felicity is lovely.”

“Is that a rose tucked behind your ear?” I asked, pointing to the blossom, the full pink petals brushing up against a tiny golden ear cuff lined with diamonds.

She widened her green eyes at me. “Uh, is that okay? I mean, do you mind? Are you and Kelvin together—”

“It’s fine,” I said, waving away her concern. “Kelvin and I are just friends.” Best friends, technically. “I take it he’s still working on the flower arch outside?”

“Said he was ‘securing the petals.’” Kelvin was a stickler for floral quality. Guess that’s what made us good entrepreneurs in our little town of Pixie.

I glanced at Haley’s T-shirt and jeans. “What time is it? Do you need to change?”

“Four forty-five,” she said. “I better get ready.”

The wedding guests would show up at six. Right now, only us hired help and the wedding party, plus the parents of the bride and groom, were roaming the surrounding green space.

“Jada’s in our tent doing makeup, and she said she’d help me,” Haley said.

“I should get going, too.” I’d promised the bride, Leanne, that I’d check on the tea ceremony. Not that I’d be super helpful. I’m third-gen Chinese American and had had to google what the traditional tea ritual entailed.

I followed Haley’s bouncing steps out of the larger main tent into the lush green of Pixie Park. Our town’s biggest park definitely had enough space for the Lum-Wu ceremony. The bride and groom had asked to pitch four tents for the event: a reception tent for food, his and her tents for wedding prep, and a tent for the traditional tea serving ritual.

Pixie Park also boasted a large hill, and it was sure to look magnificent with its aerial view for the actual wedding ceremony and exchanging of vows. Kelvin was on the hill now, fussing over the flowers on the custom arch he’d made.

I waved at him. He bobbed his head at me, his fingers still patting petals into place. Kelvin looked good fancied up, in a dress shirt and pressed slacks. His usual go-to was a casual Henley and jeans.

There was a rainbow of beautiful blossoms decorating the immense arch he’d constructed. I didn’t know why Kelvin was so worried. There wasn’t a breeze to be found. It was perfect, and the flowers should stay put.

If anything, the temperature was slightly too warm today. Thankfully, it was dry heat, typical of the San Joaquin Valley. Whoever thought tea was a great idea in July had not factored in the weather. Then again, traditions were important. I headed over to the tea tent, and as soon as I put my head through the flap, Leanne squealed.

“You came to help. Thank goodness,” she said. The bride-to-be wore a red qipao with a golden phoenix trailing down the front. Her hair was pinned up, and pearls were scattered across the hairdo as decoration, matching the dangling pearl earrings she wore.

“How can I assist?” I asked.

“With the hot plate. You’re good in the kitchen. Er, bakery. Can you get it started?”

“I can try.” I mean, I was hired to cater the cake, not the tea. But I’d done the bare minimum online research. Maybe I could fake my way through.

***

Genre: Cozy Mystery, Amateur Sleuth, Asian American fiction
Published by: Minotaur
Publication Date: January 21, 2025
Number of Pages: 352
ISBN: 9781250351623 (ISBN10: 1250351626)

Series: The Magical Fortune Cookie series, #2
Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | Minotaur

Tour Participants:

Author Bio:

Agatha, Anthony, Lefty, and Lilian Jackson Braun Award-nominated author. Jennifer J. Chow writes cozy mysteries filled with hope and heritage.

Catch Up With Jennifer J Chow:
www.JenniferJChow.com
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads
BookBub – @jenniferjchow
Instagram – @jenjchow
Threads – @jenjchow
Facebook – @JenJChow

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3 responses to “Guest Appearance with author ~ Jennifer J Chow”

forevereadingb24182df85

February 20, 2025

Wow, this was such a wonderful guest post! I loved reading it.

I was riveted! If the books are as fun and interesting as this guest post… they are a must read for sure!

Thanks so much for sharing “A day in the life”. 🙂

LikeLiked by 1 person

Jennifer J. Chow

February 20, 2025

Thank you for your kind comments, Ashley, and for having me as a guest!

LikeLiked by 1 person

1. Ashley Kanazawich
  
  February 25, 2025
  
  It was my pleasure! Thanks for the fascinating content!
  
  LikeLike