Jennifer J. Chow is…On the Writing Block!

Sherry Ickes
2 days ago
3 min read

Haven’t read Jennifer’s work before? Well, let’s take a look at who she is…

Jennifer J. Chow writes cozies filled with hope and heritage. She has been a finalist for the Agatha, Anthony, Lefty, and Lilian Jackson Braun Memorial Award. Kirkus Review said this of her Magical Fortune Cookie mysteries: “Good things lie ahead in this series.” Star-Crossed Egg Tarts was highlighted in Book Riot, Criminal Element, and Fresh Fiction. Jennifer is a past president of Sisters in Crime and an active member of Crime Writers of Color and Mystery Writers of America.

She regularly blogs at chicksonthecase.com.

Connect with her online and sign up for her newsletter at JenniferJChow.com.

What is your ultimate goal as an author?

My ultimate goal is to provide hope. Happy endings don’t always occur in real life, but at least in my stories, the mystery is solved and the case is closed. I think hope buoys us up in tough times and brings us through trials. A second layer to my work is heritage; I want to provide the next generation of readers with representation and possibly characters they can identify with on the page. These two important elements comprise my tagline: I write cozy mysteries filled with hope and heritage.

Do you have a writing schedule, or do you write whenever you can squeeze it in?

I definitely reserve quiet morning hours to craft words. I’ve been known to use the Pomodoro technique and do writing sprints so I return to the screen with fresh eyes. As a mom, though, I’m willing to sneak in writing time whenever I can: while waiting at pick-up or at extended kids’ activities.

Do you always know who the killer is, or do your characters surprise you in the end?

The killer always surprises me somehow. I’ve had suspects beat out another at being the real culprit. I’ve also had methods and motives change. My characters like to act organically—and sometimes contrary to what I’ve planned!

Are there any animals in your book? If so, describe them and how involved they are in the investigation.

There are animals in two of my newest series. The Sassy Cat mysteries feature a white Persian cat named Marshmallow, and he truly is a partner to Mimi Lee, his pet groomer owner. Marshmallow corners the market on speaking to fellow animals and gathers unique clues that way. In my current series, Magical Fortune Cookis novels, I have a magical bunny named Whiskers. Literally descended from the moon and inspired by Chinese mythology, the bunny helps main character Felicity Jin figure out her magical baking power…which may help or hinder the investigation. Whiskers, though, is hopping to help with detecting, so stay tuned for book three in the series.

What is Star-Crossed Egg Tarts about?

Felicity Jin returns in the second book in the heart-warming and deliciously mysterious Magical Fortune Cookie series from Lilian Jackson Braun Award-nominee Jennifer J. Chow.

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?