I’m so excited to welcome Jennifer back to the blog. I read her first book Mimi Lee Gets a Clue right as the pandemic broke down and I was stuck at home. It was the perfect book for me. And I was lucky enough to get to read an advance copy of Mimi Reads Between the Lines. Here’s my thought on Mimi Reads Between the Lines: If you love an intriguing mystery with an appealing protagonist, a wisecracking cat, and lively family dynamics you must read the Sassy Cat mysteries by Jennifer J. Chow. I’m so glad I found her fresh new voice in the cozy mystery world.
Jennifer: When I was young, I wished I had a sister. I wanted somebody to whisper secrets with; I believed that having a sister meant a lifelong friend who would understand me. Of course, I really had no say in the matter. I was also into the Sweet Valley High series at the time. Reading about Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield made me yearn for a sister (and a twin, which for sure was not going to happen).
I did get a taste of sisterhood when my cousins moved to the States. Their family had a trio of girls. The youngest happened to be my age, so we went off to kindergarten together. We even wore matching shirts on the first day of school. Peers would often confuse us and figured that we were twins. For the entire school year, I felt like a fake. My cousin actually had two real sisters at home, ones with whom she shared a room and cozied up to in bed while swapping stories. They eventually also traded clothes, too, and continued to look out for one another as they grew older. At my youngest cousin’s wedding, the joke to the groom was that he hadn’t just married the one woman but had gotten the whole sisterhood.
I now have two daughters, and I enjoy observing the intricacies of their relationship. Oftentimes, it can be a love-hate rollercoaster ride—all within the span of a day. They can gripe at each other one moment and then turn around and snuggle together the next. They play imaginative games, and only sometimes will make mischief together instead. More often than not, I find them chatting, while doing something as simple and caring as braiding each other’s hair.
Their close relationship influenced how I wrote the sister bond between Mimi and Alice in A Sassy Cat Mystery series. The sister connection shines particularly bright in Mimi Lee Reads Between the Lines, when Alice gets accused of murder. Mimi must work hard to change the opinions of the police and find the real culprit.
Although I never got the sister I wanted growing up, I’m glad that I can pour my creative energy into writing sisters in my novels.
Readers: Do you have any siblings or did you experience siblings envy growing up?
Giveaway: A physical or email copy (reader’s choice) of A Sassy Cat Mystery book (MIMI LEE GETS A CLUE or MIMI LEE READS BETWEEN THE LINES) through random selection from a comment on the blog. US only for physical copy. Ends one week after the post (November 20th).
Bio:
Jennifer J. Chow is the author of the hiss-terical A Sassy Cat Mystery series and the Winston Wong cozies. She lives in Los Angeles, where she hunts for all things matcha. Connect with her online and sign up for her newsletter at www.jenniferjchow.com. You can also find her on social media under @jenjchow.
Blurb and buy link:
When a local teacher is found dead, LA’s newest pet groomer Mimi Lee finds herself in a pawful predicament—with her younger sister’s livelihood on the line.
