Jennifer J. Chow's Blog, page 3

Kirkus Reviews

Confession: I’ve always loved a good rewards chart. When I was in elementary school, my teacher ran a reading contest. The person who read the most number of books (and earned the most stickers) got a reward at the end of the school year.

Since I adored reading, I took on the challenge–and zoomed ahead on the chart. At the end of the year, I won! My prize? A coveted gift card to the local bookstore. (Where I promptly went to purchase Anne of Green Gables books.)

Today, after a year (roughly) of writing and revising, I also got a reward. A coveted quote from Kirkus Reviews. And it’s a beautiful one:

THANK YOU, Kirkus!

P.S. If you’d like to preorder HOT POT MURDER, here’s the link: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/673134/hot-pot-murder-by-jennifer-j-chow/9780593336557/

News: Malice Anthology & Book Sale

I’ve got some exciting news for you! My short story, “The Fall of the Tech Titan,” will be in the upcoming Malice Domestic Anthology. This is such an honor! More details here: https://www.malicedomestic.org/anthologies.html

Also, Book 1 in my Sassy Cat series is on sale for a limited time. Get an e-copy for yourself, your friends, or your family for only $1.99!

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/605896/mimi-lee-gets-a-clue-by-jennifer-j-chow/

Left Coast Crime Recap

Tucson is beautiful. Something is wacky with the weather because I travelled from downcast Los Angeles to sunny Tucson and still returned to a rainy SoCal. Really, though, the hotel setting for Left Coast Crime (LCC) was so surreal and pretty!

Majestic mountains, fluffy floating clouds, and impressive cacti surrounded me! I even saw a cactus with a rose growing on it!

Of course, I didn’t go for the secluded location. I went to see people–and they didn’t disappoint either! It’s always great to find your group: writers & readers, for me. I met up with fellow Chicks on the Case bloggers, Crime Writers of Color friends, Sisters in Crime Siblings, and admired authors.

Here are a few tips I got from this conference go-around:

VOLUNTEER. It was amazing how many people I spotted while at the registration table–and I got to have some lovely chats.LAYER. Thank goodness I packed a jacket because it was nippy in the evenings. It would’ve helped more if I’d worn it. As it was, I had to trek back to my room to grab it.VENTURE. Preferably outdoors. Conferences are all indoors, and it’s nice to get that quiet space and breath of fresh air.EQUIP. Bring your own writing implement. I decided to use the hotel’s pens for jotting things down–and they kept dying on me.SCHEDULE. If there are really great people you want to chat with, reach out to them beforehand. That way, you actually end up connecting. (The exchanging of cell phones is also helpful for this.)

Overall, I had a wonderful time. Yay for LCC! Next up: Malice Domestic in April.

P.S. While I love blogging, I feel that I can’t keep up like I used to. I’m going to experiment with posting on a more sporadic basis (every other week? once a month?). This way, I get more writing done and some “me” time.

P.P.S. I’m still blogging at Chicks on the Case, so find me there! We have posts up on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Busy, Busy Bee

Hey all,

This week will be packed! Today, I’m off to celebrate the anniversary of The Bookish Hour podcast. Come join me!

It’ll be two nights of Mystery March Madness with great authors. I’m on for tonight:

March 14th stream: https://youtube.com/live/vVGTmYYzE4A
March 16th stream: https://youtube.com/live/9hi9pFuKnQ8

Also, I’m flying out to Tucson for Left Coast Crime soon! I’m nominated for a Lefty Award for Death By Bubble Tea, and I’ll be on two panels and busy with multiple activities.

Left Coast Crime
March 16-19, 2023
Lefty Humorous Nominees (Friday, 9am)
Animals (Saturday, 2:45pm)

Happy Pi Day to all!

Foodie Friday: Taro Mochi Bun

The first time I ever saw a taro plant was in Hawaii. I think I re-read the sign twice to check the name placard. I didn’t realize that the plant had such huge, broad leaves! I guess I mainly thought of taro as that nutty but sweet root vegetable.

In my life, I’ve heard ube and taro get swapped around a lot. But they’re different root vegetables. Ube is much sweeter and richer. While they both have dull brown exteriors, ube often has purple flesh. This vibrant color adds much pizzazz to drinks and sweets.

I recently had a taro mochi bun from my local bakery. The purple topping made me think it was actually made from ube, but who am I to argue with the label? It’s exactly as advertised: a soft bun with the gooeyness of mochi and a sugary root vegetable crust.

Whatever the pastry’s true name, it was delicious!

Book Review: Promophobia

5 stars

Genre: Non-fiction

Promophobia

An extensive collection of informative essays from Sisters in Crime members that really dive into book promotion, particularly for mystery writers. Filled with many tips and individual case studies, showcasing success…and failure.

An invaluable guide for authors who want insight into marketing their work.

Find more of my book ratings and reviews here.

Too Much To Read!

Before I became a writer, I was a reader. An avid one. I still love reading, but I’ve been in a bit of a slump lately. This could be because I’m reading (or trying to!) two non-fiction books, an advance reading copy, and another novel for fun. Maybe I need to concentrate on one book at a time? It feels like I’m stuck, and I really want to replenish my pile of Goodreads reviews.

Reading generally helps me gauge how I’m doing in life. If it’s been a good week, I get the down time to read. When I’m on vacation, the number of books read help me understand if I got a chance to truly relax.

Of course, there was that time when I was a judge for the Edgar Awards. Then I truly had boxes and boxes of books arriving on my doorstep! (And not much time to read them.)

This current lull feels more like it’s driven by busyness and a full schedule…

Do you have any tips on regaining my time so I can return to my reading cave?

Foodie Friday: Bò né

I’m a breakfast gal. Sometimes I’ll even swap another meal with breakfast. I mean, there’s brunch…and then there’s brinner, right?

I like a good fan tuan rice roll for breakfast, but recently I also tried Vietnamese Bò né. I didn’t know what the dish was, but it sounded cool.

Apparently, it’s steak and eggs done Vietnamese-style. Bò né means “dodging beef” because the steak comes out on a piping hot skillet–and you’d need to dodge the butter or oil. Of course, it’s been tastily seasoned with Vietnamese spices. It’s known as a fusion dish because it combines Vietnamese and French elements (including a side of crusty baguette).

It’s exactly what you think it’ll be–tender beef paired with fried eggs. Definitely a thumbs-up from me. A happy breakfast find (that you can eat at any time).

Share your recent foodie discoveries with me!

Agatha Award Nomination

I grew up on Agatha Christie–I mean, after I read stuff like Encyclopedia Brown and Nancy Drew. There was something transportive about puzzling out a mystery. The Queen of Crime was great at stumping me. Later on, as a writer, I appreciated her skill at varying scenarios and clues (unreliable narrator, anyone?).

My mom also loved Christie and was the one who first introduced me to her. That day, I wasn’t sure what to borrow at the library, and the beginning of the adult section was right behind me. Mom suggested looking under “C” for Christie.

I’ve been excited to have my published books sitting next to Agatha Christie’s on a shelf. (At an indie bookstore, they really were. Yay for alphabetical order!)

Now I have the even greater honor of being nominated for an Agatha Award! (The Agatha Awards celebrate traditional mysteries in the vein of works written by Agatha Christie.)

Death By Bubble Tea is a finalist in the Best Contemporary Novel category, and I really am floored. (I had to re-check and make sure they hadn’t made a mistake.)

Many thanks to Malice Domestic and everyone who nominated me! I’m with fine company in my category, including Chicks on the Case blogger Ellen Byron, and other talented authors: Annette Dashofy, Tina de Bellegarde, and Louise Penny.

Here is the full list of nominees, including those for Best First Novel and more…

Off to celebrate the good news with some boba!

Lefty Award Nomination!

Have you heard of Left Coast Crime? If you’re a crime fiction fan and live West-ish (western US, Canada…), you might know of it. This exciting conference for fans brings together readers and authors for a wonderful time of connection.

Every year, it changes locations. In 2023, it’ll be held in Tucson in March.

I’m really excited about LCC since my book, Death By Bubble Tea, has been nominated for a Lefty Award in the Best Humorous Mystery category. Find me listed next to Ellen Byron, my fab blogging pal at Chicks on the Case and also Toastmaster at the upcoming event.

Yay! Congrats to all the amazing nominees! I have quite a few friends on the full list and am happy for them all.

As a token of appreciation, I made this graphic to thank everyone who nominated my book. It really is an honor.

Also, I’ve never been to Tucson. I usually get stuck at the hotel during these conferences, but I promise to try and get some air and sunshine if you have any good recommendations. Share your suggestions below!