JENN McKINLAY: I am delighted to have our friend Jennifer J Chow back on Jungle Reds today! She pens one of my absolute favorite series and her latest STAR-CROSSED EGG TARTS looks to be another top-notch delightful mystery. If you're looking for a hint about the subject, check out the gorgeous picture below!
(Yes, it's WEDDINGS)!
Now here's Jen to tell us more about it!
JEN J CHOW: You look forward to the special day when you get to marry your beloved…and then something goes awry. I’ve definitely had that happen. My musicians called me the wee hours before my wedding and told me they were still at the airport…on standby. All the time I was prepping, I wondered if they’d make it on time (yes, they did!).
I also made trouble of my own at my cousin’s wedding. She’d failed to let me know she would be asking relatives to come up front and acknowledging them; as we took turns, I realized they were all giving her red envelopes. And I hadn’t brought any with me!
Other mishaps at weddings I’ve attended have been minor: the bride and groom showing up super late to the reception because of photo taking, last-minute flowers needing to be swapped in for the originals, and people stepping on each other’s toes while dancing.
A few atrocious cases I’ve read about online: a hostess carrying a cake, tripping, and falling face-first into it; a mother-of-the-bride saving money and doubling up on her daughter’s wedding, using it for vow renewals; and a very nervous groom vomiting all over his bride.
But the worst I can think of? Finding a dead body at the wedding. Hidden under the cake table, because of murder. Which is exactly what happens to my protagonist in Star-Crossed Egg Tarts.
What’s the worst thing you know of that’s happened at a wedding?
About the Book:
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?
https://read.macmillan.com/lp/star-crossed-egg-tarts-9781250323255/
Author Links:
https://jenniferjchow.com/
https://www.facebook.com/JenJChow
https://www.instagram.com/jenjchow/
Bio:
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. The first book in her Magical Fortune Cookie series, Ill-Fated Fortune, was highlighted in Book Riot, Criminal Element, and Woman’s World. 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.
Happy Book Birthday, Jen . . . "Star-Crossed Egg Tarts" sounds quite intriguing . . . .
ReplyDeleteOther than the bride being late to walk down the aisle, I don't know any wedding horror stories . . . .
Thank you, Joan! And the bride is never really late to her own wedding, right? ;)
DeleteI almost fainted when I was a bridesmaid and had to sit down. And some friends’ flowers never arrived so the bride had a gas station bouquet.
ReplyDeleteOh no! Hope you felt better later! A gas station bouquet is pretty creative!
DeleteJennifer, your new series sounds like fun. I'll begin with book #1. Please tell us a little more about Felicity's magic. Wedding disasters are rom-com magic, for sure!
ReplyDeleteWe arrived a few days early for my son's wedding in Portland, OR. The kids planned and paid for their own wedding, they didn't want my input or my guest list. We were staying in a big hotel downtown. The day of the wedding, my son called and asked if I could please pick up a bouquet for his soon-to-be wife. He told me the flowers she did not like. Otherwise...He asked his dad to please get ice. We complete our assignments and they got married. Last minute is not my style or my comfort zone.
Thanks, Judy! Felicity's family makes baked treats that are enchanted with joy, so they bring happiness to all who eat them. Felicity's signature recipe is fortune cookies, so when she handwrites magical, personalized messages for customers, she can actually peek into their future!
DeleteJen, congratulations on the new book! I clearly need to catch up on the first one. I love all the suspense and twists even in the blurb for the new one.
ReplyDeleteThe worst thing that happened at both my sons' weddings was that I had to be around my ex-husband. He of course reverted to type and was insulting to me, but at least not IN the ceremony.
Also, you have the BEST head shot, and if that's your wedding photo, it's gorgeous. ;^)
DeleteJen, congratulations on your new novel and your photos are gorgeous. That was a beautiful wedding gown.
DeleteEdith, I am so sorry that your ex husband reverted to type but at least not IN the ceremony, small blessings.
DeleteEek, I'm so sorry about the tough time at your sons' weddings, Edith. (The wedding in my book has some awkward parental relationships as well.) And I just redid my head shots, so I'm glad you like it! Plus, that is my wedding photo. :)
DeleteJEN: Yay, congratulations on your new book! I love eating egg tarts but have never eaten any magical ones yet ;-)
ReplyDeleteNo weird happenings at any weddings i have been attended.
Ah, you have a peaceful life, Grace. Wait, aren't all egg tarts magical--or at least, magically tasty?
DeleteSounds like a terrific book, Jen! The worst wedding disaster I knew of was the restaurant where the dinner was to be held, shut down by the board of health the morning of the wedding. They had a lovely cake and punch reception at the church hall, so the day was saved. Another friend lost their big beautiful wedding cake when the table it was placed on collapsed. No way to save any of that. But - pictures were taken beforehand so at least they had those.
ReplyDeleteOh, that's too bad about those disasters, Judi. I know I wouldn't want any food-related ones! That's a huge draw of weddings to me... P.S. We had a traditional ten-course Chinese banquet.
DeleteJen, thanks! I feel like there's several people I'd like to stab and/or poison today, so now I can at least do it vicariously! Will be seeking out book 1 and Star-Crossed Egg Tarts asap. My personal mishap was forgetting my fancy shoes when I was the maid of honor at my sister's wedding. Luckily my dress was long enough and the bride so beautiful that no one noticed my brown street shoes. I'm sure there were plenty of stories like my nephew's--wedding all planned, friends planning to fly in, then the COVID lockdown. Quick reset to intimate wedding--immediate family only, masked, and socially distanced at the venue, then months later, big happy outdoor party with cake and all the trimmings and music!
ReplyDeleteOof about the shoes, Flora. But those street shoes were probably more sturdy and comfortable!
DeleteAh, COVID. My dad actually got remarried right before the pandemic and then was planning on a nice reception with family and friends in 2020. They ended up postponing it a few years later!
Jen, congratulations on the new book! I can't remember any truly horrible things happening at any wedding I've attended. Maybe I blocked out the memory. LOL
ReplyDeleteHaha! Maybe you're the good luck charm at weddings, Liz!
DeleteYour series sounds like great fun, Jen--I love magic in books! I also didn't know that egg tarts were part of Chinese cuisine; I've only had Portuguese pastel de nata, which I love. I'll have to remedy that!
ReplyDeleteMy own wedding was almost a disaster, but my father saved the day. In the days before friends were allowed to officiate at weddings, my husband and I decided to be married by a local magistrate (local to the town where my parents lived; I lived in Berkeley, CA, and my husband in Switzerland). I set the date based on when the magistrate was free and could come to my parents' home to perform the ceremony. Many airplane tickets were bought from Switzerland and around the US to the airport nearest to my parents' tiny North Carolina town. Two weeks before the wedding, I called the magistrate to ask about meeting him before the wedding, and he told me he was busy on that date (it was obvious he'd forgotten all about it.) Panic! In desperation, I decided we'd have to have a church wedding, but my parents didn't attend a church in town. So my father asked the chaplain at the local hospital (whom he knew slightly) if he'd come to our house and perform the ceremony. The dear man agreed to do it, meeting with my husband-to-be and me beforehand and doing a great job on the day. I will forever be grateful to him--and my father.
(Egg tarts are big in Hong Kong, where they spun off from the British version. But I do love Portuguese ones as well!) As for your wedding, I'm so glad that kind chaplain came through for you!
DeleteJen, welcome! And congratulations, your books are always so much fun! Wedding disasters… Well, At one of my weddings :-) we decided we didn’t need flowers, and then at the last minute we realized we did! So we all ran to the farmers market and bought 100 daisies. Most of which I carried tied with a big white satin ribbon. They were absolutely beautiful. And another of my weddings :-) I had a very snazzy florist. Making up for the first wedding :-) but the flowers that came on my wedding day were just… Drab. All dark purple and dark red and just so somber. I decided not to care, because there’s no reason to have a tantrum over the flowers, and everything was fine, but later at the reception, the florist actually apologized… He said I’m sorry about the flowers. I was really hung over when I made the arrangements.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the warm welcome, Hank! This just goes to show that sometimes you don't need fancy florists to have beautiful bouquets. I have friends who go over to the Flower District here and make their own. But it must have been disappointing for you in the moment--I'm glad your florist apologized!
DeleteIn retrospect, hilarious! And a good reminder of what really matters! Xxxxx
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ReplyDeleteIs your oldest daughter like her Father?
DeleteHow is that relevant?
DeleteJust curious, no disrespect intended. Your descriptions of her seem very different from your wonderful personality.
DeleteCongratulations on the new book.
ReplyDeleteIn my personal experience, there are only a few small mishaps. When one of my husband's brothers was marrying for the second time, his pre-teen daughter from the first marriage forgot her shoes. Relations with the ex were bad enough that going to her house to pick them up was deemed an unacceptable risk, so a brother-in-law and I were dispatched to the store to buy a substitute pair. (Thank goodness they came from a major retailer!) Someone I worked with had a blizzard occur on the day of a scheduled wedding, making the reception hall and caterer unable to perform. But many out-of-state guests had already arrived and they wanted to proceed with just a small ceremony -- so they bought food from the catering area of a major grocery and had a small, spontaneously planned reception at the church.
Love how everyone was so creative in getting substitutes on both occasions! And kudos to you for saving the day for the girl who forgot her shoes!
DeleteThe wedding (and a funeral) mishaps I’ve been privy to all seem to involve shoes. At my sibling’s wedding my nephew arrived with new shoes in the box only to find two lefts and no right. He wore them anyway. His brother, a pallbearer, arrived at my grandma’s funeral with no shoes to go with his Marine dress blues. Luckily there was an Air Force base about an hour away where he could get some. Last year one of the groomsmen in our neighbor boy’s wedding left his shoes at home. He wore our son’s shoes for the photos until someone else could bring his shoes. The wedding was in an outdoor chapel out in the middle of nowhere.
ReplyDeleteFor my own wedding I had the proper footwear, but going up the steps to the altar I stepped on the underneath layer of my dress and with one hand holding the bouquet and the other on my soon to be wedded husband’s arm, I was stuck. Luckily, he stopped before he totally dragged me on up the steps and I was able to get it sorted out.
Looking forward to seeing how that dead body at the wedding in your book gets sorted out.
The shoe mishaps I'm reading about in the comments! Glad that everything worked out in the end with all these scenarios, Brenda!
DeleteAs an altar guild member, assisting at weddings:
ReplyDeleteI've had bridal party forget the license. I was moving all the organist's music back to the left side of the console so he could play everything again. Service took place some 30 minutes later.
A bride didn't want "church" flowers and hired a floral designer. Flowers arrived for rehearsal, the day before the service and the bride freaking out because she thinks they are dead. Blue iris in ivy balls don't work in dark rooms and our church has a dark redwood interior.
Guest collapses during a very long service on an extremely hot day. 911 called. She refuses to leave. We had to call them again before the service ended.
My brother had a radio earpiece during our sister's wedding so he could listen the football game. Our team was in the playoffs that year.
So weird--I'm pretty sure I tried to comment on this before, but let me try again! It sounds like you've got a lot of interesting stories, Deana! And that license is no joke; that was the only thing I made sure we had with us, so we could actually be married.
DeleteOne incident that comes to mind involved my husband's co-worker whose enthusiasm and excitement over planning her big wedding became daily routine she shared with everyone in the office. Every detail...Color choices, flower selections, menu preferences.. were part of her standard conversation to the point where others in the office began to wonder if her hubby to be was on board with such a huge event. Apparently he was not. On the day of the wedding, as everyone was gathered in the church waiting for the ceremony to begin that was not to be, the priest announced its cancellation. It was a classic case of the "Runaway Groom." The baffled guests had no idea what to do next...carry on to the reception anyway? The menu had already been prepared. Meanwhile the groom had shown up at the bride's home to announce his decision not to get married that day. It turned out that all that planning and the choice of having a large wedding was strictly the bride's idea...her dream wedding as she called it...but it was unfortunately out of the groom's comfort zone. He repeatedly kept telling her that he wanted no part of the flash and glamour of a huge affair and preferred a more intimate and personal wedding with just family and a few close friends in attendance. She, however, continued to pursue her dream of a large wedding and his words fell on deaf ears. There was no room for compromise and it resulted in the groom not showing up on their wedding day. However, love and compromise eventually won out and the couple successfully reunited and planned a scaled down service together. They remained happily married and in love for nearly 50 years before the bride sadly passed away two years ago.
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting story Evelyn.
DeleteWhoa, I'm so glad that they ended up compromising and eventually doing an event they both enjoyed. I guess it was a huge lesson in learning how to communicate!
DeleteVenting my feelings here. I decided to let it go and I made my feelings clear to my family about what happened at a family wedding. Now they know how I feel and I can move on.
ReplyDeleteThe worst thing that happened at a wedding was to me. It was a case of gaslighting. It feels like gaslighting because while I feel like the push was on purpose, everyone insists that it was an accident. I made it clear to my family that I never want to see these brats again. The brother was distant at the wedding but he could be cruel at other family events. He only acts up around his mother. Luckily, the men’s parents are divorced and the mother was NOT at the wedding. One relative said that I really am not comfortable around them, That’s right.
Explain to me how it is an accident with too many facts showing it was intentional.
. This distant relative is a sneak who made sure there were no witnesses. I was alone when it happened. When I mentioned the incident to relatives after the wedding, everyone really thought it was an accident. Even if it was an accident, he could have apologized. I did not want to ruin the wedding so I did not say anything to my family until AFTER it happened.
The incident: I was standing when I felt a sharp push on my back and there was NO ONE around me! When I looked around after the shove, it was a relative who was running to the stage where the ceremony was going to be held. The over 30 year old misogynist looked at me and smirked, laughing as if he thought he got away with this. I decided that I am not going to let him get away with this,. He got the message from his crazy mother that it was okay to behave that way to me and other people. And I was not going to spoil the wedding for the couple. I did not say anything at the wedding except about wanting photos only with women. I did say something weeks after the wedding.
When I mentioned this to one of the bridesmaids a month later, she said she cannot believe he did that on purpose. Everyone really thought it was an accident. Even if it was an accident, he could have apologized. The bridesmaid said he could have apologized. The bridesmaid said she knows it must have been hard. Not to say anything at the wedding.
However I did do a few things. I told one of the bridesmaids that I wanted to have a photo with women only. When it was time to have formal photos taken, I stood far away from the brat, his bratty brother and his father. At dinner, I was assigned to sit with the horrids and I sat at another table, I made sure I always had a friend with me. And I took photos of people who were kind to me at the wedding, Almost no photos of the horrids and their father.
My theory is he DID NOT WANT TO BE THERE. Lots of material for a murder mystery like the murder of these horrid men.
perhaps you could file a lawsuit against these men and their mother for the way they treated you, Anon!
DeleteThat is definitely fodder for a mystery story. But I'm so sorry about what happened to you. Nobody deserves to be shoved at a celebration, and I can't believe he didn't at least offer an apology. Glad, though, that you took the high road and maintained a happy atmosphere for the couple and kept yourself safe at the same time.
Deletethank you!
DeleteNo horror stories but my guilty pleasure is reading about them on Charlotte Dobre's Am I the a-hole. Can't believe all the bridezillas and crazy moms.
ReplyDeleteWe attended a wedding where the bride kept swaying up at the altar. It turns out her husband to be was standing on her veil and she couldn't straighten up. He was absolutely rigid and locked into place, too terrified to move.
Yes to reading about them! Oh, that's funny about the swaying--I was wondering what the reason for that would've been...
DeleteThank you so much for visiting us today, Jen. I can't wait to read Star-Crossed Egg Tart!!! Your work is always just delightfully smart and fun.
ReplyDeleteYay! Thank you for the kind compliment--and for hosting!
DeleteSo happy to have you here on Jungle Red, Jen. Yes, weddings are fraught. I'm remembering a wedding where the priest couldn't remember the names of the bride and groom. I'm happy to say that my daughter's wedding went off without a hitch with everyone behaving themselves... more or less.
ReplyDeleteWhoops! Maybe we should all wear name tags at weddings! (That would probably also be helpful for remembering all the extended family and friends.)
DeleteHappy Book Birthday, Jen! My copy is arriving on Friday - can't wait to read it!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Mary! And happy your copy will be arriving soon!
DeleteMy brother-in-law, husband of my oldest sister, was somewhat of an amateur photographer. He actually took great pictures, so in a nod to family relationships and all that, I asked said brother-in-law to take the pictures of my wedding. My mother and I weren't completely without a back-up plan. We hired the local professional photography studio to take the official picture of my husband and me. My brother-in-law did get some pictures, about two dozen candid shots, but the only picture at the alter where the vows were said was by the professional photographer and no pictures of the wedding party together. So, use my experience as a cautionary tale about hiring family members to do important jobs at your wedding, unless, of course, they are professionals.
ReplyDeleteGood idea to have back up
DeleteHuh, so interesting. My brother-in-law also took photos at our wedding. Actually, I appreciated his candid shots. And he was better than my professional photographer at identifying who were actually relatives versus friends of ours!
DeleteJennifer, I recall there was a photographer like your brother in law who took candid photos and the bridal couple appreciated them for the same reason as you did!
DeleteWhen my son got married, we kept waiting and waiting for the organist to switch into the wedding march. But she just kept playing! We found out later that the minister hadn't shown up but fortunately the bride's mother knew that one of the guests was a judge with marrying abilities so she tapped him, threw a choir robe on him and he performed the ceremony! The minister had apparently gotten the wrong date in his calendar!
ReplyDeleteOh my! Definitely need to triple-check that calendar! But I'm glad your guest was ready to go and marry the couple!
Delete