Ill-Fated Fortune: A Magical Fortune Cookie Novel
by Jennifer J. Chow
About Ill-Fated Fortune
Ill-Fated Fortune: A Magical Fortune Cookie
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – California
Minotaur Books (February 20, 2024)
Mass Market Paperback : 320 pages
ISBN-10 : 1250323037
ISBN-13 : 978-1250323033
Digital ASIN : B0C1X7YG71
Felicity Jin grew up literally hanging onto Mom’s apron strings in their magical bakery in the quaint town of Pixie, California. Her mother’s enchanted baked goods, including puffy pineapple buns and creamy egg tarts, bring instant joy to all who consume them. Felicity has always been hesitant in the kitchen herself after many failed attempts, but a takeout meal gone wrong inspires her to craft some handmade fortune cookies.
They become so popular that Felicity runs out of generic fortunes and starts making her own personalized predictions. When one customer’s ill-fated fortune results in his murder, Felicity’s suspiciously specific fortune has the police focusing on her as the main culprit. Now Felicity must find a way to turn her luck around and get cleared from suspicion.
Guest Post
Bunnies on my Mind
By Jennifer J. Chow
Some of my favorite childhood books had animals in them. Although I liked all creatures, I was often drawn to one specific animal: the bunny. For example, I was fascinated by the tale of The Velveteen Rabbit. Could toys really come to life given the right amount of love? Shortly after reading that (and after some begging), I got my very own stuffed bunny. I also really enjoyed the Bunnicula novels for children and picked up the first book in the series because of the cute mystery within its pages. In Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery, the vegetables in the Monroe household begin turning white. Spoiler alert: In the end, it’s discovered that the titular bunny character has been sucking the juice out of the vegetables and draining them of color. That solution delighted my child’s heart.
As a youth, books weren’t my only connection to the rabbit world. My parents often urged me to eat carrots—just like Bugs Bunny, they claimed. They insisted that the vitamin A found in the vegetables would help with my vision. (Alas, genetics won, and I still got glasses.) Another bunny-related food I had as a kid was White Rabbit candy; the literal translation of its Chinese name is: “Big white rabbit milk candy.” These chewy candies were wrapped in vivid blue and orange waxy wrappers. What I loved most about these treats was the secret inside layer. After opening the outside wrapper, there was a thin rice paper wrapping around the candy that you could eat—I found that fascinating.
I wasn’t content with just books and sweets, though. I wanted a real bunny in my life. When I grew older and was deemed more responsible, my parents succumbed to my pleading. We owned a pet rabbit for a while (a Dutch rabbit with gray and white colors). I was reintroduced to bunnies recently when our neighbors fostered a few rabbits. Not gonna lie; when I saw those cuddly bunnies, it did make my heart yearn for a pet rabbit.
When I was thinking of a new series idea and writing a proposal to pitch to publishers, I realized that I should include a cast of recurring characters. Not only did I want to list the people involved in the books, I wanted to include any pets. What kind of an animal might my main character have? A bunny seemed perfect. Not only because of my childhood affection, but since the rabbit also has cultural significance to me.
If you remember correctly, the Chinese zodiac has twelve animals. The rabbit is considered to be in the fourth position of the twelve-year cycle of the different signs. Legend has it that there was a celestial race to determine the animals for the zodiac. The rabbit placed in the contest by its clever thinking and swift action, jumping on other animals’ backs to reach the finish line. The Chinese zodiac is based on the lunar calendar, and last year was actually the Year of the Rabbit. This year started on February 10, 2024, and is the Year of the Dragon. People born in the year of the rabbit are considered to be gentle, intelligent, and generous.
There’s also the story of the bunny in the moon in Chinese mythology. Instead of the man in the moon, people will point to the rabbit in the sky. It is said that the image of the bunny shows it holding a pestle; the rabbit is supposed to oversee the making of the elixir of immortality. The Moon Hare is also known as Jade Rabbit because of its fur, which is supposed to be a glowing jade-like white. (FYI, some tales have the bunny as companion to the moon goddess, Chang’e.)
Like the Moon Rabbit, I made Whiskers, the pet in my books, a white bunny. She has eyes the color of chocolate chips ( a great baking analogy). Whiskers is a non-speaking but wise animal. She literally descends from the moon to turn up at the doorstep of my protagonist’s home in Ill-Fated Fortune. Whiskers’ familiarity with magic helps my main character, Felicity, as she discovers and expands on her own magical talent.
Felicity is from a long line of magical bakers. All the Jins have the gift of providing charmed joy through their baked goods. They each also have their own unique recipe. Felicity discovers that she bakes custom magical fortune cookies which provide happiness. They also produce trouble—when the messages inside them start coming true, especially a suspiciously specific fortune about an ill-fated murder. In the Magical Fortune Cookie series, I’m glad I was able to write in magic, not only through enchanted food but an enchanting pet rabbit.
About Jennifer J. Chow
Jennifer J. Chow writes cozies filled with hope and heritage. She is an Agatha, Anthony, and Lefty Award-nominated author. Her newest series is the Magical Fortune Cookie mysteries; the first book is Ill-Fated Fortune. Jennifer’s previous series is the L.A. Night Market Mysteries. Death by Bubble Tea was reviewed by the New York Times, featured in Woman’s World, and hit the SoCal Indie Bestseller List. Jennifer currently serves as Immediate Past President on the board of Sisters in Crime and blogs at chicksonthecase.com. She is an active member of Crime Writers of Color and Mystery Writers of America. Connect with her online and sign up for her newsletter at JenniferJChow.com.
Author Links
Website www.jenniferjchow.com
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jenjchow/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JenJChow
BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jennifer-j-chow
Purchase Links – Amazon – Macmillian – Bookshop.org – B&N – Kobo
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