Welcome to SCBWI-MI's Book Birthday Blog!

Where we celebrate new books from Michigan's authors, illustrators and translators.

Congratulations to Kathleen Vincenz on the release of My Chicest Paris Mystery

How did you come up with the idea for your book?

The idea for My Chicest Paris Mystery came to me while I stood in line to visit the gargoyles atop Notre Dame in Paris (this was many years before the fire). I was so inspired to write her story that I plopped down on the sidewalk and scribbled a scene about her in my notebook.

It was easy to write about the Misty, an overexcited teen and her love of Paris, because I was an overexcited woman in Paris. I had planned so poorly for my trip that my credit cards didn’t work, I ran out of money, I got lost every day, and I was almost run over crossing a roundabout. But I loved every minute of it.

What is something you hope your readers will take away from your book?

That they must visit Paris. Sip a café and munch a pain au chocolat. Oh, and ride on a moped through the cobblestoned roads beside a cute guy with a scruffy beard or all alone. But more importantly, I hope they discover that everyone should live and dress the way that fits them and not to fit preconceived ideas. And that your relatives will love you for being you.

Your website mentions you are a technical writer. What inspired you to begin writing books for children?

When my three sons were young, we always had difficulty finding books they liked, especially nonfiction. I originally planned to write nonfiction for young people to use my technical writing background, but I was never able to express myself unless I spoke through a character.

Once, my uncle asked me to write the history of our Irish family. I attempted to write, “In 18something, Catherine Campbell crossed the Atlantic.” I couldn’t do it until I made my mother a character in her own stories. From that came Margie & Edna Mae The Christmas Surprise, the first in a series about my mother and her best friend living through the Great Depression.

But what fits with my technical writing background is the newsletter my son, Danny Vincenz, and I publish with a bit of history, science, and fun with our squirrel mascot, Larry. You can find it at:

https://www.squirrelsatthedoor.com/squirrels-at-the-door-magazine-2/

Our latest issue is about the jobs people performed with little or no safety equipment. It’s called, You Wore That to Do That?! It also includes a historic dress-up game with Larry the Squirrel that my son created. You can find it here:

https://mailchi.mp/e14ed3b17ce8/you-wore-that-to-do-that

What are your marketing plans for the book and where can we find it?

The book will be available on Amazon and other major booksellers on June 15. I’m planning a book signing at a local restaurant and promoting it through social media.

What's next for you?

More of the same. A new Margie & Edna Mae about their attempts to see a Shirley Temple movie. A sequel to Over the Falls in a Suitcase where the sisters have a new brother. Another short novel about a saint. And, of course, more issues of our newsletter.

More about the book . . .

Misty flies to Paris (sans her too-busy parents) to be a bridesmaid in what she’s sure will be the chicest of Parisian weddings. She brings a family necklace for her French cousin to wear on her wedding day. She also brings her dreams of transforming into a Parisian and gaining her relatives’ love. It won’t matter that she’s learned so little French. She’s “jan an apple” Misty.  

When she arrives, her relatives attempt to steal the necklace. Misty must keep it safe until she can solve its mystery—is it cheap costume jewelry or Marie Antoinette's like her relatives claim? More importantly, will she transform herself into a Parisian and be a bridesmaid? And what about that cute boy with the scruffy beard who keeps popping up?

Publisher: Squirrels at the Door Publishing

More about the author . . .

Kathleen Vincenz is the author of Over the Falls in a Suitcase, Margie & Edna Mae’s The Christmas Surprise, Papa and the Little Queen, and God’s Sparrows. She enjoys writing about family and faith with warmth and humor. She lives on a hill with her husband and many woodland friends.

https://www.squirrelsatthedoor.com/

https://www.instagram.com/kathyvincenz/

https://www.facebook.com/squirrelsatthedoor/