KJ Dell’Antonia
kjdellantonia.com
Before We Began
KJ wrote and edited the Motherlode blog at the New York Times for many years and is the author of How to Be a Happier Parent. She is a journalist and a lawyer, but she yearned to have a career as a novelist. She knew her credentials would get her work seen by literary agents — but she also knew her work has to be good. She asked me to help her hone her story.
Even though KJ has a finished manuscript, we went back to the Blueprint and the foundational elements of her story to make sure they were solid, then worked on her revision.
What’s The Big Idea?
Three generations. Two chicken shacks. One recipe for disaster.
In tiny Merinac, Kansas, Chicken Mimi's and Chicken Frannie's have spent a century vying to serve up the best fried chicken in the state--and the legendary feud between their respective owners, the Moores and the Pogociellos, has lasted just as long. No one feels the impact more than thirty-five-year-old widow Amanda Moore, who grew up working for her mom at Mimi's before scandalously marrying Frank Pogociello and changing sides to work at Frannie's. Tired of being caught in the middle, Amanda sends an SOS to Food Wars, the reality TV restaurant competition that promises $100,000 to the winner. But in doing so, she launches both families out of the frying pan and directly into the fire. . .
The last thing Brooklyn-based organizational guru Mae Moore, Amanda's sister, wants is to go home to Kansas. But when her career implodes, helping the fading Mimi's look good on Food Wars becomes Mae's best chance to reclaim the limelight--even if doing so pits her against Amanda and Frannie's. Yet when family secrets become public knowledge, the sisters must choose: Will they fight with each other, or for their heritage?
The Outcome
KJ’s book pretty much won the lottery!
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK
"A charming, hilarious, feel-good story about the kind of bonds & rivalries only sisters can share. Also, a great present for your sister for the holidays!!"--Reese Witherspoon
In Her Own Words
“Working with Jennie changed my writing life. It wasn’t just the deadlines and the support, although those helped. Jennie taught me a new way to think about fiction--how to see a story arc, what belongs on the page, what questions to ask of my protagonists and scenes and most of all, how to work through a story all the way to the end, then look at it critically and figure out how to make it better. I maybe could have finished my first published novel (The Chicken Sisters) on my own. But it would have taken a lot longer. And it wouldn’t have been nearly as much fun.”
Listen to KJ talk about why pros need a coach — start at minute 16:58 if you want to go write to it! Click HERE.
What’s Next for KJ?
Coming 2023:
