Spring Into Reading with Tales of the Hob-Nob Annex Cafe

Hello reader friends! Welcome to my Spring Into Reading Event! We’re in the last part of the event, and I have to be honest, I’m kind of sad. This week is it! I’ve had to much fun learning about new books, new authors, and growing my TBR list. Haven’t you!? Thank you all for joining me on this fun journey. I’m already planning one for next year 🙂

Today I’m pleased to have Jennifer Lynn Cary here talking about her novella, Tales of the Hob-Nob Annex Cafe. She has quite the interesting backstory, and she’s offering to give a copy away to one luck reader. This book releases tomorrow, May 12th!!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Made up stories, sort of, about a real true place.

Dick and Fran Goodell have a story to tell, more than one for that matter. Struggling author Jane Wilcox meets the couple while lost in the maze of her grandmother’s assisted living center and finds a gold mine of fun. Come with Jane as Dick and Fran take her on a trip through time to the 1950s and 60s with memorable tales of their café, The Hob Nob Annex.

Enjoyable, quirky and sweet, Tales of the Hob Nob Annex Cafe is a collection of memories and imaginings based on the author’s home town and parents’ restaurant. If you remember those days, you will love your visit to The Hob Nob Annex Cafe.

Amazon

GUEST POST

Hey all, my name is Jennifer Lynn Cary. I write Christian Historical fiction and I’m hanging out here to give you the behind the scenes info on my latest release—Tales of the Hob Nob Annex. The plan is for a May twelfth launch and, as I type, I’m not sure when you will read this post. But the story behind the story is still fun.

To understand, I must explain I’m a transplanted Hoosier—you can take the girl out of Indiana, but you can’t take the Hoosier out of the girl. Each year, my sibs and I return to our hometown of Kokomo for a cousins’ reunion. At the last one, talk turned to where I was in production for my trilogy The Crockett Chronicles to release. My cousin Linda suggested that I follow that up with a book about my dad’s restaurant, The Hob Nob Annex. He ran it for fifteen years in the 1950s-60s.

• 

• 

• 

Turns out it was an amazing idea. And it made me remember a lot of old stories my dad used to share. Finally, I came up with the title Tales of the Hob Nob Annex and started with the earliest tale, chronologically (I wasn’t born when this happened, by the way). It seems Colonel Harland Sanders got started on his quest of a franchise by traveling around in his old Caddie (he slept in the back when needed) and one day showed up at my dad’s restaurant. The deal was he would cook the chicken for one day to prove it was good (read finger-lickin’) and then my dad could decide if he wanted in on the franchise. Daddy said the chicken was great, but he wanted to retain control of what he served so he turned it down. Another restaurant owner in Kokomo, Darell Gillam, started the second franchise in the chain.

I didn’t think I could come up with a whole book on that alone, but it got me thinking of other stories. I remembered my dad running Libby’s Canning Factory cafeteria in the summers and meeting all the migrant workers. (Did you know that was where tomato juice was invented?) One man became good friends with my family. He eventually was able to bring his family to Kokomo. His wife Carmen made the first tamales I ever tasted—still think they were the best, too. That is who I inspired Jose Sanchez in the second tale. The real Jose was a foreman and his daughter Rosa was a year younger than me. Before he brought his family to the United States, she was my first pen pal.

For the third story I went with a vivid memory of my own—the Palm Sunday Tornado. The only problem was, I had to look up the date. It actually happened after my dad sold the restaurant. But, bottom line, I write fiction, so…That is why I say of the book, “Made up stories, sort of, about a real true place.” Oh, and the ride along in the third tale? It really happened. That is one sad thing that came from writing this story. My dad passed away in 1980. A few years ago, my sibs and I attended my uncle and aunt’s 65^th wedding anniversary party and I learned that one of the two officers in the ride along had also passed, Harold, but the other one, Bob, was still with us. We had a lovely time chatting. Fast forward to a few months ago when I was writing this book. I contacted my cousin for help in getting with Bob. He was the only one left who knew what happened on that ride along. She informed me Bob had passed only a couple weeks previous. So, what I wrote happened came from my imagination. But there was a ride along.

Many of the names in the book are of those people I remember and cherish—I’m sure most if not all are long gone. Some of the events really happened and many I either embellished or flat out made up, I confess. But the whole thing is a love story to my parents and to my hometown of Kokomo, Indiana. It was a great place to be a kid in the fifties and sixties. I hope you will enjoy the stories as much as I loved sharing them. One other thing, the book has a twist. Just saying.

If you follow me on Amazon at amazon.com/author/jenniferlynncary you can find out when Tales of the Hob Nob Annex is released as well as learn about my other books. You can also find me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/authorjenniferlynncary and on my website (where you can sign up for my newsletter and fun free stuff) at www.jenniferlynncary.com

Hope to see you soon!

Abundant blessings,

Jenny

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jennifer Lynn Cary is a direct descendant of Davy Crockett. Retired from teaching and a full-time grandmother, Jennifer and her husband make their home in Phoenix, Arizona.

Connect with Jennifer:

Website

Facebook

Amazon

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Do you like stories that are based on real life?