Book Club, News

Book Chat: My Fair Latte

There is nothing we Chicks like better than talking about books, and we think that’s true for you, too. So we decided a BOOK CLUB would be fun! Today, we’re talking about Vickie Fee’s new release, MY FAIR LATTE. We’ll kick off the discussion, then we’d love it if you’d join in. Ask questions about the book, or the process, or the research, or anything you’re curious about. We’re always trying to get our books in front of new readers, so invite a friend to visit with us by sharing this post madly in all your forums. The more, the merrier! (If you haven’t read the book yet, you can still participate–and don’t worry, there won’t be any spoilers!)  

CoverMyFairLatte

Broke, unemployed barista Halley Greer is shocked when she inherits an Art Deco movie palace from the great uncle she remembers meeting once as a child. She moves to the charming tourist town of Utopia Springs, Arkansas to claim her legacy.

In addition to the timeworn theater, she discovers she’s also inherited a trash-heaped apartment, family secrets, her uncle’s friends, a stealthy calico kitty—and an adversary.

With a whole latte help from her new friends, the feisty barista fixes up and re-opens the theater as a coffee and wine bar, showing classic films. She generates some steam with a hunky local—and risks getting burned. The opening night of My Fair Lady looks like a big hit, and her new life feels like a bit of movie magic, until a customer turns up dead during intermission.

With the cops eyeing her as a suspect, Halley digs into the victim’s life and runs into a tangle of blackmail and secrets. Can Halley and her friends unmask a killer before the curtain comes down for keeps?

Lisa Q. Mathews

CotC Word balloons

This book has so many of my most favorite things in it, all in one place: classic movies, cool retro theater, coffee, an awesome heroine and colorful supporting cast, and one of my favorite authors in the world: our very own Vickie Fee! So I have a question–I was going to ask something different, but I can’t help but wonder: Vickie, what would Halley have done if faced with the crisis situation we’re dealing with right now, especially with a business that’s new to her? Readers, what would YOU do? And, for the bonus round, what inspiring/uplifting/heroic/funny classic movies would Hallie (or you) recommend for us for the duration?

 

 Ellen Byron

Ellen

I loved the book! It’s such a fun read! Everything about it is great. The setting, the characters, the story.

Let’s see, a question…  Okay, here’s one. What are Halley’s favorite kinds of movies and why? Does it tie into her past at all? Is there a particular style and/or time period she connects to? If so, why?

 

Vickie Fee

vickieAs you might expect, I did a lot of research about coffee and baristas for this book. This research obsession means that hubs and I now use a burr grinder and French press instead of a standard coffee maker! Not as obvious, I also ended up doing a lot of research about Jesse James, something you’ll understand when you read the book — which I hope you’ll consider. I think it’s a fun read!

 

Cynthia Kuhn

cynthiaThis book is so fantastic–loved it, Vickie! You have such a great sense of humor and such engaging and delightful characters (not to mention a killer mystery). Congratulations! *applauding*

Here’s my question for readers: My Fair Latte is a charming and effective blend of mystery, humor, and a little romance…which of these elements were you most drawn to and why?

 

Leslie Karst

Leslie graphicI absolutely adored this book, Vickie (and not just because My Fair Lady has always been one of my favorite films). In particular, I love all the characters–not only your protagonist Halley, but also her quirky neighbors and all the others populating the charming tourist town of Utopia Springs.

So I have a question for you: Since your new book is a bit of a love letter to the world of movies, what actors would you choose to play the main characters in the film version of MY FAIR LATTE? (And they don’t have to be the correct age right now–or even still alive. You could pick Audrey Hepburn for Halley, if you wanted.)

Kathleen Valenti

Count me among the many who love this book! It has everything: fantastic characters, an engaging plot, a wonderful setting—and who can resist classic movies and coffee? (Not me, that’s for sure.)

I really enjoyed the unexpected turn that Halley’s life took when she inherited a movie theater from a great uncle she met only once (and as a child, at that). She talks about how becoming the owner of a movie theater is a dream she never remembered having–but came true nonetheless. (How beautiful is that?)

Chance has affected my life in many ways, most notably meeting my husband. READERS: Has fate or serendipity played a role in your life? How would you describe it?

Readers, if you’ve read MY FAIR LATTE, or any of Vickie’s books, or if you’re just curious about something, now is your chance to fire a question or thought at her in the comments section!

33 thoughts on “Book Chat: My Fair Latte”

  1. I was so enthusiastic about reading My Fair Latte that I ended up with two copies on my Kindle. Oh, well. I’m now well prepared for a read-a-thon.

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  2. Definitely a fun book with a great cast of supporting characters.

    And on the classic movie theme, I’m hoping to get a chance to rewatch It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World this weekend. It’s been too long.

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      1. It’s funny, but I always get that movie mixed up with Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. I think I saw them in a doubleheader during college.

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  3. Great questions, Lisa! Halley does face a series of crises in the book and she finds help and support from her friends. It would have been a lot tougher for her to get the theater in shape after vandalism or track a killer if social distancing was required. I’m glad she didn’t have to weather a pandemic!
    As to movies to watch during a crisis, Halley tells us she first fell in love with Abbott and Costello movies and to cheer herself at one point she turns on a Three Stooges marathon. I think those are both excellent choices during Covid-19, as well!

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    1. Gosh, I hadn’t thought about actual sleuthing in the era social distancing—but it’s an excellent cover for murder! Also, 3 Stooges is a great idea. I think they’re doing a marathon here on MeTV.

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  4. I was struck by the size of tiny Utopia Springs, but because it’s a tourist town it explodes to a half million visitors. My town isn’t quite that small, but we do have a summer festival and a Christmas festival that both draw enormous crowds to the downtown area here, which is just down the street from my house. If people haven’t been here before, they always say how cute our little downtown area is. That’s how I felt about Utopia Springs and wondered WHO ELSE WANTS TO LIVE THERE?? It seems like it has everything I’d like …. how ’bout you? Would you want to visit someplace like that? Or even live there?

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    1. Every time we’ve hubs and I have visited Eureka Springs (the real life inspiration for Utopia Springs), I’ve thought, “It would be cool to live here!”

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  5. Leslie, if I had the chance to cast Audrey Hepburn as Halley, I would! Halley would love that — who wouldn’t?! As far as her appearance, in my head Halley looks like actress Gemma Arterton ( as her usual brunette, not blonde as she was in the Bond movie.) I would’ve posted a picture of her here, but I couldn’t figure out how to do that in comments!

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  6. Thanks, Ellen! Halley mentions a love of Bogie and Bacall movies (my personal fave is The Big Sleep!) she also says she and her brother Josh enjoyed trading snappy dialogue quotes from movies. She shares one in particular I think you’d enjoy from The Women that’s funny — and brings the claws out!
    Do you guys have a fave Bogie and Bacall movie?

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    1. Leslie and Kathy, I agree Bogart and Bacall really sizzled in To Have and Have Not! I also love them together in the less well-known Dark Passage, which was shot in San Francisco!

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  8. I can’t pick a favorite but my husband and I stayed in a hotel room where Bogie and Bacall had once stayed (in Mystic, Connecticut)!! I kept trying to imagine if they had stood RIGHT here…or had drinks RIGHT there…ha.

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    1. Ellen, I’m so jealous! The closest I came was taking a photo in front of the building that served as Bacall’s apartment in Dark Passage! I’m guessing you didn’t steal any “souvenirs” from her apartment. I would’ve been sorely tempted to slip a martini glass in my purse!

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