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The Metropolitan Affair was born out of three separate strands of inspiration woven together to create the right characters, plot, and setting, each of them inextricably linked with the other two. For the protagonist, Dr. Lauren Westlake, I was inspired by the first professionally trained female Egyptologist in America. The brilliant and humble Caroline Ransom Williams served as assistant curator in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Egyptian department in the early years. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, photo taken 2021 I set my novel a little later than Caroline’s time so I could also take advantage of two things: Prohibition-era Manhattan, and the Egyptomania sweeping the world after the discovery of King Tut’s tomb. The plot involving the hunt for a forger of Egyptian antiquities is linked to the art world during Prohibition, and to the craze for all things Egypt, also known as King Tut Fever. Since this is the least-known aspect of my historical setting, let’s dive into that a little deeper. People were interested in Egyptian discoveries before King Tut, but after his tomb was discovered in November 1922, and the inner rooms entered in February 1923, it really took over popular culture. All kinds of companies tried branding themselves Egyptian to cash in on the craze, including cigarettes, talcum powder, lemons and other produce, and even dish soap. An advertisement for Palmolive dish soap pictures a painted coffin and a young woman mostly unwrapped, standing in the bottom of the coffin. The subtitle is “Re-Incarnation of Beauty.” The main advertising text reads: “Just as the Egyptian Princess of 3,000 years ago bequeathed a heritage of beauty to the modern girl, so did she also hand down knowledge of the surest way to keep it. She knew that Palm and Olive oils were mild, beneficial, natural cleansers, as soothing in their action as a lotion. A crude combination was all she could command—today she would use Palmolive.” Young people danced the King Tut Fox Trot, and popular songs included: Egyptian-Ella; There’s Egypt in Your Dreamy Eyes; Moonlight on the Nile; The Sheik of Araby; Mystic Nile; Cleopatra had a Jazz Band; Mummy Mine; and Lady of the Nile. You may notice from the image above that popular culture wasn't all that concerned with the fact that King Tut was an adolescent when he died. The discovery of King Tut’s tomb and its contents gave fresh inspiration for Art Deco design in architecture, jewelry, housewares, and clothing. Color trends in women’s fashion took full advantage of King Tut Fever by naming their colors with Egyptian flare. Just a few examples from the 1923 fall season include: Antique Bronze, Amulet, Turquoise Green, Old Cedar, Sphinx, Eucalyptus, Papyrus, Cartouche, Mummy Brown, Egyptian Green, Carnelian, Egyptian Red, Blue Lotus, Luxor, and Beetle. It’s no wonder I decided to set my art forgery story in such a fascinating time and place. So what do you get when you combine one NYPD detective during Prohibition Manhattan, Egyptomia, and one curator for The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1925? The Metropolitan Affair, of course!   Did anything in this blog post surprise you? *Please note: I moderate comments to filter out spam. So if your comment doesn't show up right away, rest assured, I'll approve it soon. Thanks!  

Do you ever wonder about the people novels are dedicated to? Please, allow me to share why The Metropolitan Affair is dedicated “To Mindelynn, Of course.” Mindelynn and I went to college together, but we weren’t really friends until after we’d graduated and found ourselves both working in Washington, D.C. She is the friend who approached me in the prayer chapel the day after the terrorist attacks of 9/11/2001 rocked our world. If you’ve read my blog post “Joy Comes in the Morning: My 9/11 Story,” you’ve already met Mindelynn, you maybe just didn’t know her name. After we reconnected that fall, we did all kinds of traveling and historical tourism together. She was the first person I went to New York City with, and my buddy who came with me to The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (See the photo I snapped from my old scrapbook below—that’s us on top of the museum, roughly 20 years ago. 20 years!! How are we this old that I can say such a thing!) The Met rooftop, spring/summer 2002 The Met rooftop, August 2021 Time passed. We both moved away from D.C. and started our families and separate careers. But when I told her I’d be coming to NYC to research for a novel set at The Met, she volunteered to be my travel guide and on-site research assistant. The first time we hit the City, it was in the wake of those terrorist attacks. This time, it was during a global pandemic. (So yes, in between smiling for the camera, our masks went back in place.) Mindelynn’s enthusiasm and support is a tonic. We went to The Met again, but that’s not all. We packed in so many museums and historical societies, hiked through Central Park, combed through research books at the New York Public Library... She was such a trooper! She hailed every cab, made every restaurant reservation, did all the navigating so I could use every brain cell I had for research and thinking about the books I’m writing set in Manhattan. We had tea at The Plaza (research, I swear!), and at The Strand, NYC’s oldest bookstore, she located a copy of one of my novels and staged a book signing with another friend so I could say I signed books at The Strand. (Now you know. It was a very small affair.) Mindelynn’s friendship has always been a gift. But this weekend in New York City together was one of unimaginable proportions. She even allowed me to draw inspiration from her grandmother, Anita, in forming the character of Lauren’s assistant in the novel. And I don’t even know how many copies of the book she has pre-ordered for family and friends, knowing her grandmother is represented in the story. It’s more than I’ve ever pre-ordered of any book, I know that. So now you know why this book could only be dedicated to one person: To Mindelynn. Of course. The Plaza, August 2021  

Join us on Saturday, September 2, at Chicago’s historic Palmer House Hilton Hotel for a tasteful evening with tea and talk of books, writing, history, and the power of story. Emceed by Chris Jager of Baker Book House, seven novelists will share what inspires them, tales from the research files, what they’ve learned on the journey, and their hope for readers. Meet and hear from bestselling and award-winning authors: LYNN AUSTIN, whose titles include Long Way Home, Chasing Shadows, and If I Were You. Connect with her at LynnAustin.org. AMANDA BARRATT, whose titles include Within These Walls of Sorrow, The White Rose Resists, and My Dearest Dietrich. Connect with her at AmandaBarratt.net. KATE BRESLIN, whose titles include In Love’s Time, As Dawn Breaks, and Far Side of the Sea. Connect with her at KateBreslin.com. SUSIE FINKBEINER, whose titles include The All-American, The Nature of Small Birds, and All Manner of Things. Connect with her at SusieFinkbeiner.com. LAURA FRANTZ, whose titles include The Rose and the Thistle, A Heart Adrift, and Tidewater Bride. Connect with her at LauraFrantz.net. JOCELYN GREEN, whose titles include The Metropolitan Affair, The Windy City Saga series, and The Mark of the King. Connect with her at JocelynGreen.com. JOANNA DAVIDSON POLITANO, whose titles include The Lost Melody, A Midnight Dance, and The Love Note. Connect with her at JDPStories.com. Doors open at 6:30pm for tea, mingling, and book shopping! The evening will include small group time with each author, a panel discussion with all seven, and the opportunity to purchase books from Baker Book House. Have your books signed by the authors before you go! Every reader will receive a swag bag with a retail value of more than $30. *The Palmer House Hotel lobby is pictured below.  To see how last year's Novel-Tea Evening went, visit this blog post. The photo below is from that event, which was held in the same location. Tickets Limited number of tickets available. If you register for the Windy City Saga Tour, indicate that you'd like a ticket on that form. Otherwise, tickets to the Novel-Tea Evening with the Authors are available to the public for purchase through Eventbrite here. If you were to attend this event, what question would you like to ask these authors? *Please note that I moderate comments to keep spam out. If you don't see your comment appear right away, never fear. I'll approve it as soon as I can. Thanks!

I hosted 20 wonderful readers in the great city of Chicago for a World's Fair Christmas weekend Dec. 8-11. The weekend centered around the 1893 World's Fair as the setting for my novel, Shadows of the White City. My husband Rob (pictured at left) came with me this time to act as my right-hand man, although he preferred the term "henchman." His help allowed me to feel like I could be in two places at once, but of course we always like to be in the same place, too! Readers came from Florida, California, Colorado, Tennessee, and places in between. Here's what one participant had to say at the end of our weekend together: As a person who grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, I have been to the city many, many times, but even so, I enjoyed the atmosphere of being in the Loop at Christmas with all the beautiful decorations and lights. I am amazed how much I learned about the city, the World's Fair, Marshall Field's store, and the Palmer family, and I visited places I had never been to before, such as the Glessner House, the Marquette Building, Prairie Avenue, and the Midway. It wasn't necessary to have read the book in order to enjoy the weekend, but because I had read the book, I had a better understanding of the history that was shared in our tours and by the interpreters. For me it was both a learning experience and a nostalgic visit to familiar and loved places. ~Marcia Here's another perspective from a reader in our group: The Chicago World’s Fair Christmas exceeded my expectations!  I love history and historical fiction, so it was a natural fit for me, but my husband, who is primarily an action/adventure reader really enjoyed the trip too.  He read Shadows of the White City before the trip, but I think that anyone who enjoys learning about history, or the history of a city would enjoy this trip.  Many of our excursions had tie-ins to Jocelyn’s book, but visiting and learning about Chicago’s beautiful and historical buildings and dwellings would be of general interest to non-readers too.  I’ve visited Chicago before and seen several of the main tourist attractions, but everything on this tour (except Macy’s) was new to me.  The Jane Addams and Bertha Palmer historical interpretors were very informative and taught me a lot about those ladies’ lives and contributions as well as more about the history of Chicago.  Bill, our Glessner House guide, and Kevin of Wild Onion Walks were both very knowledgeable in their areas of expertise and kept us informed and entertained.  This trip was a visual feast with the many beautiful buildings and their amazing architecture and artwork, and Christmas decorations on top of that!  Chicago has a dangerous reputation, but most of our time was spent in and around the Palmer House and other historic areas accompanied by our group and drivers/guides, and I never felt uneasy.  I also appreciated having some free time to either rest or spend time in areas of personal interest.  All in all, a very enjoyable experience and we would go again. ~Elaine The pictures below are just a few of the highlights from our trip. We had a wonderful time! We stayed at the historic Palmer House hotel, which is featured in Shadows of the White City. It's always a treat to stay here, but it's extra special during the holiday season! In fact, we happened to arrive on National Brownie Day (Dec. 8) which the hotel celebrated since the brownie was invented in the Palmer House kitchen in 1893! Just inside the Monroe Street entrance Palmer House hotel lobby After our welcome meeting in the hotel, we hopped on a shuttle which took us to the Praire Avenue historic district. There, we enjoyed a one-hour private tour of the Glessner House, one of Chicago's gilded age mansions. Bill Tyre, executive director, shares with our group in the front hall. The library is one of my favorite rooms in the house. After our tour of the mansion, we enjoyed a hot buffet in the conservatory! There was plenty of food, and it was all so good. During coffee and dessert, I shared a little bit about the World's Fair. Every table had sets of laminated cards to flip through while I spoke.  Friday morning began with a Bring Your Own Coffee Book Club in one of the meeting rooms in the hotel. It flew by! I love having the chance to chat with readers and answer questions in person. After book club, we had a visit with Jane Addams! Actress Betsey Means of WomanLore gave our group a private performance which I don't think any of us will forget. A highlight of the weekend. My first photo with a Nobel Peace Prize winner! :)  Next, we walked over to Macy's with Kevin of Wild Onion Walks for a historic tour of the department store that was Marshall Field's for so long. Truly a Chicago institution. The tour ended on the seventh floor, where we enjoyed lunch in the Walnut Room. The tree is suspended from the ceiling with a cable/wire, so the weight doesn't damage the Tiffany ceiling from beneath the floor. Christy and Lynn at the Walnut Room After lunch was free time for the rest of the day! Christkindlmarket in Daley Plaza is only about a block away from Macy's, so that was a popular stop for several in our group. In the evening, some attended A Christmas Carol at the Goodman Theatre about half a mile from our hotel.  Saturday was another eventful day! It began with a city tour led by Kevin again. Our first stop was The Marquette Building, completed in 1895. Marquette was a French missionary and explorer, the first European to discover the Chicago River.  The outside of the building tells a story in four panels. Only the first two are pictured here. Inside, gorgeous Tiffany mosaic murals depict Chicago's early history. Another important visit was 2nd Presbyterian Church, which has National Landmark status for the nine Tiffany windows in its sanctuary.     Bill Tyre, who gave us a tour of the Glessner House, is also on the board at 2nd Presbyterian and explained what we were seeing in the church, as well. The chancel was being restored during our visit, but it didn't affect our ability to see the windows.  Those chandeliers were designed to look like crowns. At the end of our morning tour, some were dropped off to visit the Museum of Science and Industry, which is one of only two buildings still here that were built for the 1893 World's Fair. The rest of us scattered for a variety of activities! Some went for deep-dish pizza, and some went to Portillo's for a Chicago hot dog or Italian beef sandwich, pictured below. After lunch, everyone did whatever they wanted for the afternoon! Several visited the Driehaus Museum on the north side. Spectacular place! Several from our group attended the Nutcracker, which was set at the 1893 World's Fair! After everyone found dinner on their own from a wealth of options, we met again at the hotel for our final event. In the Crystal Room, we had a private performance by Dr. Leslie Goddard, who portrayed for us Bertha Palmer, wife of the man who built the Palmer House hotel. Both Mr. and Mrs. Palmer did much more than operate the hotel, though, and we enjoyed learning all about it. The performance was set as though we were in the year 1893. Our group of intrepid travelers, with Bertha Palmer in the middle of the back row!  For more pics, see my Facebook album here. This was the second tour I've led in Chicago. The first one, held in April, covered all three books in The Windy City Saga, including historic milestones in the city's history such as the Great Fire of 1871, the 1893 World's Fair, and the 1915 Eastland Disaster. (See my report on that trip here.) This December weekend was so much fun, I'm optimistic I'll offer another Christmas trip in the future. But if you're more of a warm weather traveler, save these dates! The next Windy City Saga Tour will be August 31 - Sept. 3, 2023! These weekends are such unique experiences. I'm looking forward to the next one already! Have you been to any of the places mentioned in this blog post? Or, which of these places or experiences do you think you would enjoy?

Happy Christmas shopping season! Some of you may remember that last year for Christmas, I offered Read-Along Gift Boxes for Veiled in Smoke and Shadows of the White City. What fun! Each box had between six and eight gifts related to the stories, which I personally wrapped and packaged. I had a blast curating those boxes and pulling them together! But it was pretty time-consuming, and you all had no idea what you were getting when you purchased them, so it wouldn’t ruin the surprises. You had trust me, and you did. I sold out of those boxes. Amazing! This year, I’m taking a different approach to bookish holiday gift ideas. You see what you get, and you order a la carte from my new Etsy shop. I’ve partnered with Storiarts to custom-create four different products related to all three books in The Windy City Saga. And just like last year, these are limited edition. That means I only ordered 50 of each item, and once they are gone, they’re gone. I do not plan to re-order them. So don’t wait! I’m also offering a few other gifts, all of which are available to browse in my Etsy shop. Everything in the shop is 20% off for the month of November when you use the promo code EARLYBIRD20, or when you just shop directly from this link. Plus, everyone who orders this month will receive a free bookstack sticker, pictured at right. Here’s is a gift guide to give you some ideas of how to put together your own bookish gift bundles inspired by this award-winning series. Every item is in the Etsy shop unless linked elsewhere. Shop for your loved one or for yourself! Veiled in Smoke: A Novel of the Great Fire of Chicago The book. The book is available in ebook, paperback, and audiobook formats. For the paperback, try your local bookstore first. If you don’t have one, consider BakerBookHouse.com for 30% off and free shipping. Also available at BarnesandNoble.com, ChristianBook.com, Amazon, and Kobo. Personalization. If you have the paperback, add a personalized, signed bookplate. (Pretty please, when you order, let me know who you want the bookplate to be signed to. If you're ordering from a computer, you'll see a personalization field you can fill in. If you're ordering from a phone, you may not see that field, so you'd have to send me a message with that info.) Or, if you really want to have the book itself signed, you can order that from Etsy, too. The Veiled in Smoke tote bag. Oh, you guys, I love this bag so much! It has text from Chapter One on one side, text from Chapter Six (when the Great Fire is raging) on the other side, original artwork on both sides, and the side panels are designed to look like a book spine. It’s really sturdy and versatile. Check out dimensions and details on Etsy. Water bottle/laptop decal stickers. The main characters of Veiled in Smoke are bookstore owners, and they love classic literature. So choose from a couple of stickers featuring quotes from Charlotte Bronte or Louisa May Alcott. Shadows of the White City: A Novel of the 1893 World’s Fair The book. Again, try your local bookstore first. If you don’t have one, try BakerBookHouse.com for 30% off and free shipping. Also available at BarnesandNoble.com, ChristianBook.com, Amazon, and Kobo. Personalization. If you have the paperback, add a personalized, signed bookplate. (Just let me know who you want the bookplate to be signed to.) Or, order the signed book from my Etsy shop. Shadows of the White City writing/reading gloves. Keep hands warm and cozy while writing or reading this winter! Features text from the novel and original artwork of Kristof’s violin. Stickers! In honor of the protagonist, Sylvie, who is an introvert who loves to read and facilitate book clubs in her bookstore, we have two water bottle/laptop decal stickers to choose from. Which one describes you best? Drawn by the Current: A Novel of the Eastland Disaster The book. I’ve saved the best deal for last because right now, and until Nov. 28, BakerBookHouse.com is offering the paperback for 50% off and free shipping while supplies last. This novel is a Christy Award finalist in historical fiction this year. (Also available at BarnesandNoble, ChristianBook, Amazon, and Kobo, but not with this deal.) Personalization. A signed bookplate for a paperback makes it even more special. Be sure to let me know who to sign it for. Again, you can order a signed copy directly from the Etsy shop, but it’s cheaper to take advantage of the BakerBookHouse.com deal. Drawn by the Current writing/reading gloves! Featuring original text from the moment the Eastland starts tipping, along with original artwork of the steamship itself. Drawn by the Current infinity scarf with the same pattern as the gloves. Handmade in the USA, fantastic quality, super soft and sure to keep you warm. Stickers. In this novel, the protagonist and her friend see their friendship as similar to that of Anne Shirley and Diana Barry, and they develop an Anne of Green Gables Fan Club for the family bookstore. In honor of that, choose from the Fan Club Member sticker, or the sticker featuring a quote from Anne Shirley. Or, mix and match your favorites together from all the books. See all the listings from the Etsy shop home page here. (Check out the bundles in the lefthand sidebar of the Etsy shop for extra savings!) If you visit the store and don’t see the sticker you were hoping to get, that means they sold out already. Email me (jocelyn@jocelyngreen.com) and let me know which one you wanted, and I’ll re-order that kind of sticker and let you know when it comes in. (It usually takes about 12 days to replenish the sticker stock, so if you like to get your shopping done early, don’t wait. I do have more Anne stickers already ordered, which should be back in the shop Nov. 8.) Last but not least, I still have copies of the out-of-print nonfiction book for women, Free to Lean: Making Peace with Your Lopsided Life. It’s no longer available to purchase anywhere else, but you can order the book for $5 each in the Etsy shop. Happy shopping, and thank you for your support! I have the best readers ever. Oh! Man. Just when I thought I was done sharing all my deals... did you know that my next novel, The Metropolitan Affair, is 40% off with free shipping when you pre-order the paperback from Baker Book House? Yep! So when you're there to order Drawn by the Current for 50% off or any of my other Bethany House titles for 30% off, pop this in the cart too! And now I'm done, I promise.