Jennifer Vido: What is the inspiration behind your new release, THE AUDREY HEPBURN ESTATE?
Brenda Janowitz: After writing The Grace Kelly Dress and The Liz Taylor Ring, I knew I had to write a book to honor my other favorite Hollywood starlet, Audrey Hepburn. When I began researching her life, I discovered so many things that I never knew. Once I learned that Audrey was a homebody who loved nothing more than cooking at her house, I knew I had the start of my new novel.
Jen: What draws Emma Jansen back to Long Island?
Brenda: Emma learns that the home where she grew up is going to be demolished, and she decides that she needs to see it one more time.
Jen: How does Emma feel about being reunited with Leo and Henry?
Brenda: I don’t think Emma is too happy about it at first! Going back to the estate where she grew up brings these two men from her childhood back into her life. It forces her to reconsider her past and how it relates to her future.
Jen: Who is your favorite character in the book? Why?
Brenda: Oh, that is such a hard question! Next, you’ll be asking me who my favorite child is!
I truly have a soft spot in my heart for my protagonist, Emma, since she’s based in part on me and in part on Audrey Hepburn. But I also sort of fell in love with both Henry and Leo as I wrote the book. (I hope my husband isn’t too jealous.)
Jen: What do you hope readers take away from this story?
Brenda: I mostly hope that readers are entertained when they read my book. I think the book will make readers think about the true meaning of home and what the concept of home means to them. And if they think more about Audrey Hepburn and her life after reading the Author’s Note, that would be an added bonus!
Jen: What’s on your spring/summer TBR stack?
Brenda: So many books!!
I recently started Martha Hall Kelly’s The Golden Doves, since we’re trying to plan an event together. It’s phenomenal. And up next is Heather Webb’s Strangers in the Night, since we’ll be in conversation at RJ Julia together on April 19th. I love everything Heather writes, so I know I’m in for a treat. And I just finished Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum, which was fun, delicious, and juicy!
Jen: Sneak peek! What’s your current work in progress?
Brenda: I can’t say! But I can share some really good news—Hallmark/ Crown Media recently acquired the film rights to The Grace Kelly Dress. I can’t wait to see it on screen!
Jen: What’s the best way for readers to stay connected with you?
Brenda: I spend most of my time on Instagram, though I’m on Facebook and Twitter, too. And the best place for info is my website.
Jen: Thank you for stopping by to chat about The Audrey Hepburn Estate. Best of luck with your captivating new release! I couldn’t put it down.
Brenda: Thank you so much for having me—I always love visiting Fresh Fiction!
One woman. Two childhood loves. The dazzling place where it all began.
When Emma Jansen discovers that the grand Long Island estate where she grew up is set to be demolished, she can't help but return for one last visit. After all, it was a place filled with firsts: learning to ride a bike, sneaking a glass of champagne, falling in love.
But once Emma arrives at the storied mansion, she can't ignore the more complicated memories. Because that's not exactly where Emma grew up. Her mother and father worked for the family that owned the estate, and they lived over the garage like Audrey Hepburn's character in the film Sabrina. Emma never felt fully accepted, except by the family's grandson, Henry—a former love—and by the driver’s son, Leo—her best friend.
As plans for the property are put into motion and the three are together for the first time in over a decade, Emma finds herself caught between two worlds and two loves. And when the house reveals a shattering secret about her own family, she’ll have to decide what kind of life she really wants for herself now and who she wants to be in it.
Women's Fiction [Graydon House, On Sale: April 18, 2023, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781525811487 / eISBN: 9780369702197]
Brenda is the author of five novels and the Books Correspondent for PopSugar. Her sixth novel, THE GRACE KELLY DRESS, will be published by Harper Collins/ Graydon House in March 2020. Her work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Salon, Redbook, USA Today, Bustle, The Forward, the New York Post, Publisher’s Weekly, Hello Giggles, Writer’s Digest Magazine, WritersDigest.com, and xojane.
Brenda attended Cornell University and Hofstra Law School, where she was a member of the Law Review. Upon graduation from Hofstra, worked for the law firm Kaye Scholer, LLP, and did a federal clerkship with the Honorable Marilyn Dolan Go, United States Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of New York.
Jennifer Vido writes sweet romances set in the Lowcountry filled with southern charm and hospitality. In between chapters, she interviews authors for her bi-weekly Jen’s Jewels column on FreshFiction.com. Most mornings, she teaches an arthritis-friendly water exercise class for seniors before heading to the office to serve as the executive director of a legal non-profit. A New Jersey native, she currently lives in Maryland with her husband and two rescue dogs and is the proud parent of two sons who miss her home-cooked meals. To learn more, please visit her website.
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