Scones and Sensibility Tour Stop

Interview time with Lindsay Eland! If you follow my blog, you'd know that I love all things cute...well reading Scones and Sensibility definately fits the bill (I've included my review at the bottom). It's my pleasure to have Lindsay stop by and chat with us today.

Tell us about Scones & Sensibility.
Scones and Sensibility is the humorous story of a young overly-dramatic and overly-romantic 12-year-old girl who sets to matchmaking in her small beach town with disastrous and hilarious result.

Polly, Clementine & Fran, just to name a few, are characters in S&S but not very common names. How & why did you pick the character names?
I love old, classic names like these, and felt like they blended well together in the story as well as fit the plot, theme, and voice of the story.

Polly would love to be in a Jane Austen novel and there are tons of references to her books. Being that S&S is considered an MG book, when writing did you hope/see the possibility that this may encourage a whole new generation to seek out Jane Austen novels?
Yes, most definitely! When I was younger I was pretty intimidated by classics, thinking they were only meant for adults…how untrue that is! I think that most young readers who would choose to delve into LM Montgomery and Jane Austen would find a whole new realm of books and characters that they will fall in love with.

One of my favorite things about reading S&S was that I had a smile on my face the whole time reading it. I really think this a book full of cuteness. If you had to pick one, what was your favorite scene?
I'm so glad that you liked it and smiled through it! The story is meant to be fun and lighthearted and to do just that! Now, about my favorite scene, hmmm, I really like the scenes with Miss Wiskerton and Jack the Nipper (who, coincidentally was named after a small terrier in my neighborhood growing up that bit a good friend on the ankle and was thus named "Jack the Nipper") as well as the scene when Brad Baker climbs up the tree outside Polly's window.

Are you working on anything new?
I am! I have a contracted book 2 with my editor at Egmont USA that I recently turned in to her. Right now it's called A Teaspoon of Rosemary and though it is a contemporary middle grade like Scones and Sensibility, it is very different. The main character, Rosemary Cubbins, is a shy, introverted girl who, in the midst of becoming a wonderful young chef, learns about the strength and confidence that she has inside herself. It was so much fun to write and I was able to do some yummy baking and cooking as research for her story.

Thanks Lindsay for stopping by :)

Thank you so very much for having me!

Thanks to Lindsay for sharing this yummy recipe:

Lindsay Eland’s Favorite Scone Recipe
Eland is author of Scones and Sensibility published by Egmont USA

2 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
1 stick chilled butter cut into pieces
1 cup chocolate chips
½ cup buttermilk
1 large egg, and 1 for egg wash
½ teaspoon vanilla
cinnamon and sugar
powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder together in a large bowl then cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives. Stir in chocolate chips.

3. In a separate bowl whisk buttermilk, egg, and vanilla together. Drizzle over the flour mixture and stir with a fork until dough comes together.

4. Turn onto a floured work surface and knead a few times then pat dough into a 1-inch thick circle.

5. Cut into triangles, brush with egg wash, and then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

6. Bake 22 minutes.

7. Optional: Turn oven to broil and then dust with powdered sugar and broil for a few minutes...watch carefully though so the sugar doesn't burn.

Please go to The Hiding Spot tomorrow to see the next stop on The Scones and Sensibility Blog Tour!

My Thoughts:
Polly's love for all things romantic takes over as she decides to use the knowledge she's gained from reading Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice & Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables series to play matchmaker. There's her sister whose current boyfriend is not good enough for her, her best friends father who is looking for love in all the wrong places (the Internet) and two people in town that are single. Using deliveries from her parent's bakery as a guise, she sets out to ensure everyone finds their true love.

This was such a cute story that had me smiling from beginning to end. I couldn't help but giggle at Polly's conversations with others, as she tries so hard to sound like she's from a Jane Austen novel. She really was in her own little world, wanting to right things that weren't wrong and sticking her nose in places it doesn't belong. After a few traumatic events, she realizes that not everyone will be the same as the characters in her favorite books. A great debut novel by Lindsay that shows how cute & innocent kids can be.