Author event! Brisa Carleton & Julia Whelan

About the book:

Set amongst the glittering backdrop of London's iconic Savoy hotel, a young woman is forced to confront her troubled past as she uncovers the story of the hotel’s first female bartender who has been erased from the history books—"an exhilarating, tender read that will leave you smiling" (Fiona Jackson, bestselling author).Six years ago, Cinnamon Scott was a young writer on the rise in New York City. But since the sudden loss of her parents, she's been stuck in place, retreating to a life of endless partying—made possible by the massive fortune she's inherited. Despite their tragic loss, she and her older sister Rosemary have always had each other to lean on. But now, with Rosie living in London and about to give birth to twins, Cinnamon feels more lost than ever.When Rosie is put on bedrest, Cinnamon flies to her sister's side, where she's temporarily living at The Savoy. Immediately swept away by the beauty and history of the legendary hotel and its famed American Bar, Cinnamon finds ample opportunity to distract herself. When the late shift bartender tells her the story of Ada Coleman, the woman who crafted the cocktail recipes The Savoy popularized in its famous handbook a century ago, Cinnamon is inspired by the bartender's vivid stories of Ada's fearlessness and can't understand why Ada's name is nowhere to be found.After meeting a handsome historian researching the hotel and realizing that Ada is likely to be once again overlooked, Cinnamon must decide if she can overcome her demons and stand up for Ada's story. And, along the way, she might just save her own story too.

About the author:

Brisa Carleton grew up in the Pacific Northwest before moving to Midtown Manhattan to turn her passion for musicals and “flair for the dramatic” into an award-winning career as a Broadway producer. Three Tony Awards later, she continues to be active on Broadway, working on numerous productions including Hamilton, Beautiful, and Moulin Rouge.

In 2019, at the request of HSH Prince Albert of Monaco, Brisa joined his foundation to lead philanthropy efforts in theater, dance, and film on behalf of his mother, Princess Grace Kelly. Most recently, she turned her entrepreneurial spirit to actual “spirits,” launching Literati Spirits, a premium vodka created by book lovers for book lovers. She enjoys traveling to literary destinations with a martini in one hand and a manuscript in the other, collecting stories with her husband Mark and her chihuahua, Mister Big.

Dubbed "The Adele of Audiobooks" by The New Yorker, Julia Whelan is an author, screenwriter, lifelong actor, and acclaimed audiobook narrator of over 700 titles. In the last year alone, she won the Audie for Best Fiction Narrator, received a lifetime achievement award from the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences, captured both the winner and runner-up slots in the inaugural audiobook category of the Goodreads Choice Awards, and was awarded a Gracie from the Alliance of Women in Media Foundation. Her performance of her own debut novel, the international bestseller My Oxford Year (now a Netflix movie), garnered a SOVAS award. Her 2022 novel, Thank You For Listening, was a Best-of-the-Year pick at Amazon, Audible, and NPR. She is the founder of Audiobrary, a new audio publishing company and app that seeks to change how creatives are compensated in the audiobook industry, and her latest books – the Audie nominated romance Casanova LLC and the annotated Victorian poetry anthology The Poetry Of My Oxford Year – debuted exclusively on Audiobrary. She is also a Grammy nominated audiobook director, a former writing tutor, a half-decent amateur baker, and a certified tea sommelier.

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