Spotlight Guest Post: On Borrowed Time by Jenn McKinlay

My mother swears I wasn’t a mistake, but when I do the math, which is admittedly not my gift, I can’t help but think that my arrival eleven months after my brother was born was not, shall we say, planned. We are Irish twins, siblings born less than a year apart, and while I’m sure it was exhausting for my mom for us it was pretty terrific. For the first five years of my life, I didn’t even realize my name was Jenny. I thought it was JedandJenny, you know, because we were always together we became the original mashup, two kids in one.

Jed (my brother’s given name is Jonathan but he’s always been Jed to me) probably looks back fondly on the eleven months that he had our mother all to himself. So sad, too bad, the minute my peepers cracked open, I was on the bro like a barnacle. Wherever he went, I went, whatever he did, I did. I decided as soon as I was mobile that we were a package deal. Poor guy, you sort of have to feel sorry for him. Luckily, he’s a tolerant person and we became the best of friends, partners in crime and occasionally during the tween years, mortal enemies.

When it came time to write ON BORROWED TIME, I knew Lindsey’s brother Jack was due for a visit and I knew who I was going to model their relationship on, my brother’s and mine. I didn’t have to dig very deep to know how I would feel if my brother was kidnapped – devastated -- and it wasn’t a stretch to know I would do anything to get him back, much like Lindsey when Jack is taken.

Here’s a brief description of the book, which was released on Nov 4th, so you can see what I’m talking about:

Holiday cheer fills the air in the town of Briar Creek, making even the grumpiest public servant almost chipper. Things take a somber turn, however, when Lindsey finds her brother Jack hiding in one of the library’s meeting rooms. He tells her that he’s on the run from someone who wants to kill him and that he’ll explain later. When later comes, Lindsey opens the door to the meeting room to find her brother missing, leaving a dead body in his place. Now Lindsey is in on borrowed time, trying to find her brother before the police or the killer do.

I hope you enjoy reading ON BORROWED TIME as much as I enjoyed writing it. My brother is still my best friend, which is why this book is dedicated to him. When I look at my life, he is definitely one of my greatest blessings. For more information about me or my books, you can go to my website www.jennmckinlay.com or find me on Facebook or Twitter.

Happy Reading,
Jenn