Authors of book series modeled after Ritzville, restaurant visit Friday for breakfast, workshop

Authors Jennifer Conner and Jackie Marilla are traveling to Ritzville on Friday, July 17, to discuss their book series, believed to be modeled after Ritzville, and provide a New Writers Workshop at the Ritzville Public Library.

The authors are part of a four-series set called “The Pancake Club” and each story depicts a different tale of fictional small town romances.

The books are set in a town called Mercy Ridge, which the location is believed to be modeled after Ritzville, and tell four separate yet interconnected stories of romance and small town living.

In the book, “Love on the Airways”, Conner references Memories Diner and sets many of the stories at the restaurant.

The inspiration for the restaurant name came after Conner visited Ritzville multiple times in 2014, and soon began to communicate with owner Lori Gorman.

The book is dedicated to the establishment, with the dedication saying, “Thanks so much to the REAL Memories Diner in Ritzville, Washington… Where the past meets the present!”

The communication between Gorman and Conner began in September 2014, and they discussed the possibility of having an author meet-and-greet at the restaurant.

On July 17, Memories Diner is having a pancake, sausage and coffee breakfast for $5 from 9-10:30 a.m.

Residents have the opportunity to enjoy the breakfast and sit down with best-selling Pacific Northwest authors Conner and Marilla.

As the books are based around four friends having breakfast together and telling stories, the breakfast at Memories Diner is hoping to fit the same format.

With the small town aspect present in all four books, storytelling and comparisons to the book are welcome.

Conner is a Seattle area author, while Marilla is traveling from Hawaii to be part of the author workshops and meetings.

After the meeting and breakfast at Memories Diner, the two authors will be at the Ritzville Public Library to host a New Writer’s Workshop. Conner, who has taught writer’s workshops in the past, will take the lead to help aspiring local writers perfect their craft.

Conner and Marilla are hosting the New Writer’s Workshop beginning at 11 a.m. in the library basement. The workshop is free to the public, and any individual interested in learning more about how to become a writer is encouraged to attend.

During both the meeting at Memories Diner and at the Library, the authors hope to have a casual discussion about their books, both their work in “The Pancake Club” as well as their other publications.

For more information on the breakfast, contact Gorman at 659-4652.

To learn more about the New Writer’s Workshop, contact the library at 659-1222.

“The Pancake Club” books are available in eBook, paperback and audiobook formats.