If you’re into fun and cozy romantic comedies with a heavy helping of pop culture references, then Pop, Fizz, Clink deserves a spot on your to-be-read list. With an added dose of holiday magic sprinkled throughout, it’s the perfect time of the year for this debut fiction novel by local writer Jenna Beall Mueller to be released.
The plot unfolds over the three-month holiday season, beginning on the eve of protagonist Bea Parker’s 30th birthday, just days before Thanksgiving. Readers are quickly drawn into Bea’s anticipation as she awaits the results of her latest medical exam, where she quickly learns about her Multiple Sclerosis (MS) diagnosis. The story takes the reader through Bea’s thoughts and feelings as she digests this information — especially at the same time as she’s about to enter a new decade of life — and shows how she navigates her career, love life and self-image with this new diagnosis.
Bea is quirky, creative, hopeful and imperfect, all making her highly relatable and likable, along with her penchant for savvy thrift and antique shop finds. She makes mistakes. She misjudges situations. But she takes the time to self-reflect. And overall, she knows her worth, even if sometimes she loses sight of it.
Composed of short and easy-to-digest chapters, it’s easy to get sucked into the plot of this novel and feel as if you’re actually having a conversation with the author. Aside from Bea, the book features a cast of supporting characters that are each unique, down to earth and (mostly) likable in their own way. Bea’s leading love interest is Chris Little, an environmental enthusiast and high school science teacher. While sparks fly almost immediately between Bea and Chris, the reader is left to wonder, along with the leading lady, if Chris is a walking red flag, due to just getting out of a seven-year relationship, or a suitable chase that could happily end in love.
While the novel is a love story, it explores more than just romantic love. Bea’s love life and diagnosis are central to the story, but her relationships with her immediate family members, coworkers and neighbors also play a significant role throughout the novel. One of the most complicated relationships depicted throughout the book is with Bea’s straight-laced and seemingly perfect older sister, Mattie, who Bea goes back and forth between trusting and keeping at arm’s length. However, the true hero of the story is Bea’s blind dachshund, Tony Soprano, who is a symbol of unconditional love and affection that helps carry both Bea through the ups and downs.
Bea’s journey with MS was inspired by Beall Mueller’s own diagnosis of the disease. “I was diagnosed with MS the day before Thanksgiving in 2019,” she said. “My MS was caught early (like Bea’s) thanks to my primary care doctor.” But it wasn’t always obvious to Beall Mueller that’s what the story should be about. “The very first draft was actually my attempt to write a chick-lit version of Ann Patchett’s Bel Canto,” she remembers. “I had the entire novel take place over a single night when all of the guests get stranded at an engagement party during a snowstorm. After another few failed drafts, I realized it was my MS story I wanted to tell, and things finally started to come together.”
From the very first draft to the last one, it took about two years for the novel to fully come to life. While Beall Mueller had success with an agent selling her children’s books, the Fairy Tales as Told by Clementine series, none of her women’s fiction manuscripts sold. “It was a tough decision ending our contract, but I had to rely on my brain instead of my heart — which doesn’t come naturally for me,” she said. “I started querying other agents with a different women’s fiction manuscript I had written, but I found myself distracted with Pop, Fizz, Clink. I decided to go the indie publishing route and was inspired by fellow Cincinnati author Jessica Booth’s journey and success. She’s been a wealth of knowledge for me and very generous with her time.”
Beall Mueller didn’t just decide to go the independent route with publishing but with releasing the book, too. She partnered exclusively with The Bookery, a locally owned independent bookstore in Columbia-Tusculum, for preorders of the book. “I cherish independent bookstores, and I wanted to do my preorders exclusively with one of them,” she said. “I mean, can you think of many more aspects of real life that are just as magical as they are in the movies? Sierra Hollabaugh is one of my literary guardian angels, and the Bookery is one of my favorite local bookshops. I feel so fortunate to get to work with Sierra and be available at her shop!”
Beall Mueller’s love for her hometown is evident throughout the book, as Cincinnati acts as the setting and heart of the story. There are callouts to cherished and well-known landmarks, like the Krohn Conservatory, the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden and The Netherland Plaza, along with Pleasant Ridge-specific favorites, like the Gas Light Cafe and Goodfellas Pizzeria. “One of the very first things I learned as a creative writing major was to write what you know, and I certainly know Cincinnati,” she said. “Honestly, I think Cincinnati is underrated and that there should be more midsized, Midwestern towns as novel settings. We’ve got a lot to offer.”
Overall, Pop, Fizz, Clink will bring you moments of laughter, contemplation and hope. Millennials will love it for all of the late ‘90s and early 2000s pop culture references that bring back both nostalgia and laughter. And while the book deals with the heavy topic of chronic illness, there’s a lightness to it.
“It sounds sort of funny for a book about a chronic disease, but the main message is this: sometimes life can surprise you in all the best ways,” said Beall Mueller. “Something I’ve found to be true throughout my own life is how much can change over the course of a single year. Sometimes the absolute best, most wonderful thing is just around the corner, and you simply don’t know it yet. Hang in there!”
Pop, Fizz, Clink can be found at The Bookery in Columbia-Tusculum, Barnes & Noble, the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library, Amazon or the author’s website, jennabeallmueller.com.
This story is featured in CityBeat’s Nov. 1 print edition.
This article appears in Nov 13-26, 2024.
