The Chicken SistersAuthor KJ Dell’Antonia Is a Fan of the TV Series: ‘I Love the Way They Adapted It’ (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

KJ Dell’Antonia and the cover of ‘The Chicken Sisters’.Photo:Kate Seymour; G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Kate Seymour; G.P. Putnam’s Sons

KJ Dell’Antonia’s bestselling novel,The Chicken Sisters, has taken on a new life since it was first published in 2019.

G.P. Putnam’s Sons

“I grew up going only to Chicken Annie’s, because we were a Chicken Annie’s family, and always thinking about that,” Dell’Antonia says. And while the two eateries would inspire Chicken Mimi’s and Chicken Frannie’s — the restaurants in the novel — it wasn’t until the author moved to a small town in New England that the book really came together.“I fed on that in terms of what would be close to each other and what would be there and how the people would know each other and interact,” Dell’Antonia says. “We know the people who run the store, but, also, you’re going to know half the people in there.”

The heart ofThe Chicken Sisters, however, is the complicated relationship between its two central characters, sisters Amanda and Mae, who are on opposite sides of the chicken shack feud. Amanda stayed behind in Merinac to work at Frannie’s following a family tragedy, while Mae has found success in New York City as a lifestyle personality.

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!“I was the kid who left. I got out of Kansas as fast as humanly possible and really never looked back,” Dell’Antonia says. “But then, especially when I got older and moved to a small town and saw the value of raising kids and being in a small place like that, I started to see the other side of it and how being someone who’d been there your whole life would have its own value.”

KJ Dell’Antonia.Kate Seymour

Kate Seymour

A scene from the Hallmark+ series ‘The Chicekn Sisters’.2024 Hallmark Media/Bettina Strauss

2024 Hallmark Media/Bettina Strauss

In addition to writing novels — the author describes her latest release, 2023’sPlaying the Witch Cardas “The Chicken Sistersbut witches” — Dell’Antonia also shares her story insight on her podcast,#AmWriting. Co-hosted with authors Jessica Lahey and Sarina Bowen, #AmWriting provides craft advice and tips for writers of all genres. The biggest piece of wisdom that Dell’Antonia has carried with her, she notes, is that writing is a skill that can be learned.“There’s often an illusion that people are either good writers or they’re not good writers, or you can tell a story or you can’t tell a story, but nobody is born knowing how to structure a book,” the author says.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.And withThe Chicken Sisters’ story now available for a whole new set of viewers, Dell’Antonia says that one of the biggest rewards is paying tribute to her roots.“By and large, I have heard nothing but positive happiness at seeing these really beloved iconic restaurants, portrayed and brought out into the larger world in this way,” the author says. “And that has been really fun for me. Kansas doesn’t get a lot of pop culture love, and I was really excited to give it a little.”The Chicken Sistersis now streaming on Hallmark+.

source: people.com