Some novelists are quite business-like in their approach and insist, through the writing process, that their characters remain as sketched out in the original, tightly outlined story. Others ascribe a little more mysticism to the craft and swear certain characters grow through first drafts and rewrites — sometimes in ways not originally expected or even intended.

Debbie Michiko Florence, the bestselling Mystic author of children's literature and middle grade books, is one who believes now and again in a bit of magic. Take the star of her latest novel, the middle grade novel "Just Be Cool, Jenna Sakai." Jenna first appeared in a support role in Michiko Florence's previous book, "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter."

After the success of that title — it was glowingly reviewed, nominated for a New England Book Award, and sold very well — Michiko Florence's editor at Scholastic Books asked whether the writer wanted to do a sequel.

Not exactly. Michiko Florence was content with Keiko's story, but there was something about Jenna's character that suggested unfinished business. That led to a sequel of sorts, one in which Jenna's the heroine and Keiko and other folks from the first book now have support roles.

"Just Be Cool, Jenna Sakai," which has already received a starred review from Kirkus, hit bookstores Tuesday, and Michiko Florence celebrates with a signing party Sunday at the Savoy Bookshop & Café in Westerly. In observance of renewed concern about coronavirus, the first part of the event, featuring the author in conversation, will take place inside the bookstore; masks and social distancing are requests. The second half takes place outside, where Michiko Florence will sign books and readers and fans can enjoy special, Jenna-inspired milkshakes.

Trying to stay cool

In the novel, Jenna, having been dumped by her first boyfriend, Elliot Oxford, just before Christmas break, returns to school determined more than ever to set up an emotional shield and thus protect herself from the wounds of social interaction. After all, in addition to losing Elliot, she's still trying hard to come to terms with her parents' divorce.

Jenna, an aspiring reporter, will focus on the school's newspaper club and friends like Keiko — whom she hasn't seen much during her relationship with Elliot. As part of her decision to remain emotionally distanced, she retreats each afternoon to a local Broadway-themed diner for a milkshake and to work on her journalism. But when her favorite booth is increasingly occupied by an attractive but annoying boy, Rin Watanabe, Jenna learns he's just as stubborn and cold as she is.

As the semester drifts by, and Jenna finds herself in direct competition with Elliot for a coveted scholarship, and her estranged parents argue increasingly about money, she starts to look forward to her afternoons in the diner with Rin.

Earlier this week, the perpetually cheery Michiko Florence answered five questions about the new book and her work. Answers have been edited for clarity and space.

Q: When you turned in the manuscript for "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter," did you already know you wanted to write a sequel? And if so, did you know it would focus on a different character?

A: Originally, my editor, Jenne Abramowitz, asked if I'd be interested in writing a sequel. I thought about if for a quick second but felt I'd already told Keiko's story. However ... sometimes when you're writing characters they sort of take over and I was intrigued by Jenna Sakai. She wasn't trying to hog the spotlight in that book, but there was something about her I wanted to explore. So I suggested a sequel with Jenna as the focus and my editor was 100 percent into it.

Q: How did Jenna change from "Keiko" through "Just Be Cool, Jenna Sakai"?

A: Not much, actually, but I had to dig deeper. I had to figure out why she was the way she was — isolated and a bit reluctant to let anyone in. We know her parents are divorced, but there's more to it. As a writer, it's challenging going backwards into characters' lives even though most of what you discover about them won't show up on the page. But you have to know the backstory to move forward with them in terms of a complete character.

One thing interesting is that I wrote "Keiko" before it sold. So I knew her completely as the main character, but you  have to flesh out the support characters. I thought, well, Jenna will be a writer who always wanted to be a journalist — and I didn't give it much thought because it worked for the book. Then it was five years later and I was suddenly writing about her as the protagonist. (Laughs) So I'm stuck with her as an aspiring investigative journalist. The great thing is, it actually worked out perfectly for the story. She doesn't want to talk about herself but she's interested in learning facts about others.

Q: You have an adult daughter. This may seem obvious but, as you raised her through the middle school years, is it easier to write middle-grade fiction? Or does that in some way make it more difficult to envision scenarios outside your experience?

A: If my daughter were the same age as my characters, it would be harder to write. I wouldn't want her to experience some of these scenarios, and I'd of course see it all through my Mom glasses. But because she's grown, it's OK. It's not that I forget her at that age, but I can also go back and put myself in those shoes and write more objectively.

Q: The character of Rin is pretty great and an intriguing potential boyfriend. Is it hard as a woman author to inhabit the mind and body of a 14-year-old boy?

A: When I was that age, while I had friends who were girls, I hung around mostly with guys. One of my best male friends would sometimes forget that I was a girl and would say something like, "How comes there are no good-looking girls anywhere?" And I'd say, "Helloooo! I'm standing here!" But it was valuable to be part of that group; they'd all talk to me about their girl troubles or bicker about stupid stuff – girls talk about stupid stuff, too, but I got the other perspective. Things like "Star Wars" or Dungeons and Dragons – and it all sunk in pretty well.

Q: "Just Be Cool, Jenna Sakai" was finished and mostly revised by the time COVID hit. But you wrote another book, which will be out next year, during the time we were all mostly isolated. How did that whole experience affect not just you but also your work? Did you write a different book than maybe you would have if we hadn't experienced a pandemic?

A.  I did write an entire new middle grade book. There's no mention of the pandemic during the book, but the entire story does take place entirely in Mystic on a property very similar to my own. I didn't think about it at the time, but I'd never written something from a point of view that reflected where I was residing at the time. My editor is the one who pointed it out and she's right. It's so weird. I thought, "Wow, this happened because I've been stuck here for months."

It's still very much in the style of what I do: a story about friendship and first crushes and also betrayal and forgiveness. There's the same feel and tone but there's a lot of emotional depth I'm not sure I've written before. I think I was much more affected by these characters, at least in ways I wouldn't have thought of before we were in a pandemic.

Debbi Michiko Florence signing party for "Just Be Cool, Jenna Sakai," 3 p.m. Sunday, Savoy Bookshop & Café, 10 Canal St., Westerly; free, registration requested; banksquarebooks.com, (401) 213-3901.