Edith Maxwell's Blog, page 156

Nostalgia

Jessie: In New Hampshire where the weather can’t seem to make up its mind.

On January 23, National Handwriting Day, I posed a question on my Facebook page on the subject of handwritten notes. It produced a lively response from readers. Ever since I have been thinking about what people had to say about it all.

[image error]Perhaps it is becoming a bit of an obsession!

Although commentors were divided as to whether or not they still send handwritten notes the overall tone of the conversation leaned towards a sense of nostalgia for the practice of doing so. Several of the people who no longer communicate by hand seemed to regret that the practice is falling by the wayside. Maybe it is the historical writer in me that felt a little sad that there may be a whole generation of people who will not have newsy letters from elderly aunts and well-wishing cards from far-flung friends to keep amongst their treasures.

I think much of the reason for the trend away from handwritten correspondance has as much to do with the tools as it does with the perception of time saving or convenience. It is rather discouraging to go to the trouble of penning a note only to be confronted at your own less than perfect handwriting scratched down on a pulpy bit of paper with a ballpoint pen. There is nothing at all pleasurable about that experience!

But there is another way to go about things. As some of you may already know I am hopelessly addicted to fountain pens and all the assorted accessories that accompany them. What is there not to love? The variety of inks alone is a joy to consider! Scented inks, glittery inks, those made with iron gall. Waterproof inks and invisible inks and even those used with a broad nibbed pen for highlighting documents. And the variety of colors is so vast you are sure to find just the right one to use for any purpose or mood.

And then there are the pens themselves! There are for those who revel in precision and for those whose bent runs to exuberance. There are pens that have twist caps and a few that have a point that vanishes with the click of the thumb. Some are slim and some are like cigars in the size. Whatever would please you is sure to be available.

[image error]A few I like to keep on my desk for daily use.

In a world that often feels fraught and hurried and filled to the scuppers with incivility there is something so delightful about sitting still for a moment or two with quality tools to express yourself with individuality and flair. Whether you are someone who writes for a living or someone who writes grocery lists on the backs of junk mail envelopes I hope you will take the time to treat yourself and someone you care about to your unique mark on the world very soon!

Readers, do you still write handwritten notes? What about thank you cards or even grocery lists?

Paging Dr. Quincy — Welcome Guest Heather Blake

I hope some day you all get to meet Heather in person. She is lovely. The way we met was a bit unusual. Dru Ann Love and I were secretly planning for Dru Ann to come surprise Aimee Hix for Aimee’s launch party in February 2018. Dru Ann asked if someone else could come too. That someone was prolific, talented author Heather Blake and she became an instant friend. Heather is giving away a book. Look for details at the end of the blog!

[image error]Heather: As a teenager, I wanted to become a medical examiner when I grew up.

This was some thirty years ago, long before the days of Dr. G, CSI, and Forensic Files, when becoming a medical examiner wasn’t a profession many young women aspired to. But it’s what I’d wanted, what I absolutely had my mind set on. And it happened to be a goal wholly inspired by Quincy, the fictional doctor from Quincy, M.E., the 70’s TV show.

Every day after school, I’d race home to watch reruns of the show. All in the span of sixty minutes, less, really, if you consider the commercials, Quincy figured out a victim’s cause of death. A potential plague? He was there to save the world just in the nick of time. A murder? He and his eccentric assortment of cohorts solved the crime with ease. I loved every minute of it.

[image error]At UMass Lowell, I was a biology major, but it didn’t take long to figure out that I wasn’t cut out (ha-ha) to become a medical examiner. One mention of dissecting a cat had me rethinking my career plan. Slicing open people? Fine by me. Critters? No way. (By the way, I’m not sure what that says about me other than cozy mysteries and I are a great match.)

As it happened, life interrupted all my plans. Before that year was through, I’d left school, become a wife and then a mom, all of which, at eighteen, was a lot tougher than anything Quincy ever had to do.

Looking back I can clearly see it wasn’t Quincy’s job that had intrigued me. It was the puzzle-solving. The mystery. The characters, the plots, the twists and turns. Once I realized that, it was only a matter of time before I started my mystery-writing career.

These days Quincy, M.E. can still be found in reruns (or you can buy the whole series on DVD like I did—I still love every minute of it). And I dearly hope that the show continues to inspire young women to become medical examiners—or mystery authors.

Readers: What did you want to be when you grew up?

Heather is giving away a signed trade paperback copy of To Catch a Witch, the eighth book in her Wishcraft mystery series, featuring lovable witch Darcy Merriweather. To enter, simply leave a comment, and Heather will randomly choose a winner on February 24th at 9 AM. Good luck!

[image error]Bio: Heather Blake, aka Heather Webber, is the author of more than twenty-five novels. She loves to read, drink too much coffee and tea, birdwatch, crochet, and bake. She lives in southwestern Ohio, and is hard at work on her next book.

 

Welcome Back — Tina Kashian

I’m so glad Tina Kashian could return to talk about her mouthwatering Kebab Kitchen mystery series! Look for a giveaway below.

[image error]Tina: I grew up in a family-owned restaurant in New Jersey, and my Kebab Kitchen Mystery Series is set in a Mediterranean restaurant at the Jersey shore. In One Feta in the Grave, Lucy Berberian is a recovering lawyer who returns to Ocean Crest, NJ and her family’s restaurant, Kebab Kitchen. To celebrate a successful summer season, the town plans a beach festival. But things soon take a turn for the worse when an arrogant businessman gets in a screaming match with Lucy’s best friend, Katie, over a sand castle contest. And when the same businessman is found shot dead under the boardwalk, things don’t look good for Katie. It’s up to Lucy to investigate before the wrong person gets skewered.

Many scenes in the series take place on the Jersey Shore boardwalk. I’ve vacationed at the Jersey Shore as a kid and we continue to visit with my two girls every summer. We can’t imagine a beach vacation without going to one of the eateries, enjoying frozen custard, or riding the boardwalk Ferris wheel and roller coaster, and even splashing in the water parks.

[image error]Which made me wonder about the history of the boardwalk. After a bit of research, I learned that a fellow by the name of Andrew Boardman was credited with coming up with the idea of the first boardwalk back in 1870. Boardman built the original boardwalk in Atlantic City, NJ, along the ocean front to keep visitors from tracking in sand on the train or in fancy hotels. Over the years, the boardwalk took off and expanded and became an Atlantic City tourist attraction.

The idea of the boardwalk must have spread to the neighboring beach towns of Ocean City, NJ and Wildwood, NJ—two of my favorite Jersey Shore towns. My fictitious town of Ocean Crest is a combination of these two towns. Both have sprawling boardwalks with dozens of eateries, shops, and amusement piers that have become iconic. Both Ocean City and Wildwood each have beachfront boardwalks that stretch 2 ½ miles. They are a one-of-a kind experience and we love visiting every year.[image error]

My amateur sleuth, Lucy Berberian, jogs the Ocean Crest boardwalk three times a week. Working with food all day makes exercise a necessity. Her encounters with boardwalk T-shirt and novelty shop owners, tattoo parlors, and a psychic medium all make for interesting witnesses and suspects.

Here’s some pictures I took of the Wildwood, NJ boardwalk from last summer. You can see the eclectic mix of shops and entertainment.

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This is the famous Wildwood tramcar that passengers can ride up and down the boardwalk.

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The amusement pier with the large Ferris wheel.

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Giveaway! Win a signed, print copy of the first book in my Kebab Kitchen mystery series, Hummus and Homicide (U.S. residents only).

Readers: Where is your favorite place to vacation? Please comment for a chance to win!

One Feta in the Grave:

As summer comes to an end in her Jersey Shore town, Lucy Berberian continues to manage her family’s Mediterranean restaurant. The Kebab Kitchen also has a food tent at this year’s beach festival. But now a local businessman is under the boardwalk—dead by the sea . . .

With a sand castle contest and live music, Ocean Crest bids a bittersweet farewell to tourist season. Summer will return next year . . . but Archie Kincaid won’t. The full-of-himself store owner has been fatally shot, soon after a screaming match with Lucy’s best friend. Katie’s far from the only suspect, though, since Archie had some bitter rivals—as well as some relationships no one knew about. It’s up to Lucy to look into some seedy characters and solve the case before the wrong person gets skewered . . .Recipes included!

  “A delectable read.” —Bestselling author Shelley Freydont

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2UxFd8q

iBooks: https://apple.co/2B9EAsI

Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/2Bbbuta

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2C8zA9M

Google Books: https://bit.ly/2RTDl8r

[image error]Tina Kashian is an attorney and a former mechanical engineer whose love of reading for pleasure helped her get through years of academia. Tina spent her childhood summers at the Jersey shore building sandcastles, boogie boarding, and riding the boardwalk Ferris wheel. She also grew up in the restaurant business, as her Armenian parents owned a restaurant for thirty years. Tina still lives in New Jersey with her supportive husband and two daughters. Please visit her website at http://www.tinakashian.com to join her newsletter, receive delicious recipes, enter contests, and more!

You can also connect with Tina at:

Website: http://www.tinakashian.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TinaKashianAuthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TinaKashian1

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tinakashian/

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pets Our Characters Love

[image error]Pets play a big part in the world of traditional and cozy mysteries. Does your character have a pet? How did you decide what pet to have? Does having a pet complicate your character’s life?

[image error]Edith: Yes! All my protagonists have cats, and they’re all taken directly from my own real life cats. My late Birdy is on the cover of every Country Store mystery. Felines are so independent, they don’t complicate my characters’ lives much. The exception is Mac Almeida in the Cozy Capers Book Group series. She’s allergic to cats and dogs, so she has an African gray parrot, who really livens up some of the scenes with what she says. Mac does have to get home to feed Belle and clean her cage, but so far that hasn’t been a problem.

[image error]Barb: Yes, pets are a complication for a busy sleuth! When the Maine Clambake series opens, Le Roi, the Maine coon cat, lives on Morrow Island during the summer and spends the off-season on the mainland with the island caretakers. By the end of Clammed Up that arrangement is no longer an option, so that fall he goes home with my protagonist, Julia Snowden. Le Roi loves Julia but takes a very dim view of her boyfriend Chris, who, in fairness, did arrive on the scene after Le Roi. Le Roi spends the second summer of the series on the island living with Julia’s sister Livvie’s family. By the fall, in Sealed Off and Haunted House Murder, he is living at Julia’s mother’s house and quite content about it.

Liz: Ha, you have to ask?? Both Stan Connor of the Pawsitively Organic Mysteries and Maddie James of the Cat Cafe Mysteries are surrounded by pets. For Stan, she starts out with one cat, the famous Nutty, in Kneading to Die and seems to pick up a new friend in every story of the series, both dog AND cat. (And they say writers try to keep themselves out of their characters, ha!)

And Maddie James finds a stray in the cemetery in Cat About Town, and by the second book, Purrder She Wrote, she opens a cat cafe, JJ’s House of Purrs. Which means she’s surrounded by cats all the time and loves it. 

[image error]Jessie: Usually pets have not played much of a role in my books so I was surprised to discover the important part played by Edwina Davenport’s dog Crumpet in the first Beryl and Edwina Mystery, Murder in an English Village. He has continued to add good excuses for lurking about searching for clues and for giving both sleuths a daily dose of exercise. Just yesterday I wrote a scene where he accompanied Edwina to a shop on the High Street. I’ve grown to like him so much we’ve added a real life dog to our own household. Sam isn’t a Norwich Terrier like Crumpet since I am allergic to most dogs but has provided much delight and inspiration nevertheless.

Sherry: Sarah doesn’t have a pet. While she was a military wife she saw the complications of moving a pet from place to place. Now, she’s too busy for a dog and allergic to cats. However, her landlady and friend, Stella Wild, has a tuxedo cat, Tux, that she rescued. Sarah does love Tux and the feeling is mutual.

The Detective’s Daughter – B’More in Literature

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Kim in Baltimore sipping a hot cup of  Gypsy Cold Care tea.

 

This month as we celebrate matters of the heart, I’m going to share with you two things that are very close to my own heart – the city of Baltimore and literature. What’s that, you say? All the literary giants are in New York? I’m here to set the record straight.

In 1987 Mayor Kurt Schmoke declared Baltimore The City That Reads. Most turned up their noses at such a slogan considering the problems our city faced. Many were heard to say, “the city that bleeds is more likely.”   Maybe they should have read more to learn that our Baltimore, Charm City, has quite the long list of literary figures that called this place home.

It was Ogden Nash [who raised his family in his in-law’s Baltimore home] who wrote “I could have loved New York had I not loved Balti-more.”  My sentiments exactly.

[image error]Edgar Allan Poe House

We’ve all heard the tales of how Edgar Allan Poe lived – and died – here, and we know that it was the home of Francis Scott Key who penned the poem that would become our national anthem. But did you know that F. Scott Fitzgerald, a distant relative of Key’s, also called Baltimore home? He had a few residences in the area including the Stafford Hotel and the last house he ever shared with his wife Zelda was in the Bolton Hill area of our city.

The Fitzgeralds had come to Baltimore seeking treatment for Zelda. She was a patient at both Johns Hopkins Hospital and Sheppard Pratt. It was in the Bolton Hill House that Fitzgerald finished Tender is the Night, believed by many to be his best work.

[image error]F. Scott Fitzgerald House, Bolton Hill

One of Fitzgerald’s friends, Gertrude Stein, also had two homes here. Edna St. Vincent Millay was known to read her poetry at the Emmanuel Episcopal Church in the Mount Vernon area of the city. Zora Neale Hurston came to Baltimore in 1916 and resided with her sister while attending Morgan Academy.

Emily Post, the authority of etiquette, was born and raised here. Anne Tyler and Alice McDermott came to Baltimore later in life. Clare Booth Luce also spent a great deal of time here, though she called Washington D. C. home.

Let us not forget the dean of hard-boiled detective fiction Dashiell Hammett. He was born on the Eastern Shore in Maryland, but soon made his way to Baltimore. In 1915 he began to work for the National Pinkerton Detective Agency which had a branch here at 210 Baltimore Street. [Now known as 1 Calvert St.] It’s believed that the metal birds on this building inspired him to write The Maltese Falcon.

And finally, there’s Dorothy Parker. She visited Baltimore, but was never a resident until after her death. Her ashes are buried at the headquarters of the NAACP.  The  plaque above her resting place reads “Excuse My Dust.”  What a great line!

I’m sure I’ve missed a few, but I’ll leave the others for you to discover.

 

Dear Reader, is one of your favorite authors from your hometown? Who is your favorite and where did they get their start?

***REMINDER: Tonight is the Wicked Book Club for Kneading to Die ! Join us on the Wicked Facebook page for a live discussion with Liz Mugavero, hosted by Julie Hennrikus!***

 

On Spreading the Word

Edith here, packing for a trip west.

We authors never want to fatigue you, our dear readers, with a constant barrage of “Buy my book! Buy my book!” Still – we want you to buy our books. So, beyond building community on places like this blog and our social media sites, and sharing each other’s happy news when it happens, we try to get creative about spreading the word.

Last year I wrote a post here about an article I’d written for Friends Journal, which reached many Quakers across the country. I also wrote about my interview published in the Indiana University Alumni Magazine, spreading the word about my Indiana-based series.

My trip west this week is in part to reach still another audience – readers in and near my home town in southern California. I was born in Pasadena, home of the Rose Parade, and I grew up a couple of towns south of there. Every February Temple City has the Camellia Parade, a mini version of the Rose Parade. Children’s groups like the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts build the hand-pushed floats made up of only camellia petals, stems, and leaves. Yes, camellias bloom out there in January and February.

Our driveway was usually a float-building site. My father would rig a couple of floodlights and the parents would put on the finishing touches far into the night. The next day I would march, uniformed and white gloved, with the rest of my scout troop behind our float.

[image error]I’m second from left in the front row, with Debbie Becnel at far left, circa 1961.

The royal court for the festival is selected from the first grade, Well, guess what? Yours truly was a Camellia princess back in 1959 (yes, I am that old).

[image error]Debbie leftmost princess, me on the right – couldn’t handle sun in my eyes even back then.

I’d lost touch with Debbie Becnel, my fellow princess, but we reconnected a few years ago on Facebook. She’s one of my biggest book fans, and we made a pact to ride in the parade as returning royalty this year.

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No, we’re not going to wear gowns, but tiaras with our blazers and slacks is in the plan. Debbie designed an ad for us to put in the program book (above). Will it get me a few more readers and her a few more real estate clients? We hope so. And I know I am going to have fun reconnecting with Debbie even before we ride on the back of a convertible through town. I’ll also get to see a number of old friends and a few new writer pals, and refill the nostalgia well with the sight of mountains on the close horizon every day, something I still miss.

If you live in the Southland, I hope you’ll come to the parade and give me a wave and a shoutout!

Afterwards Hugh will fly out to join me and we’ll spend a week in Santa Barbara warming our feet. It’s actually a research trip for me to collect details, flavors, and views to enrich the manuscript of Nacho Average Murder, set in that fair city. And get more mountains!

[image error]Photograph by John Wiley, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5618491

Finally, Kensington has arranged for me to sign copies of Murder on Cape Cod in both the Glendora and Ventura Barnes & Nobles. All in all, I expect it to be a good trip. Now, where did I stash those sandals?

Readers: What about your home town? How do you feel about it? Do you live there, or go back? Sometimes, frequently, never?

Taking That Leap — Welcome Guest J.C. Kenney

 

It’s so fun to introduce new to me authors and J.C. Kenney is not exception. His tale of making a leap is fascinating.

J.C.: Hi, folks! Thanks so much for stopping by. I’m thrilled to visit with you and the Wicked Authors today.

[image error]For those of you not familiar with me or my work, I write the Allie Cobb Mysteries. Book one, A Literal Mess, made its debut on January 8, 2019.

While A Literal Mess is my first cozy, it’s not my first book. Prior to A Literal Mess, writing under a different name, I published seven novels and a short story in a different genre. My career was headed in the right direction and I was having a lot of fun writing those stories. I had a good thing going.

At this point, I’m sure you’re asking if things were going well, why switch? It all came down something I’m sure we can all identify with. Without boring you with the details, I was presented with a choice. I could keep doing what I was doing, or I could begin a new adventure. I chose the latter.

I took a leap of faith. (That’s not me in the picture, by the way.)

[image error]Credit: Death to Stock Photo

With no idea how things would turn out, I said no to an offer to write two more books in my former genre and dove deep into the fun and crazy world of cozy mysteries. Over the years, I’d read the exploits of sleuths from Sherlock Holmes to Stephanie Plum, so I wasn’t exactly wading into uncharted waters.

It was still scary, though, like packing my things and moving across country for a new job. While there’s a certain level of familiarity with the new neighborhood, almost everything is new. Instead of meeting new co-workers, I would be meeting new authors. In place of the old “office,” my new workplace involved researching things like death by drowning and the scientific term for suffocation.

I thought I could handle this new job, but I didn’t know for sure. All I could do was get to work.

And have faith.

Well, almost two years after making the decision to forge a new path, I’m thrilled to say the decision has worked out as well as I could have hoped. The reception to A Literal Mess has been overwhelmingly positive. I’ve met the most amazing and kind authors, including the Wickeds. I’ve studied “interesting” topics from poisonous plants to how to escape from having your hands duct taped together.

And the fun’s just beginning. The next Allie Cobb Mystery, a Genuine Fix, arrives July 16, 2019, which just happens to be my late father’s birthday. Go figure.

[image error]Credit: Death to Stock Photos

Will writing cozy mysteries work out for me in the long run? I don’t know. But I sure hope so. After all, isn’t the journey into the unknown one of the things that makes life so interesting? To me it is.

So, how about you? What decision have you faced that change your life in unexpected ways? We’ve all had them. Tell me about yours.

In closing, I want to thank Sherry Harris for the invitation to hang out with you all today and to all of the Wicked Authors for their amazing work. Until we meet again, wishing you sunny skies and warm breezes!

[image error]Bio: Best-selling author J.C. Kenney writes cozy mystery stories set in his home state of Indiana. He lives in Indianapolis with his wife, two sons, and a kitty cat. He loves motor sports, so when he’s not writing, you can probably find him checking in on the latest from IndyCar and Formula 1.

Find out more at www.jckenney.com.

 

Love, Romance & Crime

by Julie, enjoying an unusually tepid winter in Somerville

[image error]I don’t mind a little romance with my mysteries, at all. One of my favorite series, Elizabeth Peter’s Amelia Peabody series, starts with a great romance that continues throughout the series, and the lives of the characters. For me, those books are a how-to on keeping the romance, but not letting it get in the way of a good mystery.

When I’m creating my own series, thinking about romance has been an evolution. In my Clock Shop series, Ruth has a handsome next door neighbor who becomes her partner by book three. That evolution was natural, and fit in with the series well.

In my Theater Cop series, Sully is ten or so years older than Ruth, and has an ex-husband she’s still got feelings for. There’s also a handsome actor in the company who is distracting. But it’s interesting–in the second book (With a Kiss I Die) both Gus and Stewart are in the book, but romance isn’t part of the mix. Instead I focused on Sully’s friendship with Emma, and Emma took on the side-kick role.

The Garden Squad series is full of love, but short on romance. Lilly is a still mourning widow. Yes, the new next door neighbor is handsome and charming, but he isn’t a love interest. He may be at some point, but for now they are great friends. The love in the book is between the Garden Squad. They love each other, would do anything for one another, and love their town.

In thinking about this, on Valentine’s Day, I’ve been considering the role of love, and of romance, in a mystery. We all “get” romance. But love usually plays a bigger role. Love between family members, or friends. Love that makes someone believe another person, and investigate a crime. Love that leads to dangerous passion, and is the reason for a crime. Love centers a story.

Love raises the stakes in a mystery. Romance can, but it can also get in the way. I plan on  trying to figure that out as I continue to create adventures for my characters.

To quote the great Lin Manuel Miranda, “Love is love is love is love is love”. Hopefully you’ll always find love in my stories. That, and a good mystery.

Valentine’s Day — Love it or Not

[image error]Today our characters are taking over to talk about how they feel about Valentine’s Day. Are they romantics or do they dread Valentine’s Day?

Robbie Jordan: My guy Abe is a dream come true. He can cook, he’s smart, he’s super cute, and most important, he adores me. On top of that? He’s a romantic. He gives me my favorite [image error]flowers for no particular reason, writes me little notes, brings dark chocolates. Abe has strongly hinted at some kind of special surprise for tomorrow and I can’t wait to find out what it is. After a couple of men in my life worthy of a place in the Bad Romance Hall of Fame, I’m not sure how I lucked out this time, but I’m embracing him with everything I’ve got.

Julia Snowden: Chris and I will spend Valentine’s Day as we spend every working evening in the winter, serving dinner in our restaurant. Gus’s Too was always conceived as a special place where a couple could have a date night, so Chris has come up with a prix fixe Valentine’s menu. Most of the [image error]reservations are for two, some are favorite customers and some people I’ve never heard of. We’re more confident about the business this season, so we’ve hired a waitress and a dishwasher, which means we won’t have to spend hours cleaning up after dinner service like we did last year. Chris isn’t one for cards or anything gushy, but I don’t care. After all the years of being alone on Valentine’s Day, usually somewhere on the road in my old venture capital job, I’m grateful everyday for the easy domesticity I’ve found with him.

[image error]Lilly Jayne: When I was young. too young, I married the boy next door, because that’s what one did. Getting married was an expected next step on the path. Fortunately for me, he left me for another woman. I say fortunately, because if he hadn’t done that, two things would not have happened. First of all, I would not have pursued my career with the vigor I did–I would have focused my efforts on promoting his career, I’m sure of it. Secondly, I would not have met Alan MacMillan, the love of my life. We married later, and didn’t have all the years I would have hoped, but what glorious years they were. Losing him broke me, but with the help of my friends, I’ve picked up the pieces, and am rejoining life. Alan would have wanted that, even though getting back into the mix of life means helping my first husband out of a jam. The experience helped me realize how very lucky I was in love, true love.

[image error]Beryl Helliwell: I can’t say either my dear friend and business partner Edwina Davenport or myself have any particular plans for St. Valentines Day this year. I’m not saying I am not always up for a bit of romance but my new venture as a dedicated career woman has completely captured my heart. I was delighted to discover a burning passion for private investigation and am pleased as punch that Edwina shares it too. Truth be told though, I do wish she had something special going on with her love life. I am certain local solicitor Charles Jarvis is more that a little interested. Maybe, just maybe I will find a way to give them a small push in the right direction.

[image error]Sarah: CJ and I married young. I had romantic notions about what Valentine’s Day should be like, but I didn’t know that when you are married to a man in the military, Valentine’s Day could be very lonely. Some of my best Valentine’s Days were spent with a group of women whose husbands were deployed. We might go out to dinner somewhere or have a potluck at someone’s house. There was always a lot of frivolity that hid some of the sadness and stress of having a husband far away and possibly in danger. That those were some of my most memorable Valentine’s Days probably says something about my relationship with CJ. This year? If I’m alone I’m fine with that.

Readers: What will you be doing for Valentine’s Day?

Fashion School — Guest Debra Sennefelder

It’s always exciting to welcome back a guest like Debra Sennefelder. Even more when she’s here to talk about a second series and how it came to be! Debra is giving away a signed copy of Murder Wears a Little Black Dress and a bookmark to a reader who leaves a comment.

[image error]Debra: When I decided to major in Fashion Buying and Merchandising my parents wondered “what in the world is she thinking”. I was thinking school would finally be fun. I could spend my days studying fashion (which included learning to pronounce designer names correctly and naming color swatches but also included retail math, ugh), spend my weekends doing research (aka shopping) for assignments and then graduate with a job on 7th Avenue.

I got the job. I worked in Macy’s Herald Square in the cosmetics buying office. Aside from this writing gig, it was the best job. Ever! The brands were more than happy to supply us working gals in the buying office with all the free skincare products and cosmetics we could ever want and Macy’s gave me a discount. Yes, it was the perfect job. Until it wasn’t. A move up to Connecticut and a two-hour commute put a damper on my enthusiasm and overshadowed the employee discount.

Fast-forward to the fall of 2017 when I sent a proposal to my editor for the Resale Boutique Mystery series featuring an out-of-work fashion buyer who inherits her granny’s old, tired consignment shop. I mined my years at fashion school and working for Macy’s to create the character of Kelly Quinn. Once I had her formed I began filling in her world with the people around her, creating the shop she inherited and best of all, dressing her. Finally my frequent visits to Pinterest, watching YouTube fashion vloggers and shopping trips were research. Now, just to convince my accountant.

In addition to dealing with the loss of her beloved grandmother, Kelly has to deal with her conniving uncle, who had been named executor of the estate and wants Kelly to sell the building the shop is housed in. But, she’s not sure if she wants to do that and besides, the building includes an apartment for her to live in and it’s rent free. Kelly also has to face what she considers to be the biggest mistake of her life – leaving her friend Ariel at a party and then Ariel having to hitch a ride home with another girl who had too much to drink. They got into an accident and Ariel was paralyzed. Guilt has weighed on Kelly all these years and now back in Lucky Cove she has to face the past and try to rebuild the friendship. Then there’s her sister who blames her for the accident. If only she hadn’t gone off with a boy, Ariel wouldn’t have gotten into the car. Somehow Kelly has to find a way to repair her fractured relationship with her sister. If that weren’t enough, a psychic comes into the shop and has a vision of murder.

Having a psychic see a murder while trying on a dress in her shop wasn’t what Kelly was hoping for during her three-day sale. As she digs into the original owner of the dress, she’s drawn into a new murder and she finds herself struggling to keep the shop open and keep herself out of jail because somehow she became a murder suspect.

Who would have thought coming back home could be so hard? But, Kelly takes it all in stride while being fashionably dressed as she tracks down a killer.

I’m so thrilled to be able to share my new release with you and before I go I want to share a fashion disaster that occurred while I was working on the copy edits of MURDER WEARS A LITTLE BLACK DRESS. I know Kelly could relate and would sympathize because having your closet collapse isn’t fun. Luckily, no clothing was hurt. Don’t try this at home! [image error]

Readers: What is your favorite fashion accessory?

Every woman would kill for one . . .

Manhattan fashionista Kelly Quinn thought she’d left her upstate New York town far behind . . . until the Seventh Avenue expat returns home to revamp her grandmother’s consignment shop into an upscale boutique—and unwittingly sets a trend for murder . . .

 After her rising career as a Manhattan buyer is derailed, Kelly has mixed feelings about relocating back to Lucky Cove, in spite of her big plans for the soon-to-be-renamed Curated by Kelly Resale Boutique. What’s left of her luck starts running out when a customer puts on a black lace dress that triggers visions of someone being murdered. As if the haunted “Murder Dress” isn’t enough to kill business, the psychic’s doppelganger cousin has just been found bludgeoned to death.  

Was Maxine LeMoyne the real target or was it a case of mistaken murder? With some creepy pre-Halloween bargain hunters walking the night and Kelly suddenly a person of interest, a second murder rocks the close-knit town. Now Kelly could be the one who ends up talking to dead people when she’s stalked by a killer determined to take her out in high style . . .

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[image error]About the Author: Debra Sennefelder, the author of the Food Blogger Mystery series and the Resale Boutique mystery series, is an avid reader who reads across a range of genres, but mystery fiction is her obsession. Her interest in people and relationships is channeled into her novels against a backdrop of crime and mystery. When she’s not reading, she enjoys cooking and baking and as a former food blogger, she is constantly taking photographs of her food. Yeah, she’s that person.

Born and raised in New York City, she now lives and writes in Connecticut with her family. She’s worked in pre-hospital care, retail and publishing. Her writing companions are her adorable and slightly spoiled Shih-Tzus, Susie and Billy.

She is a member of Sisters in Crime and International Thriller Writers.

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For additional information, Debra@ DebraSennefelder.com