The great thing about books is that we get to step into other people’s lives. The really wonderful ones let us slip into a life we’ve always dreamed of living. Being the passionate knitter that I am, I have always day-dreamed about what it would be like to own my own shop, surrounded all day by color and texture and yarn and other people who knit and crochet.
So it should come as no surprise that when the opportunity to write a mystery came to me, I chose to write a series set in a yarn shop. With a pie shop across the street. Bliss!
Whether or not you’re the crafty type, cozy mysteries seem to tic all the boxes for us. On the one hand, we get the warm emotional fuzzies of a quirky and close-knit community, a cast of characters we’d love to have as friends (plus one or two we’re glad we don’t), a touch of romance, and a dash of adventure. On the other hand, we get the satisfying intellectual puzzle of deducing the killer right alongside the sleuth. Who doesn’t love the victory of “I knew it” or the shock of “I never saw that coming”?
One of the great pleasures of writing On Skein of Death was getting to dream up a knitted dog sweater and then commission the pattern. Just like watching my words come to life in a book, I got to watch my idea come to life under the design talents of Starla Williams. I’m so very happy that the full pattern is included in the back of every book. And you audiobook listeners have access to a downloadable PDF, too. The thought of so many pups keeping warm in Perle’s Norwegian Dog Sweater just makes me grin ear to ear. I’ve included a shot of my own four-legged darling, Paisley, in the version I knit up especially for her.
Best of all, this is only my first visit to Libby Beckett’s Y.A.R.N. shop and the fictional town of Collinstown, MD. On Skein of Death launches the Riverbank Knitting Mysteries series, so there will be a whole lot more yarn, friendship, pie, cute dogs…and mystery to come. Who could ask for more?
On Skein of Death
A Riverbank Knitting Mystery, Book 1
For Libby Beckett, opening her charming yarn shop, and introducing customers to the joys of knitting and crochet, is the work she was meant to do. Until the yarn she loves is used for murder....
Libby has come home to Collinstown, Maryland, to live her dream and open her own yarn shop, aptly named Y.A.R.N., along the Chester River. To Libby, Y.A.R.N. stands for "You're Absolutely Ready Now". But the acronym changes whenever inspiration strikes, and customers add to the list of suggestions that fill the blackboard wall in a shop stuffed with color, fiber, and comfort.
Libby is thrilled when she lands famous Norwegian knitting celebrity Perle Langager for a series of events at Y.A.R.N. Libby's English bulldog, Hank, has been modeling one of Perle's doggie sweaters, and customers just can't wait to see Perle in action. The mayor of Collinstown even decrees a Collinstown Yarn Day to celebrate. But once Perle arrives in town, she seems distracted and on edge. And when she's found strangled with a skein of red yarn, Libby knows she has to solve a knotty mystery before her new life unravels.
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I’m so excited for you to feature this book! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteWe're happy to have you come visit, Allie.
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