#CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--MYSTERY AUTHOR LORI ROBERTS HERBST ON CRAFTING CHARACTERS AND HER OWN ATTEMPTS

Award-winning author Lori Roberts Herbst writes the Callie Cassidy Mystery series. Lori is a former journalism teacher and counselor who now writes, indie publishes, and markets her books. Learn more about her and her books at her website. 

Just as I always wished to be more athletic, I've always wanted to be "crafty." Sadly, both those talents seem to require more coordination than I possess. (Case in point: not too long ago, I broke my wrist while strolling down a sidewalk.)

 

But let's put the lack of athleticism aside and focus on crafts. We'll start with painting. The two times I tried Painting with a Twist, the effort resulted in what could best be classified as abstract art. (That would all be well and good, but I was going for realism.) Then, when I took up knitting, my mini-afghan contained so many dropped stitches it looked more like a doily. (The knitting phase provided me with some thoughts about possible fictional methods of murder, so all was not lost.) And let's not even talk about cake decorating. (I'll just mention the Leaning Tower of Pisa and leave it at that.)

 

The one crafting skill I seem to possess is an aptitude for cross stitching. Since cross stitching is a bit like color-by-numbers, it doesn't require a great deal of innate talent on my part—just the ability to discern colors, to organize threads, and to count. Once I complete all the prep work, there's not even a lot of thinking required. It's an excellent way to keep my hands busy while I'm watching TV, and the dozen or so Christmas stockings I've created for family members fill me with a sense of accomplishment.

 

Still, I see people who possess so much crafting talent, and I sometimes long for more skills of my own. Perhaps that's why I created a character who leaps with unfettered abandon into so many activities. Maggie Cassidy—the kind, loving, funny mom of the main character in the Callie Cassidy Mystery series—tries out a new craft in almost every book. In fact, her family calls her a "hobby jumper," because she bounces from one pastime to another in the quest for an artistic endeavor that scratches her creative itch.

 

For example, in Suitable for Framing, Maggie proves she's a much better knitter than I, especially when it comes to creating sweaters for Callie's dog Woody and cat Carl. When she takes up cake decorating in Double Exposure, she even wins an award at the local Fireweed Festival. In book three, Frozen in Motion, scrapbooking snags Maggie's interest, resulting in a sentimental Valentine's album for her devoted hubby Butch.

 

Though a trip to a dude ranch in Photo Finished means a hiatus in Maggie's crafting journey, she'll rededicate herself in book 5, tentatively titled Negative Reaction. (I'm thinking origami might be right up her alley.) And I can already foresee her undertaking in book 6: genealogy—more specifically, grave rubbing. (Who knew that was even a thing? I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to researching it.)

 

And therein lies the beauty of being a writer: I can live vicariously through my characters. Will I ever be a grave rubber in real life? Seems unlikely (though now that I think about it, I do live within walking distance of a cemetery...) But Maggie can pursue it. She can invest the time and money in whatever craft captures my interest, and she'll be successful in a way I likely wouldn't.

 

But that's just the tip of the iceberg. When a specific mode of murder piques my curiosity, I can let it play out on paper. When certain people irritate me, I can use their annoying traits to manufacture characters I can finish off in unsavory fashion—and I'll never face a consequence. This author gig is the next best thing to counseling. (Or maybe all this only goes to show that I need more counseling...)

 

Maggie and I are always looking for new and interesting crafts to entertain us—and our readers. What are some of your favorites?

 

Photo Finished

A Callie Cassidy Mystery, Book 4

 

When a visit to a Colorado dude ranch turns deadly, it's up to photographer Callie Cassidy to corral the killer...

 

Callie thinks she has planned the perfect bridal shower for her best friend Tonya: a week-long girls' trip to Moonglow Ranch, where they can all bask in nature and enjoy each other's company. Then, a conniving local woman publicly threatens the ranch's owners, and Callie worries the trip may be destined for disaster. The next morning, she and her golden retriever Woody and tabby cat Carl discover the woman's body in the stable, trampled by a horse. Or did the woman die from a snakebite? Or—as Callie suspects—could something even more sinister be at play? Answers are as difficult to find as a needle in a haystack. And when the town's police chief accuses the ranch owners of murder, Callie realizes she'll need to lasso the real outlaw—before the wrong people end up in the pokey.

 

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BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--GUEST COZY MYSTERY AUTHOR LORI ROBERTS HERBST

Lori Roberts Herbst spent much of her life writing, editing, and psychoanalyzing. Through thirty years of teaching journalism, advising newspaper and yearbook staffs, instructing budding photographers, and counseling teenagers, she still managed to hang on to a modicum of sanity. Then she abandoned all hope and began writing mysteries. Learn more about Lori and her books at her website.

Before becoming a cozy mystery author, I spent twenty-plus years teaching high school journalism. Hanging out in the photo lab with budding photographers occupied a big part of each day back then. I remember those hours fondly—so much so that a darkroom serves as a primary setting in my new release, Double Exposure, Book 2 in the Callie Cassidy Mystery series.

 

It is my opinion that as we age, the “nostalgia” lobe in our brain expands, so I realize I might be viewing those long-past darkroom days through rose-colored glasses (or crimson-colored safelights). Still, I recall that smelly, sticky, shadowy photo lab with affection. It was there I bestowed upon hundreds of teenagers the joy of watching images they had created come to life in a tray of developing fluid—a heady, almost spiritual event that lingers with most of us photographer-types forever. The experience is akin to giving birth—but without the contractions.

 

What a unique place a darkroom is. For a new photographer, it is a place to unearth your creative passions. No matter how many people are crammed inside, you encounter a warm sense of isolation and intimacy, as if you’re in a bunker, protected from the whirling chaos outside. The red glow softens the world’s hard edges. The odor of chemicals permeates every surface—including, after a time, you yourself—but you come to think of it as a pleasant aroma, much like your grandmother’s favorite perfume.

 

Even the terminology associated with a darkroom hints at comfort and enlightenment. You “enlarge” images. You “develop” pictures. You work beneath the gleam of “safelights.” You turn negatives into positives.

 

For a photographer who is also a control freak (and experience tells me that’s most of us), the darkroom furnishes the ultimate high. You determine every aspect of your finished product, from the photo’s size to the cropping to the tones. It’s a powerful marriage of art and craft, similar to writing a book.

 

We’ve all gone digital these days, and while I realize there are many advantages to that, the “old fogey” lobe in my brain (housed next to the nostalgia lobe) laments the darkroom’s decline. When I started writing the Callie Cassidy Mystery series, I saw a chance to remedy that, at least on a fictional scale. From her birth in my imagination, Callie was predestined to have a darkroom of her own, a spot where she could create and heal and grow. 

 

And ultimately (spoiler alert), a place where she discovers a body. 

 

Obviously, right? Because along with all its other features, a darkroom is a place where mystery lurks.

 

Double Exposure

A Callie Cassidy Mystery, Book 2

 

It’s summertime in Rock Creek Village, Colorado, where the blooming wildflowers and colorful sunsets make life feel picture perfect. But inside Sundance Studio, a murder has developed…

 

Former big-city photojournalist Callie Cassidy is finally feeling at home again in the mountainside village where she grew up. She’s bought her own townhouse, made friends, and rebooted a romantic relationship with her long-ago boyfriend. She even entered her lovable golden retriever and cantankerous tabby cat into the upcoming Fireweed Festival pet pageant. Best of all, her new photography business is poised on the precipice of success. So when a group of journalists from her old newspaper come to town for a retreat, she can’t wait to show off the gallery. The happy hour she throws goes off without a hitch—at least, that’s what Callie believes.

 

Then one of the reporters turns up dead—in Callie’s darkroom. Callie is certain she locked the place tight, especially in light of the recent vandalism. The murder thrusts the village’s shop owners into a tizzy. How can this be happening…again? They want the crime solved pronto—before the Chamber of Commerce cancels the festival and deprives them of a big chunk of seasonal income. Detective Raul Sanchez is on the case, but that doesn’t mean Callie won’t do a little snooping of her own. Meanwhile, she can’t shake the feeling that someone is watching her…Will Callie be able to expose the true killer—before time runs out?

 

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