Tuesday, March 23, 2021

In Like a Lion, Out like a Lamb; a guest post by Paula Munier

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Yesterday, we were talking about the mundane, yearly rituals of spring, a season that, more than any other, calls to mind ritual. At least, it does here in New England, where we watch for the extra five minutes of sun, the forsythia, the first daffodils, and then the lilacs. We wait for the largest mound of snow in the shadiest part of the property to vanish, despite the fact that snow transmutes, not into gold, but mud.

Nobody captures New England's seasons and small-town rituals like Paula Munier, whose Mercy Carr series made a big splash with its debut, A BORROWING OF BONES, and continued with BLIND SEARCH.  The third book, THE HIDING PLACE, will be out a week from today on March 30th, so you have time to preorder it from your local bookseller. If you haven't read Paula before, her post today, on the joys and sorrows of March, will give you a taste of her gorgeous prose.

 

 


“In the Spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.”

--Mark Twain

 When I moved to New England more than twenty years ago, I quickly realized that there were three things you could talk to even the most laconic Yankee about: 1) Sports (meaning the Red Sox, the Patriots, the Celtics, or the Bruins); 2) driving directions (meaning which convoluted way you came to get wherever you are); and 3) the weather (meaning it’s likely to change as you speak).

In the land of unpredictable weather, the climate is never more capricious than it is in Spring. Well, we may call it Spring, but it’s really a calamitous clash of three major seasons: Winter, Spring, and Mud. With the Ides of March come the most treacherous stage of this transition, when slush may seep into your foundation and mire may strand your four-wheel drive vehicle and ice may break under your feet. All this while snowdrops peep out of the snow and sap flows in the maples and chorus frogs croak away.

I set the third book in my Mercy Carr series, THE HIDING PLACE, in March because it’s a story about the transitions that mark our lives, for better or worse: season to season, place to place, relationship to relationship, childhood to adolescence to adulthood and beyond. There is promise and peril in these transitions—and even when we survive and thrive as a result, we are not the same. We are forever changed. If we’re lucky, we are reborn. 

March is the time where winter and spring stand side by side. In New England this annual rebirth is inescapable, as the icy-white landscape melts into the rainbow colors of printemps: the pale, perfect shade of green leafing buds, the cheerful yellow of forsythia, the royal purple of crocus, the bright azure of bluebells. But even those of us living in tropical places where the seasons are less distinct have suffered through the desolate winter of this pandemic. As we sign up for vaccines and set the clocks forward and order seeds for our summer gardens, we must still wear masks and shelter in place and send virtual hugs to our grandchildren on Zoom.

And we must still bury our dead. My 87-year-old father died earlier this month. (Not two weeks after he received his first vaccine. Sigh….) It was sudden and not sudden, unexpected and expected, a bitter farewell and a sweet blessing, all at once. We buried the Colonel’s ashes at a lovely military cemetery at the edge of a woods, to the sound of birdsong and the bugler’s Taps. It was one of those beautiful warm and sunny days that Spring sends early in the season as a sacred promise. We couldn’t help but believe that Dad was in a better place.

A week later it’s 9 degrees outside. Cold and grey, befitting our grief. But signs of Spring are everywhere. My heirloom vegetable, herb, and flower seed packets arrive from Artistic Gardens in Vermont. The daylight lingers a little longer every day. Eastern phoebes and pine warblers and white-winged crossbills return.

The owls are hooting and the woodpeckers are pecking and the red-winged blackbirds are conk-la-ree-ing. The dogs are discovering their lost bones and the cat is venturing out on snow-free ground and I am cleaning closets and choosing wallpaper and setting my seedlings in south-facing windows to soak up the sun. 

After the graveside service for my father was over, the cemetery manager—a tall, kind man named Patrick—said this to us. “People are always looking down here. Down at the earth. Down at the stones. Down at the epitaphs.”

We looked at him. Baffled.

“Yesterday a bald eagle flew over during a service,” said Patrick. “Remember to look up.”

We all looked up. The sky was blue and empty and the sun shone brightly. There was no bald eagle. No sign from my father.

But it’s early days yet. Spring is not here in full flower. As we emerge from this long winter, let’s keep to our rituals. Let’s keep an eye out for signs. And let’s remember to look up.

You can find out more about Paula Munier and the Mercy Carr series at her website. You can friend Paula on Facebook, follow her on Twitter as @PaulaSMunier and enjoy great posts about books and dogs on her Instagram, @PaulaSMunier.

Don't forget to make your reservation to see Paula and Hank in conversation on Tuesday, March 30 at 7pm EST!    

60 comments:

  1. Paula, condolences on the death of your father . . . .

    Might you tell us a bit more about “The Hiding Place”?

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    1. Wow, you're up early. Or can you just not sleep? I'm a very good sleeper--I'm very fond of sleep--but this year I soemtimes find myself up at 3am. But I digress...The Hiding Place is a cold case story, about the cold case that haunted Mercy's late grandfather. The cse comes back to haunt Mercy and her family in The Hiding Place. To save them all, she must dig into secrets long buried....

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  2. PAULA: So sorry about your father's passing, deepest condolences.

    I am a fan of Mercy and Elvis! I remember reading A BORROWING OF BONES on a cross-country plane trip (remember those?) from Newark to San Francisco a couple of years ago. And I read an ARC of THE HIDING PLACE last month, and enjoyed it.

    Yes, we are all looking forward to signs of spring in MARCH. It's a fickle time of year. Yesterday, we reached a balmy high of +18C/64F, which is mid-May temperatures here in Ottawa ON. The normal high is +4C/39F and we will go back to that reality by week's end.
    But the big snow piles have mostly melted and the river ice is slowing melting away, so that's a good sign. No spring flowers, or buds on trees or birds yet. That's something to look forward to in April here.

    Looking to watching your virtual event on APRIL 1 with Margaret Mizushima. I also enjoy her Timber Creek K-9 series.

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    1. Thank you for your condolences. Much appreciated!
      And yes, this is a fickle time. What a great word--fickle! I think that's going to be my Word of the Day.
      Here the conventional wisdom is no planitng before Memorial Day. What's the rule there?
      Margaret is a great writer and a very dear person. We always have a lot of fun.

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    2. PAULA: Yes, our planting day is similar to yours. Not before Victoria Day, which is May 24 this year.

      I agree, Margaret is a great writer and a sweetheart. I have read her books and been lucky to meet up with Margaret in person at several Bouchercon and Left Coast Crime.
      I will be posting comments on the PP Live Chat with you both on April 1.

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    3. Yay! We look forward to chatting with you!
      PS: Victoria Day!

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  3. Paula, condolences on the death of your father.

    You already know that I love the Mercy Carr series and THE HIDING PLACE is the best one in the series and I can't wait for the next book.

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    1. Dru! Dru! Dru! Well, ours is a mutual admiration society :-)
      Working on Book Four now....

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  4. Paula, what a beautiful treatise on spring - and on your father. I send virtual hugs.

    And I can't wait to read the new book! May your sales thrive like your seedlings. (I walked in a short-sleeved shirt yesterday. It was glorious.)

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    1. Aww thank you.
      I, too, went out in a spring top and gloried in the sun. I thought Blondie our Malinois pandemic puppy would be thrilled too but when I took her outside to play fetch, she would't step in the mud. She hates mud. Who ever heard of a dog who hates mud?

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  5. Paula, I am so very sorry to hear about your father. This has already been a difficult year and just as we seem to be emerging it is still a blow.

    As a fellow New Englander, I recognize the weather of which you speak. In Connecticut, we don't usually get weather, we get samples. But it is full blown Spring here this week.

    Tell us more about the series and your characters. I am excited to begin with book 1. My TBR pile is expanding.

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    1. Thanks for asking! Mercy Carr is an Army MP home from Afghanistan mourning the loss of her fiance in the same battle that killed him, wounded her, and gave his bomb-sniffing dog PTSD. Elvis, the Malinois, is in her care now, and they've both lost their man and their mission. Now trying to make their way as civilians at home in New England--and teaming up with local game warden Troy Warner and his search-and-rescue dog Susie Bear to solve crimes in the Vermont wilderness....

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  6. Paula, I am so sorry for the loss of your father...

    I am a fan of your writing. Mercy and Elvis are terrific characters, and I am so looking forward to their outing landing on my Kindle next week. I've had it pre-ordered for months.

    As for spring, it's coming along in a hurry up and wait kind of way: strong warm sun on Saturday but bleak grey skies today. My front hall closet holds the full array of jackets required, from down warm to light-weight in order to cover all the eventualities.

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    1. Thank you! How lovely of you to say so!
      I hear you about wardrobe. Whenever I see those scenes in movies where women are swapping out entire closets due to a season change, I laugh. In New England we get all kinds of weather all year round. You need everything all the time!

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  7. Lovely post Paula, there's nothing sadder than taps at a graveside service. Hugs to you and can't wait to read the new book! xox

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    1. I know, right??!!?? As an Army brat I've always hated Taps, knowing that one day I would hear it at my dad's funeral. But it WAS beautiful, and the Colonel owuld have loved it.

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  8. Such a beautiful post and remembrance of your father, Paula. Thank you for the reminder to look up, even when there's slush at our feet and tears in our eyes.

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    1. It's all down to Patrick. The front line workers--be they nurses or cemertey managers--have seen so much death this past year and yet.... The ICU nurses who cared for my father and Patrick were all so wise and optimistic and they really helped get me through it.

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  9. Paula, I add my condolences on the loss of your father. I know just what you mean about sudden/not sudden, expected/unexpected.

    Julia, you couldn't have been more accurate about Paula's gorgeous prose! I have somehow missed the Mercy Carr books previously, but this sample makes me want to RUN out to get the first one and catch up.

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    1. Julia is unfailingly kind and generous. And you should know that she's MY inspiration. Julia is the writer I want to be when I grow up!

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  10. I'm very sorry to hear of your father, Paula. Yes, we must remember to look up.

    And I'm very glad for a new Mercy Carr to enjoy!

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    1. Thank you! Lovely to see you here. Happy Spring!

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  11. Oh Paula, when you look at the sky you will see your father. That is the best son of all. He was incredibly proud of you! Tell the story about what he said about your character!

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    1. Oh, soeur de ma coeur, thank you!
      The Colonel did not tolerate whining or pouting or crying. When something bad happened to you, you had two choices: fix it, or grin and bear it. Adversity builds character, he would say to me, even when I was six years old. Fast forward a few decades, and I am telling him about my latest bad luck in a string of bad luck. When he expressed outrage on my behalf, I reminded him,"Adversity builds character." "You've got enough character," he said. That was the nicest thing he ever said to me.

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  12. And do not miss Paula‘s book launch launch March 30 at Gibsons bookstore! Paula? Will you post the link? Yaaay! And happy Spring, everyone. The crocuses are up at our house.

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    1. Thanks for mentioning it! Come and join Hank and me! https://www.gibsonsbookstore.com/event/munier-hiding

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  13. Paula, I'm so sorry for your loss. I do understand what you meant - we always know it will happen some day but we are always surprised when it happens this day.

    How is this for a coincidence: I woke up thinking it must be time to feature your newest book on JRW. And here you are! I loved the first 2 and cannot wait to read this one.

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    1. Awww thank you! It's the first time I've had a book pub in the Spring and it's lovely! New book, new garden plan, and my first vaccine on Saturday. Yay!

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  14. Congratulations on your new release! Does Blondie approve?

    A woman told me a tearful story about her father's death: on a bleak November day, she stood at the window watching a flock of cardinals feed on the ground. All at once, the cardinals flocked together and took off. She turned to look at her father, who had just died. Every time she sees a cardinal, she knows her dad is dropping by.

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  15. That is a GREAT story. Love it! Thank you for sharing it.
    As for Blondie, having a living, breathing version of Elvis in the house is quite the education. I modeled Elvis after several of the military wokring dogs I'd met, but now I have a whole new perspective....

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  16. Sounds like an eagle would be a fitting reminder of your dad, Paula. May his memory be a blessing.

    A friend who knows we had to scrape a lot of trees and other vegetation to build our house gave us four red buckeye trees he had dug up in Louisiana. He also knows that I'm trying to use native plants here, so that was a wonderful housewarming gift. They were bare, dormant sticks, and I've been checking them daily to see how they'd do here. Yesterday they all exploded into leaf, very dramatic, such a metaphor for spring. It gives me hope to see the world coming back to rich, vibrant life again.

    I'm pretty sure I have your first book somewhere in this house of many unpacked boxes of books. A perfect incentive to get unpacking and start your series!

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    1. Buckeyes! When I was a little girl, we lived in Cincinnati (as a military family we lived in a lot of places) and I LOVED buckeye trees. I used to collect the buckeyes and bring piles of them home. I think my mother was relieved when we were transferred LOL
      That said, I don't remember the leaves. But it sounds beautiful. I may have to plant one here!

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    2. You would recognize them instantly, Paula. There are five leaves, arranged in a palmate fashion.

      We also planted bottlebrush buckeyes last year. Both plants have spectacular blossoms: the white bottlebrush bloom is held upright, and the red ones have glorious deep coral bloom.

      Do you remember where you lived? There is an airbase in Dayton, about an hour away.

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    3. We lived in Cincinnati, my dad was teaching at Xavier. I went to St. Peter and St. Paul's for first grade and my first communion. My aunt and uncle live in Dayton (he's military too) and my aunt took me back to the old neighborhood a couple of years ago and I could point the house we lived in and find my way to the school and church all these years (and moves) later. I couldn't believe it!
      PS: Bottlebush buckeye! On my list!

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    4. It was weird because I have no sense of direction LOL
      But things we learn at a young age stay with us....

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  18. I am so sorry for your loss, Paula. May your memories be a comfort to you. He was an eagle in life.

    Looking forward to THE HIDING PLACE.

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  19. I LOVE that! The Colonel WAS an eagle in life. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

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  20. My deepest condolences on your loss, Paula. Your post resonates in my soul on many levels - life and loss, spring and mud. My first twenty-five years were spent as a New England girl, stomping in that glorious spring mud, inhaling the earthy smell of the world awakening, while dressing in multiple layers because you just never knew what the day would bring. I am looking forward to your book as I know it will bring me home, at least for a little while.

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  21. Oh, SO true. I've lived in a million places, from California to Germany and everywhere in between, but the places I loved the most still call to me. Now that we can't travel, we can go there in our imaginations, with the help of a good story....

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  22. So looking forward to this new book, Paula! I love the unpredictability of this time of year too. There's so much to look forward to and maple sugaring and lambing keep us busy. Though waking up to frost or snow after a couple of warm, sunny days still makes my heart sink!

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  23. Lambing! Maple sugaring! So muc fun! Our neighbor across the road taps his maples, and always invites us to the sugaring party. We think it may happen this weekend. Easy to social distance at a sugaring party LOL
    PS: If you all haven't read Sarah's THE MOUNTAINS WILD, check it out. Awesome--and set in Ireland!

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  24. Oh, Paula - this is so sweet and bitter... great advice: look up! I love this series so much - congratulations on the new book!! Soon it will be beckoning from my TBR pile. It's 60 degrees here and the crocuses and snow drops are 'looking up' - the quince bush is budding pink, and the road crews are out mending potholes.

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    1. Oh, thank you, Hallie! You have such a lovely garden. On my to-do list this year is to create an elegant dining spot like yours in my own garden. So much to do here at this 260-year-old place....

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  25. Thank you for sharing this advice, Paula. I'm always amazed at what I see when I look up. There's no better sign of your father's life than in the love you show for him. That's the best tribute there is.

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    1. Aww thank you.
      When you look up, the world rewards you--with a blue sky, a red robin, a bright sea of stars....

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  26. Paula, you always remind me not to complain about the upkeep on our merely 115 year-old place:-)

    My condolences on the loss of your father. It's so hard. Even when it's expected we are never ready. He must have been so proud of you, and of your books.

    I love this series, it's one of my favorites in the last few years. Dogs, compelling characters, suspense, gorgeous writing!! How could anyone not adore these books?

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    1. Thank you so much! I love your series, and feel a lucky kinship with wonderful writers like you (and Julia) who also write his-and-her points of view stories.
      As for old houses, it's all relative. My daughter lives in Europe, and one of her friends just moved into an 11th century priory! Imagine that!

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  27. FYI: It's National Puppy Day! We rescued our pandemic puppy Blondie in July, and she's a living, breathing version of Elvis, the Malinois in my books. Such fun!

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  28. Even this cat lover gets a kick out of your canine characters. I am so appreciative your articulate sharing regarding your father's death. So many times a person can become swamped in grief. Your suggestion to look up to find the world's rewards will become my mantra for today. May your days become lighter and may the Hiding Place be discovered by many many readers.

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    1. Thank you! what a lovely blessing!
      PS: We have a rescue torbie tabby named Ursula The Cat. She's been keeping my mom company as she grieves. What a blessing.
      PPS: There are always cats in my books, too!

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  29. Taps rips my heart out every time. You have wonderful stories and memories about your Dad, Paula. It helps.
    I can't wait to read a new Mercy Carr book. Go Elvis! Here in Houston we have winter, as opposed to WINTER. I've experienced WINTER when we lived in Ohio and Minnesota. And mud season. Down here we don't have the wonderful annual putting away of the boot tray, the snow shovel, and the ice scraper. What we do have is the anticipation of the wonderful wildflower season: bluebonnets, Indian paintbrush, winecups, Indian blankets, phlox, pink evening primrose, Mexican hat, etc. It is just glorious!

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    1. Wildflowers! Love them! You must post pics when you can.
      I'm writing Book Four of my Mercy Carr series right now, and it takes place at a June wedding in the Vermont region known for its wild orchids. Beautiful!

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  30. What a lovely piece, Paula. There is so much renewal and rebirth to look forward to in spring. In the last few years, I've become an eager observer of the birds and the return in the spring of favorites. Certain flowers are coming up, too, from their long sleep.

    I'm so sorry about the loss of your dear father. The passing of those strong figures in our life is hard.

    And, of course, your books that I have on my catch-up list. I know from all the reviews and buzz just how wonderful they are, and I'm looking forward to getting up to speed on them.

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  31. Spring truly is a glorious season. I'm actually a fan of winter--great time to read and write!--but after a long cold and dark New England winter even I am thrilled when Spring comes. It's all the more spectacular for the wait. Enjoy! (And enjoy Mercy Carr, too ;-)

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  32. Paula, I am more excited to read the series now. Elvis is a great name for a dog. Getting first book this week!

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    1. Yay yay yay! I hope you like it!
      I'm glad you approve of the name Elvis. One reviewer said it was a "ridiculous" name for a dog. (I'm thinking that person's dog has a name like Fido.) I did my research, and a lot of these military working dogs are named after rock and country stars: Elvis, Garth, Cash. Or they have tough guy names like Spike or princely names like Baron. But I stand by Elvis!

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  33. When I lived in the North, we greeted each season with excitement, but by the end of each we were so looking forward to the next!!! Mud and all!!! Living in FLA, it is not quite the same... right now is the most wonderful time of the year here, the reason people flock to Florida... but soon it will be so very hot and humid that we will look forward to next winter before summer even arrives!! So! In FLA, being shut in in the air conditioning, summer is a great time for reading!! Looking forward to The Hiding Place... and the next book, and the next one. Thank you for your stories. The characters, the plots and the environment!!!

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