Thursday, December 1, 2022

To Tradition or not to Tradition by Paige Shelton

Jenn McKinlay: It's always a great day when we get to chat with our friend Paige who has a new Alaska Wild mystery coming out on Dec 6th! 

This is the fourth in the Mary Higgins Clark Award nominated series and it sounds thrilling! 

BUY NOW
The fourth installment in the gripping, atmospheric Alaska Wild series, Paige Shelton's Winter's End.

It’s springtime in Benedict, Alaska, and with the warmer weather comes an unseasonably somber local tradition...the annual Death Walk. At the end of each brutal winter, citizens gather downtown and then break into groups to search the community for those who might have somehow gotten stuck at home. Beth Rivers sets off with her friend Orin and dog Gus, toward the cabin of an elderly resident, intending to check on him.

When they reach the cabin, the old man is alive, but not in the best shape. Beth stays with him while Orin hurries to town for help, but it’s not Orin who returns. Gril comes back with shocking news, and it soon becomes clear that Orin has also vanished. When they discover that their friend has been doing some top-secret research, they start to worry he’s been exposed, or worse.

Meanwhile, Beth continues on her own search, for her father, who allegedly is alive in Mexico, but won't return her calls. Still, she's making progress in healing from her own trauma, though can't quite shake the feeling she's being followed...

Paige: Happy Holidays to everyone! Thanks to Jenn and all the Jungle Reds for letting me stop by today. 

About ten years ago I was talking to a friend about the holiday traditions of my childhood. All those (long ago) events centered around my grandparents; my family, aunts, uncles, and cousins meeting at my grandparents’ small Missouri home, where my grandmother would make sure we all ate delicious food, even if it meant we had to eat in shifts because the kitchen was so small. I loved those days. After my grandparents passed, we all floundered for what to do and where to go for holiday celebrations. No one’s house or cooking, or anything really, was close to the same type of down home hospitality my grandparents offered. Mostly, the rest of us ended up not doing much of anything for a lot of years. My friend, the one I was talking to about ten years ago, said, “That’s the problem with traditions. They can’t go on forever, because nothing goes on forever. You should work to make different memories with each new trip around the sun or you’ll just be stuck in that melancholy mode of missing what used to be.” 

Well. I was quiet for a long moment as I worked through her words. I had to get past a few moments of “what’s wrong with her?” and “how dare she?” I realized quickly, of course, that she meant no disrespect to my memories. And much to my dismay, I finally concluded that she might be on to something. At least partly. 

I am grateful for those childhood traditions, but after my grandparents were gone, they would have wanted the rest of us to find new ways to enjoy ourselves without them, not just be sad they weren’t there. Even if it was something as simple as going to a movie one year, going for a hike the next. Mix it up. Make new memories that would only complement the old traditional activities. 

Since that conversation, I’ve tried to do exactly that – make sure new things, even small things, are a part of any of my family get togethers. It’s given me a sense of purpose, and I think everyone has had a good time. It has given us all a chance to partition the years as well – they don’t all mix into one similar picture. There was that year we all visited the observatory, then the one with the zoo. That year we watched a parade, or the one where we had Italian food instead of turkey. 

This year for Thanksgiving, my son, daughter-in-law, and brand-new grandbaby boy visited us in Arizona. I am so fortunate to have these wonderful people in my life. I’ll never be as amazing as my grandmother, but I can cook okay enough. We ate good food and, activities being dictated by the almost brand new human, spent lots of time inside cuddling the baby. Next year, we’ll do some of the same things, but I’ll work to come up with something different for new memories. Grandbaby’s age will probably dictate things for a while, and I love that, feel fortunate for it. 

Before they arrived, I’d cleaned and rearranged some pictures. I found a tiny photobooth picture of my grandparents and my mother when she was a brand new baby. I set the small picture on a shelf, leaning against another framed picture. As I was cleaning up after son, DIL, and baby left to go back to Omaha, I closed a sliding door near the shelf. That sepia-toned picture fluttered up and landed on the floor at my feet, face up. Of course, it was probably just the wind from the closing door, but I’ve decided that I’m going to think of it as a lovely hug and an approving fist bump from the people I still miss and love to this day. Tradition or not, we all need a little magic during the holidays, right? 





What about you, Readers, do you have traditions that you've kept or ones that you've had to let go of?

Speaking of new traditions – this coming Saturday, December 3, at 2:00 PM, Arizona time (currently the same as Pacific Time) Jenn McKinlay, Kate Carlisle, and I will be at the Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale to kick off my new book, the fourth in the Alaska Wild Series: Winter’s End. We’ll be in ugly Christmas sweaters, and we encourage others to join in, either live, or via the links below. We’ll be awarding a prize to our favorites.

Links to the event:



Paige Shelton is the New York Times Bestselling author of the Farmers' Market, Country Cooking School, Dangerous Type, and Scottish Bookshop mysteries. She's lived lots of places but currently resides in Arizona. Find out more at www.paigeshelton.com

64 comments:

  1. Congratulations, Paige, on your new book . . . it sounds both intriguing and super-exciting!

    Traditions are wonderful things . . . and all those long-ago pieces of celebrations are special memories, indeed. Everyone together at midnight Christmas candlelight service is one of our kept [and treasured] traditions . . . .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That sounds wonderful, Joan! Happy holiday wishes to you and yours.

      Delete
  2. Congratulations Paige on your upcoming release.
    The only tradition we continue is the food that is served at holiday gatherings.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh yes, missing favorite foods never goes well. :) Happy holidays, Dru Ann.

      Delete
  3. PAIGE: I'm looking forward to reading the newest Alaska mystery. The Death Walk is a creepy (but I guess) necessary tradition up there.

    My parents & grandparents are all gone, and I have no family left in Canada, so those childhood traditions have ended. The past two holiday season pandemic lockdowns prevented any in-person get-togethers around Christmas. My fingers are crossed that I can enjoy some normal holiday traditions this year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, the past couple years have put a crimp in so many traditions. Cheers to you!

      Delete
  4. I don't know if I've ever told you, Paige, how much I love this series. I'm excited for the new book!

    I also love the idea of starting a new tradition at the holidays. The first Christmas after I was divorced, my sons and I decided to start a new tradition of making sushi for Christmas Eve. Who did that for a number of years. It was a great marker of a new era. They both love sushi and they both loved to cook, Even in high school, so it was perfect.

    My son and daughter-in-law will be here this year, and I'm going to make sure we try something new.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sigh. The previous two comments were from Edith Maxwell, as is this one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Edith, I just had to say I recognized your 'voice.' When it is an anonymous poster I will often try to guess who it is and this morning I was pretty sure it was you. Probably the 2 sons helped tip me off, too.

      Delete
    2. Hi Edith - thank you for your kind words. Honestly, Christmas sushi sounds wonderful! I'm putting that on my list. Best to you and your lovely family.

      Delete
  6. Paige, congratulations on the new Alaska Wild mystery. This is a must buy for me. Okay, technically it is on my Christmas list but either way, I will be getting this ASAP. The synopsis definitely whets the appetite.

    I'm not sure that I keep many traditions alive that I grew up with. It's just me here and all the stuff that my mother did, I don't really get into doing. The closest I come is sending books to my cousin's kids for Christmas. My mother did that and I keep it going. The younger of the two refers to me as their "book cousin".

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 'Book cousin'! Love it, Jay! I was the aunty who always gave books to my 9 nephews at Christmas.

      Delete
    2. Book cousin - now, that's a title. Love it. Thanks, Jay, for all your wonderful support for this series, and happy holidays to you and yours.

      Delete
  7. Congratulations on your new book, Paige. The purpose of a walk like that is terrifying and a bit creepy, too. Please share the inspiration for this idea. This series has been on my radar for a while and I must get the books off the TBR list and into my hands.

    Your friend was so wise in suggesting that new traditions are up to you. Although I have known this for a very long time, it's hard not to be nostalgic about people you loved and celebrations you enjoyed.

    I hope to tune into your PP event Saturday from my desk in windy Connecticut.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We will look for you online, Judy. Thank you, and many good wishes your way.

      Delete
  8. Wow, centering a mystery on a death walk is genius, Paige. There is a built-in suspense in such a premise.

    I agree with Judy about your friend's wisdom. Our family is so splintered now, there's no "going to Grandma's house" much any more. We used to have everyone here for Thanksgiving, and we went to the only daughter's home that included a grandchild on Christmas, but he's off to college next year, and no telling what his traditions will be going forward.

    The only real tradition is trying mightily to be together, despite times zones and even continents between us, whether in person or via digital magic. That's the important thing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I meant to mention the death walk in my comment, too. What a caring but grisly errand. Can nobody check on those people during the winer?

      Delete
    2. Must be especially difficult in some places.

      Delete
    3. Edith, my middle daughter has a friend who lives in a non-electrified cabin in the Alaskan bush. She has limited mobility in the dead of winter. Pretty scary scenario to me, but she loves it up there.

      Delete
    4. Karen - so glad you got to the grandchild before he left for college! Yep - no telling what he'll do from here on. Happy holidays.

      Delete
  9. This is so wise and lovely Paige! thanks for bringing the post to us this morning...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Roberta, and thanks for letting me stop by. Best wishes to you and yours.

      Delete
  10. I had never heard of a death walk, but it makes sense given the place and circumstances.

    Our traditions have changed a lot over the years. Of course, what I miss most are people-- the elders who have gone on. I worked many holidays, so the traditions always had to be flexible. I love the idea of doing something different each year--creating a memorable historical record.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, it's always the people, huh? They live on in our hearts, but still, sometimes . . . Hugs, and happy wishes your way.

      Delete
  11. Paige, I'm so happy to hear that there is another Alaska Wild mystery on the near horizon! Loved that sweet picture of your grandparents. I also liked the idea of changing and adding new traditions to the holidays.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Judi - Happy holiday wishes coming your way. (I love that picture too - it's given me lots of smiles.)

      Delete
  12. Paige, I think I missed the boat on this series--in that I didn't realize it was a series! Time to do some catching up because this one sounds like a doozy!

    There is a melancholy that lingers when thinking of time passing and beloved ones gone. My parents passed away within three months' time of one another, so the annual gathering of everyone at their home abruptly ended. We made new traditions out of necessity, and even those change as the years roll by. This year I'm adjusting to an almost empty nest--maybe the hardest of all since my parents died. But on the flip side--time enough to reinvent the season to suit myself.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Flora - thank you. Happy holidays, a transition though it might be. Hugs.

      Delete
  13. I’m a couple of books behind on this series now. The Death Walk must be a very somber day.
    That photograph is a treasure. I still miss not going to my grandma’s house for holidays even though we segued into my parents being the grandparents long ago. Now they are both gone too and every year circumstances with jobs, covid, travels etc have meant the holidays are different all the time.
    After I burned the rolls at Thanksgiving two years in a row, my youngest son has started asking, as we sit down at the table laden with food, if I burned the rolls. So, I have decided it takes two consecutive years to establish a tradition. All of our kids and dogs have been here on Thanksgiving Day two years in a row now.(The eldest son and DIL coming from Omaha btw.) Perhaps we have a new tradition going forward.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Brenda - actually, the Death Walk isn't nearly as somber as you might think. It's good to get out and see everyone again, dead or alive. ;) I love our Omaha connection, and I love that the dogs join you too. Happy holidays!

      Delete
  14. Hooray, a new-to-me series that sounds excellent! Like many people, I have a love-hate relationship with end of the year holidays. Our parents made marvelous Christmases for my brother and me, and I have loads of wonderful memories. Now, however, my only remaining family member is my brother's adult son. I do carry on some of my childhood traditions, especially at Christmas. A real tree, Shiny Brite ornaments from the 50s, spritz cookies made with Mom's Mirro Cooky Press (with its original box), lots of lights in windows, setting up my childhood Nativity scene, hanging stockings for my husband and me, and putting an orange in the toe along with unshelled nuts. A tradition of my own making is a Christmas playlist. It includes songs from the 50s and 60s mixed with rock 'n' roll tunes (Wilson Pickett's Silver Bells, Elvis's Blue Christmas, etc.), Eric Idle's *%#@ Christmas, and the fabulous A John Waters Christmas CD (Santa Claus is a Black Man, and other classics). I also read John's essay, Why I Love Christmas every December 1st to help me get in the proper holiday spirit. ~Lynda

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lynda - Spritz cookies! I love them - so cool that you still have your mom's press. I haven't read Why I Love Christmas. I'm going to look that up. Best to you!

      Delete
    2. Lynda, I have my Nany’s Mirro cookie press. Use it every year.

      Delete
    3. I have my mom's Mirro press, too!

      Delete
  15. The Death Walk? That is SO chilling! And so many layers to that. (and hurray for the new book! you know I am such a fan!) Somehow black cherry jello with black cherries started being a tradition at our house when I was about 10. (It's disgusting, truly, but my little brother loved it) I've never made it, but every Thanksgiving, I wonder if I should. (I'm not remembering the year Mom forgot to use pitted cherries.....:-))
    Eager to see your ugly sweaters! xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL - Isn't it funny how the mishaps become some of the best memories? Thanks, Hank. Sending you and yours all the]good wishes, and only the best pitted cherries.

      Delete
  16. Congratulations on the new release! It sounds marvelous. I live in far northern Maine and although we do not perform an annual death walk, I can see how in even more rural areas, it could be necessary.

    Traditions! Yes, ever changing ones. This was brought home to me after my mother's death. The holiday dinner at my mother's house never varied. It was always wonderful, don't misunderstand, but, well, dated. Time and distance meant our holiday food traditions bifurcated over time. Following my mother's passing, my dad moved into my house for a year or so. Our first holiday I made my traditional dinner for twenty menu. The night before, I could tell dad was troubled. He finally asked me if I'd forgotten the corn casserole and the broccoli cheese casserole. I hadn't. Both recipes were tried and true from the 1950s with the liberal use of canned soup! Seeing how emotional the omission was for him, I made it to the store before closing and bought the necessary ingredients. He was content. Now that both my parents are gone, my husband and I always make sure one or the other casserole is on the table in honor of their memory. A tradition, that if eye-rolls are to judge by, will die with us.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kait - I love every bit of your story. Heartwarming. Wishing you the best.

      Delete
  17. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  18. PAIGE: Trying again here. Welcome to JRW! Thinking of traditions, I added a new tradition a few years ago when I kearned about the "book flood" tradition in Iceland. On Christmas Eve, people give book gifts. I thought that was awesome.

    Sounds like you have wonderful memories of your grandparents.

    Diana

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love that Iceland tradition too. Everyone gives and gets books - perfect! Happy holidays, Diana.

      Delete
  19. Congratulations on the new book, Paige! The death walk is very intriguing and I'm looking forward to learning more. The last couple of years have disrupted all of our Christmas traditions, but at least this year we had our family Thanksgiving at my aunt's for the first time since 2019. I'm hoping for a little more normal Christmas, too. We'll see if Christmas will have migrated from our house to our daughter's!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cheers, Deborah, to as normal Christmas as possible. Best to you and yours.

      Delete
  20. Some traditions do change. That just means making a new tradition. And those can become just as wonderful as the old ones were. But it can be hard to lose those old ones, especially when it means you are losing people from your life.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So true! Happy holidays to you and yours, Mark.

      Delete
  21. I love this post, Paige! So wise.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I'm so pleased to hear about your Alaska Wild series, Paige, and thanks for making me think about family holiday traditions. The truth is that although I have pleasant Christmases with my husband and my adult son, nothing can ever replace the joy of the whole Christmas season that I experienced with my parents and sister when I was child, which went on, only slightly diminished in the later years, for as long as my father was alive. I hear the message about building new traditions, and I've tried, but, in my case, it's never going to happen. My sister and I agree that we were blessed with a magical childhood.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lovely blessings - and I hear you. Hugs, and happy holidays.

      Delete
  23. As my kids have grown up, and we no longer travel to the grandparents (and they don't come to us because, well, age), we've struggled with traditions. The Girl has said she misses the "magic" of Christmas from her childhood. But neither of them have any ideas of how to make new traditions. It's a conundrum for sure.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wishing you all the magic of the season, Liz.

      Delete
  24. It gives me so much pleasure watching my children make their own new traditions. They make room in December for Christmas and Hanukah. For my contribution, it's about the food. Homemade candy (pecan turtles; chocolate cover orange rind). Brisket and potato pancakes. Light the candles. Sing Xmas carols. Children ARE the magic of the holidays. And happily mine do come to me, usually Christmas eve, and stay the rest of the week. This year Christmas and Hanukah coincide which is always a bit of a sugar rush. We've agreed to dial back the present giving -- for the adults at any rate. I insist on being able to spoil the grands.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh yes, spoiling the grands is the only way to go. Happiest holiday wishes to you all, Hallie.

      Delete
  25. Congratulations, Paige, on the new book. At Christmas, my husband's Wisconsin family used to follow Norwegian traditions with lutefisk (don't ask) and lefse. Mine had turkey and pie. The new generation is vegetarian, but the MIRO Press cookies never fail!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lutefisk - omg, sooooo bad. LOL, but a tradition is a tradition. Happy holidays!

      Delete
  26. Paige, I love your Alaska Wild series, and, hopefully, I'm getting to Winter's End next week. I had wanted to read it before publication date, as I have it through Netflix, but behind I am once again. However, Winter's End is on my list of must-read-before-year-ends books. It's coming down to the wire, and I'm becoming a little panicked.

    It's so hard to measure up to the memories of our childhood Christmas days or even as a young adult when returning "home" for the holidays. I am a decent cook, but I know I'll never fix dressing balls and gravy that taste like my mother's. My parents have been gone 25,26 years, so the siblings and I rather went our separate ways in celebrating. We all lived in different places, so we started our own family celebrations. I have my daughter and her family and my son (finally again this year) to our house for Thanksgiving. We go to my daughter's for Christmas. This works well for us. However, I do like the idea of doing something new every year. I'll have to think on that one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Kathy. Wishing you all the happiest of holidays.

      Delete
  27. Paige, your book series sounds intriguing. It’s been added to my TBR list! I would love to be at The Poisoned Pen this Saturday, but alas, am not in the Phoenix area. How does one tune in virtually?

    Regarding traditions and change, my husband and I have tried to “go with the flow”. There were years of flying to Northern California from SoCal to drive my elderly parents to my sister’s house. Then when we started a family (and my parents were gone), we went to my in-laws’ so all of the grandkids could celebrate together. The in-laws are both gone now, but the son is newly engaged and has moved to a Portland suburb. We are driving north (with our dog - another new adventure!) to spend the holidays with the happy couple. And no, we won’t be staying with them which will probably make for an even happier holiday time!
    Pat S.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Paige, I kept thinking as I read your guest post that your name was very familiar. After my post above, I looked you up. Nope, hadn’t read that series or that one when suddenly the light bulb went on! I have read all of - and loved - your Country Cooking School mysteries! Thanks for the entertainment! ❤️
    Pat S.

    ReplyDelete
  29. That is such a beautiful thought, and I know it is true. Circumstances have caused me to leave behind many of my treasured family traditions and that's still hard for me, but I remember one year when my mom made the decision to move Thanksgiving dinner from our grandparents's house to our house. We kids protested loudly. We wanted it the way it always was, even though all the same people--relatives from both sides, which was lovely--would be coming to our house, instead of gathering at our grandmother's table. My mom said, frankly, "Some day your grandma won't be able to do this. She won't be well, or she won't be here at all. I want us to have some Thanksgiving memories that aren't just about being in that house, at that place. I want Thanksgiving to be about more than that." And she was right. After that Thanksgiving was, as we say, a moveable feast. Sometimes at the other grandma's house, sometimes at our house, sometimes back at the original house, even after that grandma had a stroke and was a quiet guest observing the event. But when the house was sold, we didn't lose Thanksgiving, and I was grateful for a mother who had eased us into a new era.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Paige, please allow me to go all fan-girl on you for a moment! I have loved pretty much all your series. I just discovered the Alaska Wild one recently, and have only read the first book so far, so I am thrilled to know that I now have THREE more installments to enjoy.

    Traditions can be tricky. My 29-year-old son still mourns the Thanksgivings of his childhood, which were all spent at my husband's brother's home in the country in Michigan. Once the host couple's youngest child was raised they politely informed the family they were ready to travel for the holidays instead of host, and the celebrations have been different each year since. I have kind of enjoyed the variety, but it hit my son hard. I sometimes think it is because he is an only child and it was one of the only times he really got to enjoy that larger family dynamic. (My husband's extended family always gets together between Christmas and New Year, but that is such a large gathering it can be overwhelming. It is certainly a different dynamic than those Thanksgivings.)

    ReplyDelete
  31. Jay’s sister here. We had many traditions from childhood that I look back on fondly and do miss. We weren’t rich by any means but my parents made Christmas a special time. I still watch Rudolph and have popcorn and ginger ale for my movie snack. Now We tag a real tree every year at a local tree farm, I make the Christmas roast and I have inherited mom’s nativity scene. I make donations to the rescue group where we got our dog and to a local animal shelter.

    ReplyDelete