Tuesday, May 2, 2023

Ellen Crosby--Have You Met Your Twin?

DEBORAH CROMBIE: I have long been a huge fan of my pal Ellen Crosby's Sophie Medina books. (Ellen also writes the Virginia Wine Country mysteries, which are terrific and much lauded as well.) But photojournalist Sophie is one of my very favorite heroines and I've recommended the first two Sophie books, MULTIPLE EXPOSURE and GHOST IMAGE, repeatedly, so I was thrilled when I learned Ellen had written a new Sophie book, BLOW UP. It's a twisty, high-stakes plot based on a fascinating premise, and here's Ellen to explain!



HAVE YOU MET YOUR TWIN?

In 2019 the CDC reported that 32 out of every 1,000 babies born in the United States was a twin. But did you know there are also lookalikes who are not identical or fraternal twins and are not related to each other by blood? The name for these individuals is a doppelgänger: a biologically unrelated lookalike or double of a living person.

How common are doppelgängers? Is there an almost-you running around in the world somewhere whom you’ve never met? A new scientific study reports the answer is more likely to be yes than we might imagine—though with some qualifications and caveats.

Scientists who study DNA and genetics say that each of us shares 99.5 percent of our DNA with every other human being on the planet, meaning a tiny one-half of one percent is all that makes us different from each other. Which is why it is possible—and even likely—that somewhere in the world there is at least one other person who looks almost exactly like each of us, even though we are totally unrelated. What is even weirder is that our doppel­gänger can be a total stranger who lives thousands of miles away and is someone we might never know.

I became fascinated by the idea of using a doppelgänger in a novel after reading The Likeness by Tana French and The Death and Life of Bobby Z  by Don Winslow. (Two terrific books, by the way). As implausible as it seems, in both stories someone gets away with convincing people who know her (and him) well—even intimately—that they are that person in order to help solve a crime. It makes for a tense, gripping story because the ticking time bomb that keeps you on the edge of your seat is how long it’s going to be before the doppelgänger slips up and gets caught—and what that mistake will be. Because you know something has to happen.

The idea that a doppelgänger might actually meet their look-alike—and what the consequences of that meeting might be—became an integral part of Blow Up, my newest mystery featuring Sophie Medina, an international photojournalist. In Blow Up the two individuals could not be more different in their backgrounds, which made me wonder as I was doing my research, what made doppelgängers so similar. Was it nature or nurture?

As it turns out—and fortunately for my story—many of the similarities are genetic, or more nature than nurture. However they’re also a matter of random chance, according to Dr. Manel Esteller, a researcher in Barcelona, Spain and the author of a 2022 study on doppelgängers. “In the world right now, there are so many people that eventually the system is producing humans with similar DNA sequences,” he said. “With the Internet, it’s a lot easier to find them.”

When my family was living in London in the 1990s and my husband, a former journalist with the Voice of America, traveled often to Northern Ireland to cover the peace talks he always came home and said to me, “I see you everywhere on the streets of Belfast.” Which I found both intriguing and a bit scary since my maternal grandmother came from Ireland.  Did I have a doppelgänger in Belfast? More than one?

So I’m curious: first, has anyone ever met someone who could be their identical twin? And second—I hope you say yes!—are you willing to suspend disbelief and go along with the premise of Blow Up: that two doppelgängers could meet in real life?

With explosive consequences.

 

DEBS: Here's more about BLOW UP:

International photojournalist Sophie Medina and her old school friend Father Jack O'Hara are out for a run on Capitol Hill when they find the body of Associate Supreme Court Justice Everett Townsend lying in an alley, barely alive. When Townsend, a diabetic, later dies in the ER from complications due to hypoglycemia, his death has repercussions for Sophie after Javi Aguilera, a homeless man who is Sophie's friend and was at the hospital when Townsend was admitted, is murdered.

The night before he died, Javi told Sophie a shocking story about Townsend that could have a devastating impact on the nation's highest court if word got out. Unable to persuade anyone that what she learned is true and on the run from whoever is protecting Townsend's dark secret, Sophie searches a collection of her photographs of Washington D.C.'s homeless community, looking for evidence before everything blows up in her face.

 


ELLEN CROSBY is the author of the Sophie Medina mysteries, the Virginia wine country mystery series, and MOSCOW NIGHTS, a standalone mystery. Her most recent book, BLOW UP, is the 3rd Sophie Medina mystery. Her books have been nominated for the Mary Higgins Clark Award and the Library of Virginia People’s Choice Award; THE FRENCH PARADOX was chosen as one of The Strand Magazine’s Top 20 Mysteries of 2021. Previously she worked as a freelance reporter for The Washington Post, Moscow correspondent for ABC Radio News, and as an economist at the U.S. Senate. She is currently writing DODGE & BURN, the 4th Sophie Medina mystery.

DEBS: Here's more good news--Ellen's publisher is giving away TWO copies of BLOW UP to lucky commenters on the blog, so tell us if you've ever seen your doppleganger!

 

 


109 comments:

  1. Congratulations on your new book, Ellen. This series sounds just my cup of tea, and I don't know why I haven't read it yet. It's now on my TBR list. I find the subject of doppelgangers fascinating, and while I haven't meant a doppelganger for me, I've had people tell me that I look just like someone and ask me if I have a twin. And, I'm betting that some of us, if not all, have gone to speak to somebody we thought we knew, but it wasn't, just someone who looked like her/him. I would love to hear some stories of people who have met a doppelganger of theirs.

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    1. Thank you, Kathy! Hope you enjoy the book . . . and the series!

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  2. Congratulations, Ellen, on your new Sophie Medina book . . . definitely on my must-read list [being an identical twin, you had me at twin] . . . .

    Sadly, I have not run into my doppelgänger [although I have no doubt that Jean and I have someone out there somewhere who looks like us] . . . it's a fascinating premise for a story and I'm looking forward to seeing how Sophie's investigation turns out. And, who knows, some day I may actually run into my other twin . . . .

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    1. One of my daughters-in-law is a twin, but they are fraternal twins. In spite of looking nothing alike and having very different personalities, they are incredibly close. I love seeing them together.

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  3. Oh, and thanks for including the link to the study on doppelgangers. I'll be reading it tomorrow, or, well, later today.

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    1. It was an interesting study, though the sample size was not very large.

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  4. I can't say I've ever seen my doppelganger. I didn't realize they were really a thing in real life. I thought it was more used in fiction. Definitely an interesting post today.

    Congrats on the new book. It sounds great!

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  5. Congratulations on your new book! I just learned of your series a week ago and it’s very high on my TBR pile.

    I’ve never met my doppelgänger but thought when I was young that Mary Decker Slaney looked an awful lot like me - just hopefully not only when she was crying after her encounter with Zola Budd! -Pat S.

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    1. Believe it or not I was told (when we were living in London) that I looked like Princess Diana. LOL; it was years ago. I think it was that we had the same hairstyle!

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    2. Ellen, I can see that with your blonde hair too. Diana

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    3. I can see the resemblance to Princess Di, too.

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  6. I haven't seen my doppelgänger, but I'm thrilled to learn there is a new Sophie Medina mystery!! I was just making my way through a disappointing mystery, grumbling that it was not nearly as satisfying as a Sophie tale, which I'd rather be reading. Truly, that was my thought. Or perhaps it was a wish?

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    1. Aww, thank you! I really loved writing this book and had a lot of help with the research, as you will see in the acknowledgements.

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  7. What a great premise for a mystery! Congratulations on the new book. I love the idea of dopplegangers meeting, and would easily suspend disbelieve to go along with the story.

    For my part, I do seem to have dopplegangers, but I've never met one of mine. But more than once as I've gone through life, I've been told I had a double, and one woman was absolutely convinced that I came into her office a few times (my husband and I were applying for G.O.E.S. in San Francisco airport). She said she had always admired my earrings. When I told her I'd never been there before, this was my first time, she called her colleague over and said, "Don't I always tell her how much I like her earrings?" And, yes, the colleague agreed -- I'd been there before and they both had liked my earrings! It was a strange feeling. If I ever met my doppleganger (or one of them) I'd probably faint.

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    1. That is quite a story! I'm not sure what I'd do if I met an almost-me.

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  8. Another book to add to my TBR. No I've never met my doppleganger but people have come up to me and would swear I was someone else. Thank you for the chance to win. pgenest57 at aol dot com

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    1. I hope you enjoy the book! I think it was one of my favorites to write. (Though I tend to say that about every book!!)

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  9. Just finished BLOW UP! Loved the premise and setting. I've never met my doppelganger but I'm sure she exists. Once in a while I see a young adult who resembles one of my kids, which is a weird feeling. What if...? Looking forward to Sophie's next adventure.

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  10. Welcome Ellen! This is a fascinating topic and we look forward to the book. Did you ever go over to Northern Ireland to look for your twin?

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    1. No, never got to Belfast. In "those days" it still wasn't safe and I was always worried about my husband getting caught in the middle of gunfire when he was there. Now, of course, it's a great destination place.

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  11. Speaking of twins, my two best friends in jr.high school were identical twin sisters. But the THREE of us looked identical often confusing me with one of the other twins.

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    1. Did you take any photos? Are you still in touch? What an intriguing story!

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  12. I am a twin, so I already know what its like to know someone who looks like me.

    But a few years ago I was walking my dog (small town, small neighborhood) and a woman walking towards me raised her hand in greeting, realized her mistake and told me I looked exactly like her sister. I don't think I've seen her since then. It would have been fun to get to know her.

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    1. It must be so interesting to be a twin and share that close bond.

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    2. My sister knows a lot of people and we live close to each other, so I am always being greeted (or hugged!) by people I don't know. I figure if my twin knows them, that's good enough for me!

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  13. Hmmm, I had no idea that 99.5% of our DNA is shared. I have NOT met my doppelgänger yet!

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    1. Me, neither!! And I found that comment on how much DNA is shared to be really fascinating as well.

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  14. I have not met my doppelgänger but believe they do exist. Years ago we called them long lost twins, but the word doppelgänger is so much more fun! I am putting the Sophie Medina books on my goodreads right now.

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  15. Congratulations! Similar to other commenters, I have an identical twin. (She is a minute older). It would be very interesting to know exactly how similar the DNA results are between random people who are döppelgangers. Do they also share other characteristics as well as appearance? My similarities with my sister go beyond appearance. A couple of years ago my twin and I sent our samples off to Ancestry, mostly because we have always seemed identical, but mom was told that we were fraternal twins when we were born. When I got the results back, Ancestry told me that Margaret was either "myself" or a "twin". I was at an event that she organized on Saturday and many people I did not know came up to me to ask questions or congratulate me on my speech. It was a bit amusing--we weren't dressed alike and I was circulating in the crowd, while she was the emcee and was near the mic at all times.

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    1. That must have been a weird experience, Gillian, even with your lifelong status as an identical twin.

      There was a recent story about Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, who have always been mixed up for looking similar (ish). They want to do DNA tests because they think they might in fact be brothers. One of the moms was a little wild, apparently.

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    2. Wow, I am blown away by all the comments here of people who are twins and what having someone who looks exactly like you is like. The data from Ancestry.com sounds fascinating. And, Karen, I didn't know about Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson thinking they might be brothers--I'll have to look for that story.

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    3. Now I have to compare their photos!

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  16. There's a woman here in town who is a dead ringer for Catherine Maorisi. Or at least she used to be. Less so now that they are both older, but I've always done a double take.

    I've never met my doppleganger, but lots of people have told me I look like Diane Keaton since the early 1970s, and back when I was a buyer for a retail store a promo came in with a photo of a woman that looked exactly like me, modeling one of the looks. My coworkers wouldn't believe it wasn't me.

    Also, and this one is freaky, my husband recently found photos of his first wife (she died in 1976), and they are eerily similar to me at the same age, right down to the clothing we wore, the hairstyle, and even the pose (holding baby foxes). I didn't meet him until 1978, so we never met, but we had also lived in the same building, missing one another by a single day.

    Ellen, I also don't know how I missed this series. It sounds great. Thank you for the chance to win a book!

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    1. Thank you, Karen! I hope you enjoy BLOW UP; as I've been saying, I loved writing about Sophie Medina again after a break of 8 years. The story about you and your husband's first wife is so intriguing. What a lot of coincidences and it's especially fascinating--also a bit freaky as you said--that you missed meeting each other by a single day.

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    3. What a great story, Karen. And I can see the Diane Keaton resemblance, too.

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    4. I was moving into the building the same weekend she was moving out. Weirdly, I took some artwork and a pair of pheasant feathers off one of the trash cans. Years later I realized the feathers were hers, a gift from Steve. He only shot one pheasant in his life.

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    5. And that is even creepier, Karen!

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  17. The Sophie Medina books are on my TBR list. I love the idea of a photojournalist character and Debs is my book guru. If she says I'll love it, I will!

    I have never met my doppelganger but have had people tell me that I look exactly like someone they know. It's interesting to remember times when you thought you saw someone, an old friend or even a relative, and you were mistaken. It has happened to me.

    Occasionally, famous people will hire doppelgangers to stand in for them. Politicians and movie stars (or their studios) do it. I know of a particularly infamous example.

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    1. Okay, Judy, now you have to tell us who that infamous couple is!

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    2. This is what I have read: Hitler had doppelgangers, more than one. He used them in situations where he felt insecure. Because he was known for that, there was a question as to whose body was in the bunker in Berlin at the end of WWII.

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    3. Surely someone has used this in a WWII novel, Judy?

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    4. I need to look this up, but now that you mention it I think I have read this somewhere as well.

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  18. Fascinating. I have not met my doppelganger. I don't think I want to. Poor soul. LOL But I am willing to suspend disbelief for the sake of a good story!

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    1. Thank you so much for this! As I said, Tana French and Don Winslow pulled it off really well in their stories as implausible as it seems, so I hope I did, too.

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  19. The book sounds terrific, Ellen. But to anyone who looks like me, all I can say is, "Bless your heart." Although I'm sure we could bond over the nose. I did spot someone on campus once who was surely the doppelgänger for a guy I went to school with 5-12. I called. I waved. I yo-hooed. Finally caught his attention only to discover that he wasn't my friend Mike at all. He still looked just like Mike while I was standing face to face, talking with him. It was disorienting, to say the least.

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    1. Too funny, Gigi! And I hope you enjoy BLOW UP!

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  20. That is so fascinating--I never heard of an astral twin. Did you have anything in common? I would love to know!

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  21. I have never met my doppelganger, but I think someone is out there. Your novel sounds captivating and fascinating.

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  22. I've never seen my doppelgänger, but am in the 'believer' camp that somewhere she (or could it be a he? hmmmm, maybe not given the gene percentage, but who knows...) exists. And your book and premise have me hooked. Thanks for your essay here today, Ellen.

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    1. You are welcome! And I hope you enjoy BLOW UP!

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  23. Congratulations on your book which interests me greatly. The plot is intriguing and unique. What a treasure. This series is wonderful. I was told a few times when I was younger that I looked like someone this woman knew but other than that it would be an experience to meet a doppelganger.

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  24. I've not met my doppelganger, but as others have said above, I've been approached by people who thought I was someone named Anita. I wish I'd found out more about her.

    And then there was my one-time boyfriend. We hooked up soon after his marriage broke up, and when I later saw a picture of her, I think I knew why. He wasn't looking for me; he was looking for another Mary. I wasn't her. Not a twin, but she could easily have been my sister.

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    1. Now that's a tantalizing thing, knowing the doppelgangers name! I'd be looking for Anitas everywhere.

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    2. The story about your boyfriend looking for someone who looked like his ex-wife is heartbreaking. And the novelist in me is thinking it would make a great love story.

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  25. Many years ago, I was at an international conference. One of the people in my group said that attendees kept coming up to him and speaking to him in Spanish. When he looked puzzled, they would apologize and tell him he looked just like one of their friends who was also at the conference. I was present when the two of them actually met! They almost literally walked into each other. They both started to excuse themselves, looked at each other, and burst out laughing. The other guy had had a lot of people coming up to him and speaking to him in English before realizing he wasn’t who they thought he was. And they really did look like each other! It was amazing!

    DebRo

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    1. Oh my stars, what an experience -- for the two of them, and all who witnessed it. Great!

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    2. Deb, that is a funny story.

      Reminded me of the time I started Signing to a person who was a doppleganger for a Deaf person from a Deaf family. The hearing person looked confused and started talking then I realized my mistake. Still laughing about this....

      Diana

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  26. Sorry to be so late here this morning! I've been outside with landscapers since early early and haven't even had coffee!! I'll be back as soon as I've grabbed a cup and a piece of toast!

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  27. Having raced through your Virginia wine country series I'm ready to take this one on! I've seen other people's "twins" but not my own. People used to come up to me quite often claiming they had a friend who looked just like me. That's a bit spooky to have all these almost me folks running around.

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    1. I hope you like Sophie, Pat! I've enjoyed getting back to her story after an 8 year break!

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    2. I hope you enjoy Sophie Medina, Pat!

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  28. Great topic!

    This topic always fascinated me. In my family, a young relative looks so much like me that when she was a child, people thought she was my daughter. I've been told that I look English / Irish / Scottish / French / German / Italian / Spanish.

    Speaking of DNA, I have been doing family tree research. When I learned that my father was a DNA cousin of a famous person, I could see the resemblance (same ears) or another famous person (similar chin). And when I saw a portrait at the Scottish National Gallery, I was surprised by the resemblance to my picture as a young child and that person and I are like 20th cousins!

    However, when someone talks to me as if they know me because I look like someone else, there is one Big Difference. I say I am deaf and they say "sorry I thought you were ...." It is so funny. I have a Deaf friend who looks like a twin of the wife of the Crown Prince of Norway. I met a Deaf woman who looks like a twin of Queen Rania (she is half Spanish and half American).

    Look forward to reading Ellen Crosby's novel and congratulations on the launch!

    Diana

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    1. Wow, that is an amazing story. (There have been so many of them here today). As I mentioned in an earlier comment I believe we all see resemblances (or not) differently and it really is in the eye of the beholder whether someone looks like you or one of your children or a friend--especially what features bear the resemblance.

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  29. Ellen, are there more Virginia Wine Country mysteries in the works? And I'm certainly thrilled to know that you're working on another Sophie. You come up with such intiguing ideas--I loved the botany/history thread in Ghost Image so much that I knew I had to visit the Chelsea Physic Garden, and I finally made it there on my visit last October. It lived up to all my expectations.

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    1. Debs, after writing 12 Virginia Wine Country mysteries I'm taking a break at the moment and currently writing DODGE & BURN, the next Sophie mystery which is all about plundered art. (A topic that has always fascinated me and has appeared in several earlier books, beginning with MOSCOW NIGHTS). So glad you got to see the Chelsea Physic Garden--isn't it amazing?

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    2. It was very warm for October and I had lunch on the patio at the Physic Garden--it's one of my favorite experiences from that trip. I'll be sure to go back this summer.

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    3. That sounds idyllic and so English.

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  30. This is so intriguing, and makes so much sense, Ellen. I've read homo sapiens is the least genetically diverse primate, and that at least two separate bottleneck events as humans migrated out of Africa winnowed our genes even further. You only have to go back a couple of hundred years to realize your ancestors and mine have thousands of descendants by now - at some point, if you go far enough up the family tree, we all must have families in common.

    PS - what excellent timing to have a book about possible Supreme Court shenanigans!

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  31. People have mentioned seeing someone who "looked just like me." I've never known what to think about that. We want to believe we are each a unique article, I think.
    But I always wanted (as a child) to be a twin. My mother said one of me was more than enough for her to handle!

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  32. Congratulations, Ellen! I have Blow Up on order. I very much enjoyed Tana French's The Likeness--although she left the door open to the protagonist actually being related to her doppelganger. I've never met mine, but I was struck by the phenomena in the past. A close friend was dating a man who works at the same place as me. Sadly, it did not work out, my friend moved away. Years later I was invited to a wedding and was placed at a table at the reception with my friend's ex. Another of the guests at the table was his current wife, my friend's doppelganger! They always talk about men having "a type". Well, I guess so, at least in this case.

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    1. Wow, what a story--and thanks so much for ordering BLOW UP. I hope you enjoy it!

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  33. What an utterly fascinating idea! I can hardly wait to read your new book, Ellen. The comments are enlightening, too. All my adult life I've been asked by strangers if I have a sister (I don't) because I look just like someone they know. My brother, my only sibling, and I had a double cousin (two of the Caldwell girls married Bowlin boys) who, in spite of his being a redhead and me a brunette looked more like me than my brother, but we three shared many traits and mannerisms. ~ Lynda

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    1. DNA and genetics is such a fascinating and intriguing subject, especially now with all the websites like ancestry.com and 23&me where you can discover who might be a long-lost relative. Hope you enjoy BLOW UP!

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  34. Ellen, so happy to see you here! I've long been a huge fan of Ellen's wine country mysteries, and now I'll have to catchup with the ones featuring Sophie Medina. Congratulations! This conversation is reminding me of... was it an Agatha Christie short story where a man leaving a barber shop passes his doppelgänger going in? And then... that's all I remember.

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    1. Hallie, always to good to be in touch again. We have so many (unusual) memories together--Oakmont with Mary Alice and Richard when my suitcase went missing and I didn't have anything to wear and that crazy night in Fort Lauderdale for the Broward County Library fundraiser when the only place the 22(?) of us could find to get something to eat--and drink--was the hotel bar. xoxo

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  35. I personally have never seen my doppelganger. But, and this goes back more than 25 years, when my Dad and Stepmother were on their honeymoon in Italy, they claim there was someone who looked just like me at their campground--even down to the red hair with black tips! And this spooked them a bit. I've read Tana French's The Likeness and really liked it, but I have to confess that French scares the bees out of me! -Melanie

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    1. Melanie, The Likeness was my favorite Tana French book; I absolutely loved it. And how fascinating that your dad and stepmother discovered another you in Italy!

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  36. Jennifer PoslusnyMay 2, 2023 at 5:36 PM

    Not ever heard about a doppelgänger for me ( I don’t even really resemble my immediate family) but people always think they know my mom. She, my sister, aunt & several other relatives on that side strongly resemble each other.

    I did have someone with the same name as me in my hometown which is odd considering my somewhat uncommon Czech last name. I occasionally got calls intended for her ( from bill collectors, I am sorry to say). I had to convince them they had the wrong person.

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    1. Jennifer, there are multiple Ellen Crosbys so I know what you mean. One of "us" has become a good friend and lives in Atlanta. We've had some hilarious mix-ups and now are in regular contact.

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  37. I've never seen my doppelganger but see resemblances in other people. I like your Virginia series so would like to try this one. Thanks for the chance.

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    1. Sally, I hope you enjoy the Sophie mysteries; if you like the Virginia wine country mysteries, I think you'll like this series as well.

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  38. Yay - another Sophie book! What a fascinating study. Like others, I had no idea of the commonality of DNA or that doppelgängers existed in any quantity outside of fiction.

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    1. So glad you like the Sophie Medina mysteries, Becca!

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  39. What a treat to hear about the Sophie Medina series. I'll go back and start with the first book; I'm pleased to discover that there are three so far and to know that the series is continuing. As for doppelgängers, I can easily believe that they exist just because of the number of humans out there. I have never met or heard of a double of me, but there's some Ukrainian background in our family, and my sister Natasha has twice seen photographs in the media of Russian little girls that look very much like her when she was a child (and I can confirm that she isn't just fantasizing, since I've seen the pictures.) It's an odd phenomenon. I enjoyed The Likeness very much, and I'm looking forward to BLOW UP! Good luck with it.

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    1. I think you'll really enjoy the series, Kim!

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    2. Thanks, Debs. And Kim, I hope you enjoy the series. I did my book launch at One More Page Books in Arlington, VA tonight and the consensus from everyone there was that it's best to go back and start with the first book. (At least there are only two for you to read and catch up!!)

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  40. Oh, I love this! We're signing together on May 20th at the Pen - looking forward to meeting you!

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    1. Jenn, can't wait to meet you and Kate. Plus warmer weather!! I always love being at the Pen, so I know we'll have fun together. See you soon. xo

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  41. I haven't met my doppelganger yet. Congratulations on your new release, sounds like an interesting book. I haven't read any book featuring twins in the storyline.

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  42. As of now, I haven't met my doppelganger! I do have 2 sets of twin cousins!

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