LUCY BURDETTE: Today I'm so pleased to welcome a great friend and one of my favorite cozy mystery writers, all wrapped up in one package! I'm very lucky to have lured her into serving with me on the Friends of the Key West Library board. Mostly, I can't wait for the new book...
BARBARA ROSS: Thank you so much for having me, Lucy and the Jungle Reds!
For writers, inspiration comes from everywhere, and often seemingly out of nowhere. It may come from a snippet of overhead conversation, an image, a place, a person, or event. Inspiration can come from a combination of things, taken out of context, maybe half-remembered or not consciously remembered at all. Things the writer didn’t even know were there.
The eleventh Maine Clambake Mystery, Hidden Beneath, is about a summer enclave on an island in my fictional Busman’s Harbor. The island is ringed by a hundred summer houses that have often been passed down in families for generations. The story begins when a woman disappears and is presumed drowned.
Five years later, after the woman has been declared legally dead, my sleuth Julia Snowden and her mother arrive for her memorial service. The first floor of the woman’s home on the island is strangely empty and sterile, not at all the way Julia’s mother remembers it. But on the second floor, behind mountains of furniture and household furnishings, the dead woman has left a wealth of clues about her disappearance in the form of murals on the walls.
Unusually, I do know where the inspiration for this part of the story came from.
In October of 2021, after Tina Pesce died at the age of seventy-four, her older son, who lived on the other side of the country, had her house in Stockton Springs, Maine cleaned out in preparation for sale. On her way past, her neighbor, Noelle Merrill, noticed the work and decided to peek inside. (As one does. At least if one is a deeply curious, nay nosy person—like a mystery writer for example.)
What Noelle saw stunned her. The house was filled with murals painted on the sheetrock on the walls. Thinking it was a positive story in a fraught time, Noelle posted about the murals on Facebook. Those posts were circulated eventually picked up by the media, including this story in the Boston Globe, where I probably originally saw it. (The following photos are all credited to Noelle Merrill.)
I love this story for two reasons. The first is the surprise of it. Imagine walking in, expecting a little look into a neighborhood house, and finding those murals. I love it when people’s expectations get turned around in an instant.
The other reason is the persistence of the artist. Tina Pesce had always made art. She had a ceramics studio in Massachusetts and then a small gallery when she moved to Maine. When health and circumstances largely confined her to her home—she just kept going. Isn’t that the way human beings are? The drive to create never goes away.
Also, I love the murals. I do love primitives and representational artwork.
Of course, the murals in Hidden Beneath are completely different from the ones that inspired them. For one thing, they contain human figures that tell stories from the artist’s childhood in order to give clues to my sleuth. In my head, fully imagined, the murals also are quite different in style, although they are also primitives. I’ll be interested to hear what kind of pictures readers build in their heads from my descriptions.
An inspiration is a starting point only. The rest we build from our imaginations.
Readers: Do you ever go peeking where you maybe, sort of aren’t invited? Have you ever been surprised by what you found! (Leave a comment to be entered in the drawing for a copy of the new book.)
About the book
In Barbara Ross’ award-winning series featuring sleuth Julia Snowden and her family’s coastal Maine clambake business, two mysteries rock the colony of Chipmunk Island after a suspicious memorial service has Julia and her mother shifting into some family sleuthing.
Serving up mouthwatering shellfish, the Snowden Family Clambake has become a beloved institution in Busman’s Harbor, Maine. But when new clues rise to the surface five years after the disappearance of Julia Snowden’ s mother’s friend, the family business shifts to sleuthing.
Julia and her mother, Jacqueline, have come to the exclusive summer colony of Chipmunk Island to attend a memorial service for Jacqueline’s old friend Ginny, who’s been officially declared dead half a decade after she went out for her daily swim in the harbor and was never seen again. But something seems fishy at the service—especially with the ladies of the Wednesday Club. As Julia and Jacqueline begin looking into Ginny’s cold case, a present-day murder stirs the pot, and mother and daughter must dive into the deep end to get to the bottom of both mysteries . . .
Buy Links
About Barbara Ross
Barbara Ross is the author of the Maine Clambake Mysteries. Her books have been nominated for multiple Agatha Awards for Best Contemporary Novel and have won the Maine Literary Award for Crime Fiction. Barbara and her husband live in Portland, Maine. Readers can visit her website at www.maineclambakemysteries.com
Congratulations on the new book, Barbara . . . . After reading this about the murals, I'm quite intrigued and looking forward to seeing what Julia and her mom see in the murals in your story.
ReplyDeleteThis idea of murals on the walls of a home is quite fascinating . . . one can hardly blame Noelle for peeking! [And the murals are gorgeous.]
I can't remember having peeked where/when I shouldn't have, but I'm guessing I probably did at one time or another . . . .
Thank you, Joan. As I child I found houses under construction particularly templting.
DeleteBarbara, I just love your Clambake series. I spent many vacations in Maine and even been to a clambake but not on an island. I never really peeked as I was always afraid that I would be caught, not even as a kid trying to find Christmas presents. Thank you for this chance at your giveaway. pgenest57 at aol dot com
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I never peeked at Christmas presents either. I think I was afraid if I did they wouldn't end up under the tree on Christmas morning.
DeleteThe murals on the walls that inspired your book are amazing! I've never seen anything quite like them but think they'd be a fantastic starting point for a mystery. As a kid, my friends and I would go inside houses being built in the neighborhood, but they mostly didn't have any walls up inside. It was actually slightly dangerous as some didn't have flooring either.
ReplyDeleteI did this too! I have a vivid memory of someone--owner, contractor, cops--arriving, I can't remember which and jumping out a second story window with friends to run off.
DeleteI also remember seeing that story in the Globe about the murals, Barb, and being fascinated by it.
ReplyDeleteThe two towns I've lived in with Hugh have had lots of antique houses that sometimes languish until the property is bought, gutted down to the studs, and rebuilt (as he did with the two houses we have lived in). We're always walking by and poking our noses in during the stages when the place is pretty much open. I haven't found any wall murals yet, but he does have a collection of odd things he's found inside walls, and a few of them have found their way into my stories (the size 1 pink baby moccasins make me wonder the most...).
I can't wait to pick up my copy of Hidden Beneath this week.
Yes, houses in stages of renovation are as tempting as ones being built. I hope you enjoy Hidden Beneath.
DeleteCongrats Barb on your upcoming release. No I haven't peeked into any empty homes.
ReplyDeleteYou were a better mannered child than I was!
DeleteBarb, I love this story of the murals and look forward to seelng what you did with it. Old houses can be full of secrets- I've always loved those stories and written some myself. What's really weird is writing the story and THEN learning about something similar in real life. It's happened a couple of times.
ReplyDeleteYes! That does happen and it is very weird when it does.
DeleteIt just happened to me too--I'm writing about the disappearance of a young woman years ago on Big Pine, and then learn something like this really did happen!
DeleteCongratulations on the new book, Barb. I have peeked inside a house or two but never saw anything nearly as interesting as found in your story. To this day, my sister remembers going into an abandoned house when she was a young kid. As she recalls, there were dirty dishes and utensils on the table, as if the family suddenly just got up and left. She has always wanted me to track down the mystery. I think there is no mystery and perhaps her memory is influenced by a movie she saw or something else. The house was a tenant house and the family no longer worked for the farmer so they moved.
ReplyDeleteNow I am remembering that I once went into a house I used to own and I really wish I hadn't. The young family that bought it from me had financial problems and couldn't pay for it, so they left. But not after removing things like the copper pipes and 2 little gas stoves that were connected to the pipes. They also left behind all sorts of refuse and things they didn't want. I'm not sure why the house was open but eventually a different bank padlocked the doors and a couple years later it was sold again.
I got a chance to see the house again when the people who eventually bought it were working on it inside. They showed me around and described their plans. I haven't been inside since even though the owner graciously invited me to come see it when it was finished.
There's an amazing NPR episode about a kid and his mother who go into an abandoned house in New Hampshire and find old letters. When he's grown the kid tries to find out what happened because he's been curious all that time. I must look it up.
DeleteBARB: I enjoyed reading HIDDEN BENEATH and am delighted to learn the murals are inspired by Noelle discovering the murals at Tina's house. Although I live in the historic Byward Market neighbourhood in Ottawa, I have not found any surprises in this homes.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you enjoyed the book!
DeleteWhat an interesting way for an artist to make a home 'their own.' Beautiful murals, and great inspiration!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it? In the photos, the home appears to be pretty average, but the inside... Everyone wonders if the new owner kept them.
DeleteCongrats on the new book. This is a terrific series. Thanks for the chance to win a copy. sue.stoner72@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the giveaway!
DeleteCongratulations on the book! Love the chipmunk on the cover -- they are such fun critters.
ReplyDeleteI haven't snooped, but I love to visit old houses that are open to the public. My husband, son, and I just visited Boldt Castle and Singer Castle in the thousand islands. Singer Castle was modeled on a castle in the book Woodstock by Walter Scott. The castle in the book had secret passages, and so does Singer Castle. Useful for servants to move around without the occupants of the house having to see them.
In the lounge where the men sit with cigars and port and such, the ceiling is tall because behind the walls there's a mezzanine passage for the servants. An oval portrait high on one wall is actually a peep hole. The portrait has a black background. When the guide pressed a button to light up the space behind the portrait we could see that it was tilted backwards from the frame, leaving space around it for servants to check on the occupants below. To make sure everyone's glass was full and so forth. With the light doused, it again appeared as if the portrait sat flat in its frame.
Oh, oh! I loved reading this. I grew up near the 1,000 Islands and visited an old friend last year. Boldt Castle has changed a lot since my childhood visits, when it was badly neglected.
DeleteI have read about Boldt Castle and Singer Castle but have never visited. I would like too. The servant passages remind me of the mansions in Newport, Rhode Island. Bill and I did go to the Biltmore in North Carolina last year, which was fascinating.
ReplyDeleteThis is reminding me that my mother painted a mural of the Cape Hatteras lighthouse and the beach on the wall in our kitchen. She even pressed real sand into the wet paint for effect. I suspect the new owners just painted over it though...
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the new book! It sounds great! I was a bit more adventurous in my youth. I do remember a time or two in college when I went where I wasn't supposed to and had wonderful adventures.
ReplyDeleteAfter college I traveled in Europe with a friend. When we got to Pompeii the workers were on strike and it was closed. We met up with some America guys and climbed over the wall. Walking around that deserted city when it was deserted was absolutely amazing.
DeleteThose murals are lovely. I wish I would stumble upon something that neat.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't that be cool?
DeleteThis is brilliant! And so touching, I truly agree. And gorgeous. And congratulations on the latest book… You know I am such a fan.
ReplyDeleteA long time ago, when I was maybe 12? And my sisters were 9 and 8? My family moved into a new house, which got furnished rather gradually. It had a huge living room, and that was the last to be decorated. It did not even have a carpeted floor. (That was the style in the 60s.) So, awaiting the wall to wall, the floor was basically cardboard. Thick, thick cardboard.
So we all got crayons and made a massive mural – – would it be called a mural if it’s on the floor? Certainly not a floral…). it was gorgeous, if I remember, lots of flowers, and vines and trees, and who knows what else. Vibrant and very Gauguin. That’s how I envision now it at least.
Anyway, the carpeting finally was installed, and stayed for years, but when my mom decided it was time to re-decorate, we knew the carpet would have to come up and reveal our masterpiece underneath.
They pulled up the carpet .
And every bit of it was gone. Not a trace remained.
Now there is an intriguing mystery. I am picturing the visual. I was thinking perhaps the mural transferred itself to the underside of the carpet, but surely you would have noticed.
DeleteI wonder if what you drew on was a protective craft paper that was removed when they carpeted, Hank.
DeleteThere was probably some kind of padding underneath the carpet and I bet that absorbed the wax from the crayons. But still, that must have been very freaky when you expected "art' and it was gone!
DeleteDefinitely, the floor was very thick, cardboard—, gray thick cardboard. There was no covering on it. And the carpeting was applied directly to our design. And yes, I agree, it’s just… Wore away.
DeleteA mystery, Hank! My kids were invited by our handyman friend to sign their names and draw on the wall studs he put in to create a hall closet. I like thinking that someone will find them in some future reno.
ReplyDeleteWe used to prowl around houses under construction in this neighborhood, also about 25 years ago. In the 41 years we've lived on or near this street hundreds of homes have been built, so lots of opportunity. With my background in construction (kitchen/bath designer), I got pretty good at predicting what rooms were for what purpose.
Barb, I just read Muddled Through last week, so a new Clambake mystery is very timely! Congratulations.
Thank you, Karen. I hope you like Hidden Beneath. I too love exploring homes under construction and guessing what is going where.
DeleteCan't wait to spend time on Chipmunk Island, Barbara! Thank you for sharing the murals. What a lovely surprise.
ReplyDeleteMy story, hum, I was a bit of a wild child so I opt for one from your and Lucy's neck of the woods - Key West. I attended the University of Miami in the early 1970s. My roommate and I had a tradition. Once a month we'd leave school at 11 PM and drive to Key West. We'd sleep in the car behind the Budget Inn, have breakfast in the IHop, find a parking spot in Old Town and start off on a wander. We met an elderly (context - he was probably in his 50s) man. He took us under his wing and shared stories of growing up in Key West. We ended up at the closed and shuddered Casa Marina Hotel. This man regaled us with tales of movie stars (Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford honeymooned there) and writers. Then he asked if we wanted to see the inside. Of course we did. He led us through the fence and a broken window inside the grand old hotel. It was magnificent. Most of the furnishing were still in place. Massive chandeliers covered the ceilings, the ballroom sported gilt paint, the grand staircase from the lobby sported the identifiable remains of plush red carpeting. The hotel was long past its glory, but if you listened, the walls shared stories of a golden past. We escaped the same way we entered and no one was the wiser.
Our tour guide for our adventure was David Wolkowsky. We had no idea who he was at the time, but Key Westers will remember his name, and his family legacy. The Casa Marina has since been revitalized and restored. I stayed there in the 1980s and it was beautiful, but not as grand as the original.
That is an amazing story! I can so picture it. For non-Key Westers, Wolkowsky was a famous architect, developer, art collector and friend to famous writers (Capote, Tennessee Williams) and artists. He lived to be 99. In a turn about, after his death I visited his home on a House Tour, which also create wonderful opportunities for the nosy like me.
DeleteOMG Kait, I may need your story for the next book!!
DeleteAbsolutely, Lucy.
DeleteI had no idea his home was on the house tour! Oh, I would have loved to see that in the flesh. I've seen pix. He was a legend in a town of legends.
DeleteI am thrilled that Hidden Beneath arrives in 2 days🕺I am naturally curious, and especially liked going into attics where I found many vintage hats that became part of our collection of 1300+ beloved treasures. You are truly a master story teller Barb❣️❣️Thank you for the hours of fun and suspense that you always delight me with. Luis at ole dot travel
ReplyDeleteOh, thank you. I too love attics and the treasures they hold.
DeleteYay, Barb! Perfect time for a new Clam Bake mystery.
ReplyDeleteI was a bit of a wild child growing up and would never hesitate to explore houses under construction. Loved to make up stories about who was going to occupy the new place.
Now I do the more socially acceptable version by going to open house viewings. Not as exciting, but more curious finds for stories.
I'm pretty curious so I'm sure I've done some peeking in my day. I love those murals. I'm a big fan of primitive art, especially New England. That's what drew me to your books in the beginning, and then I fell in love with them.
ReplyDeleteThat is such a lovely thing to say. I am also a fan of primitive and folk art. The drive of human beings to create art, which seems to be as old as the species, is fascinating to me.
DeleteWhat beautiful murals. I have never had the opportunity to visit old houses but I am extremely interested whenever I go for a walk and gaze at these amazing places. I was love to explore these beauties. They have stories to tell and are intriguing. Art interests me greatly as my late father was an artist as a hobby and sculpted out of soapstone and gave away all of his masterpieces.
ReplyDeleteSculpted out of soapstone. That is amazing. I hope the people who got those pieces treasured them.
DeleteI absolutely LOVE this story! Wow. And I so agree the murals are absolutely charming. And you can see how one of two of them might have human figures and those human figures might be recognizable... to someone... and and and... When Jerry and I were house hunting decades ago we fell in love with a massive Victorian. We bid and lost, and the new owners found a secret room (honest they did) accessible through a trap door in a ceiling. Imagine being the first to venture inside and see what's there... I do love realtors' "open house" events. But even better BEFORE the house goes on sale and gets sanitized for public consumption.
ReplyDeleteHmm. Why am I picturing that Victorian in scenes from Never Tell a Lie? Bill and I owned a Victorian in West Roxbury, our first house. It was enormous, but was also half a duplex. After we sold it, the new owners renovated the third floor and discovered an attic in the mansard roof that you couldn't tell was there from the outside. It was open and connected our half of the duplex to other side. What sort of mischief could that cause?
DeleteLooking forward to reading your new release and reading about the murals. I remember when we were kids we used to like looking at the homes under construction in the neighborhood and trying to figure out what room was what. Now, I like touring homes and mansions that are open to the public.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't made the connection that touring mansions and houses open to the public is the grown up version of sneaking into a construction site but it based on the comments here it certainly seems to be.
DeleteHi Barb! I love those murals! What a fascinating story. I can't wait to see how you've used them in the book!
ReplyDeleteHi Deb! I think you are stopping in from another continent and another time zone to say hello. I appreciate it.
DeleteWhen we lived in New Orleans I loved peeking through the wrought iron gates of houses in the French Quarter. There were usually lovely patios with fountains and all kinds of greenery. Congratulations on your latest Clambake book!
ReplyDeleteOh yes! I have done this in New Orleans and other places. I remember a hidden garden tour on Beacon Hill particularly vividly.
DeleteI love that the artist did her murals on her walls quite talented. I have peeked into a cabinet before and a refrigerator. deborahortega229@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteThat is very funny. I can't recall peeking in a cabinet or a refrigerator, but I must have, right?
DeleteOh, I love this, Barbara! Those murals are outstanding. Can't wait to read Hidden Beneath. And, yes, I'm a total snoop (within reason). Zillow Gone Wild is one of my fave FB follows because they find some jaw dropping stuff!
ReplyDeleteOh yes! I should have thought of snooping via real estate sites. I am addicted.
DeleteI didn't know that's how you came up with the idea. It's such a great book. And I love these murals--especially the trees.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Sherry.
DeleteWow!! Ms. Pesce sounds like an extraordinary woman. I hope she loved living with her art. And now I have another new-to-me series to read. One year at Christmas, by pressing down on the thin wrapping paper, my brother and I peeked at a gift that was for both of us, and boy, were we sorry! It wasn't finding out what the gift was (a word game called Spill and Spell, which we loved), it was knowing we'd disappointed our parents and their trust in us. My stomach still hurts a bit when I recall the incident, and I never did anything like that again. When we were in NYC in 1989, my brother (always my partner in crime) and I attempted to bluff our way into the Chrysler Building. Its Art Deco exterior had always enchanted us and we longed to see what the offices were like. We made it as far at the elevator, with its *fabulous* doors, before a security guard busted us. ~Lynda
ReplyDeleteI remember Spill and Spell. I carry around guilt about a lot of stuff, but I can't remember any Christmas present incidents. I can just imagine getting busted in the Chrysler Building.
DeleteWow! Those murals are truly amazing! Thanks for sharing. I used to try to get peeks at Christmas gifts when I was a child. I was terrible at being sneaky so I was usually not successful.
ReplyDeleteNot successful because you couldn't sneak a peek at the gift or not successful because you got caught? Frustrating either way!
DeleteA old house we remodeled had old bottles from permanents newspaper shoes hats ... Money from before the civil war. Medicine bottles too donakutska7@gmail.com
ReplyDeletebefore the civil
What fun!
DeleteI'll never tell! I do think this is part of the charm of estate sales - seeing how other people live.
ReplyDeleteAgree completely.
DeleteI enjoy poking around and making connections between people. Probably why I love cozy mysteries. Your Maine clambake series is one of my favorites. I love hearing the inspiration behind books too! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete