IDEAS FOR MYSTERY GIFTS FROM KATE CARLISLE

RHYS BOWEN: Today I'm delighted to host a good friend, Kate Carlisle. I'm sure she needs no introduction to those of us who love cozier mysteries. Kate and I share a publisher and an agent and seem to wind up doing events together, so I thought it would be a great idea to have her on Jungle Red with her suggestions for holiday gifts. 

KATE CARLISLE: 

How is it that the holidays—dates fixed well in advance—always manage to sneak up on me?! I've had a deadline looming, which is always a good excuse for neglecting to pay attention to every other date on the calendar. Yet somehow, despite my inattention, Christmas is right around the corner. And as my Jewish friends know, Hanukkah is already upon us.

In case you're scrambling like I am, I present you with a few Gift Ideas for Mystery Lovers. Or if there's something on this list that you'd like to unwrap, share this post with someone who might be looking for gift ideas for you.

A Handmade Mystery Charm Bracelet

   

Etsy is a great website for getting clever gifts you can't find anywhere else. One word of caution, though: if you're intent on committing a crime, this bracelet will give you away every time. It's going to be a little jingly.

GET IT HERE: https://www.etsy.com/listing/64585522/mystery-charm-bracelet-silver-charm

A Mystery T-shirt

This T-shirt featuring the late, great Edgar Allan Poe would be a conversation starter, for sure—which could be a bad thing, if people keep interrupting you while you're trying to read!

GET IT HERE: https://www.californiarepublicclothes.com/products/edgar-allan-poe-portrait-t-shirt-tee-1

A Murder Mystery Jigsaw Puzzle

A story and a jigsaw puzzle that helps you solve the crime—fun for a couple to do together!

GET IT HERE: https://www.bitsandpieces.com/product/murder_at_bedford_manor_1000_piece_story_jigsaw_puzzle/1000-piece-jigsaw-puzzles

A Mystery Novel—or two—or three—or more!

What a great gift books are—hours of entertainment in a convenient little package! If you've missed one or more of these books, then let your loved ones know which titles so they can get you something you really want. And be sure to check out all the other books by the Jungle Red Writers.

At the annual Victorian Home and Garden Tour in Lighthouse Cove, the competition is about to turn deadly....

Contractor Shannon is in high demand among rival homeowners, who will do anything to win Best in Show. One-upmanship and even espionage break out among neighbors. When a body is discovered at one of her home sites, Shannon must nail down the details and build a case against the killer before the door shuts on someone else—for good.

GET IT HERE: http://katecarlisle.com/eaves-of-destruction.php

Following the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, private detective Molly Murphy Sullivan and her husband, Daniel, are invited for Christmas at a mansion on the Hudson, and they gratefully accept, expecting a peaceful and relaxing holiday season. Not long after they arrive, however, they learn that the hosts' daughter wandered out into the snow ten years ago and was never seen again. But Molly slowly begins to suspect that the occupants of the house know more than they are letting on. Then, on Christmas Eve, there is a knock at the door and a young girl stands there. “I’m Charlotte,” she says. “I’ve come home.”

GET IT HERE: http://rhysbowen.com/

In the latest Library Lover’s Mystery, the library’s big fund-raiser leaves director Lindsey Norris booked for trouble

Lindsey Norris and her staff are gearing up for the Briar Creek Library’s annual Dinner in the Stacks fund-raiser. But the night of the fund-raiser, Lindsey finds Paula, one of her employees, crouched over the villainous library board president's dead body. As the plot thickens, Lindsey must catch the real killer before the book closes on Paula’s future . . .

GET IT HERE: http://www.jennmckinlay.com/death_in_the_stacks___8__132283.htm

A middle-of-the-night call wakes Episcopal priest Clare Fergusson and her husband, Police Chief Russ van Alstyne: a farmhouse has erupted in flames, killing the couple sleeping indoors – and their eight-year-old foster child, Mikayla, has disappeared from the wreckage without a trace. A recent transplant recipient, Mikayla will sicken and die without proper medication.

Can anyone unpick the trail that leads to Mikayla before her days come to an end?

GET IT HERE: http://www.juliaspencerfleming.com/through-the-evil-days.html

Wishing you peace, love, and lots of time to read this holiday season!

What books are on your wish list this year? Are you giving books, as well?

Pearls, pearls, pearls! An ETSY success... and SEEING REDS

Today we're adding a new feature: Seeing Reds: At the bottom of our Sunday post a list of events where you can find your favorite Reds...
 
HALLIEEPHRON: When I saw the cover of my new book, I knew what I needed for my book events. Pearls. PINK pearls, to be precise. I imagined a long, double-strand, lustrous and glowing against the little black dress which, of course, I had to buy to go with it.

My search took me to ETSY where I spotted these pearls at WhitePearlGem. They looked gorgeous and were priced at WELL under $100.

The shop said they specialized in custom orders, so I sent a copy of the book cover and wrote a note that began:

I'm a mystery author going on tour with a new book that has pink pearls on the cover...

Back came an answer from Sharon Knowles in Tennessee:

“Those are 10mm South Sea Shell Pearls in pink with cotton knotting (you can tell because the knots are too big).”

Sharon made me this knockout hand-knotted (so if I break it I won’t lose the pearls) necklace of said South Sea Shell Pearls -- man-made from the dust of real pearls, seven layers painted on top of a real sea shell bead.

Here’s me wearing them at my book launch.

Sharon designs and makes all WhitePearlGem’s jewelry. When she says she takes “customer service” seriously, she is not kidding. And aside from her wonderful pearl jewelry, she’s a fan of mystery novels.

And, because turnabout is fair play, here's Sharon with her copy of

my book and wearing a gorgeous necklace of her own design.

SHARON KNOWLES: I cut my I teeth on Erle Stanley Gardner, then Rex Stout and Nero Wolfe, I fell in love with Archie in my 20's, but I moved on because he wasn't getting any older!

I thought when I retired, I would sew and make quilts. My machine collects dust and I don't even hem pants. I play with beads and its wonderful. I started a hobby to occupy me while I take care of my 85-year-old mother, and my hobby turned into a profitable business. Who would have thought?

I talk to loads of women on Etsy looking for help with events and weddings. I solve problems. It's a big change from caring for the dying.

HALLIE: I know custom orders are your speciality. What’s your most challenging custom order?

SHARON: That's easy. Had a Lady send me photos of a "mauve dress" and wanted a match for her sons wedding. Every time, photos of the dress, a different color! Mauve is very hard to photograph. She also, sent me a photo of a $650 necklace she had seen in a dress shop.

She said the end result, was better than the original. Total cost $110.00 for the set.

HALLIE: How did you get into the pearl business?

SHARON: I have been a stock broker, a private trader, and when my daughter was born I wanted to stay home so I traded on-line from home. When she was four I opened a small day care.

Then I took a break for 2 years, till boredom set in and a friend convinced me to go to work with her cleaning houses. I ended up starting my own company and stayed with that for 5-6 years. Then I went to work as a private-duty nurse for about 6 years.

I started a shop on Etsy in 2008 and opened the Pearl shop in 2012 -- I wanted to focus on Pearls. Etsy had almost no Pearls then, and nothing hand knotted.

HALLIE: Why pearls?

SHARON: I wanted to own Pearls. Good pearls are expensive or can be.

I have always been good at research from my days of trading stocks for a living. So I studied and researched and learned about Pearls. I learned how to hand knot and how to buy good pearls, instead of junk. I figured out how to go directly to the source. I have a regular supplier in China for quality pearls whom I have used for almost 15 years.

HALLIE: Thank you Sharon. Your story is so inspiring! And did I mention: I LOVE MY PEARLS!

So Reds... How about you? Do you love pearls, or are diamonds your best friends? Dreaming here, of course... 

SEEING REDS: Where you can find us

HallieTuesday 3/31 @7:30 Melrose MA Public Library
Thursday 4/2 @7 PM BookEnds in Winchester MA
Saturday 4/4 @2 PM Brookline MA Public Library with Roseanne Montillo
Monday 4/6 @7 PM Weymouth MA Public Library
Tuesday 4/7 @6:30 PM Buttonwood Books Cohasset MA with Holly Robinson
Wednesday 4/8 @7:30 PM Sweetser Lecture Series Wakefield MA
Thursday 4/9 @7 PM RJ Julia Madison CT
Friday 4/10 @12:15 PM Bank Square Books in Mystic CT

Hank
Monday, 4/6 @7 PM Brookline Booksmith interviewing Michael Sears, Brookline MA
Tuesday 4/ 7 @7 PM Newton Free Library Newton MA
Thursday 4/9 @7:30 AM Habitat for Humanity North Central MA "Women Build" Breakfast, Keynote Speaker Sterling MA
Saturday 4/11 Maynard Library Book Festival with Archer Mayor and Norton Juster
Sunday 4/12 @9:30  AM, Lyceum at First Parish Church, Bedford MA  Keynote Speaker

Rhys
Wednesday 4/8, Belmont Library, Belmont, CA

Literary Rooms — A Harry Potter Bedroom Makeover

SUSAN ELIA MACNEAL: As many of you know, 2013 was the year my mother-in-law, Miss Edna moved in with us and, in October of 2014, we said goodbye.

Our son, the Kiddo, bravely and unselfishly let his grandmother have his room, while living in a nook we made from our apartment's dining room (it's a loft apartment, so it's not as dire as it might sound). We called his room, made with temporary walls, in jest, "the closet under the stairs," because Kiddo is such a Harry Potter fan. In all seriousness, it was pretty darn nice.

Well, Hubby and I got the idea into our head that a total bedroom makeover was needed before Kiddo could move back into his old room, and decided on a Harry Potter theme. We wanted it less "stuff with logos you'd get at the theme park" and more "referencing Harry's room at Gryffindor." I'm proud to share the results with you.

This is the crest for the door, made by Hubby:

This is the day bed, which makes a comfy place to read and play board games. Hedwig, the owl bearing a Hogwarts acceptance letter, was made by Michael Schupbach at Puppet Kitchen.

A longer shot of the room, including bunting and Persian carpet.

A closeup of one of the pillows:

The reading/pouting nook:

Lucius Malfoy's staff, made by Hubby and Kiddo:

All of the artwork is a 1930s take on Harry Potter, from Etsy.com:

The bookcase (Cogsworth clock by Hubby):

Owl bedside lamp:

Window (with view of children's author Mo Willems's patio):

The desk (fourth graders get a lot of homework):

Closeup of another print:

Potter-abelia on the desk's shelf:

Closeup of the desk's owl, again made by Puppet Kitchen.

Another view of the desk:

And, finally, overwhelmed and happy Kiddo on his new bed in his new room!

And here, at Mattie request, is a picture of him and "Grandmama" aka Miss Edna together.

SUSAN ELIA MACNEAL: Reds and lovely readers, what do you think of themed rooms? Is there a room in your abode you'd want to redecorate with a literary theme? And what would you choose? Please let us know in the comments!

Made in China

LUCY BURDETTE: Last month John and I were joining our little Key West church marching in the Key West hometown parade. Of course we needed Santa hats. Key West has many strong points, but shopping opportunities is not one of them. But it did manage to score these hats for $1.99 a piece. I checked the label as I almost always do--Made in China. 

Two thoughts.

First, I'd so much rather buy things that are made in the USA. Then I would feel comfortable that the fabric won't be toxic, and the people sewing the items won't be hunkered down in horrendous, dangerous sweatshops, and that I'll be supporting OUR economy. But honestly, it can be very difficult to find things made in the USA. And the prices can be staggering.

Second thing, what must the Chinese seamstresses be thinking as they sew the Mile Zero baubles onto the Santa hats?

How about you Reds, how do you feel about made in the USA ?

HALLIE EPHRON: I'm not sure what I feel about this… but I know that more and more it's true of food as well as clothing. Fish from Thailand. Potatoes from Peru. As a nation we consume more than we produce, and it's trade that keeps the world afloat. 
HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Companies do their manufacturing in China and other countries with frantic unemployment and no wage laws because it's so much cheaper. Until the US finds a way to keep those companies hiring and working in the US, that's what is going to happen. Outsourcing of everything--know who you're talking to on those customer service calls?--is the clash of commerce and capitalism versus compassion.  And Lucy, I wonder about that too--or are they thinking "we're lucky to have a job"? Hard to imagine.

RHYS BOWEN: This is a tough moral decision and one I've often wrestled with. When I lived in Europe clothes were horribly expensive. Women had one or two good outfits. Now the aim of consumerism is to make shoppers rush out and buy more and more. We don't need one pair of jeans, we need ten. And it's hard not to be tempted by a hand knitted wool sweater for $25 when the yarn alone in the US would cost $100.

I do look at labels. I do try to buy US made, but in the case of electronics and clothing it's hard to resist. I draw the line at any kind of foodstuff or make-up. Not risking toxic substances on my face!

 I'm sure many Chinese are happy to have a job, but I'm also sure there are terrible sweatshop conditions in some places. There are also poor conditions in Honduras, Guatamala, Bangladesh and many more. And my moral compass has changed as I've had more money to spend. If I were a young mom trying to clothe five kids, I'd go for the cheapest, no matter where it came from.
DEBORAH CROMBIE: Wasn't there a woman who devoted an entire year trying to live without buying anything made in China? I think she wrote a book about it. It was--and would be-incredibly hard. The economy is going to become more and more global, it's just inevitable. But if we are going to buy goods made in countries like China and India, we could try to buy from manufacturers who make an effort to improve pay and conditions for their workers. I don't think any of the clothing manufacturers whose merchandise was made in the Bangladish factory have offered compensation to the families of those killed. And the treatment of the workers in Apple's factories in China continues to be horrible. Something to think about before you buy the latest iPhone... Are the people employed glad to have jobs? I'm sure they are. But so were the workers in the garment factory in New York, and the children in sweatshops in Victorian England... It took public awareness and moral backbone to change those conditions, and I'm not so sure we have the latter these days.

SUSAN ELIA MACNEAL: We're lucky that even though we live in New York City, there are farmers' markets within walking distance three days a week. It's a great way to buy fresh, seasonal produce and support local farmers. (The doughnut and apple cider stand — hot in winter, cold in summer — doesn't hurt either.)

I really do try not to buy anything that's not made in the U.S.A. One website that I love is etsy.com. When I buy couch pillows on etsy, I love knowing they're made by Linda in Ohio. Or that my dishtowels and potholders are from Laura in L.A. It's a great way to support U.S. artists and entrepreneurs (many of whom are women). And generally the price is competitive with what you'd find elsewhere. I've been ordering from some of the same vendors for years, and we've really gotten to know and like one another!

so how about you Reds, opinions please?