Jenn McKinlay: Have you read the Fixer-Upper mysteries yet? Honestly, with titles like Eaves of Destruction, A Wrench in the Works, and Shot Through the Hearth...how can you resist? They're genius, I say, pure genius. Number 9 in the long running series - Absence of Mallets - drops on Dec 7th! Don't miss it! And now here's Kate to talk about the series and her plans for turkey day!
Kate Carlisle: Are you ready for Thanksgiving? I sure am! My deadline is the week before, so I anticipate that I will be in relaxation mode after months in the writing cave. Of course, it’s easy for me to look forward to it, since the most work I’ll do in the kitchen is to open a bottle of wine.
Thankful for restaurants!
Did you know that the national holiday of Thanksgiving is due in large part to the efforts of one strong and determined woman?
Thankful for strong women!
In 1863, after a decades-long campaign by Sarah Josepha Hale, editor of a ladies’ magazine, Abraham Lincoln declared the fourth Thursday in November a national day of Thanksgiving. (Yes, right in the middle of the Civil War!)
Thankful for Abraham Lincoln!
So although we all think of the first Thanksgiving when the Plymouth settlers and the Wampanoag Native Americans shared an autumn feast, the first national celebration was during Victorian times. And I’m thankful for that because it provides me with a smooth segue into talking about my next book, Absence of Mallets, because Lighthouse Cove, the fictional town where my Fixer-Upper Mysteries are set, is known for its Victorian architecture.
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So I thought I’d round up some idyllic Victorian Thanksgiving cards to share. (Thankful for public domain!) I imagined entertaining you with charming illustrations of flowers and cherub-cheeked children. I was surprised by the dark theme I uncovered.
Ah—there are the cherubs, fresh from the scene of the crime. It’s always the ones you least suspect.
All this has me feeling very thankful for readers, and for being here today. (Thanks, Jenn, for inviting me!) So I’m going to give away a Fixer-Upper Mystery measuring tape to one lucky commenter. For a chance to win, tell me something you’re thankful for. +1 bonus entry for also telling a joke!
ABOUT ABSENCE OF MALLETS
Contractor Shannon Hammer steels her nerve to pin down a killer in the latest Fixer-Upper Mystery from the New York Timesbestselling author of Premeditated Mortar. . . .
Shannon could not be happier that her hunky thriller-writing boyfriend, Mac, has moved in, and it is a good thing they are living together because they are both busier than ever. Mac is hosting writing retreats at his now vacant lighthouse mansion, while Shannon and her crew build Homefront, a quaint Victorian village of tiny homes for veterans in need. Mac’s latest guests are proving to be a handful though, and Shannon has heard some grumbling from the luminaries of Lighthouse Cove about her latest passion project. But nothing can throw a wrench in their plans except a malicious murder.
When one of Shannon’s new friends is found brutally bludgeoned with a mallet near the lighthouse on Mac’s property, the couple hammers out a suspect list and searches for a motive. As they drill deeper for clues, more violence strikes and a new victim winds up in a coma. The pressure is on, and Shannon and Mac will have to move fast to find an unhinged killer dead set on demolishing anyone who gets in their way. . .
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