Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Setting the Stage for Murder

Our guest blogger is DEB BAKER. Welcome back, Deb!




Thanks to my friends at Killer Hobbies for generously offering to host me on my book blog tour. I was one of the original, founding members, so I feel like I’ve come home to a warm and cozy place. And I’m amazed at the combined talent of this group and how the blog has grown.

It’s even more special because today is the official pub date for Ding Dong Dead.
When my agent asked me to write a series about doll collecting, I embraced the idea with open arms. What fun, I thought, and it has been. This time, in book four, Gretchen Birch and her friends find murder and mysterious happenings while rehearsing for a play to help raise funds for a doll museum they are opening.

Doll museums fascinate me and, as I mentioned in the book, a museum filled with dolls might be closer than you think. Not all of them are advertised. Just walk into a doll shop and ask about museums. That’s what I did in Tucson, Arizona several years ago while on book tour. What a surprise when the owner opened a door into a lost time and shared a secret world with me.

Generations of doll collectors had added to the collection housed in an enormous room behind the shop and at one time it had been open to the public. Those days had passed, but the owner still maintained it exactly as it had been.

What a treat as she gave me a tour and told me stories about the different dolls displayed there. The image of all those wonderful dolls together in the same place stuck in my mind and I knew I had to make a museum predominant in one of my book. So in Ding Dong Dead when an anonymous donor gives the Phoenix Dollers an historic house to turn into a museum, strange and unexpected things begin to happen.

I wonder since that inspiring visit, if the owner has reopened the museum to the public, because it deserves to be seen.

BTW,
I’m running a contest for a $50 gift certificate to the bookstore of your choice! Here’s how to win. Get a copy of Ding Dong Dead, read it, go to my website (http://www.debbakerbooks.com) before January 15th and correctly answer three easy questions pertaining to the book. You will be entered into the drawing, which will take place at noon on January 15th. Winner will be notified through email and announced on my homepage. Good luck!

6 comments:

Monica Ferris said...

I am proud to say that I had decided to buy a copy of Ding Dong Dead *before* I read on about the contest! LOL

I have an antique doll in my custody -- a doll that old is not "mine," but only in my hands until it is passed safely to the next generation.

Deb Baker said...

I am still so grateful to you for blurbing my very first book! Keep your doll safe.

Joanna Campbell Slan said...

Deb, I think back to that fateful day at Love Is Murder when we put our heads together and said, "Why not do a blog about hobbies?" We're almost at our 600th post. All the best to you, my friend. You're a DOLL.

Terri Thayer said...

Welcome, Deb! It's nice to hear your voice again. Thanks for stopping by. There are always wonderful displays of dolls at quilt shows. I'm amazed at the creativity.

Good luck with Ding Dong Dead! A great holiday gift.

Camille Minichino said...

I can't wait to read it and take the quiz, Deb (though I'll definitely disqualify myself for the prize, which should be left to your other fans!)

It's great to have you here today.

Deb Baker said...

Thanks all. It's good to visit. And Joanna, I remember that day. What fun. Hope to see you this year at LIM.