Tuesday, July 23, 2013

The Needle Case

Riddle: I drive men mad
For love of me,
Easily beaten,
Never free.

If you're in the Minneapolis - St. Paul area this week, note that Thursday, July 25, at 5:30 in the evening, I'll be at the Weber Park Community Building, 4400 Dupont Ave. North., Minneapolis, to give a talk on writing mystery novels (including some interesting information about why all humans love stories).  Maybe we can all go out for dinner and a drink afterwards.  For more information, contact me or:
Larry Longard, Librarian
Llongard@hclib.org
612-543-6753

The Drowning Spool is in the hands of my editor at Berkley Prime Crime.  Normally when I finish a book, I want a break and will take a week off.  But I am all excited about the idea for the next book, probably to be called The Needle Case, and have been working on a lengthy synopsis.  There are some interesting things I’ll need to research.  One is, how do art auctions work?  Another, does one get appointed to a conservatorship, or make a ward of someone, or become someone’s guardian?  What are the differences among these things?  How quickly can it be done?  What if the person to whom these things might happen objects strenuously?  What if he appears to be harmless but it turns out a lot of the stuff in his house was stolen?  He’s a nice but very eccentric person whose house has silted up to the rafters with mostly worthless  “stuff” - and mice.  A more minor question: How many Morgan silver dollars will fit in a good-size cookie jar?

The needlework pattern for this book is already underway: a woman in Georgia is crocheting a lace edging on a handkerchief and will send me the pattern (and the handkerchief) when she’s finished.  My mother used to do that as gifts for friends.  Lovely stuff!

Answer:  Gold

2 comments:

Linda O. Johnston said...

Love your research topics, Monica--and how they're teasers about what's to come in The Needle Case!

Betty Hechtman said...

I've used similar hankies in a couple of my books. Nice that you are going to include a pattern.

Your research sounds interesting!