And the Winner Is . . .

The voting last week, about whether or not I should “fudge the facts” about the legality of holographic wills in Minnesota, came down emphatically in favor of no fudge. So there’s a trip to Fargo in Betsy Devonshire’s future. I thank everyone for their thoughtful replies to my survey.

I went to the Red Wing (Minnesota) Public Library this past Saturday to give a talk on being a mystery author. It was a good, well-attended talk, and a number of the women who came wore hats -- I always wear a fancy hat at my appearances, this was a cute way of keeping me company. After my talk I called for questions. One woman remembered an incident in one of my books in which an extraordinarily handsome man comes into Betsy’s needlework shop to buy a yellow lab pattern. His name is Rick -- something; I can’t remember his surname. The questioner wanted to know what happened to Rick and if I would bring him back for an encore. I’ve thought about it and maybe I could. The problem is, I don’t remember which book Rick appeared in! I’m pretty sure it was one of the early ones, so now I’ve got to do some digging to look for him, so I can get his full name and remind myself what he looks like.

Red Wing is a very attractive riverfront city, quite old (for Minnesota), with an attractive downtown. It’s where a lot of famous pottery is made and where Red Wing Shoes is located. Their outlet store on the main street has the biggest shoe in the world in its front window -- a brown leather work shoe twenty feet tall, with laces as big around as my forearm. The Jolly Green Giant, another Minnesota native, could use a pair of them -- he’s usually depicted barefoot.

I decided, almost on a whim, that Jill and Lars and their two children need a dog, and that the dog should be a Newfoundland. Their regular house and their vacation cabin are both located on lake shores, and a Newfie is by instinct a powerful swimmer who will go to the rescue of anyone he sees struggling in the water. They are also wonderful with children -- the Victorians loved them. The Nanny in Peter Pan is a Newfie. But now that means I have to do some more research on them. I hope I can connect with someone in the area who has one, so I can spend some time with one. It's easier for me to write about something I have actually done or had contact with. Look for Bjorn as a puppy in Buttons and Bones this December.