Untangling Murders
by Linda Rodriguez
In my Skeet Bannion mystery series,
my protagonist, Skeet, is a knitter who uses time with her knitting needles to
untangle the murky problems of murder she faces. In the forthcoming third book
in the series, Every Hidden Fear,
Skeet’s beloved grandmother has come to live with her, and Gran is a knitter
and untangler of problems also.
my protagonist, Skeet, is a knitter who uses time with her knitting needles to
untangle the murky problems of murder she faces. In the forthcoming third book
in the series, Every Hidden Fear,
Skeet’s beloved grandmother has come to live with her, and Gran is a knitter
and untangler of problems also.
Skeet’s best friend Karen owns
Forgotten Arts, a fiberarts store in the small college town of Brewster,
Missouri, 12 miles north of Kansas City, Missouri. Karen raises Romney sheep
and angora goats on a farm outside of town and spins her own one-of-a-kind
yarns. She sells mill-spun knitting and weaving yarns, as well, and all sorts
of knitting, spinning, and weaving equipment.
Forgotten Arts, a fiberarts store in the small college town of Brewster,
Missouri, 12 miles north of Kansas City, Missouri. Karen raises Romney sheep
and angora goats on a farm outside of town and spins her own one-of-a-kind
yarns. She sells mill-spun knitting and weaving yarns, as well, and all sorts
of knitting, spinning, and weaving equipment.
I love the moments when I write
about Skeet walking into Forgotten Arts, perhaps buying yarn for her own
knitting projects, and when I write about Skeet, late at night, knitting
brightly colored socks for herself or a lace shawl for Gran’s birthday as she
ponders alibis, motives, and opportunities for suspects to commit murder. And I
do know what I’m talking about because I knit, spin, and do other fiber arts. In
fact, I used to take commissions to design and make one-of-a-kind, multicolored
lace shawls of various luxury fibers, millspun and handspun, until writing and
promoting books took over so much of my time. In fact, I was commissioned to
make one very special one for the writer Sandra Cisneros.
about Skeet walking into Forgotten Arts, perhaps buying yarn for her own
knitting projects, and when I write about Skeet, late at night, knitting
brightly colored socks for herself or a lace shawl for Gran’s birthday as she
ponders alibis, motives, and opportunities for suspects to commit murder. And I
do know what I’m talking about because I knit, spin, and do other fiber arts. In
fact, I used to take commissions to design and make one-of-a-kind, multicolored
lace shawls of various luxury fibers, millspun and handspun, until writing and
promoting books took over so much of my time. In fact, I was commissioned to
make one very special one for the writer Sandra Cisneros.
Now, I usually save my limited
spinning and knitting time for family gifts. However, as I’ve geared up for the
publication of Every Hidden Fear (out
May 6th), I decided to combine my love of spinning and knitting with
the promotion of books. I’ve set up a pre-order contest for Every Hidden Fear with a grand prize of
one of those one-of-a-kind, multicolored lace shawls of various luxury fibers,
millspun and handspun, that I used to make on commission. I’m designing it on
the needles so I don’t have a photo yet to show people interested in entering. Instead,
I’m showing these photos of the most recent shawl I made, a Christmas present
for my sister. The shawl I’m making will be of approximately the size and shape
of this Christmas-present shawl, but with different stitches and colors. The
fibers I’ve used so far include baby alpaca, cashmere, merino, and silk.
spinning and knitting time for family gifts. However, as I’ve geared up for the
publication of Every Hidden Fear (out
May 6th), I decided to combine my love of spinning and knitting with
the promotion of books. I’ve set up a pre-order contest for Every Hidden Fear with a grand prize of
one of those one-of-a-kind, multicolored lace shawls of various luxury fibers,
millspun and handspun, that I used to make on commission. I’m designing it on
the needles so I don’t have a photo yet to show people interested in entering. Instead,
I’m showing these photos of the most recent shawl I made, a Christmas present
for my sister. The shawl I’m making will be of approximately the size and shape
of this Christmas-present shawl, but with different stitches and colors. The
fibers I’ve used so far include baby alpaca, cashmere, merino, and silk.
For two second prizes, each winner
will have a character named after her or him in my next Skeet Bannion book,
tentatively titled Every Family Doubt.
There will also be smaller prizes with either a book or fiberart theme, and
everyone who enters will receive a signed bookplate. Simply send an email to lindalynetterodriguez@gmail.com
with a copy of a receipt, Amazon acknowledgement, or other proof of pre-order
and type PRE-ORDER CONTEST in the subject line.
will have a character named after her or him in my next Skeet Bannion book,
tentatively titled Every Family Doubt.
There will also be smaller prizes with either a book or fiberart theme, and
everyone who enters will receive a signed bookplate. Simply send an email to lindalynetterodriguez@gmail.com
with a copy of a receipt, Amazon acknowledgement, or other proof of pre-order
and type PRE-ORDER CONTEST in the subject line.
This contest with its special shawl
seems to me a particularly appropriate way to celebrate the publication of
another book in this series so involved with the fiber arts. As I plan and knit
this prize shawl, I find myself mulling over alibis, motives, and opportunities
to commit murder since I have another book to write, and life imitates art.
seems to me a particularly appropriate way to celebrate the publication of
another book in this series so involved with the fiber arts. As I plan and knit
this prize shawl, I find myself mulling over alibis, motives, and opportunities
to commit murder since I have another book to write, and life imitates art.
Linda Rodriguez’s second Skeet Bannion novel, Every Broken Trust, is a finalist for
the International Latino Book Award and the Premio Aztlán Literary Award. Her first
Skeet novel, Every Last Secret, won
the Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery Novel Competition and an
International Latino Book Award. Find her on Twitter as @rodriguez_linda, on
Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LindaRodriguezWrites,
and blogging at http://lindarodriguezwrites.blogspot.com.
the International Latino Book Award and the Premio Aztlán Literary Award. Her first
Skeet novel, Every Last Secret, won
the Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery Novel Competition and an
International Latino Book Award. Find her on Twitter as @rodriguez_linda, on
Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LindaRodriguezWrites,
and blogging at http://lindarodriguezwrites.blogspot.com.
REPLIES TO COMMENTS
Mary, knitting really does help with focus and concentration and creative thinking. and those fibers would need to be handwashed and laid flat to dry. Just in case. 🙂
So lovely! I knit mostly baby hats these days, small projects, easy on my temperamental hands . . . and I knit mostly at storytelling events, so I think the stories and the fellowship become part of the finished work. Knitting helps me focus . . . ** now wondering about proper care of those fibers, you know, just in case . . . 😉