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Melissa Bourbon | Talents lead to ... new adventures

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You can never predict where your interests will take you, or what path they will provide for you to follow.  Love for my husband and his Mexican culture led me to create the Lola Cruz mystery series (BARE-NAKED LOLA, book 3, comes out in April).

I never imagined I'd write a second series, and I certainly never imagined that learning to sew when I was in elementary school would factor into the concept behind that second series.

I learned to sew in elementary school.  It takes determination, fine motor skills, patience, and sheer will to learn to sew, especially when you're young.  And I had those things.  I was  a homebody, even then, and sewing quickly turned into one of my favorite things to do.  If Project Runway had been around then... watch out!

Fast forward to post college.  I spent hour after hour making the bridesmaids dresses for my wedding--and I had 7 bridesmaids in a very traditional Catholic ceremony!  A few years later, we were having kids and I sewed and dressed my children in homemade wonders which makes them burst out in laughter over now.  "Mom!  We looked like clowns!"

True.

I'm not inordinately skilled at sewing, so simple works best ;)  Baggie one piece outfits were my specialty for a while.  And infant and toddler clothes should have tons of color, que no?

I also love magical realism and pretty much wish it was the way the world really worked.  And old outlaws?  There's just something about them that gives me a thrill

So (sew) when it came time, eons later, to develop a book concept (you know how cozy mysteries need that all important hook), sewing was the first thing that popped into my mind.  I added a touch of magic, and a few old outlaws, and, voila!   A Magical Dressmaking Mystery Series was born.

From PLEATING FOR MERCY, book 1:

All the Cassidy women possess special gifts. Harlow Jane Cassidy's is creating beautiful dresses. But she's about to discover secrets in her own family, and another gift—one that can reach beyond the grave...

When her great-grandmother passes away, Harlow Jane Cassidy leaves her job as a Manhattan fashion designer and moves back to Bliss, Texas. But soon after she opens Buttons & Bows, a custom dressmaking boutique in the turn-of-the-century farmhouse she inherited, Harlow begins to feel an inexplicable presence...

One of her first clients is her old friend Josie, who needs a gown for her upcoming wedding. But when Josie's boss turns up dead, it starts to look as if the bride-to-be may be wearing handcuffs instead of a veil. Suddenly Josie needs a lot more from Harlow than hemming a dress. Can Harlow find the real killer—with a little help from beyond?

I love Harlow's world, intertwining history and ancestry with her contemporary world, and most of all, I love all the books on fashion I've had an excuse to buy... all in the name of research!

A FITTING END is now available and I'm so excited to share Harlow's continued journey in Bliss, Texas.  You don't have to love sewing in order to be spellbound by the Margaret Moffette Lea Pageant and Ball and the mystery at the Bliss Country Club.

From A FITTING END:

Former Manhattan fashion designer Harlow Jane Cassidy has a gift for creating beautiful dresses.  But when Harlow becomes the prime suspect in a murder investigation, she'll more than her sewing skills to unravel the mystery...

Business is booming at Harlow's custom dressmaking boutique, Buttons & Bows, even with the presence of her great-grandmother's ghost hanging around the shop.  But thanks to the fast approaching Margaret Moffette Lea Pageant and Ball, Harlow has her work cut out for her when Mrs. Zinnia James hires her to make her granddaughter's pageant gown.

With the debutant ball getting the whole town of Bliss, Texas into a tizzy, Harlow knows her dress has to be perfect.  But when a local golf pro is found stabbed to death with dressmaking shears, the new deputy thinks Harlow and Mrs. James conspired to commit the crime.  Now Harlow has to finish the dress on time and clear her name before the next outfit she designs is a prison jumpsuit...

Read an excerpt

PLEATING FOR MERCY
Pleating for Mercy
Magical Dressmaking
#1
August 2011

A FITTING END
A Fitting End
Magical Dressmaking
#2
February 2012

Buy Now

Amazon Print
Barnes & Noble

So tell me... if you were to write a cozy mystery series, what would the hook be? 

Connect with Melissa

Website: MelissaBourbon.com
Facebook: Author Misa Ramirez/Melissa Bourbon
Twitter: @MelissaBourbon
Goodreads: Misa Ramirez / Melissa Bourbon

 

 

Comments

30 comments posted.

Re: Melissa Bourbon | Talents lead to ... new adventures

My hook would probably be a library or bookstore with a book club...
(Kelli Jo Calvert 1:43pm February 10, 2012)

My hook would be something with books or dogs and cats. Thanks for the giveaway!
(Natasha Donohoo 2:19pm February 10, 2012)

HMMMMMMMMM, A NEKKID MAN IN A TOWEL? LOL
(Linda Bass 2:47pm February 10, 2012)

A local diner.
(MaryEllen Hanneman 2:48pm February 10, 2012)

I'd write a cozy mystery series more suitable for YA readers. Maybe
something involving a high school. There are mysteries for kids, and cozies
for adults, but almost everything in the YA genre is either vampires
(paranormal) or contemporary romance. I think Nancy Drew was the last
mystery series I can remember for teens that stands out in my mind, and even
those are a bit young for older teens.
(Debbie Burdeen 3:03pm February 10, 2012)

My hook would have to have our 4 little Chawinnies
Chihuahua/Dachsunds included. Each one of our little dogs is
like a Mystery book and each one would have their own cute
story to tell others. I love animals and would have to include
our pets for sure. Thanks for the great contest. Cecilia
(Cecilia Dunbar Hernandez 3:25pm February 10, 2012)

My hook would be to have the setting be on an old horse estate.
(Carol Mallory 3:51pm February 10, 2012)

Maybe a doctor/hospital..I worked in one for years and could probably create many stories from the experiences..
:)
(Dawn Staniszeski 3:54pm February 10, 2012)

If I were to write a cozy mystery series, I'd probably choose something that would include ghosts into the story. I enjoy the fact that they can move things and make their presence felt to the living, and that's intriguing to me; how their spirit lingers in the same place...old attics, barns, libraries, basements, old mansions and homes, etc.
I love your colorful and very detailed book covers, Melissa.
I just saw your book "Pleating for Mercy" yesterday displayed at our library. I remember it because the cover really caught my eye. Now that I've read your excerpt about your books, they interest me. I always loved sewing, and spent many long hours at it, when I learned how in 8th grade home economics class. Thanks for the contest and much success with this book series!
(Linda Luinstra 4:15pm February 10, 2012)

My hook would definitely be in a library. Thanks for the chance to win your book.
(Becky Darmogray 5:02pm February 10, 2012)

My hook would be in an over 100 years old house. An old
house situated far from any neighbors, quite retreated, in
the wood. A grandmother would be the owner of that said
house. She would have some family members living with her.
And many cats.
A ghost would be the trigger of the mystery in question.
He/She would somehow entice, encourage a resident,(who is
already not very nice to start with) of the house to commit
one or more crimes. But no haunting would be apparent at
first, It would come gradually associated with that said
resident of the house.
Thank you for reading me. I read about 98% of the time in
English, but I am actually a french-canadian so my writings
my contains some mistakes. I apologize for that.
Thanks again.
Judith Venne
(Judith Venne 5:18pm February 10, 2012)

My "hook" would probably be something related to the nursing field. Thank you for the chance to win.
(Wendy Hulbert 5:50pm February 10, 2012)

I would have to write my mystery series around a craft shop: knitting, cross stitch and mayham :).
(Robin McKay 6:10pm February 10, 2012)

This question was a bit of a toughie for me, and I hope that my answer makes sense. Since I live in the country, my hook would have to revolve around the animals in the woods. They would appear in my story in some capacity, either through a special power, or to help me solve a crime, or perhaps one of them is guilty, and another one steps forward to help me solve it. I know it sounds a little offbeat, but I do love animals, and thought I'd be a little different. I love the cover of your book. It reminds me of the sewing machine my Grandmother owned. Your book sounded good as well after reading the excerpt, too!!
(Peggy Roberson 8:32pm February 10, 2012)

I would like to have a series about my neighborhood ladies.
We walk, talk, eat, drink, and gossip about everything we see. Living on an L shaped street gives us access to watch the walking park that abuts our properties. We never lack for enjoyment and there are many stories to envoke from our adventures. Oh, I hope there's enough pen and paper to write all the tales we could spin.
(Rosemary Simm 9:45pm February 10, 2012)

My hook would be a dysfunctional family that is after the family fortune. I'm very familiar with the dysfunctional family not so much the fortune. :)
Good luck and happy writing!
(Tracie Travis 10:25pm February 10, 2012)

A customer service center.
(Kathleen Bianchi 10:54pm February 10, 2012)

I have no idea: maybe food or garden related - landscaping.
(Mary Preston 4:34am February 11, 2012)

Would reading books about seamstresses mean more to me if I sewed? I did enjoy an Elm Creek Quilt book even though I've never quilted.
(MaryAnne Banks 11:06am February 11, 2012)

My hook would be a ghost or a secret passage or drawer that has kin hunting for it. I think a reading of a will would also start things off with a fight.
(Alyson Widen 5:07pm February 11, 2012)

A gallery owner and the artists that come in with
something in the past the must be solved.
(Carla Carlson 9:02am February 12, 2012)

A sexy accountant---I'll stick to what I know.
(Sue Farrell 12:24pm February 12, 2012)

I raise foster kittens for the local shelter, so cats and books are the perfect "hook" for me!!
(Penny Tuttle 12:47pm February 12, 2012)

I have a few hooks that I would throw in - LOL - I LOVE sewing, myself - and the crafty things like latch-hook and embroidery - also I have really gotten into programs like Chopped, Top Chef, Rocco's Dinner Party, etc - so I would add very creative cooking in, along with my music! :-)
(Felicia Ciaudelli 3:00pm February 12, 2012)

I would have to do a cooking cozy mystery.It would have to include my crazy family and all my animals, also.
(Debbie Penny 4:32pm February 12, 2012)

I would have to include quilting and the eating of gooey
chocolate baked trears.
(Heather Pearson 6:52pm February 12, 2012)

At one point, my hook would have been sewing too. My cooking skills are non-existent. However, I had to give up sewing because of constant nagging pain in my hands, especially the right, that makes sewing irritably, violently frustrating. I can type on a laptop because I don't have to unduly stretch any of my fingers, but any other way of putting words to paper, etc. can be sloppy and excruciating. My only real skills are fixing grammar or vocabulary skills in manuscripts (or published books.) So any mystery I'd write would be set in the world of writing.
(Sigrun Schulz 11:31pm February 12, 2012)

My hook would be the life of a B&W (primarily) FILM photographer working in an increasingly digitized world.

Later,

Lynn
(Lynn Rettig 2:52pm February 13, 2012)

My hook would have to have our 4 little Chawinnies
Chihuahua/Dachsunds included. Each one of our little dogs is
like a Mystery book and each one would have their own cute
story to tell others. I love animals and would have to
include
our pets for sure. Thanks for the great contest. Cecilia
(Cecilia Dunbar Hernandez 3:25pm Friday)
Thanks for letting me know that I Won and I will let you
know how much I enjoy reading your Book too. Thanks, Cecilia
(Cecilia Dunbar Hernandez 3:41pm February 14, 2012)

I need to know which broker is the best from the ones
listed on the site?
FitSewing
(Ronald Mak 2:27am April 5, 2019)

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