Kath Rutledge first appeared in Last Wool and Testament and one of the best ways to learn about a person is by asking questions, so let’s get to know Kath.
What is your name?
Kath Rutledge.
How old are you?
I turned thirty-nine the day we buried my grandmother last spring.
What is your profession?
Do you mind a two-ply answer? By profession I’m a textile conservator. Show me a fabric—fragile or infested or forgotten in someone’s attic for fifty years—and I know how to baby it back from the brink. And that’s what I did at the Illinois State Museum for fifteen years. I’m still a conservator, but the museum job disappeared along with the state budget. So now I’m a businesswoman, surrounded by yarns, flosses, needles, and niddy noddies at the Weaver’s Cat—the shop Granny passed on to me. So far things are working out.
Do you have a significant other?
That’s one of the things that seems to be working out.
What is his name and profession?
Joe Dunbar. He’s . . . an Appalachian Renaissance man. Handyman, fishing guide, artist, journalist.
Any children?
No.
Do you have any sibling(s)?
No.
Do your parents live near you?
Sorry, no. My mother died six years ago and my father has never been in the picture.
Who is your best friend?
Joe and Ardis—and Geneva. Please don’t ask me to explain Geneva; I can’t. “Ghost” and “haunted” don’t make sense in my science-oriented mind. But she’s here, and she’s a person just like you and I are. Almost like you and I are. Being dead has created a few problems for her, but yes, she’s one of my best friends.
Cats, dogs or other pets?
That’s something else that’s working out, and it surprises and delights me as much as having Joe in my life. I have a cat! I’ve never had one of my own before, and now I do. Argyle lives at the shop, so maybe he’s technically the shop’s pet, but he spends a lot of his time in my study in the attic and he sits in my lap and purrs. So yes, I have a cat!
What town do you live in?
Blue Plum, Tennessee. It’s about as far north and east as you can get in Tennessee without being in Virginia or North Carolina. I used to spend my summers here with Granny. I love it.
House or building complex? Own or Rent?
I live in the little yellow house Granny bought when the Weaver’s Cat took over the house on Main Street that she and Granddaddy moved into when they married.
What is your favorite spot in your house?
That’s a hard question. I don’t really like choosing favorites and bests. Can I choose a spot in the house and one at the shop? House: sitting in the faded blue comfy chair where Granny used to sit—in the living room with her big floor loom. Shop: the study in the attic. For so many reasons—the desk, the window seat, Granny’s books and journals, the hidden cupboard Granddaddy built, Argyle. And because of Geneva.
Favorite meal? Favorite dessert?
Same answer for both—anything from Mel’s on Main.
Favorite hobby?
Any kind of needlework. I’m not fast and I’m not proficient, but I love anything to do with fiber and fabric.
Favorite vacation spot?
Before I moved here, I would have said Blue Plum. Does that mean I have to choose somewhere else? I actually like Chicago a lot. I’d like to spend time on the coast of Maine. Do you know where I’d really like to go, though? I read about a town on the west coast of the Scottish Highlands—Inversgail. I’d love to go there.
Favorite sports team?
Lady Vols.
Movies or Broadway?
The Blue Plum Repertory Theater (Ardis will be happy I said that).
Are you a morning or a night person?
I’m pretty even-keeled. Either one works for me.
Amateur sleuth or professional?
Amateur.
Whom do you work with when sleuthing?
Members of Thank Goodness It’s Fiber (TGIF), the needlework group that meets at the Weaver’s Cat. Geneva calls them my posse.
In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
Up and eat breakfast, sometimes with Joe, sometimes not. Walk the few blocks to the Weaver’s Cat (maybe pick up coffee at Mel’s on the way). Say good morning to Geneva and Argyle. Open the shop and see what the day brings. Reverse all that at the end of the day. As I said earlier, so far things are working out.
Giveaway: Leave a comment below for your chance to win a print copy of Crewel and Unusual. U.S. entries only, please. The giveaway ends January 4, 2019. Good luck everyone!
You can read about Kath in Crewel and Unusual, the sixth book in the “Haunted Yarn Shop” cozy mystery series, released January 1, 2019.
The latest mystery in this charming mystery series finds the ever-resourceful Kath Rutledge and shop ghost Geneva tangled up in an embroidery rivalry—and a murder.
Yarn shop owner Kath Rutledge is looking forward to the grand opening of the Blue Plum Vault, a co-op of small shops on Main Street. But in the week before the grand opening, Kath and her needlework group, TGIF (Thank Goodness It’s Fiber), hear rumors of an unpleasant rivalry developing between two of the new shopkeepers. Nervie Bales and Belinda Moyer declare each other’s embroidery patterns and antique embroidered linens fakes, copies—and stolen goods. Kath is caught in the middle when she’s asked to use her textile expertise to decide if there’s any truth to the accusations.
Then, the day before the grand opening, an exquisite tablecloth that Kath has fallen in love with—the pride of Belinda’s shop—is found cut to shreds. Belinda accuses Nervie of the outrage, but Nervie has an airtight alibi: she was at Kath’s shop, the Weaver’s Cat, teaching a crewel embroidery class.
Despite worries over the rivalry and vandalism, the opening is a success—until Belinda is found dead, stabbed in the back with a pair of scissors from the Weaver’s Cat. Geneva, the ghost who haunts Kath’s store, claims she saw the murderer leaving the scene of the crime. But the ghost is the ultimate unreliable witness—only Kath and her shop manager can see or hear her. That means it’s up to Kath, TGIF, and especially Geneva the ghost to solve the crime before the killer cuts another life short.
Purchase Link
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About the author
The Boston Globe says Molly MacRae writes “murder with a dose of drollery.” Crewel and Unusual, book 6 in Molly’s award-winning Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries, is out January 1, 2019. Her short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine since 1990 and she is a winner of the Sherwood Anderson Award for Short Fiction. Molly lives in Champaign, Illinois. You can visit her at www.mollymacrae.com and www.killercharacters.com.
All comments are welcomed.
Oh my…. I just love 💕 love 💕 love 💕 the adorable cover of this new book! Sounds like a really exciting read! I haven’t read any of the other books in this series so really looking forward to getting them all and reading one after the other! Thank you bunches sweet Dru and Molly for the chance to win! HAPPY 😊 NEW YEAR! 😻
I read the blurb on this book, sounds really intriguing. I like a mystery with a little side of ghosts. Have yet to read any by this author. Look up her books at the library. Winning this book would be fun to add to my book collection.Happy New Year.
I adore this series ànd what a great cover this one has!
Thank you so much for the chance to win this!
Thank you for the interview with Kath Rutledge. She is one of my favorite amateur sleuths. Can’t wait for the opportunity to see what adventures Kath, Geneva and the TGIF get into as well as to see if the sparks fly in the romance department.
Love everything about this cover from the title to the adorable kitty!
Thank you for the fabulous chance to win a copy of “Crewel and Unusual” so I can continue to keep up with the happenings in Blue Plum.
Love the cat on the cover!
Thanks for the chance to win a copy
It was fun getting to know Kath – she has quite a fascinating. I love needlework, too, so this series would be fun. Thank you for the chance!
I love this series! So excited that a new book is finally coming out. Thanks for the chance to win a copy.
An intriguing and unique series which interests me greatly. The cover is delightful and the interview very interesting. Thanks.
I love this series. Thanks for the giveaway.
This sounds like a very good read on a snowy day. I am going to keep my eyes on this little town in Tennessee! Thank you for the giveaway.
The title is great fun.
Sound interesting, I hope that I win.
I enjoyed reading the first five books in this series. Looking forward to reading number six!
Love this series and so glad the newest book is finally here. Thanks for the opportunity!
I am excited to read about the newest entry in this series. Love the cover-always great, but this one is more “unusual” than others! Thanks Molly for the chance to win a copy! It wouldn’t have to go far-I am only an hour west of Champaign, in Decatur. 😉
Happy New Year Dru. Yes I’d love to be entered in the giveaway for this book.
Don’t see my first comment here. Yes Dru I’d love to be entered in the giveaway.
This is really a fun series and I have been reading them from the onset. Would love to win a copy of this title. thank you for the chance!
I haven’t read this series, but it sounds interesting. Thanks for a chance to win!
Crewel & Unusual is just up my alley. Please!
I love the title and book cover. Adding to my list.
Geneva sounds like an interesting character. Would enjoy reading “Crewel and Unusual”. Thanks for the post and opportunity to read a copy of this book. Kath is so fortunate to have such fond memories of her Granny to carry with her through life.”
Thanks for the chance to win a copy of Crewel and Unusual.
I read the first book and wasn’t sure what to make of Geneva. The second installment should be interesting and perhaps we’ll find out more about her.
I like the great title; it looks like an interesting read.
Love the book title and book cover! Thanks for the chance to win this book!
It sounds like a great series. I just love that cover.
I really enjoy this series and would love to read “Crewel and Unusual”.
This cover is so pretty!
I’m looking forward to my next “visit” to Blue Plum.
Love to read the book..cute Title
Marilyn ewatvess@yahoo.co.
A definite add to my must-read list….
Thank you for the giveaway…..
I haven’t read any of this series yet, but always ready to add to my want-to-read list! Renee
**** WINNER ****
Crewel and Unusual is Debbie Price
Congratulations!
I’m very anxious to return to Blue Plum!
I’d love to read this book and find out more about Geneva!
Glad to know Geneva is back 🙂