What Can Possibly Go Wrong, Especially with Piglets Involved?
Excitement! Everyone in Blue Plum is getting ready for Blue Plum Preserves, our annual heritage festival. Okay, not everyone is excited or participating. But this is my first Preserves and I’m looking forward to the weekend.
Here’s a copy of The Blue Plum Bugle’s festival tabloid. Take a look. It calls the weekend “a step back in time to a gentler era.” That sounds like it ought to be fun, don’t you think? And have you read the list of activities? The churches are serving chicken dinners and homemade ice cream on their lawns. The historical society will sell old-fashioned, fresh-squeezed lemonade and take people on guided walking tours downtown and through the historic neighborhoods. The Farm and Home is sponsoring a “petting zoo” of antique farm machinery with steam tractors and threshing machines and whatnot. (Can you tell I’m not real mechanical?) The volunteer fire department is holding a rope pull—using their fire hoses—across the creek in the park, and the parks department is turning the courthouse steps into a sound stage for blue grass and old time fiddle music. Hoopskirts and horses are encouraged, though optional.
Ardis says that some of the old buckboards rolling into town—and some of the sports utility vehicles—will no doubt bear some of those time-honored and illicit homebrewed beverages. If the beverages don’t generate some excitement, nothing will. The whole festival weekend should be a mad whirl of activity.
At the Weaver’s Cat, it will also be a mad whorl – as in spindle whorl. With the help of TGIF (Thank Goodness It’s Fiber, a group of needlework enthusiasts,) we’ll set up a tent in the parking lot across the side street from the shop. Ardis has a whole roster of volunteers lined up to demonstrate hand spinning. We’ve got spinners coming who know how to use spindles and wheels of every type and size who are experts at spinning animal and vegetable fibers from wool to flax, including silk and fluffy dog. And if you’re interested in trying your hand at it, we’ll have spinning wheels and spindle whorls for visitors to try, too.
Where do the piglets come in? Running all over town, maybe. One of the featured festival activities is a bit of outdoor theater—a skit my Grandmother and some friends wrote to commemorate a nineteenth century land and livestock dispute. So, remember my question up top, there? “What could possibly go wrong, especially with piglets involved? Hmm. Well, it’s not just the possibility of mass piglet pandemonium, it’s also the people staging the skit this year. They’re staging a new, improved and expanded version of the skit with a running skirmish. With guns. Hmm.
I’m excited, though, and everyone says they’re going all out to make Blue Plum Preserves a killer event, this year. Let’s just hope ‘killer’ isn’t the operative word!
You can read more about Kath in Spinning in Her Grave, the third book in the “Haunted Yarn Shop” mystery series, published by Obsidian. The first book in the series is Last Wool and Testament. Books are available at retail and online booksellers.
GIVEAWAY: Comment on this post by 6pm EST on March 15, and you will be entered for a chance to win a copy of SPINNING IN HER GRAVE. One winner will be chosen at random. Unless specified, U.S. entries only.
Meet the author
Molly MacRae lived in Jonesborough and Johnson City, Tennessee, for twenty years and continues to miss the hills and hollows, but especially the people. She and her family now live in Champaign, Illinois—also full of good people, but not so many hills—where she connects children with books at the public library.
You can visit Molly at her website: www.mollymacrae.com. You can also find her on the first Monday of each month at Amy Alessio’s vintage food and craft blog: www.amyalessio.com and on the 23rd of each month at Killer Characters: www.killercharacters.com or connect with her on Facebook or Pinterest.
Follow dru’s book musing on Facebook for book giveaways, contests, posting about discounted books and some of my reading musings.
Another new series to put on my TBR list. Thanks for introducing me to this series!
Thanks for stopping by, Jan, and thanks for adding my books to your TBR list!
Sounds like another fun series. I will look for the first one.
Thanks, Gram! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it!
Thank you for the chance to win this book. This is a fun series to follow.
🙂
I LOVE this cover!!!
already added to my WishList!!
thank you for the giveaway!!!
The Penguin artists are terrific, aren’t they? Who knew those little flightless wings could hold paintbrushes so well?
Sounds like a really fun book. It is now on my TRL, would love to win it
Thanks for stopping by, Debbie!
Oh I love the cover and the book is added to my wishlist.!
Thanks, Pamela! I don’t care what they say about not judging books by their covers – good ones attract the eyes and attract readers. Just the way it is.
Hi Molly! Great to see you and Kath hanging out with Dru Ann. Looks like a wonderful book and Kath is really great fun.
Hi Terrie! Dru Ann is a reader’s best friend! Nice to see you here, too. I’m looking forward to Well Read, Then Dead!
I’ve recently discovered this series and adore it. Can’t wait to get to this book!
That is so nice to hear, Mare!
I’m hooked–I want to find out what happens with the piglets.
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com
Just remember, no piglets were harmed in the writing of this book.
I would love to visit a haunted yarn shop.
Me, too, Lisa! If I find a way to step through a portal into Blue Plum and the Weaver’s Cat, I’ll let you know.
Piglets all over town? Sounds like a total hoot!
Or a total oink!
When the kids were small we used to spend our vacation in upstate NY on a farm. My kids spent two weeks every summer riding, having camp outs and picking eggs from the hen house for our breakfast. They also went on hayrides and had nightly hootnannies. We love visiting historic towns that get into their heritage.
I’d love to win this book and see how the staging of the historic “dispute” turns out.
Toss the hat into the ring Dru.
What great memories your kids must have of those summers! Thanks for throwing your hat into the giveaway ring.
I have heard a lot of good reports about this book and would really enjoy it so hopefully, I have a chance to possibly win it to find out. Sounds unique and I like that. Another nice blog post as always.
Thanks for stopping by, Cynthia! Good luck in the giveaway. If you don’t win, go to your public library and see if they have the book. If they don’t, ask them if they can add it to the collection. Then you can check it out – and so can lots of others. Libraries are the gateway to so many adventures – and mysteries!
I so want to go to Blue Plum Preserves! Sounds like such fun! As long as I don’t find the body. 😉
But if you did find it, Lisa, I bet you’d handle it well. Kath and Ardis would be right there with you and wouldn’t let you down. Thanks for stopping by!
The blog has so many plays on words – all amusing, none offensive! – that I can’t wait to read the book.
Cool! Thank you, Nanci!
Molly is a new-to-me writer and I’ve been enjoying her blog posts, so I am really looking forward to getting to know Kath and the town she lives in. Definitely at the top of my TBR list.
Thank you, Sylvia! I hope you enjoy your trip to Blue Plum!
I’ve loved the snippets I’ve read from this book. I have the first one on my Kindle and loved it!
Thanks, Laura! That’s SO nice to hear!
Love all kinds of needlework and love cozies. Haven’t tried this one as yet. Would love to try it by winning. Thanks!
Thanks for stopping by, Ronna, and good luck in the giveaway!
Crossing fingers and holding my breath. I love the concept of this book.
And I love cozies, and piglets, and fiber arts…
I know that pigs are so intelligent – absolutely nothing could go awry when piglets are present. Thanks for the wonderful introduction to the series.
Pigs are SO intelligent. Some of the best studies of pig intelligence were done at the University of Illinois, in Champaign, where I live. And, of course. who couldn’t love Piglet in Winnie the Pooh?
Love this series! Always a terrific read.
Thank so much, Kristina!
I Love when a new book comes out in a Series I Love 🙂
And absolutely love hearing that, Debbie!
This sounds like a fun series. Putting on my TBR list now. Thanks for the chance to win.
Thanks for stopping by, MaryB.
I loved the first book in this series.
kaye.killgore@comcast.net
Thank you, Kaye!
Another series to try out! Wonderful. Love the town’s name.
CarolNWong@aol.com
Once upon a time, Johnson City, Tennessee, was called Blue Plum. The town changed it’s name several times over the years, and I thought they might not miss that one. It has such a warm feel to it. Thanks for stopping by, Carolee!
Another series I’ve missed, I like the sound of it. Now I’ve got to go get book one. Thanks for the chance to win.
I hope you like Last Wool and Testament, Debbie. It sets the series up for what follows. That said, the rest of the books can probably be read as stand-alones. But I’m like you; I always want to read the first one first!
Dru Ann, thank you for having me here today! What a nice response the post and the giveaway have had! You are a writer’s and a reader’s best friend!
Thanks Molly.
Oh, love the title! And plot! Sounds like a great read!
Thanks, Kristin! Good luck in the giveaway!
Thank you for the giveaway. I have totally enjoyed both of the books in this series, and am looking forward to the new one. thank you again.
Pigs, yarn, hmmm, sounds as if this will be a fun read.
This is on my wishlist. I love Molly’s writing style. Awesome giveaway! Fingers crossed. 🙂
Take me away to Blue Plum. I’m ready. Thanks for the giveaway.
This is one of my favorite series. I love the store and the town. I am looking foreword to visit again.
It sounds like a fun and interesting read. I love the pretty cover. Thanks for having the giveaway.
Festivals are fun! I’d love to read this!
contest is closed.