A Day in the Life of Meadow Downey by Elizabeth Craig

Jun 17, 2015 | A Day In My Life

Tying The Knot(Beatrice Coleman’s best friend and sidekick and quilter extraordinaire)

Doesn’t everyone love a wedding? Few things are more fun for a small town than a rollicking wedding. It sure makes for the perfect excuse for a party in a sleepy village.

This wedding was going to be even more fun than usual because the bride is a quilting friend who wanted to incorporate quilting throughout the wedding and reception. “Meadow,” she told me, “it’s going to be a quilting-inspired wedding! Quilts as backdrops. Quilts to sign instead of a guestbook. A quilt-themed fondant cake!” And all of my guild, the renowned Village Quilters, were ready to help out. Oh, and there was going to be music, food, dancing, and all that stuff, too.

I thought a bit of romance in the air would be good for Beatrice. It’s not Beatrice’s wedding, but you know how weddings can become contagious. You never know who might catch that bouquet. You know Beatrice, right? She’s my very best friend. I’m her best friend too, although these days I might be losing a bit of that title to Wyatt. At first I wanted nothing better than to get those two together. I take matchmaking to an art form, you see. The victims. . .I mean, the lovebirds. . .never know what’s hit them because I’m so subtle.

But this wedding didn’t go exactly as planned. You know how you hear about those wedding disasters on TV? Hurricane force winds, fainting grooms, deer running amok in the sanctuary? This was similar. . .except murder provided the disaster.

Still, it was a beautiful day. . .right up until that moment. So what about y’all? Heard of any wedding disaster stories that made you wince? Do you love a good wedding (like me?)

Find out more about Meadow and her friends in the fifth “Southern Quilting” mystery series, Tying the Knot, published by Obsidian. The first book in the series is Quilt or Innocence.

About Tying The Knot

Wedding bells are ringing in Dappled Hills, North Carolina. But when the festivities take an unexpected turn, quilter Beatrice Coleman must get crafty and catch a killer wedding crasher. . .

Everyone loves a wedding, and with the sister of Beatrice’s beau, Wyatt, about to say “I do,” Beatrice and the Village Quilters are pitching in to help with the nuptial plans. They’re hard at work making everything from wool boutonnieres to a quilt-shaped wedding cake. And all the talk of love and marriage has Beatrice thinking about her own budding romance with Wyatt.

But after she stumbles across the body of the original best man at the end of the reception, Beatrice must stop threading her needle and start collecting clues. She, along with the Village Quilters, will need to turn all their attention to solving a murder before another victim gets cut out. . .

GIVEAWAY: Leave a comment by 12 a.m. eastern on June 24 for the chance to win a print copy of Tying The Knot. The giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Winner will be notified within 48 hours after giveaway closes and you will have three days to respond after being contacted or another winner will be selected.

About the author
Elizabeth writes the Southern Quilting mysteries and Memphis Barbeque mysteries for Penguin Random House and the Myrtle Clover series for Midnight Ink and independently. She blogs at ElizabethSpannCraig.com/blog, named by Writer’s Digest as one of the 101 Best Websites for Writers. She curates links on Twitter as @elizabethscraig that are later shared in the free search engine WritersKB.com. Elizabeth makes her home in Matthews, North Carolina, with her husband and two teenage children. To receive a free ebook, updates, and recipes, sign up for her newsletter,or by visiting her website.

55 Comments

  1. Barbara Tobey
    Barbara Tobey on June 17, 2015 at 1:18 am

    Sounds fun.

  2. Daniele K
    Daniele K on June 17, 2015 at 1:27 am

    I enjoy a good wedding, and I can’t think of any disaster stories off the top of my head. I always worry about destination weddings…it seems there are so many things that could go wrong. This series is in my TBR pile (I just love the corgi on the cover). Thanks, as always, for the giveaway!

  3. candace knight
    candace knight on June 17, 2015 at 1:37 am

    This book sounds great, thanks for the chance.

  4. Prentiss Garner
    Prentiss Garner on June 17, 2015 at 1:45 am

    Sounds good. Thanks for the drawing.

  5. Nancy Funkhouser
    Nancy Funkhouser on June 17, 2015 at 3:49 am

    I love the cover on this book and the story sounds great.

  6. Pamela Woodfield
    Pamela Woodfield on June 17, 2015 at 4:52 am

    ivr been wanting to add this series to my TBR pile for a while now. This would’ve a great place to start. Of course I’d have to go back & get all those earlier ones first! ツ

  7. Jen
    Jen on June 17, 2015 at 5:03 am

    I do enjoy a good wedding, and luckily I don’t have any horrible wedding stories. Tying The Knot sounds like a fun book. Thank you for a chance to win.
    myrifraf(at)gmail(dot)com

  8. Lisa Wine
    Lisa Wine on June 17, 2015 at 5:11 am

    I really enjoy this series and I’m looking forward to Tying the Knot. Thanks for the chance to win.

  9. Marilyn Watson
    Marilyn Watson on June 17, 2015 at 5:37 am

    I’ve heard good things about this series and I would love to read this. Thanks for the chance. Marilyn ewatvess@yahoo.com

  10. Dina stout
    Dina stout on June 17, 2015 at 5:50 am

    This sounds really good! Thanks for the chance to win!

  11. B Handy
    B Handy on June 17, 2015 at 6:18 am

    Love this series. Thank you for the opportunity to enter your giveaway.

    • Dru
      Dru on June 17, 2015 at 7:08 am

      Thanks Elizabeth for introducing us to Meadow.

  13. Amy Gill
    Amy Gill on June 17, 2015 at 7:16 am

    I have to read this!

  14. Peggy
    Peggy on June 17, 2015 at 7:26 am

    Thank you for the opportunity to enter your giveaway 🙂

  15. marylouh
    marylouh on June 17, 2015 at 7:30 am

    Love needlework related stories.
    thanks

  17. griperang
    griperang on June 17, 2015 at 7:56 am

    Sounds like a great book, thank you for the chance to win

  18. Debbie Carnes
    Debbie Carnes on June 17, 2015 at 8:04 am

    This is now on my TRL, sounds like a fun read

  19. Judy Weaver
    Judy Weaver on June 17, 2015 at 8:36 am

    I love the cover, especially the cake. Books sounds great!!

  20. Alicia F
    Alicia F on June 17, 2015 at 8:42 am

    Looking forward to reading this one!

  21. Loni Crowell
    Loni Crowell on June 17, 2015 at 8:45 am

    Sounds like a fun book!

  23. Robin L. Coxon
    Robin L. Coxon on June 17, 2015 at 9:53 am

    ‘Tis the time of year for beautiful June brides and luscious wedding cake. A book containing these things can only be a great read. robeader53@yahoo.com

  24. anne
    anne on June 17, 2015 at 10:04 am

    Love this giveaway. Thanks.

  25. Elaine Roberson
    Elaine Roberson on June 17, 2015 at 10:18 am

    Always drawn to North Carolina books and love quilting. Thanks for the giveaway.

  26. carolee888
    carolee888 on June 17, 2015 at 10:29 am

    Love the cover and the idea of the book! Thank you for the chance to win it.

  27. Rita Wray
    Rita Wray on June 17, 2015 at 10:38 am

    I love the sound of the book.

  28. Ruth Nixon
    Ruth Nixon on June 17, 2015 at 11:06 am

    I really enjoy this series and and a quilt theme Wedding sounds great.

  29. Cynthia E. Blain
    Cynthia E. Blain on June 17, 2015 at 11:12 am

    This book will be one which may get me interested in my needlework again. I never did much quilting, but if I can get the needles threaded okay, then doing embroidery is one thing that I love to do 🙂 Sounds quite interesting.
    Cynthia

  30. bettyl
    bettyl on June 17, 2015 at 12:07 pm

    sounds like a fun book, ty for the chance

  31. Libby Dodd
    Libby Dodd on June 17, 2015 at 12:29 pm

    I know many couples who thought the night by the day of the rehearsal that they should have eloped!

  32. Tamara Blackwell
    Tamara Blackwell on June 17, 2015 at 12:36 pm

    I love the idea of the quilt-themed wedding. I want to read “Tying the Knot!”

  33. Mary Jane H
    Mary Jane H on June 17, 2015 at 12:39 pm

    I love weddings! Adding quilts to the picture is an amazing idea!

  34. rochf
    rochf on June 17, 2015 at 1:20 pm

    I love the idea of reading about a murder and wedding disasters–someone dropping the wedding cake sticks in my mind as the last disaster I saw when I attended a wedding.

  35. Sandra Beck
    Sandra Beck on June 17, 2015 at 1:27 pm

    Weddings are a sure way to spend the summer reading..Thanks for the chance…

  36. cjreynolds52
    cjreynolds52 on June 17, 2015 at 1:59 pm

    Love the sound of this book. Thanks for the chance to win.

  37. Barbara Tobey
    Barbara Tobey on June 17, 2015 at 2:04 pm

    Certain to be a delightful cozy.

  38. Elizabeth S Craig (@elizabethscraig)
    Elizabeth S Craig (@elizabethscraig) on June 17, 2015 at 2:09 pm

    Thanks so much for coming by, everyone! I love hearing about some of the wedding disasters you’ve seen and heard about. 🙂

  39. sallycootie
    sallycootie on June 17, 2015 at 2:13 pm

    Sounds like a fun read. Weddings are always so stressful, I prefer small, calm and quiet.

  40. Susan Slovinsky
    Susan Slovinsky on June 17, 2015 at 6:31 pm

    Looking forward to my daughter’s wedding on July 4th – hopefully with no angst. Really enjoy this series and looking forward to reading this newest addition.

  41. Christi King
    Christi King on June 17, 2015 at 6:51 pm

    I really enjoy this series and would love to win a copy of the new book. Thanks for the opportunity.

  42. Jeanie Dannheim
    Jeanie Dannheim on June 17, 2015 at 7:04 pm

    Tying the Knot sounds like such a great add to this series – I would love to read it! thank you for the chance to win. While I’m not around anybody planning to get married, I can’t imagine how much fun (ahem) organizing everything could be!

  43. Kaye Killgore
    Kaye Killgore on June 17, 2015 at 7:38 pm

    Wedding disasters, not really. However, when my half-sister got married she was going through a hippie phase. She was pregnant and her dress made her look as big as a barn and she didn’t shave under her arms and that looked …umm…icky

  44. Rhonda
    Rhonda on June 17, 2015 at 8:11 pm

    Sounds perfect for me.

  45. cyn209
    cyn209 on June 17, 2015 at 9:10 pm

    A series I just started….love it!!!
    Thanx for the giveaway……

  46. Debby Kimmel
    Debby Kimmel on June 17, 2015 at 9:58 pm

    This sounds as if it will be a great book and would Love to win ; ) Thanks for the chance to win a copy …

  47. Kari
    Kari on June 18, 2015 at 3:23 am

    No wedding disasters that a little alcohol could not make better. Love this series.

  48. Jill Broussard
    Jill Broussard on June 18, 2015 at 7:16 am

    This sounds like a good one. Thankyou for the opportunity!

  49. jagjhd
    jagjhd on June 18, 2015 at 9:58 pm

    No horrible wedding stories, but disastrous marriages. I was a bridesmaid each time. The one 50-year success story I was not able to witness let alone participate in the wedding party…I was infanticipating. That couple was my former Ohio next door neighbor and my So. California high school best friend. Judy D.

  50. Sue Em Davenport
    Sue Em Davenport on June 18, 2015 at 10:26 pm

    I’m a sucker for quilts and mysteries. I would love to win a copy of this book.

  51. Lindar
    Lindar on June 19, 2015 at 8:42 pm

    Love the Southern Quilting series! Would love to win & read Tying The Knot.

  52. suekey12
    suekey12 on June 21, 2015 at 11:47 am

    I love small town weddings—especially the dances in the evening after the ceremony. I remember the time my father slipped on a wrapper on the dance floor and sprained his ankle.
    suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

  53. Dru
    Dru on June 24, 2015 at 5:09 am

    contest is closed.

  54. Lisa Garrett
    Lisa Garrett on June 24, 2015 at 3:26 pm

    I love the idea of a quilting inspired wedding.