Pamela Paterson first appeared in Murder, She Knit and one of the best ways to learn about a person is by asking questions, so let’s get to know Pamela.

What is your name?
Pamela Paterson

How old are you?
Mid-forties.

What is your profession?
Associate editor, Fiber Craft magazine.

Do you have a significant other?
No. I was widowed seven years ago and people close to me have encouraged me to start dating, notably my best friend and fellow sleuth Bettina Fraser and even my college-age daughter Penny.

What is his name and profession?
BUT (continuing from #4), a handsome single architect named Richard Larkin moved into the house next to mine and immediately showed an interest in me. I find him very attractive but for some reason I have been resisting his overtures. My relationship with my deceased husband was so perfect that I guess I feel nothing could ever replace it. I don’t know what will happen with Richard Larkin as time goes on.

Any children?
Penny Paterson, now a junior at a college in Boston.

Do you have any siblings?
A brother and a sister.

Do your parents live near you?
I grew up in the Midwest and my parents (and siblings) still live there. I came east for college, met my husband at college, and have been here ever since.

Who is your best friend?
Bettina Fraser, who is about ten years older than me. She and her husband Wilfred live across the street from me and are both my dearest friends. Bettina is a member of the knitting club I founded, nicknamed Knit and Nibble, and she is also my partner in crime solving.

Cats, dogs or other pets?
Two cats, Catrina and Ginger. I adopted Catrina as a woebegone stray. She succumbed to the charms of a handsome ginger tomcat before I could have her fixed and she then presented me with six kittens. Ginger is one of those kittens. The other five were adopted by loving parents, mostly other members of Knit and Nibble.

What town do you live in?
Arborville, New Jersey, a charming small town in which, unaccountably, people are frequently murdered.

Type of dwelling and do you own or rent?
I still live in the 100-year-old house that my husband and I bought in the early years of our marriage and lovingly restored. After my husband died, I wanted my daughter Penny’s life to continue as it had been before her father’s death so we stayed on in the house. Though the house is much too large—especially with Penny away at college and soon to leave the nest, I love it and plan to remain there forever.

What is your favorite spot in your home?
My kitchen table. Bettina and I share many chats there and often our best crime-solving ideas come to us over coffee and crumb cake from the Co-Op, Arborville’s grocery store.

Favorite meal and dessert?
I continued making real dinners for Penny and me even after there were just the two of us, and when she’s away at college, I still make real dinners for myself. I like comfort food, like meat loaf or stewed chicken and dumplings. It’s hard to name a favorite, but maybe it’s salmon with brown rice and cooked greens.

I bake desserts often because Knit and Nibble members take turns meeting at each other’s houses and the host serves coffee, tea, and a baked goody. My all-time favorite is peach cobbler, made in August when peaches are at their peak.

Favorite hobby?
Knitting!

Favorite color?
Blue—a conservative choice, I know. I am also quite unadventurous when it comes to clothes, except that I enjoy pairing my hand-knit sweaters with my usual uniform of jeans. Bettina is the fashionista and one of these years she might convince me to become more stylish.

Favorite author?
Jane Austen.

Favorite vacation spot?
Back to the Midwest to visit my family.

Favorite sports team?
I’m not a sports fan.

Movies or live theater?
I’m such a homebody—I love watching BBC mysteries while sitting on my sofa knitting.

Are you a morning or a night person?
I’m up by eight every day and at work in my home office by nine or shortly after. My boss, the editor of Fiber Craft, seems not to sleep or ever take a day off, so I usually check my email even before I go downstairs for breakfast.

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
Amateur. I often find that my knowledge of knitting gives me an edge over Arborville’s one police detective, Lucas Clayborn, when it comes to recognizing and evaluating clues. Bettina is my co-sleuth. Her outgoing personality and acting ability make her a vital asset when it comes to interviewing possible suspects.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
I get up about eight and check my email first thing, then I go downstairs, feed Catrina and Ginger, and have coffee and toast for breakfast. Unless I have an errand or a murder to solve, I spend the morning and afternoon, with a break for lunch, at the computer in my upstairs office doing my Fiber Craft work. I evaluate articles for possible publication and I copy-edit the ones the magazine accepts. After dinner, I knit and watch mysteries or nature programs until bedtime.

Giveaway: Leave a comment below for your chance to win an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) A Fatal Yarn, limited to U.S. residents. Contest ends March 27, 2020. Good luck everyone!

A Fatal Yarn is the fifth book in the “Knit & Nibble” cozy mystery series, coming March 31, 2020.

Pamela Paterson and her Knit and Nibble club must clear the name of one of their knitters when he’s accused of murdering the mayor . . .

The trees in Arborville, New Jersey, have started sporting sweaters. Part of the trend of public knitting art? Not exactly. An anonymous activist has been wrapping trunks in yarn to cover red X’s that mark certain trees for removal by the town so they don’t interfere with power lines. When the town’s mayor—who supports cutting down the trees—is murdered, Pamela wonders if the tree hugger committed homicide to prevent arborcide. A knitter is arrested, but it’s one of Knit and Nibble’s own—the harmless Roland DeCamp, who was seen arguing with the mayor. Pamela is sure the police are barking up the wrong tree. With the help of her reporter friend Bettina, she branches off on her own investigation to root out the real killer . . .

Knitting tips and delicious recipe included!

Purchase Link
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About the author
Peggy Ehrhart is a former English professor. Her Maxx Maxwell mysteries, Sweet Man Is Gone (2008) and Got No Friend Anyhow (2011), were inspired by Peggy’s experiences playing guitar in blues bands.

Peggy is currently writing the very cozy Knit & Nibble mysteries for Kensington. Her amateur sleuth, Pamela Paterson, is the founder of the Knit & Nibble knitting club in the charming town of Arborville, New Jersey. Knit & Nibble #5, A Fatal Yarn, is due out in April. Peggy is a devoted crafter, dating from her membership in 4-H as a child in the San Fernando Valley.

Visit her at www.PeggyEhrhart.com.

All comments are welcomed.