Sometimes the best way to know a person is by asking questions, where you can learn more about what makes them tick. Let’s see what Poly has to say with her answers below.

What is your full name?
Polyester Monroe, but I go by Poly (for obvious reasons!) I earned my name after being born on a bed of polyester in the family fabric store that I have since inherited and reopened.

How old are you?
Late twenties, but people have told me I’m an old soul.

What is your profession?
I run a fabric shop.

Do you have a significant other?
Two: my cats, Pins and Needles 😊 I am still single, but I have been dating Vaughn McMichael on a somewhat regular and exclusive basis.

What is their name and profession?
My cats are professional thread chasers. Oh, you meant Vaughn? He works for his father’s venture capital firm.

Do you have any children?
Nope.

Do you have any siblings?
Nope.

Are your parents nearby?
My parents live about thirty miles away from me in Glendale, California. It’s close enough that I get to see them often, and far enough that I mostly avoid my mom’s criticism of how long I go between haircuts.

Who is your best friend?
Charlie Brooks, the local mechanic. She’s a real pistol.

Do you have cats, dogs, or other pets?
I cheekily mentioned my cats above in the significant other question, but now I’ll tell you a little bit more about them. It was Vaughn who first discovered them abandoned in the dumpster behind my fabric shop. He pulled them out and I adopted them instantly. I was thinking about Rocky’s two turtles, Cuff and Link, (from the Rocky movies) when I named them. Pins and Needles—aren’t those names perfect for cats who have free reign of a fabric store?

What town do you live in?
San Ladrón, California. It’s about thirty miles due east from Los Angeles. It is a small town, but our high school football rules!

What type of dwelling do you own or rent?
I live in a Victorian apartment above the fabric shop. The building has been in my family for decades now. My great uncle shuttered the store when my great aunt died (you can get that story in SUEDE TO REST), but he never moved. When he died, he left it all to me.

What is your favorite spot in your home?
The bedroom closet. My great aunt was not only an expert in textiles, but she liked to buy old and damaged vintage garments and deconstruct them to use as pattern pieces. She taught me to do this too, but having inherited her wardrobe, I haven’t needed to sew anything for a good long time! I do like the glamour of the thirties and forties, but occasionally I discover something in there that she made in the fifties or sixties.

What is your favorite meal and dessert?
I don’t have a favorite meal so much as I have a favorite place to eat, and that’s the restaurant at the Waverly House. The chef once beat Bobby Flay in a cookoff, so that tells you something. My favorite dessert is a glazed donut from Lopez Donuts. I don’t know what they put into them, but Big Joe is some kind of genius.

Do you have any hobbies?
Do you know that expression about all work and no play? I’ve heard that more than once. In my defense, since moving back to San Ladrón, I’ve found myself entrenched in more than one murder mystery. It doesn’t feel appropriate to call that a hobby, but it does take up a chunk of my spare time. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions.

What music do you listen to?
I’m a fan of Motown and early sixties soul music.

What is your favorite color?
As a textile owner, I love all shades and colors, but I almost exclusively wear black. After my first job working in a sewing workshop, I quickly discovered how easy it is to get dirty, and black hides the most sins.

What is your favorite vacation spot?
Since reopening the fabric store, I haven’t thought about vacation. This is a good question. I’m going to think about it a little, and maybe if I come back to visit you, I’ll have an answer!

Are you a morning or night person?
It depends. I tend to get up around 7:30, which gives me time to make coffee and have breakfast before checking my email and then getting the store ready to open. But sometimes, when strange things are afoot, I am up well into the night. Fortunately, I can still bounce back from when I miss sleep, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a catch-up day every now and then.

What is your idea of a really fun time?
I love going to the Villamere Theater in town to see classic movies. My favorite are movies from the thirties—I adore Mae West! —but any classic movies will do. I recently saw Rear Window during a Hitchcock retrospective, and I can’t stop thinking about Grace Kelly’s wardrobe.

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
Pulling at Threads

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
I’m an amateur. In addition to my friends, I rely on the town sheriff to assist with the actual police work.

What is a typical day in your life like?
Up for breakfast and coffee, and then down to the fabric store where I check emails and search various forums for discounted end-of-bolt fabrics or new old stock that someone found in an estate. I try to keep a portion of my inventory budget open each month for things like this because that’s what makes people come to my store instead of a chain.

After that, I prep the store for opening. This involves setting up signs or changing displays. If there’s something that isn’t selling, I try to brainstorm an enticing offer. (This worked particularly well when I partnered with the Tiki store next door for a Hawaiian Happy Hour.)

While I’m doing this, Pins and Needles are racing around the shop as if they’re possessed. They tire out before I open, and occasionally a customer finds them asleep inside a fixture.

The workday lasts from when I open at ten to when I close at seven. Being the owner, I have flexibility on those hours, but since I live above the store, I don’t exactly have a long commute. I sometimes call a lunch order in to Earl of Sandwich and eat between customers.

Once I close, I meet up with my friends Genevieve and Charlie at the Broadside Tavern for dinner. Did I mention Gen? She runs the local tea shop. Gen and Charlie are nothing alike, but somehow, we all get along. Vaughn joins us on occasion. Dinner can last anywhere from one to three hours depending on how long Duke (the owner) lets us occupy a booth, but we’re good tippers and Duke is sweet on Genevieve, so usually we get to stay as long as we want.

Since we’re all business owners, if there’s nothing else going on (like that time I ordered custom polyester and the delivery truck brought a body, or the time the annual beauty pageant stirred up some town secrets, or the time those ballerina bridezillas came to San Ladrón and brought their own brand of trouble), we each go our separate ways after dinner and do it all over again the next day.

Come to think of it, we’ve all had a tumultuous year. I’m looking forward to Thanksgiving for a little peace and quiet. Genevieve is going to cook at my place, and Duke and Charlie are coming too, but everybody else has their own plans, so other than the four of us, it should be a nice, quiet day. I mean, nothing actually happens on Thanksgiving, right?

Sheer Window, A Material Witness Mystery Book 4.5
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: November 2024
Format: Digital (Print to follow)
Purchase Link

In this Thanksgiving twist on Rear Window, a seemingly ordinary holiday gathering takes a dark turn when a squabble across the street turns into something deadly…

When a freak accident sidelines klutzy fabric store owner Polyester Monroe, she’s destined to enjoy her Thanksgiving party from a wheelchair by her window. But when shady actions in the apartment across the street catches her attention, she’s less concerned with mobility than credibility; her friends are quick to write off her fears as folly.

Convinced she witnessed a crime, Poly enlists the help of the local sheriff to investigate, but even he finds nothing suspicious. Her only ally is an unexpected guest. Tensions rise and tempers flare as guests dismiss Poly’s suspicions, but when the scene becomes impossible to explain without reasonable doubt, what started as a parlor game of spying on the neighbors turns into a race to keep a killer in town before the train leaves the station—with the killer on board.

Get ready for a Hitchcockian holiday treat that blends laughter, intrigue, and homage to the master of suspense himself.

About the author
National bestselling author Diane Vallere writes funny and fashionable character-based mysteries. After two decades in luxury retailing, she traded fashion accessories for accessories to murder. Diane started her own detective agency at age ten and has maintained a passion for shoes, clues, and clothes ever since. Find out more at dianevallere.com.