I’m Willow Vanderling. I live in Pennsylvania on the shore of Lake Erie. Thanks to the textile arts shops lining the main street, our village has earned the nickname “Threadville.”
I have two dogs who are part border collie and very active and enthusiastic, and I also have two tuxedo cats. So the first thing I do every morning is take them out. The female dog herds the cats inside before they get into mischief.
Then I go upstairs to my shop, In Stitches, where I sell everything anyone could need or want for doing machine embroidery at home. Although I have a part-time assistant, I work long hours in the store (yes, I take breaks to look after my pets…) We demonstrate our wonderful machines and we also offer classes and workshops. Busloads of Threadville tourists show up nearly every day.
Many evenings, I work on my online business. I create embroidery designs. People send me photos of pets, cottages, boats, scenery, and even grandchildren, and I make a design (the process is called “digitizing”) that they can stitch, or I stitch the design for them on a wall hanging or on a panel that they can incorporate their own project. Quilts and placemats are popular.
When I’ve filled all my online orders, I sew and embroider. Sometimes, I create garments and soft furnishings to hang in my shop as examples. I make most of my own clothes. Nearly everything has at least a touch of machine embroidery. I can’t help embroidering nearly everything.
Recently, I’ve spent lots of my spare time helping organize Threadville’s Get Ready for Halloween Craft Fair, a two-day event geared to creating Halloween décor and costumes. It’s been getting out of hand, and a few exhibitors whose “crafts” don’t seem very closely related to Halloween will be there.
The day after the fair ends, Edna, who owns Threadville’s notions shop, is getting married. Edna loves bright and shiny things. The rest of us talked her out of gowns that might make her resemble a frilly wedding cake, a disco ball festooned with beaded ruffles, or a snowman draped in twinkly silver lights.
However, we can’t help teasing her. She doesn’t know that most evenings, the rest of us have been creating a huge skirt that Edna can (if she dares…) wear over her slightly more sedate gown during the reception. We’ve embellished the overskirt with nearly everything we know how to craft from fabric, thread, yarn, and glittery, shiny things. In addition, my special friend, Clay, has wired the skirt for sound and lights. Getting together to make the skirt is taking large chunks of our time and is causing a lot of hysterical laughter. The skirt is almost finished.
When we planned the craft fair and Edna scheduled her wedding, we expected that out-of-towners could stay at the Elderberry Bay Lodge. However, a bunch of zombie enthusiasts are holding what they’re calling a “retreat” that week, and the three craft show exhibitors with the most unlikely crafts did not book rooms in time. Those women will be the guests of three of the Threadville shopkeepers, including Edna. I thought Edna might host her mother, but her mother will be staying with my best friend Haylee, instead. A little tension between Edna and her mother, perhaps?
No one has been eager to stay in an apartment with two dogs and two cats, so as far as I know (that could change), I won’t have a guest. That’s fine. My to-do list is about a mile long.
Despite how much we cram into our days, my dogs still need long walks. Haylee usually helps me take them for their last walk of the evening. We’ve discovered that dressing in black helps us blend into the night, especially when we’re feeling the need to snoop. The police chief does not approve, and probably won’t admit that Haylee, my dogs, and I have discovered clues that were crucial in solving murders.
We’ll have wedding guests, craft show exhibitors, and people dressed up like zombies, all wandering around Threadville at the same time.
Haylee and I won’t have to dress in black or snoop into anything, though, right?
You can read more about Character in Night Of The Living Thread, the fourth book in the “Threadville” mystery series, published by Publisher. The first book in the series is Dire Threads. Books are available at retail and online booksellers.
GIVEAWAY
Comment on this post by 6 p.m. EST on June 23, and you will be entered for a chance to win a copy of NIGHT OF THE LIVING THREAD. One winner will be chosen at random. Unless specified, U.S. entries only.
Meet the author
In addition to reading and writing, Janet’s hobbies include sewing, knitting, and machine embroidery, including using software and killer (!) sewing machines to create original embroidery designs. Discouraged by the lack of sewing and yarn shops near her home, Janet invented Threadville, Pennsylvania, a village of textile arts shops.
The first Threadville Mystery, Dire Threads, was nominated for the Agatha Award for the Best First Mystery of 2011 and for the 2012 Bony Blithe. The second mystery in the series, Threaded For Trouble was nominated for the 2013 Bony Blithe. The third book, Thread And Buried, was ranked a National Bestseller and nominated for the 2014 Bony Blithe. The fourth book, NIGHT OF THE LIVING THREAD, was published on June 3. The fifth Threadville Mystery will be released in 2015.
Between writing and revising, Janet walks her dogs, who are strangely similar to the dogs in the Threadville Mystery series.
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I really like this series, looking forward to reading this one.
Cozies with dogs …what could be better?
I lke the sound of this series especially including the animals.
Thank you for the chance to win, this sounds like a fun book
Threadville and Willow’s life, sound very busy! Thanks for the chance to win!
This would be a new author for me. I’d love to start reading this series! Thank you!
Sounds like fun, I love animals and cozies ,
I want to read this book. Love the cover and the title.
Love the dogs!
This sounds really fun, like anything can happen, between pets, Halloween and a wedding the possibilities seem endless. Thanks for the chance to win.
I love the title — Night of the Living Thread!
This is a good series.
Halloween theme and zombies – how delightful! Thanks for the giveaway opportunity.
Needles and thread are not my friends, but love this series.
Love the invented village of Threadville. Wish there actually were such a place for real.
Sounds like a very interesting place – have never done machine embroidery but have embroidered.
What a great title! Love it. Looking forward to reading this one.
I’m not much talented with any type of sewing activity but I sure do like to read this series.
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com
I love to sew! Anything to do with thread is ok by me. I read the debut book of this series and enjoyed it. Thank you and Dru Ann too for an opportunity to win #4 in the series.
Sounds perfect for me
I love the sounds of this book very much, one reason being that I envy anyone who sews as I am not able to do most sewing anymore due to poor vision. I still try to mend by hand with special lighting and would love to be able to embroider again or to sew torn seams if nothing more. Once you have to pay for all of your mending to be done or alterations by someone else, you truly appreciate the loss of sewing for yourself. This series will make me either inspired to try harder of to really decide to leave the sewing to others. 🙂 Love my mysteries so I know that I will love the book. 🙂
Cynthia
Sounds like a good book.
I’ve read the first three in this series and truly enjoyed them. I’m looking forward to this EVEN if there are zombies… Thanks for the giveaway chance.
This is on my Halloween Reading List. Thanks
Just finished reading this and thoroughly enjoyed it.
I have two books in the series and this one sounds good.
Haven’t read this series but think it sounds good so will have to start it thanks
In Stitches, a textile arts shop in the Village of Threadville — what a great idea. Sounds like a good read. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity.
I’m hoping to do some embroidery this year. Great shop name. I’m interested in the giveaway. Thanks.
I enjoy stories that include stitching-related threads. this is a new series for me but I’ll be checking it out.
contest is closed.