It’s Here! It’s Here!
Hello Dear Friends,
Thanks for joining me Over a Cup of Coffee (or a glass of wine😉).
About twenty years ago, friends of ours invited us to eat at a little bistro in downtown Stillwater, Minnesota. For those who don’t know Stillwater, it’s a quaint town on the river east of the Twin Cities. (Jessica Lange and Sam Shepard lived there for many years.) Main street is filled with restaurants and shops, and it has a beautiful view of the St. Croix river. When we arrived all the tables had little placards announcing, “It’s here! It’s here! The Nouveau Beaujolais has arrived!” The enthusiasm for the wine was overwhelming. Of course, we ordered it. I’ve long forgotten whether I liked the taste of the wine, but I will always remember the excitement.
It's Here! It's Here!
I’m excited to announce IT’S HERE! IT’S HERE! Death of a Fox has arrived. We find Jamie entangled with an elderly recluse, an abandoned TB sanatorium and the secrets within the crumbling building’s walls. Grab a glass of wine (doesn’t have to be Nouveau Beaujolais) and enjoy.
“Death of a Fox is a haunting tale of deeply buried ancient family secrets mingled with a few mysteries of a more modern vintage. Linda Norlander has created a smart heroine, a lush setting, and an abundance of strange goings-on to make this a page-turner I couldn’t put down. I absolutely loved it!” ~Annette Dashofy, USA Today Bestselling Author of the Zoe Chambers Mystery Series
Amazing Grace
A couple of years ago, I was chatting over a cup of tea with Grace Stone, my neighbor. She’s 93 years old and filled with stories about her life. She was a child in London during the blitz and talked about her father playing the piano in the shelter while the bombs exploded overhead. After the war, as a young adult, she contracted tuberculosis and was confined to a sanatorium. Later she married an American GI and became a US citizen. Along the way she worked as a paralegal and a seamstress. Up until the pandemic shut things down, she volunteered for the Tacoma Musical Playhouse making costumes. While volunteering she also coached the actress playing Eliza Doolittle in “My Fair Lady.” Grace told me, “I had to teach her cockney. That’s what we spoke.”
I was particularly fascinated by her experience being confined to a sanatorium in the days before widespread use of antibiotics to combat the disease. As we talked, a seed of a story grew in my brain. Wouldn’t an abandoned TB sanatorium in Northern Minnesota make a great setting for a murder mystery? Add a possible ghost and secrets from long ago, and Death of a Fox was born. Grace’s stories were my inspiration, and the book is dedicated to her.
Appearances and Events!
Check out Dru’s Book Musing blog on June 23rd for “A Day in the Life” of Jamie Forest.
For Minnesota Friends: Join me on Friday, August 11th at Lake Country Bookstore, 4766 Washington Ave, White Bear Lake, Minnesota.
My website www.lindanorlander.com has updates on appearances and events.
As always, book reviews are appreciated. I love to see the stars (the more the better.)
Happy Summer!
Linda