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A Letter from Elizabeth Craig
Dear Reader,
There’s just something about the mountains of North
Carolina that recharges you.
My family and I love visiting Blowing Rock, North Carolina,
to escape from our busy lives in the suburbs of Charlotte.
There we eat at amazing restaurants, polish off our meal
with dessert at the ice cream parlor, shop, and hike up
trails to feast our eyes on the Blue Ridge mountains’
beautiful vistas.
I decided to base my Southern Quilting mysteries in a town
very much like Blowing Rock—the fictional Dappled
Hills, North Carolina. The first book, QUILT OR
INNOCENCE, releases June 5th.
Dappled Hills, like Blowing Rock, is a very peaceful place.
And my protagonist, Beatrice Coleman, is a woman who needs
to spend some time relaxing...she has a tough time sitting
still. She’s worked at a fast-pace for years as the
curator for a folk art museum in Atlanta, and now
she’s come to a screeching stop with her retirement.
She thought she’d love the slow pace of
retirement...and the slow pace of Dappled Hills. But
it’s more of an adjustment than she thought.
She’s surprised that she almost misses the sounds of
the city...and perhaps the comfort of her familiar routine.
Fortunately, there’s an instant distraction.
Non-quilter Beatrice is somehow drafted into the Village
Quilters guild and finds that quilting and the eccentric
women in the guild help keep things in Dappled Hills
interesting. Beatrice learns that quilting isn’t the
staid activity she’d always suspected it might
be—and that the quilters are warmly welcoming and love
sharing craft tips (quilting tips are included in the book).
One of Beatrice’s neighbors is a fabulous—and
generous—cook who loves bringing Beatrice a little
Southern comfort in the form of mouth-watering meals
(recipes are also included). This is a good thing, since
Beatrice has fallen out of the habit of
cooking—it’s not quite as much fun cooking for one.
Another of Beatrice’s new neighbors goes beyond
eccentric and into the realm of decidedly unpleasant.
She’s quickly dispatched by someone with murderous
intent...and Beatrice finds herself drawn into the
investigation. She’d just started to relax and enjoy
her life in the small town—and now she’s ready
to restore life in the village to its gentle pace.
Welcome to Dappled Hills, North Carolina. Hope you’ll
enjoy your stay.
Elizabeth Craig
elizabethspanncraig.com
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