Joy to the Wool (Clear Creek Mysteries)
by Rebecca McKinnon
About Joy to the Wool
Joy to the Wool (Clear Creek Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Independently Published (October 5, 2023)
Number of Pages: 254
Digital ASIN : B0C7LT85KH
All dressed up for the holidays, Clear Creek looks like it’s right out of a storybook. But the decorations aren’t just for fun. The tiny Rocky Mountain town is hosting a Christmas Festival sure to be used as a pattern for years.
While Jemma is busy with the Cozy Tree — a place visitors can buy hand-knitted hats and scarves to donate to people in need — Granny is busy taking bets on which day of the event Jemma will find a body. But to everyone’s surprise, this time Granny’s the one who makes the discovery!
Choosing to put her relationship with Brandon first, Jemma agrees to steer clear of the investigation. But Granny’s determination to solve the crime lands Jemma the impossible job of keeping the spunky old lady out of trouble, and breaking and entering is just the beginning of their adventure.
When the Cozy Tree is vandalized, it becomes obvious the pair is making someone nervous. Can Jemma and Granny knit up the investigation before Santa climbs in his sleigh?
Rebecca’s Guest Post
We all know that authors put a piece of themselves into their books, whether they mean to or not. Our experiences, values, education, likes/dislikes, all form the core of who we are. Authors can write around those things, but on some level, some part of who we are tends to sneak in.
Knowing that, I love to look for ways to bring myself into the book — to place a connection, even if it’s small, inside the pages. It helps me sink into the story more easily.
One of my favorite ways to bring myself into my projects is through the setting. It grounds me.
All my cozy mysteries (so far) take place in the Rocky Mountains. Why? Because those mountains are a huge part of me. I grew up with them. There’s even one peak that I always called my mountain.
When I started writing the Clear Creek Mysteries, I reached into my past, to a tiny town I would visit every Easter as a child. My own version of Clear Creek is very different from what’s really there, but it gave me great bones to work with.
The Octavia Fields Mysteries also take place in the Rocky Mountains, even though I never actually name the location in the story. The exact setting doesn’t really exist, but since I know the mountains fairly well, it gave me that solid foundation for my imagination to build on. Also, as a musician I’ve spent time at different music camps, which helped me build more of the details.
My mysteries aren’t the only books I’ve written where I have a connection to the setting.
Beyond the Swearing Stone is a time travel romance set in Castledermot, Ireland. Many years ago, I visited the town, and the churchyard where the actual swearing stone is. I listened to a tour guide talk about that stone, and the history of it, and it stuck with me. In fact, the entire story — not just the setting — came from my visit to that location.
My steampunk book, Pockets of Deception, takes place in England. Which isn’t a surprise. A lot of steampunk stories take place in the UK. My connection to this setting isn’t the fact that I’ve been to England (although I have). The setting for this book came because I’d listened to my grandmother talk about growing up in the area, and the inn her great-grandfather ran in Derbyshire. In fact, I went so far as to give my innkeeper ancestor and his family cameo appearances in the book.
Of course, I don’t create this kind of a connection for every story I write. But when I do, it makes a difference, even if it’s just to me.
When you read a book, do you pay attention to the setting? Do you think about why the author chose that location, or what their connection to the place might be?
About Rebecca McKinnon
Rebecca McKinnon enjoys playing with her imaginary friends and introducing them to others through her writing. She dreams of living in the middle of nowhere but has been unable to find an acceptable location that wouldn’t require crossing an ocean.
Website/Social Media Links:
Website – https://rebeccamckinnon.com/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/RebeccaMcKinnonAuthor
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/rebeccamckinnon_author/?hl=en
GoodReads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4993788.Rebecca_McKinnon
Purchase Link – Amazon
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
September 26 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
September 26 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT
September 27 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
September 27 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
September 28 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
September 28 – Cassidy’s Bookshelves – REVIEW
September 29 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
September 29 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW
September 30 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
October 1 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
October 1 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
October 2 – Cozy Up WIth Kathy – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
October 3 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
October 4 – Mystery, Thrillers, and Suspense – AUTHOR GUEST POST
October 5 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
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