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~ GREAT ESCAPES BLOG TOUR ~
-- 'KNOT OF THIS WORLD' --
AUTHOR MARY MARKS
~Post Includes: Book Spotlight, Author Bio,
Unique Guest Post from the Author & Giveaway~
Knot of This World (A Quilting Mystery) by Mary Marks
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About Knot of the World
Knot of This World (A Quilting Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
8th in Series
Publisher: Kensington
(July 28, 2020)
Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
ISBN-10: 1496720512
ISBN-13: 978-1496720511
Digital ASIN: B07ZPJ5BLM
Quilter Martha Rose must patch together the clues to solve the murder of a cult leader in the California mountains . . .
Has Martha’s fellow quilter and dear friend Birdie Watson become unraveled? Birdie and her new husband have decided to join the Mystical Feather Society, a spiritist group living on a commune in the mountains of Ojai, California. Before her free-spirited friend makes a huge mistake, Martha organizes a surprise visit to check out the commune. While white-robed members conduct a seancé in a glass yurt, their leader—Royal St. Germain—is nowhere to be found . . . until, that is, Martha and her friends discover him shot in their Winnebago. Now Martha must track down the killer and debunk the cult—before it's bye bye Birdie . . .
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About Mary Marks
Born and raised in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, Mary Marks earned a B.A. in Anthropology from UCLA and an M.A. in Public Administration from the American Jewish University in Los Angeles. In 2004 she enrolled in the UCLA Extension Writers Program. Her first novel, Forget Me Knot, was a finalist in a national writing competition in 2011. She is currently a reviewer of cozy mysteries for The New York Journal of Books at www.nyjournalofbooks.com.
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I am amazed at the wonderful reception my books have enjoyed with cozy mystery readers. Ten years ago, I wrote Forget Me Knot, the first book in the series. At that time I was 67 years old and wistfully thought about how nice it would be to have my book published, but I honestly didn’t expect that to happen.
So when Kensington Books offered me a three-book contract, I was elated. I sobered up, however, when it sank in that I’d have to write two more stories. I really didn’t know if I had a second or third book in me. But I learned very quickly that I had several stories I wanted to tell, and so began the Quilting Mystery Series.
The wonderful thing about writing fiction is creating a world limited only by the author’s imagination. I had no prior experience writing fiction, so I took the easy way out. Martha Rose is, mostly, a younger version of me. Well, sort of. At the time I first created Martha I was a *sigh* zaftig, 5 foot 2 inches, divorced Jewish quilter living in the San Fernando Valley and suffering from fibromyalgia. So getting inside Martha’s head to write about how she thinks and reacts wasn’t difficult.
Many of the characters in my books are inspired in part by real people because I need to have a solid mental image of each one before writing about them. And I must confess that I recognize a little of me in each character.
For example, Martha’s sister Giselle (who she meets in book #6, Knot My Sister’s Keeper) is opinionated, tactless and often puts her foot in her mouth. I think I have some of Giselle in me. What I don’t have is her wealth. That’s pure fantasy. I also have Birdie’s love of comfort, and obsession with crime dramas; Lucy’s affinity for brightly colored hair; and Jazz’s love of fabric. Little details like these make the characters seem more real and interesting and help me stay connected to them.
In my new book, Knot of This World, I take Martha and the gang to Ojai, California, to investigate a spiritist society. Martha enlists the help of a character from previous stories, the psychic Paulina Polinskaya. Here we learn more about Paulina’s back story and have a little fun sleuthing undercover.
And here’s something I really have fun with. In every book, I write a description of a blonde in a halter top. The color of the top varies from book to book, as does the identity of the character. Sometimes she has a role to play, sometimes she is only glimpsed in a photo or in passing. Why did I do this? When I took a mystery writing class, one of the exercises was to write a scene with a blonde in a halter top but hide her in a way that she didn’t stand out. So I kept doing it. It’s sort of like “Where’s Waldo?”
Well, if you did the math at the beginning of this post, you’ll know that I’m now 77 years old. It’s been a breathtaking and exhilarating ride. If you take away anything from this, know that it’s never too late to pursue your dream.
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Author Links:
Kensington: https://www.kensingtonbooks.com/9781496720511/knot-of-this-world/
Website: https://marymarksmysteries.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mmarks2013
Purchase Links - Amazon - B&N - Kobo - Google Play - IndieBound
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TOUR PARTICIPANTS:
August 17 – I'm All About Books – SPOTLIGHT
August 17 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW
August 17 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
August 18 – Diane Reviews Books – SPOTLIGHT
August 18 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
August 18 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW
August 19 – Thoughts in Progress – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
August 19 – Sapphyria's Books – REVIEW
August 19 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT
August 19 – Carla Loves To Read – REVIEW
August 20 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 20 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 20 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
August 21 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT
August 21 – Because I said so -- and other adventures in Parenting – REVIEW
August 21 – Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 22 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
August 22 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews - REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
August 22 – Christa Reads and Writes – REVIEW
August 23 – Cozy Up With Kathy – CHARACTER GUEST POST
August 23 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – GUEST POST
August 23 – Baroness' Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
August 23 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
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What a unique story! I love to sew and my daughter loves to quilt, I guess she took my interest to the next level! I also love to read cozy mysteries. I would love to read this book!
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