Allie Pleiter is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about the ingredients that make up One Sharp Stitch, the first novel in the Nimble Needle mystery series.

Welcome, Allie. Let’s get started, shall we?

I love that I get to combine my two favorite things—crafting and writing—in my work as a cozy mystery author. It pleases me when readers say they’ve discovered a craft through the descriptions in my books. It’s great to meet the challenge of taking something as visual as needlepoint or knitting and translate it vividly into the written word. Much like culinary or pet-themed stories, I think the coziness of craft makes for the perfect counterbalance to the sharp edge of a murder mystery.

ONE SHARP STITCH is no different. Our heroine Shelby Phillips finds herself re-immersed in the world of her mother’s needlepoint shop when her graphic arts career comes to a halt thanks to a corporate buyout. She’s grown up surrounded by all the color and texture of Nina’s Nimble Needle,but she had left it behind for a slick city life.

As our story opens, Shelby thinks she is in for a boring month watching over the shop while Mom and Dad take a month-long RV vacation. With such an empty schedule, she’ll have lots of time to dive back into the stitching her mother loves so much, and perhaps re-ignite her own love for the craft. It will be nice to rediscover her passions for color and art.

All of those pleasant ideas disappear when one of Shelby’s old schoolmates turns up dead. Now, instead of stitching gorgeous colors onto canvases, Shelby finds herself unraveling curious clues to solve how Kat died. While everyone—including the town police chief—considers the death an terrible accident, Shelby is not convinced. She feels compelled to investigate, hoping to find justice for the old friend she was never very nice to in school. The small group of stitchers Shelby gathers quickly becomes a corps of amateur sleuths. There’s Shelby’s unbearably perfect sister Jessica, Deb who runs the coffeebar in town, young and enthusiastic Cherie, and the handsome local mechanic Jake. Is Jake more than a stitcher and sleuthing teammate? The possibilities are certainly there.

Of course, no cozy mystery would be complete without a cast of lovable secondary characters. Here in Gwen Lake, the NYAGs fit the bill. The “Not Your Average Grannies” do a fine job of busting the stereotype of old ladies in rocking chairs doing needlework. In fact, crafts like knitting, needlepoint, and embroidery are enjoying a huge resurgence among young people. I hope ONE SHARP STITCH appeals to the “maker” generation just as strongly as the traditional cozy readers. The NYAGs have no shortage of opinions, no fear of gossip, and no hesitation to match-make. They offer great comic relief—and no small amount of sass—to Shelby’s efforts to fit in, run the shop, and solve the mystery.

Then there is Nabbit the cat. He shows up one night on Shelby’s balcony and declares himself at home. Shelby feels like a bit of a stray herself these days, so they get along fine. He makes a great sounding board for ideas, good company on a long sleepless night, and just the right dose of aloof cuteness for which cats are known. His unusual name comes from a needlepoint tool called a Snag-Nabbit. I saw the name on the tool while wandering my local needlepoint shop, and I instantly knew I had the moniker for Shelby’s animal companion. Sometimes character names take a long search. Other times, they drop right into your lap in your local needlepoint shop!

Quirky, heartwarming towns are another staple ingredient of cozy mysteries. Yes, Gwen Lake has loads of the requisite small town charm. Still, it has a few oddities that are not only funny, but endearing. A yacht club hundreds of miles from the coast? Odd traditions involving gold coin necklaces? I guarantee you, you have never visited a town with the unique quirks of Gwen Lake. I wish I could tell you where these unique ideas come from, but I never like to analyze it too much—it’s part of the magic of writing for me.

Our final ingredient is a series. One book is fine, but readers love knowing they’ll make many return trips to stories, characters, and settings they love. I’m delighted to report that ONE SHARP STITCH is the first in a series from Kensington. I can promise you that Shelby will be solving mysteries in Gwen Lake for several books to come. TWO PURLOINED PILLOWS will follow next year, with a THREE book coming after that. And if I have my way, we’ll keep going on up the numbers as far as we can! Do join me, won’t you?

Thank you for sharing this with us, Allie, and good luck with One Sharp Stitch, the first book in the Nimble Needle mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Allie Pleiter and her writing by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, Goodreads, Bookbub, Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest pages. You can also follow her on Twitter.

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

Amazon    B&N     Bookshop.org     https://www.kensingtonbooks.com/9781496752000/one-sharp-stitch/

About Allie Pleiter: An avid crafter, coffee junkie and firm believer that “pie makes everything better,” Allie Pleiter writes both fiction and non-fiction working on as many as four books at a time.  The bestselling author of over sixty books, Allie has enjoyed a twenty-plus year career with over 1.8 million books sold.  In addition to writing, Allie maintains an active writing productivity coaching practice and speaks regularly on the creative process, publishing, and her very favorite topic—The Chunky Method of time management for writers. She lives in the Charlotte area with her husband and the world’s most adorable dog.