Kate Carlisle's Blog - Posts Tagged "birds-of-america"
Mystery Is for the Birds
Celebrate #MysteryWeek with me here on Goodreads! I've opened my Ask the Author module. Come to my page and ask me anything. Well.... almost anything.
This Mystery Is for the Birds
There are few creatures in the animal kingdom that are as diverse as birds. The range of sizes, colors, songs, and physical traits is mind-boggling. Hummingbirds can be as small as just over two inches from beak to tail and weigh less than a penny! They're dwarfed by the eleven-foot wingspan of an albatross.
It's easy to understand why these beautiful creatures have captured the hearts and imaginations of so many, including John J. Audubon back in the late 1800s.
Audubon himself captured my imagination, which is why a rare, precious copy of his book Birds of America plays a pivotal role in Books of a Feather, which came out in hardcover last year and is available in paperback now. Each Bibliophile Mystery centers on a rare book being restored by Brooklyn Wainwright. (Probably the only bookbinder in the world to also be an amateur sleuth!)
As an extra thrill for puzzle-loving mystery readers, I find sly ways to introduce the themes of the rare book in question into the modern day whodunit. With Ripped From the Pages, the book was Journey to the Center of the Earth, and the modern mystery took place around a wine cave. With The Book Stops Here, the rare book was The Secret Garden, and the murder victim was a flower vendor.
With Books of a Feather, I challenge my readers to make a note of every bird reference they spot while reading the book. Some of them are pretty sneaky! I'll give you a hint: there are 18 of them. When you're done, visit the Secret Room at KateCarlisle.com to get the Birdwatching Scavenger Hunt and see if you found them all.
ABOUT Books of a Feather:
Brooklyn's friend Ian runs the Covington Library, which is hosting an exhibit featuring John James Audubon's massive masterpiece, Birds of America, currently on loan from an Arab sheik. During the gala celebrating the book, she is approached by Jared Mulrooney, the president of the National Birdwatchers Society, who urgently needs Brooklyn's skilled hands to repair a less high-profile book of Audubon drawings that's fallen victim to spilled wine.
At the same party, Brooklyn is flying high after she's asked to refurbish and appraise a rare copy of Poor Richard's Almanac. But everything runs afoul later that evening when Mulrooney's body is discovered in the library. Rumors fly about a motive for murder. Perhaps Mulrooney wanted to sink his claws into the pricey Audubon book, but Brooklyn believes the man died fighting off a daring thief.
Soon more troubles ruffle Brooklyn's feathers. Her parents pop in for a visit with an unsavory friend in tow, and there's a strange man on her tail. With danger beginning to circle Brooklyn's every move, it's clear she must find answers before things really go south . . .
There are around 10,000 species of birds. Which is your favorite, and what do you love about it?
This Mystery Is for the Birds
There are few creatures in the animal kingdom that are as diverse as birds. The range of sizes, colors, songs, and physical traits is mind-boggling. Hummingbirds can be as small as just over two inches from beak to tail and weigh less than a penny! They're dwarfed by the eleven-foot wingspan of an albatross.
It's easy to understand why these beautiful creatures have captured the hearts and imaginations of so many, including John J. Audubon back in the late 1800s.Audubon himself captured my imagination, which is why a rare, precious copy of his book Birds of America plays a pivotal role in Books of a Feather, which came out in hardcover last year and is available in paperback now. Each Bibliophile Mystery centers on a rare book being restored by Brooklyn Wainwright. (Probably the only bookbinder in the world to also be an amateur sleuth!)
As an extra thrill for puzzle-loving mystery readers, I find sly ways to introduce the themes of the rare book in question into the modern day whodunit. With Ripped From the Pages, the book was Journey to the Center of the Earth, and the modern mystery took place around a wine cave. With The Book Stops Here, the rare book was The Secret Garden, and the murder victim was a flower vendor.With Books of a Feather, I challenge my readers to make a note of every bird reference they spot while reading the book. Some of them are pretty sneaky! I'll give you a hint: there are 18 of them. When you're done, visit the Secret Room at KateCarlisle.com to get the Birdwatching Scavenger Hunt and see if you found them all.
ABOUT Books of a Feather:
Brooklyn's friend Ian runs the Covington Library, which is hosting an exhibit featuring John James Audubon's massive masterpiece, Birds of America, currently on loan from an Arab sheik. During the gala celebrating the book, she is approached by Jared Mulrooney, the president of the National Birdwatchers Society, who urgently needs Brooklyn's skilled hands to repair a less high-profile book of Audubon drawings that's fallen victim to spilled wine.
At the same party, Brooklyn is flying high after she's asked to refurbish and appraise a rare copy of Poor Richard's Almanac. But everything runs afoul later that evening when Mulrooney's body is discovered in the library. Rumors fly about a motive for murder. Perhaps Mulrooney wanted to sink his claws into the pricey Audubon book, but Brooklyn believes the man died fighting off a daring thief.
Soon more troubles ruffle Brooklyn's feathers. Her parents pop in for a visit with an unsavory friend in tow, and there's a strange man on her tail. With danger beginning to circle Brooklyn's every move, it's clear she must find answers before things really go south . . .
There are around 10,000 species of birds. Which is your favorite, and what do you love about it?
The #1 Thing I Love about Mystery Readers
For #MysteryWeek, my Ask the Author module is open! Come ask me anything.
The #1 Thing I Love about Mystery Readers
I love people who love books. Anyone who reads regularly is primo with me, no matter what kind of book they prefer. No judgments, it's all good!
That said, there's one thing that I super-love about classic mystery readers: they love to learn.
Yes, yes, it can be said that all readers love to learn, but mystery readers take it to another level. They love learning so much that classic mystery writers create entire series based on characters with unusual jobs. In thrillers, the main character's job is almost always in law enforcement. In romance, the main character's job is beside the point.
Fans of classic mystery want a great whodunit, yes, but they also want to acquire knowledge. Bibliophile Mystery readers tell me that they love the nitty-gritty details about the bookbinding process. I teach them something, and they adore me for it.
How lucky am I?!
At the center of each mystery is a rare book being restored by renowned bookbinder Brooklyn Wainwright. With great pleasure, I delve into research mode before I write a single word. I suss out intriguing details about the history of the book and its author, which I then weave into the story. It's a fun challenge to make events from long ago relevant to the modern day mystery.
In Books of a Feather, Audubon's Birds of America plays a pivotal role. Talk about a fascinating history! Did you know that Audubon had a fierce rivalry with another artist of his day? Did you know that his illustrations weren't originally printed in a book, but rather were sent to subscribers in small batches, five at a time? Imagine how exciting it must have been for subscribers to receive those drawings, in a time before the internet, television, or radio!
See there, I taught you something already… If you love learning, I hope you'll look for Books of a Feather, which was reissued this week in paperback. (It came out last year in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook.)
What have you learned while reading a mystery novel?
The #1 Thing I Love about Mystery Readers
I love people who love books. Anyone who reads regularly is primo with me, no matter what kind of book they prefer. No judgments, it's all good!
That said, there's one thing that I super-love about classic mystery readers: they love to learn.
Yes, yes, it can be said that all readers love to learn, but mystery readers take it to another level. They love learning so much that classic mystery writers create entire series based on characters with unusual jobs. In thrillers, the main character's job is almost always in law enforcement. In romance, the main character's job is beside the point.
Fans of classic mystery want a great whodunit, yes, but they also want to acquire knowledge. Bibliophile Mystery readers tell me that they love the nitty-gritty details about the bookbinding process. I teach them something, and they adore me for it.
How lucky am I?!
At the center of each mystery is a rare book being restored by renowned bookbinder Brooklyn Wainwright. With great pleasure, I delve into research mode before I write a single word. I suss out intriguing details about the history of the book and its author, which I then weave into the story. It's a fun challenge to make events from long ago relevant to the modern day mystery.
In Books of a Feather, Audubon's Birds of America plays a pivotal role. Talk about a fascinating history! Did you know that Audubon had a fierce rivalry with another artist of his day? Did you know that his illustrations weren't originally printed in a book, but rather were sent to subscribers in small batches, five at a time? Imagine how exciting it must have been for subscribers to receive those drawings, in a time before the internet, television, or radio!
See there, I taught you something already… If you love learning, I hope you'll look for Books of a Feather, which was reissued this week in paperback. (It came out last year in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook.)
What have you learned while reading a mystery novel?
