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Behind the Writing of Quilting Calamity

Tell us about the background for the theme, what inspired it or why you wanted to write in this setting, or with play with these tropes?

I am an avid quilter, so bringing the art of quilting and all of its eccentricities to the world is important to me. People often comment that the murder comes a little later (and after the quilting) then in most other cozies. To this I often reply, who wants to go quilting when there is a murder mystery to solve!

Tell us about character traits that were fun or hard for you to include in the book.

At first it was hard for me to have anything “bad” happen to my main character. By the time I got to my 4th book in the series, my main character finally had her fair share of “real life” hardships.

Which scene, character or plotline changed the most from first draft to published book?

The culprits changed roles multiple times from the start of the book to the end of the book.

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Synopsis:

Quilting calamity and a string of clues. Can Alex untangle the knots before she’s keeled?

After the death of her beloved grandmother, Alex Bailey’s life is left in tatters. As she struggles to stitch things back together, she takes solace in one final gift—a cruise—booked before the quilting matriarch’s death. To weave the quilting community back together, Alex convinces her friends on Spruce Street to join her on the cruise.

With all hands on deck, a mysterious quilt and an unknown destination, she must trust that everything will go according to the plan. Until a death onboard the Tranquility puts a wrinkle in Alex’s idyllic quilting vacation. Unraveling the mysterious threads that surround the young man’s death, Alex must determine if it’s a terrible accident, or death by design. Determined to catch the culprit, she loosens the knot of suspicion and provides the bait needed to hook a ruthless killer.

Will Alex be able to follow the pattern and untangle this nautical mystery before there’s a storm at sea?

Quilting Calamity is the thrilling second book in a series of Quilting Cozy Mysteries. If you like intriguing howdunits, then you’ll love Kathryn Mykel’s skillfully stitched tale.

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