Inspired by Real Life

By Lois Winston

Embroidered Lies and Alibis, the fifteenth and newest book in my Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series, released fifteen days ago. Like all my other novels, both the mysteries and the non-mysteries, it was inspired by real life events.

As I may have mentioned in the past, I’m a news junkie. I read several newspapers a day, along with watching the news and a few favorite “talking heads” every morning and evening. On any given day, this can be a good thing or a bad thing—especially with everything going on in the world.

Along with coffee, the news is one of my two major addictions. Some people get anxiety from the news. I develop anxiety when I don’t know what’s going on. It’s a weird form of FOMO. Besides, I view the news as research. Right now, I have enough ideas floating around in my head to serve as mystery plots for years to come.

Embroidered Lies and Alibis was inspired by real life…

For example, the spark for Embroidered Lies and Alibis came from an article I read about a carjacking that included a cryptocurrency element. Because I write by the seat of my pants (known in writing parlance as being a Pantser,) I ran with that idea and began typing. Then one evening, I saw an interview with an elderly woman who had been scammed out of thousands of dollars by someone posing as an employee of her bank. Presto change-o, abracadabra, and bibbido-bobbidi-boo! Just like that, the pieces began to fall into place, and I had my plot.

…and the next book will be inspired by real life.

I’m currently working on the next book in the series. This past November, my older son and his family arrived from various parts of the country to spend Thanksgiving with us. They rented an Airbnb nearby to stay and to hold all thirteen of us for a week of family gatherings. The house was an antebellum mansion. The moment I set foot into it, I knew I was going to use it as the setting for my next mystery.

With the last several books having taken place in Anastasia’s hometown, I had already decided it was once again time to send her off somewhere to prevent Cabot Cove Syndrome. With that in mind, I’ve moved the Tennessee mansion to upstate New York. To find out why, you’ll have to wait until the book is finished and published, but it’s going to involve research I’ve done about both the Underground Railroad and Prohibition. And of course, there will be murder and mayhem. Stay tuned…

Meanwhile, I hope you’ll find Embroidered Lies and Alibis worthy of a read.

Have you read other mysteries that were inspired by real life? Have you ever come across a person, a setting, or even an object that you thought would be perfect inspiration for a novel? Post a comment for a chance to win a promo code for a free audiobook download of any of the available Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries or Empty Nest Mysteries.

Embroidered Lies and Alibis

An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 15

A Stitch in Time Could Save a Life…

When Anastasia’s mother Flora is offered a free spa vacation from Jeremy Dugan, a man connected to her distant past, Anastasia and husband Zack suspect ulterior motives. After all, too-good-to-be-true often spells trouble. Their suspicions are confirmed when the FBI swoops in to apprehend Dugan. However, Dugan isn’t who he claimed to be, and his arrest raises more questions than answers.

The Feds link Dugan to a string of cons targeting elderly single women across the country, but his seemingly airtight alibi leaves investigators stumped. Then, shortly after his release on bail, he’s kidnapped. A certain segment of New Jersey’s population is known for delivering deadly messages, and the FBI believes Dugan received one of them.

Meanwhile, bodies begin showing up in the newly created public garden across the street from Anastasia and Zack’s home. With two baffling crimes, no clear suspects, scant evidence, and every possible motive unraveling, both the FBI and local law enforcement are once again picking Anastasia’s brain. This time, though, her involvement is far from reluctant. Will she stitch together enough clues before she or someone she loves becomes the killer’s next victim?

Craft project included.

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USA Today and Amazon bestselling and award-winning author Lois Winston writes mystery, romance, romantic suspense, chick lit, women’s fiction, children’s chapter books, and nonfiction. Kirkus Reviews dubbed her critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” In addition, Lois is a former literary agent and an award-winning craft and needlework designer who often draws much of her source material for both her characters and plots