What do a nasty communist mother-in-law and a Shakespeare-quoting parrot have in common? They’re both characters in my Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery Series. However, Ralph, the African Grey parrot, is a lot more likeable than Lucille Pollack, Anastasia’s communist mother-in-law.

The Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries grew out of a conversation my agent had with an editor who was looking for a crafting-themed humorous mystery series. In my day job, I designed craft and needlework for various companies and publishers. And although up to that point, I’d written mostly emotionally wrought romance and romantic suspense, my first sale, Talk Gertie to Me, was a humorous chick lit novel about the relationship between a mother and daughter. Since I ticked off two of the three requisites – a knowledge of crafts and the ability to write humor – my agent thought I’d be the perfect person to write such a series.

During this time, my husband lost his job, and although he’s nothing like Anastasia’s Dead Louse of a Spouse, going from two incomes to one while having tuition for two kids, sent me into a tailspin. As if that weren’t enough, I was dealing with escalating mother-in-law issues. Lots of women have in-law problems, but I dare say, few can claim they’ve had a mother-in-law like mine.

People deal with stress in many ways. Some crawl into bed and curl up in a fetal position. Some yell, slam doors, and throw things. Some resort to chocolate. Or wine. Or both. I’m a Jersey Girl. Our motto is, “Don’t get mad; get even.” However, since I wouldn’t look good in an orange jumpsuit, I channeled my revenge into my writing.

The series starts with Anastasia’s husband permanently cashing in his chips in Las Vegas. Only then does Anastasia learn of his gambling addiction. She’s left with two teenage sons, a mountain of debt, her mother-in-law as a permanent houseguest, and a Mafia loan shark demanding fifty thousand dollars. When the dead bodies begin piling up, Anastasia reluctantly steps into the role of amateur sleuth.

Admittedly, Anastasia and I are somewhat alike. We both have two sons, live (or in my case, lived) in a New Jersey suburb, and have similar careers, although I’ve since retired as a designer. With one major exception, the other characters in my series either spring completely from my imagination or borrow traits from people I’ve known. Lucille Pollack is that exception.

Aside from the fact that my mother-in-law never owned a French bulldog named Manifesto, most family members agree that Lucille is pretty much the fictional spitting image of my now deceased mother-in-law. And yes, she’d been a card-carrying communist.

My mother-in-law didn’t live long enough to see her doppelganger in print. She died prior to the release of Talk Gertie to Me, within days of learning of my first sale. With all the pleasure she took in her constant putdowns of me, perhaps learning my dream was coming true robbed her of her will to live. I knew she’d never read any of my books. She turned her nose up at all fiction, no matter the genre, believing it wasn’t worth her time.

Lucille is the character my readers love to hate, but some find her so irritating that they’ve begged me to kill her off. Over the course of the last few books, I’d come to feel that she’s served her purpose, and it was time to move on.

To date, I’ve written fifteen novels and three novellas in the series, and although at this point, only slightly less than two years have passed in the series, each major character has gone through a certain amount of growth and transformation. None are in the same place emotionally, psychologically, and for some, physically, then they were at the start of the series. Except for Lucille.

While I have no qualms about killing off characters (after all, I write murder mysteries,) the idea of permanently eliminating Lucille seemed too final. Dead is dead. I’m not writing supernatural mysteries where I can conjure up a spell to bring her back to life if a future plot requires her presence.

Instead, I decided to place Lucille on hiatus. In Seams Like the Perfect Crime, the fourteenth book in the series, Lucille pulls a stunt that becomes the last straw for Anastasia. Having lost nearly everything, thanks to her deceased husband, she’s not about to let Lucille rob her of her reputation. In Embroidered Lies and Alibis, my newest release, the book opens with the resolution of Anastasia’s decision. Lucille is gone from her life. For now, at least.

Will Lucille return at some point? Only time and my imagination will tell, but for now, I’m too busy dreaming up new murder, mayhem, crafts, and laughs in the life of my reluctant amateur sleuth. I hope you’ll check out Embroidered Lies and Alibis to find out about Anastasia’s newest sleuthing adventure.

If you’re a writer, have you incorporated parts of your life into your books? Readers, do you often see yourself in certain aspects of a character in a book you’re reading? Post a comment for a chance to win a promo code for a free audiobook of any of the available Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries or Empty Nest Mysteries.

Embroidered Lies and Alibis-blurb

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.

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 from her experiences in the crafts industry. Learn more about Lois and her books at her website www.loiswinston.com. Sign up for her newsletter to receive an Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mini-Mystery.

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