!About the book:
Harlow Jane Cassidy is swamped with homecoming couture requests. If only she didn’t have to help solve a murder, she might get the gowns off the dress forms...Harlow is doing everything she can to expand her dressmaking business, Buttons & Bows—-without letting clients know about her secret charm. When she has a chance to create homecoming dresses with a local charity and handmade mums for several high school girls—-including Gracie, whose father, Will, has mended Harlow’s heart—-she is ready to use her magical talents for a great cause. But when Gracie’s date for the dance is accused of murder, Harlow knows things won’t be back on course until she helps Gracie clear the football player’s name. If Harlow can’t patch up this mess before the big game, her business and her love life might be permanently benched.INCLUDES SEWING TIPS
Other books by Melissa
Magical Dressmaking MysteriesPleating for Mercy
A Fitting End
Deadly Patterns
A Custom-Fit Crime
Lola Cruz Mysteries
Living the Vida Lola
Hasta la Vista, Lola!
Bare-Naked Lola
Interview with Melissa Bourbon
How did you create the plot for this book?Our family moved from California to Texas almost six years ago. My older boys were in high school and one of the first things we experienced was homecoming...and the homecoming mum. I knew I wanted to write a book that incorporated these elaborate concoctions, but I needed time to understand the culture behind them. The Magical Dressmaking series began, and when I was several books into it, I knew I had the background to bring in mums, and they were the perfect backdrop for the mystery.
What’s your favorite line from a book?
I don’t really have many that I remember, but one of my favorites is and will always be, “After all, tomorrow is another day.” --Gone with the Wind
Are any of your characters inspired by real people?
A lot of my characters are conglomerations of people I either know or have met in passing. Interesting qualities stick with me, and they mix and match in my mind as new characters are born. No one character is based on any one person, though I’ve actually tried that. They end up taking on a life of their own and become who they want to be!
Are you like any of your characters?
I do believe that both Harlow and Lola (from the Lola Cruz mystery series) have qualities that I possess (or vice versa). They are both strong women, determined, committed, family-oriented, and they have strong female relationships. However, they also have qualities that are uniquely their own and that I wish I had--crime-solving and a whole lot of gumption being two of them!
I like writing characters who do and say things I never would, as well as characters who do and say things I wish I could. Do you have characters who fit into one of those categories? Who, and in what category do they fall?
I think both Harlow and Lola, as detectives (amateur and professional) do things I never would, but wish I could. Being bold enough to investigate a murder (not that I want murder in my world, or a murderer in my path!) takes courage and cleverness, as well as logic. It takes me time to create the situations and responses to situations, but of course Harlow and Lola work through it all in the blink of an eye.
If you could be one of your characters, which one would you choose?
I suppose Harlow Cassidy is the closest fit, and I’d love to:
a) have Meemaw as a ghost in my life
b) be a descendant of Butch Cassidy
c) have a magical charm
Tell us about your favorite scene in the book.
I don’t know if it’s my favorite scene, but the first one that comes to mind is Harlow’s battle with Thelma Louise, the grand dam of Nana’s goatherd. Thelma Louise gets hold of one of the homecoming mums, there’s a tug of war, and Will Flores is there to help. It’s a fun scene!
And what are you working on now?
I’m currently working on revising book 6 in A Magical Dressmaking mystery series (A Seamless Murder). After that, I’ll be completing the proposal for the next few books in the series, planning a proposal for another series, plotting a women’s fiction novel, and maybe delving into Lola’s world again. I have no shortage of projects!
You certainly don't! Good luck with them, and please come back and tell us more!
About the author:
Melissa Bourbon, who sometimes answers to her Latina-by-marriage name Misa Ramirez, gave up teaching middle and high school kids in Northern California to write full-time amidst horses and Longhorns in North Texas. She fantasizes about spending summers writing in quaint, cozy locales, has a love/hate relationship with yoga and chocolate, is devoted to her family, and can’t believe she’s lucky enough to be living the life of her dreams.
She is the Executive Publicity Director with Entangled Publishing, is the author of the Lola Cruz Mystery series with St. Martin’s Minotaur and Entangled Publishing, and A Magical Dressmaking Mystery series with NAL. She also has written two romantic suspense novels, a light paranormal romance, and is the co-author of The Tricked-out Toolbox, a practical marketing and publicity guide for authors.
Connect with Melissa:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
Buy the book:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble
