I've had a wonderful time these last few days, seeing old friends and making new ones in one of my favorite places.
Photo by Scott Meeker taken at the Vesterheim Museum Store.
The charms of Decorah, and the collections and folk art classes at Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, are among the reasons for making them the setting for my newest Chloe Ellefson mystery, Heritage of Darkness.
(My publisher Midnight Ink gives me the freedom to pick where my mysteries are set, so I only write about places that I love.)
Photo by Alison Dwyer, Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum.
My thanks to everyone who came by the book signing at Vesterheim. It was a delight to meet and chat. Holding it on Halloween night made for some fun encounters!
Thanks also to Ryan Delehant at KDEC Radio and to Arlene Soltow of KVIC Radio for interviewing me. (These interviews can be heard online by clicking HERE.)
Vesterheim Holiday Food Traditions class photo by Scott Meeker.
And over the weekend Darlene Fossum-Martin, a local expert on traditional Scandinavian food, and I co-taught a course at Vesterheim called Holiday Food Traditions: Remembering, Writing, Tasting, and Sharing. The creative energy each student brought to the workshop was inspiring! It was a wonderful class.
It's very special to launch a book in the town where it takes place. I was touched by the warm reception that local readers and museum staff gave Heritage of Darkness.
I'll be back in Decorah in early December for two special "Chloe's World" tours and a signing during Vesterheim's Norwegian Christmas Weekend. It's one of my favorite special events at the museum, and I hope to see you there!
