How to Dress a Ghost
Guest Blog by Fran Stewart
Did you ever notice that some writers go into great detail dressing their characters in Armani and Blahnik, Hermes and Chanel? Those meticulously turned-out characters would be quite in place on a Paris runway.
But what do you do when you’re writing a 14th-century Scottish ghost? He’s not even palrt of the nobility, so a floor-length ermine cloak is off limits. I wouldn’t write one on him anyway, since I have this thing against using dead animal skins for high fashion or any other kind of fashion.
Fortunately Macbeath Donlevy Freusach Finlay Macearachar Macpheidiran of Clan Farquharson—can you see why Peggy Winn calls him Dirk?—is something of a hunk. He doesn’t need any extras. Just ignore that picture of Jamie in the Outlander. Dirk’s belted plaid (pronounced played) is what most of us would call a kilt, a real kilt, made with nine yards of tartan fabric. What man with broad shoulders and good knees wouldn’t look good in a kilt?
Of course, Dirk’s shoulders are very broad. And his knees would be the envy of everyone in the town of Hamelin, Vermont—and in your hometown, too—if only “everyone” could see them.
You see, Dirk is invisible to everyone except Peggy Winn, but I must say she appreciates his … his kilt enough for everyone.
And his shoulders? Ahh. Don’t you love to see a man in one of those poet shirts (like this one from a website called the witches spindle)? They make even a fairly skinny fellow look pretty good, and someone like Dirk look absolutely magnificent. He doesn’t get any ruffles on his shirt, but then again, he doesn’t need them. Did I mention that he’s dead, though? He’s been that way for a little under 700 years. Poor Peggy.
Add to that the fact that he’s still in love with Peigi (it means Pearl), the woman who knitted the shawl that allows Peggy Winn to see Dirk when she puts it on. I know, I know, the shawl must be 700 years old, but believe me, it makes sense in the book.
So, I’ve dressed Peggy in a Scottish arisaidh that she wears while she’s working at her store, the ScotShop, and the ancient shawl that lets Dirk “be” – somehow. Meanwhile Dirk wears his poet shirt, his kilt, a knife in his sock, a dagger, and a kilt pin made of antler and wood. With him dressed like that, you can see his … uh … attributes without any high fashion anywhere.
Happy drooling … I mean reading!
About the Author:
Fran Stewart is the author of the Biscuit McKee Mysteries – GRAY AS ASHES is the seventh book in that series – as well as a standalone mystery – A SLAYING SONG TONIGHT. Her new ScotShop Mystery Series from Berkley Press begins with A WEE MURDER IN MY SHOP.
Fran lives quietly with various rescued cats beside a creek on the other side of Hog Mountain, Georgia, northeast of Atlanta.
She sings alto with a community chorus and volunteers at her grandchildren’s school library. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America.
Hamelin, Vermont, isn’t the most likely place for bagpipes and tartan, but at Peggy Winn’s ScotShop, business is booming…
While on a transatlantic hunt for some authentic wares to sell at her shop, Peggy is looking to forget her troubles by digging through the hidden treasures of the Scottish Highlands. With so many enchanting items on sale, Peggy can’t resist buying a beautiful old tartan shawl. But once she wraps it around her shoulders, she discovers that her purchase comes with a hidden fee: the specter of a fourteenth-century Scotsman.
Unsure if her Highland fling was real or a product of an overactive imagination, Peggy returns home to Vermont—only to find the dead body of her ex-boyfriend on the floor of her shop. When the police chief arrests Peggy’s cousin based on some incriminating evidence, Peggy decides to ask her haunting Scottish companion to help figure out who really committed the crime—before anyone else gets kilt…
Jennifer’s Review of A Wee Murder in My Shop
Review (4.0 Stars): Peggy Winn has taken a trip to Scotland to search for treasures that she can sell at her Scottish shop back home in Vermont and forget about her lying, cheating ex-boyfriend. On this lovely trip to the Scottish Highlands, Peggy acquires a beautiful shawl in a store that she has never seen before on her many trips to the area. What she soon discovers, is that her lovely shawl comes with the ghost of handsome Scot. When Peggy returns home with her new companion, she finds the body of her ex-boyfriend lying of the floor of her beloved shop and Peggy’s cousin is blamed for the crime. Peggy must find the real killer soon before she ends up joining her new friend on the other side.
A Wee Murder in My Shop is a fun, delicious mystery that will keep you entertained for hours. I liked Peggy from the very beginning and envied her trips to Scotland to visit the Highlands and spend time in this beautiful country. I loved Dirk as he struggled to accept the fact that he was dead and now in the 21st century, which had some very funny moments in the book. Ms. Stewart is a new mystery writer to me but that won’t be for long because I thoroughly enjoyed A Wee Murder in My Shop and am now a big fan of this new series.
Giveaway
I’m excited to give away a copy of A Wee Murder in My Shop. This giveaway is for US Residents only. To be entered in the drawing by March 13th, please leave me a comment below:
A Note from the Author: I’m headed out in a few minutes to the hospital for a stress test, so won’t be back to answer any questions about my books until later today, but I promise to answer any and all comments/questions as soon as I can.
The cover of A Wee Murder in My Shop is adorable, and cozy sounds like a great book. I am looking forward to reading it. Thank you for the review and giveaway.
myrifraf(at)gmail(dot)com
The covers designed by Berkley Press are always amazing, Jeanetta. I was absolutely delighted with this one.
Sounds like a great read. I loved the old Ghost and Mrs. Muir TV show, so this should be right up my alley.
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir was one of the first old movies I can remember having seen. I cried, of course. And I must tell you that my other love, besides ghosts, is the LIBRARY. That’s why I set my other mystery series (the Biscuit McKee Mysteries) in a small-town library.
I grew up in a family that moved quite a bit, but the library was always the constant no matter where we went. So, Liz the Librarian, I salute you. Thank you for doing the work you do. You influence so many lives – often without knowing.
sounds like a fun mystery
@ bn100 – I sure hope you’ll feel the same way once you read it. I sure had fun writing it!
Congrats to Fran on the new release! I love all the plaids on the cover and imagine with a name like Stewart, comes by her knowledge of all things Scottish naturally?! Thanks for the chance to win!
@ holdenj – You betcha! I’m Scot from way back when on my dad’s side of the family. That’s one reason it’s so much fun wearing an arisaidh to my book signings – it’s in the Stewart ancient hunting tartan.
Love the cover, love the title; thanks for the chance 🙂
jslbrown2009(at)aol(dot)com
@ Lisa Brown – all the other upcoming titles in the series will begin with A WEE… I have twenty-five titles stockpiled, so there’s still a lot of writing for me to do — I’d better get busy!
A Wee Murder sounds captivating and intriguing. Thanks for this great giveaway and wonderful feature.
“Captivating and intriguing” – I like that. Glad I checked back to see if there were any more comments. And I’m equally glad you enjoyed the post.
What a great GIVEAWAY! I really want to read this series and have been reading the reviews. Love the British Isles and cozy mysteries. Hope there are plans for many more books in this series. Have been sick for over a year and would be lost without books!!! Good luck with new book!!!!!!!
Oh, yes, Sandy. I’ve come up with 25 titles for future books. Now all I have to do is write them! I know how you feel, too, about books. What a joy reading is. I wish you the very best – good health as well as good reading!
I love anything about Scotland, so I am excited to read this new series! I love the title 🙂
The good thing about having a Scottish ghost as a character, Debbie, is that I’ll just have to figure out a way I can get to Scotland for some more research, right? I, too, love Scotland and am proud of every Scottish bit of my heritage.