Hello, my friends!
It’s a chilly nearly-mid-December evening up here at Quilt Villa where I’ve been sewing all day long!
Boy does it feel good to admit that.
The only thing not happy about that fact is my poor fit-bit. I am a fair weather walker, and I’m not happy if temps are below 40. LOL. Tomorrow. I’ll get out and do a longer walk tomorrow. But for now, I’ve been longing for extended stitching time and I’ve got it!
I’m taking a little after-dinner break to introduce you to a very special author, Carol Dean Jones.
I first met Carol Dean Jones when she approached me asking if she could use the background photo from one of my Quiltville Quotes as the cover of her book.
I replied that I took the photo with my phone, and I wasn’t sure if the resolution would be high enough. She said she could doctor it a bit, and before I knew it, This lovely shredded hexagon quilt became a cover!
She asked if there was anything she could do in exchange, and I told her that I would love to offer up one of her books as a give-away on my blog – and wouldn’t you know it?
She sent THREE titles for one lucky winner! And the copy of Tattered and Torn for me.
Here’s a bit about Carol Dean Jones in her own words:
I'm Carol Dean Jones, a 70-something retired geriatric social worker born in Kentucky and currently living in the West Virginia foothills. During my many years working with men and women facing the issues of aging, I learned a great deal about growing old.Sarah Miller was born out of my desire to share what I have learned. Sarah is the main character in my Quilting Cozy series and a woman of a certain age who has faced the loss of her husband, her young grandson, and the home where she raised her family. Yet, Sarah is a survivor.
Tie DiedThe story begins in Cunningham Village, a retirement community, and follows Sarah as she finds ways to make a successful adjustment to this new way of life. From taking classes at the community center, making lasting friendships, and even exploring the possibility of a romantic connection, Sarah remains steadfastly determined to continue to be a vital, active woman engaged in life.
Being an avid quilter myself, I also wanted to integrate that particular creative expression into the story and Sarah, always willing to go along with my wishes, took up quilting. She, in fact, makes the quilts (with my help, of course) for each of the book covers, as you will see as you read the stories.
Sea Bound
Because I wanted to write about quilting and about relationships, I chose the cozy format.
A cozy is a light mystery without explicit sex, violence, or profanity. If the crime is murder, it tends to occur out of the view of the reader.
Cozies are usually organized around a hobby and a group of friends in a small community who work to solve the mystery.
In this series, the hobby is quilting and the community is a retirement village just across the park from the main street of a small town in the mid-west.
Running Stitches
In each book, I tried to walk that fine line between giving too much and too little information about previous books in the series. Each can stand alone, but reading them in order will offer the advantage of watching characters, relationships, and situations develop over time.
I love hearing from my readers. Just leave a message on my blog at: http://caroldeanjones.wordpress.com or send me an email at: QuiltingCozy@comcast.net.
My very best wishes,
Carol Dean JonesYou can find all of the novels by Carol Dean Jones in hard copy and for kindle HERE.
I was told that the story reads the BEST from the beginning, in order, so our lucky winner is going to get novels 1, 2 and 3!
I really appreciate the easy to read print!
Sweetening the pot!
Along with Tie Died, Running Stitches and Sea Bound, I am going to throw in 2 volumes of Quiltmaker’s 100 blocks along with a stitchery complete with floss and needles by French General, a binding tool, and a Fabbie Fridge Magnet!
I hope this makes someone VERY happy this Christmas!
This is going to be a quick-running Gift-Away, and I’ll be drawing for our winner on Thursday evening, December 15th.
My progress so far!
These units are part of my Dawn’s Early Light blocks. More on these in the future!
I hope you are ready for our Mystery Monday Link-Up in the morning!
Enjoy your evening, everyone – there is some hand quilting calling my name.
Thank you again, Bonnie for a chance at another great giveaway. Good luck everyone.
ReplyDeleteOh my, what a generous give a way! I entered above. I've got my fingers crossed! Thank you for the chance to win.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great give away! Thank you for a chance to win. I read every night before going to sleep and am ready for some new stories!
ReplyDeleteThank you for a chance to win. I would love to read these books.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you got to spend the day sewing. I know you really enjoyed it. Thank you Bonnie for be such a giving and sharing person.
ReplyDeleteLove those Dawn's Early Light blocks.
ReplyDeleteThese sound very interesting, would love to read them. I have entered and have my fingers and toes crossed LOL
ReplyDeleteThanks for the opportunity Bonnie
Oh what a wonderful gift this would be. Thanks Bonnie for the opportunity to win such a great gift!
ReplyDeleteLove her books!read them on My kindle. Nice to mix love of quilting and love of reading. Lois
ReplyDeleteThe books look really great. I'm wondering if I can order them for my Nook.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance. I love to read quilting stories, and don't like all the sex and bad words that some writers put in the stories.
ReplyDeleteI have read Tie Died and it is a good book. Got it from the guild library.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bonnie for a chance to win this awesome sounding group of books! Plus the embroidery kits and two 100 blocks magazines. Awesome!
ReplyDeleteThanks Bonnie, this is a new author for me. Can't wait to read new quilt related novels.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great gift to win! I love everything in it!
ReplyDeleteAnd I can't wait to see more of Dawn's Early Light! Beautiful so far!!
Bonnie-Thank you for the generous give-away. Reading about your hand quilting is inspiring me to dig out a UFO I started hand quilting about 10 years ago. With the cold snap we're having here in the midwest, it would be a great time to be tucked under a quilt while hand stitching.
ReplyDeleteThank you Bonnie and Carol
ReplyDeleteHappy Holidays
Love the triangle part of your block. Could you do a tutorial on how to put that half together?
ReplyDeleteI'm a big reader of cozy quilting books and have read all of the existing authors. Carol would be a new author to follow. Thank you Bonnie and Carol for such a great Christmas giveaway.
ReplyDeleteThe dawns early light blocks are pretty. Looking forward to seeing your progress on those.
ReplyDeleteThese books by Carol sound so interesting. What a lovely Give-Away. I love books like this. Dawn's Early Light looks like a great quilt, can't wait to see the finish!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your generosity on this give-a -way. Just in time for Christmas suprise for someone.
ReplyDeleteWhat a Wonderful Give away! It will make somebody a wonderful Christmas Present. I would love to win it myself. I would love to read the books, and If I am not the winner, I will just have to order them!8))
ReplyDeleteI Love you Dawns Early Light blocks. I love the colors, and can't wait to see the end result on this one, too!
It got up to 8 yesterday, and I was out shoveling snow, and it got up to 6 today and was out shoveling snow, and tried to get the snow blower, but it has a dead battery and the choke is froze. It is to warm up and give us more snow by the end of the week, so I want everything blown out before the new snow gets here! We would be happy with 25 or 30, but r40 is not good for us at this time of the year.
Have fun, and I hope you get out for a longer walk tomorrow. I am sure Sadie would like that, too!
Donna
Kasilof, AK
I love your blog! I had to read first all about your search for the perfect cabin! How exciting to start on a different path! And then I read about the give-away. That is so nice of both you and Carol Dee Jones. I have written her name down so that, if I don't win, I will buy her books. They sound like the perfect book for when I just want to get under the covers and read for awhile.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the time you spend sharing your life with us, and for bringing a little excitement to this season.
Hello Bonnie,
ReplyDeleteI love the way that you are able to connect with so many people. Than you for sharing this beautiful gift.
Thanks for the chance to win!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the give away Bonnie. I hope I can get Clue 3 ready for the Monday link up. Fingers crossed. :)
ReplyDeleteAnother bunch of books on my reading list, =^} a chance to win them is always nice!
ReplyDeleteThe dawn blocks look so cheerfull, I really should make some myself to have my seasons'joy, lust like a Good Year, or Snowy Hillside, maybe even Sleeping Cats.
I fear that no other cabin you visit will equal the last one, just a thought..,
just because you are already seeing yourself on porches and in the kitchen!
Hope you'll find your dream house soon, you'll definitively will feel it and deserve it too =^}
love from Friesland,
Irene
Bonnie, thanks for all your creativity so generously shared with us. Your loving heart comes through loud and clear. And thanks for introducing me to a new (to me) mystery writer!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this author and for this exciting giveaway! These books look wonderful...and I'm still hoping for the Quiltmaker 100 Blocks editions. This will be a fun gift for someone ...Kind of hope it's me :-)
ReplyDeleteNext to quilting the next favorite thing to do is to read books with quilting in them. Will make a nice gift for whomever wins. Thank you both.
ReplyDeleteLook at those beautiful blues. I can't wait to see the resulting quilt.
ReplyDeleteApologies I entered my name twice by mistake, but the first time there was no email address so you can discard that happy quilting!India
ReplyDeleteWowee, I got a Kindle Fire as an earlypresent and my fingers were just itching to jump over toAmazon and order thefirst book. Sounds like my kind of reading. I like most of that "extra curricular" happening off scene. I'm glad we still have authors who write that way. Thans to both of you for the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard of these books before, but would love to curl up on a cold winter's eve with one in my hand! Thanks Bonnie, for the chance to win all of these great gifts! Someone is going to be a very lucky person! Merry Christmas to you!
ReplyDeleteI'm an avid reader and would love to read these books.
ReplyDeleteThank you both for the opportunity to win this giveaway. Bonnie ... I read your blog everyday for inspiration from your quotes. I don't get a lot of time these days to quilt as our family is dealing with my husband's dementia. I would love to read Carol's books ... after reading her article I went to my local library's web site only to discover they did not have them. Thanks again to you both!
ReplyDeleteJust in case I don't win, or even if I did, I have put Carol Dean Jone's books on my Christmas list(which until them was only scuff slippers)
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to start meeting her cozy quilters.
Oh what a special Christmas some lucky quilter is going to get this year. Is it too selfish that I really want it to be me? :) Thank you for hosting another great give away. Lovely.
ReplyDeleteHey Bonnie from M&M's Mommy in Mount Holly, NJ. I've been stalkin your calendar wanting to find out when your gonna be near me again. LOL
ReplyDeleteI'd love to win this! Hope your having a great holiday season!! Hugs