by Shari Randall
I just finished the first book in my new Ice Cream Shop Mystery series and my editor loves it. Whew! That's the good news. The bad news? ROCKY ROAD TO RUIN won't be available until next summer. Still, I wanted to take you to the dream New England village where I've set it. Welcome to Penniman!
Penniman is a combination of some of my favorite places, places I've been, and places I'd like to go. There are several Connecticut towns that have the charm and history I wanted for my setting, but not all of them had every element I required so I had to "build" my own village.
I find it useful to make a Pinterest vision board where I keep photos of places that I've visited and actors I've cast in the roles of my characters. (A girl can dream!) You can find it on Pinterest @sharirandallwrites.
Just outside of town is Fairweather Farms, where my main character Riley Rhodes takes over as manager of the Udderly Delicious Ice Cream Shop. I haven't been able to find a photo that matches my vision of the ice cream shop where my characters work. Maybe it only exists in my imagination! I imagine a former farm shed that was painted purple when it was renovated into the shop. This one is close, but it needs a coat of paint.
Penniman has lots of gray stone walls - it is Connecticut, after all -- and the farm has fields of sunflowers.
The ice cream is luscious!
There's a Town Green with a war memorial
charming shops
Riley's family home,
Did I mention the covered bridge?
What's your favorite setting for a mystery?
Congrats on a new book in your (and your readers!) future! I love the pictures of your setting! Penniman sounds like a wonderful place to live.
ReplyDeleteLove your ideas for the new series. The photos are just the icing on the cake, or, more likely, the cherry on the ice cream.
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful pictures, Shari! I see how they can be an inspiration for your setting.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to the new book. I guess we'll just have to wait for it.
Looks like a great town and who doesn't love ice cream (I once went on an ice cream diet -- that's all I ate for 2 weeks. Of course, I was only 15 at the time.) Curious: did you use Pinterest boards when you were plotting and planning? If not, it would be a great way to get readers interested in the forthcoming book.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Shari! I'm exciting by the pictures and already want to read your new series. We have an ice cream shop here in Hatteras by the name of Uncle Eddie's. It featured frozen custard--to die for! Does the name of the town have a history--it's rather unusual?
ReplyDeleteGreat fictional town! I based my fictional town on a place we lived in NE Ohio, settled by people from Connecticut as part of the Western Reserve in 1799. It checks all the boxes: town green, clock tower, quaint Main Street shops, college campus nearby, and cornfields on the outskirts.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Annette. The pics are from some of my favorite towns here in CT and I do wish I could live in them!
ReplyDeleteHi Susan, I loved your comment. I'm all ice cream, all the time!
Hi KM, I was disappointed that the pub date was pushed back, but c'est la vie with the pandemic. On the bright side, I think a book about an ice cream shop works better in July rather than February.
Hi Judy, I have Pinterest boards but haven't really publicized them. I like to make "closets" for my characters - lots of fun, harks back to my Barbie days. And an ice cream diet? I'm on board!
Hi EB, Frozen custard is divine! Nothing better than a cool creamy treat on a hot day. The name Penniman came to me when I was searching for a perfect little town. I drove through the Quiet Corner of CT (yes, they capitalize) and found a village
called Pomfret...which got me thinking about P names. I wanted my main character's dad to have a used bookstore and I wanted to call it the Penniless Reader, and somehow it all came together into Penniman. Seemed to fit!
Hi Margaret, Oh, you have a clocktower! I'm jealous! I've never heard about the Western Reserve and the migration of folks from CT. Off to research!
I'm going to LOVE Penniman. The setting is perfect and ice cream in the summer - definitely worth the wait.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the new book, Shari! I love the ROCKY ROAD TO RUIN title. I have friends who live in Connecticut, and it's just so green and lovely out there.
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