Another of my Favorites: Kindred Spirits
Kindred Spirits is high on my list of favorites in the Deputy Tempe Crabtree mysteries.
Not only are there many kindred spirits in the book, I met a kindred spirit who was the inspiration for this book. Junie Mattice, a Tolowa Indian, who hosted a book signing for me, told me all about the history of the Tolowa people, and became an instant friend. She has such a strong personality, I created two characters based on her in the Crescent City part of the book.
Junie is no longer with us, but her spirit certainly lingers on.
Besides the history of the Tolowa, some of which is included in Kindred Spirits, she also told me about her knowledge and experiences with Big Foot. (This led me to learning more about the Big Foot legend and a similar character who lives on the Tule River Reservation, the Hairy Man. I'll write about him in the next blog post.)
When the book came out, I had a wonderful book launch at a bed and breakfast in Crescent City. Junie and I both spoke at the event, and we signed books side by side. We also did an event together at the Crescent City Library.
My life was enriched by this wonderful woman and I can truly callher a kindred spirit.
This is one of the books where Tempe travels to real places in order to solve a mystery: Crescent City CA and Santa Barbara, CA.
Kindred Spirits is available in all the usual places as well as from the publisher in many formats.
Marilyn Meredith
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