As my life continues to get busier and busier, I'm letting Alex take a break and stepping in to talk to my readers for a bit. Here is my question-are you out there? Are you reading this blog? If so, why? If not, why not? Anyone in the United States who comments will get a free signed bookmark for my mystery novels so chime in and let me know what you think.
I need to hear from you
Thanks all
Happy reading & Good Coffee,
Lorie Ham
Monday, November 16, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Home Sweet Home
Hello mystery and coffee lovers. My name is Alexandra Walters and I am the creation of mystery author Lorie Ham. She thought I might enjoy sharing with you a little more about myself and the little town of Donlyn where I live. For my first try at blogging I shared about the NoName Café, the place in town where everyone gathers. Next, I talked about my best friend Stephen Carlucci and how he came to be.
This time I am going to tell you about the home where my daughter Jessica and I live on Reed Avenue in Donlyn. It is a big, white, old two-story home with a wrap around front porch. It is also one of the only good things I got from my marriage to my ex husband Mike, except for Jessica of course. On the porch is a swing on which I have spent many hours contemplating life. When you go inside there is an entryway, a large living room, and a library. In the back of the house is a medium sized kitchen that holds my Grandma Walters big oak table, around which much crime solving has taken place-along with a lot of Pepsi and coffee drinking. Next to that are my bedroom and then a bathroom that connects through to my office.
Upstairs there are more bedrooms than I remember-each one being rented out by one of my lovely tenants-this is how we pay rent around here since I’m just a struggling gospel singer who constantly stumbles upon murder here in quiet little Donlyn, California. Among my many tenants is Joel the struggling actor/waiter, Emilio the musician, Miriam Emilio’s sister (whose occupation I cannot recall but I know she dates a hunk of a cop at one point), Cassandra Gable my live in babysitter/waitress/college student whom I’ve known since Kindergarten, and my dear Dorian who works at the local youth center and drinks more coffee than is humanly possible. Above the garage is a small apartment where mystery writer/college English teacher Hunter Edgington lives-he bares a strong resemblance to Clark Gable.
I have to admit that as the series goes on Joel and Emilio are always gone somewhere, and Miriam seems to have disappeared all together. Perhaps they got tired of all the murder that seems to follow me around.
The real life counterpart to my home is on the very same street, Reed Avenue. This home is one of the historical homes in Reedley, California. When my creator used to hang out there as a teenager it was owned by the Bergtholds and I think she said that it still is. On the outside at least it has changed very little through the years though it’s most recent color is now yellow. She loved this house and that is why she chose it for me. The biggest difference between it and mine is that I have a big backyard that slopes down to the Kings River-a backyard I seldom spend time in after the first book.
The history of the real home is that it was built in 1904 by Daniel T. Eymann for his son, August Eymann and his family. It was designed by architect C.B. Shaw. The labor to build this wonderful home was said to only have been $1000. Wow wish I could build a home for that now. The bay window protruding under the porch roof was unusual for this period. That front porch is one of my favorite parts of the house.
My favorite rooms are the kitchen, where we often congregate to discuss a murder case, and the library that holds the big black baby grand piano that belonged to my Grandpa Walters. My PI boyfriend, Stephen Carlucci, often plays this piano-the songs depending on his mood. He was attending Julliard when his brother was murdered by the Mafia-he never returned to school.
Here is an excerpt from my next adventure-THE FINAL NOTE-where I find Stephen in the library:
As I hung up, I heard the distant sounds of music coming from the library. I made my way through my office into the library, but I already knew who was playing. The sad serious sounds of a beautiful classical song also told me Stephen’s mood. Ever since I’d met him, he’d played songs that fit his mood—it was the easiest way to read him since his eyes often gave little away. He had been at Julliard when he learned of his brother’s death and his father’s occupation. He had never returned.
I sat in the window seat and closed my eyes while allowing the sadness in the music to wash over me. My grandfather Walters had purchased this piano with hard-earned money from working in the fields of the San Joaquin Valley of California. The Valley I found myself longing to escape. He had dreamed of becoming a concert pianist but it was a dream he abandoned to support his family.
Well that’s it for this time around folks; hope you enjoyed learning about my home. I need to get back to solving the latest murder in The Final Note, but I’ll check back soon. In the meantime, you can enjoy the NoName Café book reviews and author interviews on the website, and enjoy the Café in the other books in the series. www.LorieHam.com
Happy reading and good coffee,
Alexandra Walters, gospel singer and amateur sleuth
This time I am going to tell you about the home where my daughter Jessica and I live on Reed Avenue in Donlyn. It is a big, white, old two-story home with a wrap around front porch. It is also one of the only good things I got from my marriage to my ex husband Mike, except for Jessica of course. On the porch is a swing on which I have spent many hours contemplating life. When you go inside there is an entryway, a large living room, and a library. In the back of the house is a medium sized kitchen that holds my Grandma Walters big oak table, around which much crime solving has taken place-along with a lot of Pepsi and coffee drinking. Next to that are my bedroom and then a bathroom that connects through to my office.
Upstairs there are more bedrooms than I remember-each one being rented out by one of my lovely tenants-this is how we pay rent around here since I’m just a struggling gospel singer who constantly stumbles upon murder here in quiet little Donlyn, California. Among my many tenants is Joel the struggling actor/waiter, Emilio the musician, Miriam Emilio’s sister (whose occupation I cannot recall but I know she dates a hunk of a cop at one point), Cassandra Gable my live in babysitter/waitress/college student whom I’ve known since Kindergarten, and my dear Dorian who works at the local youth center and drinks more coffee than is humanly possible. Above the garage is a small apartment where mystery writer/college English teacher Hunter Edgington lives-he bares a strong resemblance to Clark Gable.
I have to admit that as the series goes on Joel and Emilio are always gone somewhere, and Miriam seems to have disappeared all together. Perhaps they got tired of all the murder that seems to follow me around.
The real life counterpart to my home is on the very same street, Reed Avenue. This home is one of the historical homes in Reedley, California. When my creator used to hang out there as a teenager it was owned by the Bergtholds and I think she said that it still is. On the outside at least it has changed very little through the years though it’s most recent color is now yellow. She loved this house and that is why she chose it for me. The biggest difference between it and mine is that I have a big backyard that slopes down to the Kings River-a backyard I seldom spend time in after the first book.
The history of the real home is that it was built in 1904 by Daniel T. Eymann for his son, August Eymann and his family. It was designed by architect C.B. Shaw. The labor to build this wonderful home was said to only have been $1000. Wow wish I could build a home for that now. The bay window protruding under the porch roof was unusual for this period. That front porch is one of my favorite parts of the house.
My favorite rooms are the kitchen, where we often congregate to discuss a murder case, and the library that holds the big black baby grand piano that belonged to my Grandpa Walters. My PI boyfriend, Stephen Carlucci, often plays this piano-the songs depending on his mood. He was attending Julliard when his brother was murdered by the Mafia-he never returned to school.
Here is an excerpt from my next adventure-THE FINAL NOTE-where I find Stephen in the library:
As I hung up, I heard the distant sounds of music coming from the library. I made my way through my office into the library, but I already knew who was playing. The sad serious sounds of a beautiful classical song also told me Stephen’s mood. Ever since I’d met him, he’d played songs that fit his mood—it was the easiest way to read him since his eyes often gave little away. He had been at Julliard when he learned of his brother’s death and his father’s occupation. He had never returned.
I sat in the window seat and closed my eyes while allowing the sadness in the music to wash over me. My grandfather Walters had purchased this piano with hard-earned money from working in the fields of the San Joaquin Valley of California. The Valley I found myself longing to escape. He had dreamed of becoming a concert pianist but it was a dream he abandoned to support his family.
Well that’s it for this time around folks; hope you enjoyed learning about my home. I need to get back to solving the latest murder in The Final Note, but I’ll check back soon. In the meantime, you can enjoy the NoName Café book reviews and author interviews on the website, and enjoy the Café in the other books in the series. www.LorieHam.com
Happy reading and good coffee,
Alexandra Walters, gospel singer and amateur sleuth
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
My Best Friend
Hello mystery and coffee lovers. My name is Alexandra Walters and I am the creation of mystery author Lorie Ham. Here I am again to share with you a little more about myself and the little town of Donlyn where I live.
My best friend is Stephen Carlucci, but he was around long before I was ever created. Stephen was created when Lorie was a teenager as part of some of her first attempts at writing a mystery novel. His first name came from actor Stephen Nichols of Days of Our Lives, one of her favorite shows and her favorite character-Patch. His last name came from a street sign. From the beginning, Stephen was created as a Private Investigator and most of his character was formed over those first few years-his love for Opera, his half Italian/half Spanish heritage, his dislike for his Mafia father, ability to play the piano, and his love for beautiful cars and Italian suits.
Among his first stories was one involving the murder of a hockey player-Lorie can’t remember the rest of them but none of them was ever finished. During those same years, she and her brother Christopher Lewis began writing and putting on their own mystery parties for their friends (you can actually find some photos on Facebook). Stephen and some of his ancestors found their way into the mystery parties and were always played by their friend Don Reimer-quite a handsome young man from what I hear. His portrayal at these parties helped my friend Stephen continue to grow and change.
In 2000, Stephen finally made his way into a book that was published-my first book Murder In Four Part Harmony. We met for the first time at the Classic Theater in Donlyn-we literally ran into each other and sent popcorn flying everywhere. While he never made it in a book of his own, he has continued to be an important part of my series and he has continued to grow and change. He was also a key player in Lorie’s stand-alone mystery Deadly Discrimination, as Pastor Mike Raffles best friend. If there’s one thing Stephen knows it’s how to be a friend-he’s never failed me once. Sadly, he wanted more from me than just friendship, which caused some tension after the introduction into the series of Sergeant of Detectives William Knight in The Trouble With Tenors-to see how that all came out be sure and read The Final Note due out this winter. I finally have to choose between.
Throughout all of these books you learn more about Stephen-like how he plays songs on the piano to suit his moods, how he dropped out of Julliard after his brother was killed in a mob hit, his allergy to cats, he makes his real money from stud fees on a beautiful black stallion, his aversion to religion because of his family, and more.
If I had to describe my friend I’d use words like loyal, handsome, funny, charming, a smile that would melt any girls heart, blond hair, intense gray eyes, Italian suits, OrangeUp, Opera, always driving a different car, and the most wonderful guy you could ever meet. If you’d like to get to know him better, you can read Lorie’s books and you can get a sneak peak by checking out a short story featuring he and I on her website http://www.lorieham.com/
Here is a taste of Stephen’s first appearance in this series-
Stephen sat on the couch with Jess on his lap. His blond hair fell over his eyes as he leaned forward to listen to Jess' excited chatter. The incredible gray eyes that had first attracted me were hidden from my view. His build was similar to Jerry's, tall and slender. Just like my dream hunk, Pierce Brosnan. I’d never tell Stephen, but I intended to buy the Pierce Brosnan calendar I'd seen in a catalog. He'd think it childish but so what? I was entitled, I sacrificed most of my childhood to life on the road.
He'd been home long enough before I called to change from his normal work clothes, a fine Italian suit, to Levi's and a black Los Angeles Kings T-shirt. Two more things that had attracted me to him; I loved men in quality suits, and hockey was the only sport I got excited about. Though of late the Kings hadn't been very exciting.
Well that’s it for this time around folks; hope you enjoyed getting to know my best friend. I need to get back to solving the latest murder in The Final Note, but I’ll check back soon. In the meantime, you can enjoy the NoName Café book reviews and author interviews on the website, and enjoy the Café in the other books in the series. www.LorieHam.com
Happy reading and good coffee,
Alexandra Walters, gospel singer and amateur sleuth
My best friend is Stephen Carlucci, but he was around long before I was ever created. Stephen was created when Lorie was a teenager as part of some of her first attempts at writing a mystery novel. His first name came from actor Stephen Nichols of Days of Our Lives, one of her favorite shows and her favorite character-Patch. His last name came from a street sign. From the beginning, Stephen was created as a Private Investigator and most of his character was formed over those first few years-his love for Opera, his half Italian/half Spanish heritage, his dislike for his Mafia father, ability to play the piano, and his love for beautiful cars and Italian suits.
Among his first stories was one involving the murder of a hockey player-Lorie can’t remember the rest of them but none of them was ever finished. During those same years, she and her brother Christopher Lewis began writing and putting on their own mystery parties for their friends (you can actually find some photos on Facebook). Stephen and some of his ancestors found their way into the mystery parties and were always played by their friend Don Reimer-quite a handsome young man from what I hear. His portrayal at these parties helped my friend Stephen continue to grow and change.
In 2000, Stephen finally made his way into a book that was published-my first book Murder In Four Part Harmony. We met for the first time at the Classic Theater in Donlyn-we literally ran into each other and sent popcorn flying everywhere. While he never made it in a book of his own, he has continued to be an important part of my series and he has continued to grow and change. He was also a key player in Lorie’s stand-alone mystery Deadly Discrimination, as Pastor Mike Raffles best friend. If there’s one thing Stephen knows it’s how to be a friend-he’s never failed me once. Sadly, he wanted more from me than just friendship, which caused some tension after the introduction into the series of Sergeant of Detectives William Knight in The Trouble With Tenors-to see how that all came out be sure and read The Final Note due out this winter. I finally have to choose between.
Throughout all of these books you learn more about Stephen-like how he plays songs on the piano to suit his moods, how he dropped out of Julliard after his brother was killed in a mob hit, his allergy to cats, he makes his real money from stud fees on a beautiful black stallion, his aversion to religion because of his family, and more.
If I had to describe my friend I’d use words like loyal, handsome, funny, charming, a smile that would melt any girls heart, blond hair, intense gray eyes, Italian suits, OrangeUp, Opera, always driving a different car, and the most wonderful guy you could ever meet. If you’d like to get to know him better, you can read Lorie’s books and you can get a sneak peak by checking out a short story featuring he and I on her website http://www.lorieham.com/
Here is a taste of Stephen’s first appearance in this series-
Stephen sat on the couch with Jess on his lap. His blond hair fell over his eyes as he leaned forward to listen to Jess' excited chatter. The incredible gray eyes that had first attracted me were hidden from my view. His build was similar to Jerry's, tall and slender. Just like my dream hunk, Pierce Brosnan. I’d never tell Stephen, but I intended to buy the Pierce Brosnan calendar I'd seen in a catalog. He'd think it childish but so what? I was entitled, I sacrificed most of my childhood to life on the road.
He'd been home long enough before I called to change from his normal work clothes, a fine Italian suit, to Levi's and a black Los Angeles Kings T-shirt. Two more things that had attracted me to him; I loved men in quality suits, and hockey was the only sport I got excited about. Though of late the Kings hadn't been very exciting.
Well that’s it for this time around folks; hope you enjoyed getting to know my best friend. I need to get back to solving the latest murder in The Final Note, but I’ll check back soon. In the meantime, you can enjoy the NoName Café book reviews and author interviews on the website, and enjoy the Café in the other books in the series. www.LorieHam.com
Happy reading and good coffee,
Alexandra Walters, gospel singer and amateur sleuth
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Hello mystery and coffee lovers. My name is Alexandra Walters and I am the creation of mystery author Lorie Ham. She thought I might enjoy sharing with you a little more about myself and the little town of Donlyn where I live. So, in the spirit of good coffee why don’t we start with the NoName Café, the place where everyone in Donlyn ends up at some point during the day.
The Café first showed up in Murder In Four-Part Harmony. We needed a place to hang out and solve murders while being nourished, and a coffee shop of some sort seemed ideal, especially with Donlyn being a small town. It was decided that the best place for it would be downtown. The NoName was modeled after a combination of a diner/coffee shop that used to be in downtown Reedley, California (the town Donlyn was modeled after) called Maureen’s, and the Diner in the Andy Griffith Show. It has a nice homey fifties diner sort of feel to it. Something that has seldom been mentioned in following books is that connected to the Café was a little bookstore. Not sure if Lorie just forgot about it, or decided it wasn’t relevant to any of the other stories.
The Café’s name came about in a very odd way. While writing the first draft of Murder Lorie didn’t want to take the time to name the coffee shop, so just typed No Name Café. Well the name stuck and went on to not only be the place to meet in Donlyn, but has become a place online to find book reviews, author interviews and good coffee at http://www.lorieham.com/
Here is an excerpt about the NoName from the new book, The Final Note, coming in October of 2009:
The NoName Café was the place to go in downtown Donlyn. Not only did you find good food and a pleasant atmosphere, but at some point during the day almost everyone passed through the NoName. Early morning you’d find the local farmers, mid-morning local businessmen taking a coffee break, and lunchtime you often found the housewives enjoying lunch out before the kids got home from school. In the afternoon, the school kids would come by for the best milkshake and fries in town, and at dinner you could see almost anyone. So where better to hear what was happening in town?
Red haired waitress Missy Callahan is the face of the NoName, always there to scurry up and serve myself and anyone else who walks through the door. She is also a fountain of information about everything and everyone in Donlyn. Not that long ago her life was changed with the arrival of a baby boy named George.
While NoName serves standard diner food, it also has a drink created by my boyfriend, private investigator Stephen Carlucci. The drink is called OrangeUp and is a combination of orange juice and 7Up. As far as I know, Donlyn is the only place in the world that serves this drink.
If you want to go to the NoName Café you have to content yourself with going there in the books and online, as you can no longer find it’s counterpart in downtown Reedley, but you can find numerous small town café’s and diners that come close such as the Main Street Café on G Street (Main Street), or the Pub. You can also find other familiar Donlyn haunts like Valentino’s Italian Restaurant (which actually exists not only in Donlyn but in Reedley as well) on G Street. Just off G Street, you can find the Reedley Opera House, which was the inspiration for Donlyn’s Moonlight Café.
Well that’s it for this time around folks, hope you enjoyed the inside info. I need to get back to solving the latest murder in The Final Note, but I’ll check back soon. In the meantime, you can enjoy the NoName Café book reviews and author interviews on the website, and enjoy the Café in the other books in the series.
Oh yes, one more thing, check back soon, Lorie said she’s going to try and put up a few picks of the inspirations for some of these places.
Happy reading and good coffee,
Alexandra Walters, gospel singer and amateur sleuth
The Café first showed up in Murder In Four-Part Harmony. We needed a place to hang out and solve murders while being nourished, and a coffee shop of some sort seemed ideal, especially with Donlyn being a small town. It was decided that the best place for it would be downtown. The NoName was modeled after a combination of a diner/coffee shop that used to be in downtown Reedley, California (the town Donlyn was modeled after) called Maureen’s, and the Diner in the Andy Griffith Show. It has a nice homey fifties diner sort of feel to it. Something that has seldom been mentioned in following books is that connected to the Café was a little bookstore. Not sure if Lorie just forgot about it, or decided it wasn’t relevant to any of the other stories.
The Café’s name came about in a very odd way. While writing the first draft of Murder Lorie didn’t want to take the time to name the coffee shop, so just typed No Name Café. Well the name stuck and went on to not only be the place to meet in Donlyn, but has become a place online to find book reviews, author interviews and good coffee at http://www.lorieham.com/
Here is an excerpt about the NoName from the new book, The Final Note, coming in October of 2009:
The NoName Café was the place to go in downtown Donlyn. Not only did you find good food and a pleasant atmosphere, but at some point during the day almost everyone passed through the NoName. Early morning you’d find the local farmers, mid-morning local businessmen taking a coffee break, and lunchtime you often found the housewives enjoying lunch out before the kids got home from school. In the afternoon, the school kids would come by for the best milkshake and fries in town, and at dinner you could see almost anyone. So where better to hear what was happening in town?
Red haired waitress Missy Callahan is the face of the NoName, always there to scurry up and serve myself and anyone else who walks through the door. She is also a fountain of information about everything and everyone in Donlyn. Not that long ago her life was changed with the arrival of a baby boy named George.
While NoName serves standard diner food, it also has a drink created by my boyfriend, private investigator Stephen Carlucci. The drink is called OrangeUp and is a combination of orange juice and 7Up. As far as I know, Donlyn is the only place in the world that serves this drink.
If you want to go to the NoName Café you have to content yourself with going there in the books and online, as you can no longer find it’s counterpart in downtown Reedley, but you can find numerous small town café’s and diners that come close such as the Main Street Café on G Street (Main Street), or the Pub. You can also find other familiar Donlyn haunts like Valentino’s Italian Restaurant (which actually exists not only in Donlyn but in Reedley as well) on G Street. Just off G Street, you can find the Reedley Opera House, which was the inspiration for Donlyn’s Moonlight Café.
Well that’s it for this time around folks, hope you enjoyed the inside info. I need to get back to solving the latest murder in The Final Note, but I’ll check back soon. In the meantime, you can enjoy the NoName Café book reviews and author interviews on the website, and enjoy the Café in the other books in the series.
Oh yes, one more thing, check back soon, Lorie said she’s going to try and put up a few picks of the inspirations for some of these places.
Happy reading and good coffee,
Alexandra Walters, gospel singer and amateur sleuth
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