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
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