Funny as I was wondering before what to post about and now I have a bunch to schedule. Well, that's good, and yes, more minis to come!
Up first - I'm reading an ARC (advance reader's copy) of a new mystery collection, The Skeleton Rides a Horse and Other Stories by Toni L.P. Kelner, that I think will interest everyone here for several reasons.
First, not only is the main story in the title involve two faves - a Skeleton (ya know I like Halloween!) and a mystery - but the author has a mini version that is her companion, let's say, on a lot of her book-related excursions!
(* Get the paperback on Amazon. Publisher Crippen & Landru also has a wide array of excellent short story collections.)
Meet the mini-version of Sid, the main character in Toni L.P. Kelner's (also writing as Leigh Perry) delightful Family Skeleton mystery series!
And just like in the books, the mini Sid gets around, going to various conventions and the like. Here he is at Times Square in New York City! (Huh, he travels more than me! ha!)
Hey, Sid should come meet his "cousin," lounging here at my miniature Witch's Cottage!
Speaking In full disclosure (ha!), the "cousin" took up residence with his dog in my half-scale Witch's Cottage. These mini bendable Skellies are such fun little figures as they are fully jointed, yes, even the dog is! (I got my pair a while back on ebay!)
** While Toni's mini Sid does have a coffin to sleep in, he needs his own home and bed, too, don't you think? Maybe Toni will find some mini inspiration here!
About the Book:
When a beloved actor is found dead and a priceless memento goes missing, Georgia, her boyfriend, Brownie, and Sid, work to solve the crime - and have some "cowpoke" fun!
Yes, Sid, who can see and interact with Georgia, (even in pieces as hinted at on the cover!) does get to fully reassemble and fulfill one of his own past-life life-long dreams! I won't give it away, so you have to read the story!
Each story also has an afterword explaining the book connections and sometimes the reason they were written.
Fun stuff and I'm enjoying the stories so far. I'll let you know which is my favorite in an upcoming post.
For fun, I figured readers would be interested in a different twist on reading and collecting, so I asked Toni to share a bit about Sid and how he came to be:
(Photo: Sid being chewed on by the dog representing Byron from the book series, made by Dana Cameron.)
About the Main Character:
What inspired Sid?
Toni says, "honestly, I wish there were a “Eureka!” moment, but if there was, I no longer remember it. I came up with Sid and wrote the first couple of pages a solid decade before actually selling and writing the books. But as best I can remember, I was trying to sell a book which took forever to sell, so while I was waiting, I started thinking about writing something paranormal.
"But which creature should I use? Vampires? One of my best pals was Charlaine Harris, and she had those covered. Werewolves? Another pal is Dana Cameron, who was doing great stuff with hers. Witches? Ghosts? Wizards? Angels? Magical cats and ghost cats. All being done and done really well. Then some odd part of my brain said, “Hey, nobody has done an ambulatory skeleton yet!” I decided instantly that his name was Sid, and his voice and character are pretty much as I imagined them from that moment. Georgia changed a lot from the original piece, but not Sid. And everything in the series started with that."
What
is Sid’s background?
"Sid
came to life without warning when a young girl was in trouble, and came to live
with the Thackery family. Well, not live exactly, but to hang out with. I don’t
try to come up with a rational explanation, though I do have many irrational
ones. As in, “bitten by a radioactive skeleton” and “when a Mommy skeleton
loves a Daddy skeleton very much….”
"He has no memories from his pre-skeletal life. Well, other than one person who
looks familiar, whose appearance became the catalyst for A Skeleton in
the Family the first book in the series."
Start the Series:
Sid first appeared in Book 1, A Skeleton in the Family, A Family Skeleton Mystery, now a six-book series by Toni's alter-ego Leigh Perry. In Book 1, adjunct professor Georgia Thackery moves back to her childhood home to teach in Massachusetts where she also discovers Sid, a walking, talking, joke-making skeleton in her family's attic. On an outing, Sid recognizes a face from his actual past life, and Georgia vows to do whatever she can to solve his murder and dig up bones from his past.
Sid becomes Thackery's best friend, with the duo making quite a crime-solving team, which includes their latest venture solving the murder of a beloved actor from the Cowtown TV series in the short story of the same name in the title of the latest collection, The Skeleton Rides a Horse and Other Stories."
About the Author:
As Toni L.P. Kelner, she's the author of eleven novels: eight Laura Fleming mysteries set in Byerly, a small North Carolina town filled with Laura's extended family members, and three "Where are they now?" mysteries, about a freelance entertainment reporter who specializes in stories about the formerly famous. She's also the co-editor of seven urban fantasy anthologies with Charlaine Harris.
As Leigh Perry, she writes the Family Skeleton series about Georgia Thackery, an adjunct English professor, and her family's unusual family skeleton, Sid, who walks, talks, and tells bad bone jokes when not solving crimes with best-friend, Georgia.
(Photo: The author with writer/actor Eriq LaSalle (Remember the show ER?) at the Bouchercon horror convention, San Diego, CA.)
Hope you enjoyed Sid's visit. This was fun! Thanks to Toni and Sid for stopping by and letting me share your photos!
