Everyone holds in their heart a mixture of memories from their youngest years. Some are joyous. Others bittersweet. Hopefully, only a few of yours will be truly sad or disturbing. I have to say that little about my own childhood was extraordinary. If we traveled as a family—my parents, brother, sister, and I—it was by car. We never flew to exotic locations. I never got to Disneyworld, no matter how fervently I begged. But one destination made me happier to visit than anywhere else.
You see, my grandparents had a very small family farm in Vermont. It was here that my father grew up among cows, chickens, a few pigs—and all the work of providing for these animals and the collection of their milk, eggs and (poor piggies) meat for sale.
Farms of any kind require land. Lots and lots of land. For the animals to graze on, to grow food for them and for the people who live there. This strange and wonderful world with so much space and so many interesting inhabitants fascinated me as a child. It was very different from living in the boxy little three-bedroom rancher in a working-class neighborhood, set on a mere quarter of an acre plot.
On Grandpa’s farm I could run, run, run through fields or dash down the street to a little shop for penny candy or a comic book. I could collect eggs right out from under a real chicken. Or watch piglets wallow in muck and laugh at the silly squealing things when I tried to pick one up. I sometimes followed my father down the hill in the early morning light, to the creak with a simple bamboo pole to fish for brook trout. A treat to fry up with fresh eggs for breakfast. Everything was an adventure when we visited each summer during haying time (so that my father could help with the hot, hard work). Or during the winter holidays when snow drifts reached halfway up the windows. If we were good and didn’t get into too much mischief, Grandma boiled up maple sap and dribbled the hot syrup over dishes of fresh snow, turning it into sweet golden taffy strings.
I’ve often looked back on those halcyon days, wishing I could revisit them. But as adults, we all know that’s impossible. Our childhood—good or bad—is behind us. We can only move forward in life to our next adventure.
However, as a writer I am lucky. I can write myself and my characters into a scene anywhere in the world. I think it was only a matter of time before it struck me that putting a farm in my stories was inevitable. And so…my grandparents’ farm became the inspiration for my new series, The Haunted Farmhouse Mysteries.
I hope you will have a chance to check out the first book, *The Death of a Maven,* which debuted November 18. These books are intended to be, above all, fun. Perhaps a little antidote to the serious challenges of our everyday lives. You may recognize people you know, or would like to know, in the characters. And if you enjoy ghost stories, I’ve included a little something special for you. Amateur sleuth Verity Cade and her friends in Evansfield, Vermont are waiting for you to join them as they investigate the first of a series of baffling murders.
Enjoy!
Kathryn Johnson
Want to know more about The Death of a Maven?
From best-selling author Kathryn Johnson, a new fast-paced mystery series with a paranormal twist and a heroine as lovable as she is brave.
On the anniversary of her husband’s death, all Verity Cade wants is a quiet night in with her besties. The next morning, she’s shocked when the body of one of their group is discovered at the bottom of an abandoned quarry. Although the sheriff rules it a suicide, Verity is sure her friend couldn’t have killed herself.
Determined to uncover the truth and give the grieving family closure, she scours the victim’s journals and discovers a web of lies and secrets. Meanwhile, her struggling Vermont farm has a new complication: two ghosts-former owners from two centuries ago-who can’t pass on.
With help from her living and not-so-living friends, Verity must solve a murder no one else believes happened…before the killer strikes again.
Meet Kathryn Johnson:
Kathryn Johnson (aka Mary Hart Perry/Nicole Davidson) has authored over 40 thrilling mystery, suspense, and historical novels for adults and young readers. Her books have been nominated for the prestigious Agatha Award and won the Heart of Excellence and Bookseller’s Best Awards presented by the American Library Association.
Kathryn loves teaching the craft of fiction writing at The Writer’s Center (https://writer.org ), in the Washington, DC area, as well as throughout the world via live workshops on Zoom. She has developed seminars for and spoken at the Smithsonian Institute, Library of Congress, Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers and many regional writers’ conferences.
As the founder of a writer’s coaching and editorial service, https://KathrynJohnsonLLC.com , Kathryn is bursting with pride for her amazing author clients as they pursue their own publishing careers. Her nonfiction book, The Extreme Novelist is based on her popular 8-week course for fiction writers. https://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Novelist-No-Time-Write-Drafting/dp/0692420835/
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