Here Comes the Bride – and the Book!

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News Flash: Terry Buckmore is our lucky winner! Terry, please check your email, and congratulations!

Edith here, wearing my Maddie Day hat, thrilled to announce my twenty-fifth book birthday with No Grater Crime, the ninth in the Country Store Mysteries!

Robbie Jordan’s Pans ’N Pancakes boasts delicious eats and the best vintage cookware finds in South Lick, Indiana. And now, for a limited time, there’s a new special featured on the menu—murder!
 
Ever since meeting the wary owners of an antique shop opening across the street, Robbie has been scrambling to manage weird incidences plaguing her café and country store. Pricey items vanish from shelves without explanation, a fully equipped breakfast food truck starts lingering around the area each morning, and loyal diners mysteriously fall ill. When an elderly man dies after devouring an omelet packed with poisonous mushrooms, Robbie must temporarily close down Pans ’N Pancakes and search for the killer with a real zest for running her out of business—or else.  

Except … do you read any hint in there that the book ends with Robbie’s wedding? Yeah, no. I didn’t think so. It might be because my original plan was for Robbie and Abe to get married off the page after the book ended. Thank goodness Sherry read the manuscript before I sent it in. She said something like, “Cozy readers want to be invited to the wedding.” Oh!

Anyway, it was a perfect suggestion. I could do that. (Except I think I forgot to inform my editor, so nothing weddingish made its way into the official book blurb.) The manuscript was too short, as usual. I had included scenes of Robbie’s wedding planning mixed in with solving a murder, so readers already knew we were leading up to nuptials.

Last week I also realized I’d missed a great promotional opportunity by not focusing on the wedding in the lead-up to the release date. My dear friend Annette Dashofy, a brilliant yet low-key self-marketer, included a wedding at the end of ‘Til Death, her tenth Zoe Chambers mystery, which came out in June, 2020. I remember lots of fun pre-pub posts where Annette ran quizzes on what kind of wedding dress would suit Zoe, which one she would pick, and so on.

Darn! Did I do that? I did not. So I’m trying to remedy my lackluster promotional efforts right here, right now, today, on release day.

First, let’s talk dresses. Our hero, Robbie, has long been described as about 5’3″, with a small waist and hearty hips anchoring her bicyclist’s thighs. She wanted to find a dress to highlight her best attributes. What bride doesn’t want that? Aunt Adele and Robbie’s friend Lou went shopping with her.

The Indianapolis bridal shops seemed to specialize in either strapless numbers in satin with trains or overly fussy lace-trimmed gowns. I hadn’t liked a single one. We’d made a second trip to an international import shop Lou knew in Bloomington and found exactly what I wanted.

Did it look like this one from DavidsBridal.com? Not exactly, but close.

I ran my hands down the white embroidery on the scoop-necked bodice of the dress, which fit snugly but wasn’t too tight. The cap sleeves were embroidered in white, too, with tiny flowers and bells. The fine cotton of the skirt was gathered at the waist and fell to the floor, giving it a delightfully swish when I moved, and it even had pockets.

I did have a secret weapon when I was writing the wedding scenes – my son’s wedding three years ago. I loved the colors his bride Alison Russell picked. Dusty rose, deep blue, and gray are beautiful together and looked so tasteful. The outdoor venue in Potomac was perfect, with the trees behind in full leaf.

Not sure what Alison was laughing at, but I love this picture that captures part of the ceremony.

The bride and groom invited both their parents to walk them down the aisle, first Allan with his father and me, then Alison with her parents. In the book, Robbie’s Italian father Roberto and her Aunt Adele both walk her down the aisle – plus Adele’s dog, Sloopy.

I gave Robbie Alison’s blue shoes under her dress. The bride’s two attendants, Lou and Alana (oops, stole that name, too, from Alison’s maid of honor, on the right in the photo), wear blue in the book, but in whatever style they wanted – as did all the young women in Alison and Allan’s wedding party.

Alana and Lou hovered in their deep blue outfits. Alana, in an elegant sleeveless silk jumpsuit that complemented her short auburn hair, kept patting the pocket that held the ring box. Lou, wearing a square-necked simple dress that flattered her athletic figure, fussed with the flower wreath in my hair.

The wreath? That’s a little detail from my own modest wedding to Allan’s dad, many years ago.

Except I didn’t have the wreath on my head yet!

The men in the story wear rose-pink silk neckties, as did the men in Allan’s wedding party.

Edith’s boys, officiant John and groom Allan Hutchison-Maxwell

Now you have a sneak peek into the very end of the book. The rest? You’ll have to read No Grater Crime to find out what happens!

Readers: Dish on your favorite wedding memory, color, or idea. I’ll send one of you a signed copy of the new book, plus a little swag.

Published by Edith Maxwell

Agatha Award -winning author Edith Maxwell writes the historical Quaker Midwife Mysteries (Beyond the Page) and short crime fiction. As Maddie Day she writes the Dot and Amelia Mysteries, the Country Store Mysteries series, the Cozy Capers Book Group Mysteries, and the Cece Barton Mysteries (all from Kensington Publishing). She lives north of Boston in an antique house with her beau and cat Martin, where she writes, gardens, cooks, and wastes time on Facebook.

91 Thoughts

  1. My favorite little detail from my wedding was my Picasso Lilly bouquet! A friend did my flowers and wanted to surprise me with my bouquet and she delivered! It was stunning! Matched my purple shoes 🙂

  2. Congratulations on your book release. I remembered you mentioned that two of your characters got married and I was like who, I don’t recall a wedding. Glad to know we get to see Robbie’s wedding.

  3. I loved being Mother of the Groom. I wore a pink beaded gown that is so gorgeous. I was also honored to give the speech that the father gives but he was out of the picture, it was touching and a bit funny and oh so true. It also helped that the wedding party was served all you can drink champagne while having pictures taken. My son and I danced to Forever Young by Rod Stewart and every time I hear that song I remember our dance. Thank you so much for this chance. pgenest57@aol.com

    2. My favorite little detail from my wedding is the candelabra that I upcycled for the head table. I don’t consider myself very crafty. However, I really surprised myself with how nice it turned out. Our local dollar store even had candle shaped like wedding cakes that we used on the candelabra. It was so unique!

  4. Thanks so much for the shout-out, Edith! Love you, my friend! And congrats on the new release. Can’t wait to read it!

  5. I really don’t have any favorite wedding stuff to share with anyone. I avoid weddings like the (sorry) plague.

    But what I can share with everyone here today is that NO GRATER CRIME is a fantastic book that you will enjoy for all sorts of reasons. Yes there is a wedding but the mystery that Robbie finds herself immersed in is top notch as well.

    Just another great installment in the Country Store Mysteries series that shows why it is my personal favorite cozy series on the market today!

  6. Can’t wait to read it! My favorite memory from my own wedding was when a young relative told me that I looked like a princess! That was the look I was going for! 😊

  7. Beautiful photos, and I love the white dress, sweet yet simple! We were married by a notary at our town office on Halloween. Neither one of us were in costume, but that would be fun for an anniversary celebration!

  8. Today, the 24th, is my husband and my 36th wedding anniversary. My attendants wore a pale mauve color and carried lanterns with flower rings consisting of shades of purple and white flowers. We had a late afternoon wedding and it was a beautiful day until shortly before the ceremony when we had a downpour. It delayed some guests from arriving (even my parents) and the electric blinked. What an interesting day.

  9. Can’t wait to read your latest! Our friend & his blues band played our wedding reception. They were so good that all the guests danced & everyone working in the kitchen popped out to listen.

  10. Got married in the church chapel, in December, in Carmel, IN. I was waiting for my cue for My turn, finally, to walk down the short aisle. I kept on waiting, and waiting, and waiting. I broke the rule of not being seen until the ceremony, to see what was going on. Turns out the groom and best man were to enter from the outside door. It was frozen shut. I ran back to my waiting room, and then my music was being played! Time to get married.
    We will celebrate forty years this year.

  12. Big time congrats, Edith! My favorite wedding memory comes from my own, when it came time to light the unity candle. Nancy and I each lit our individual candles and brought them together to light the unity one. The problem was that the church’s air conditioning was sending a blast of cool air right down on top of the candle, snuffing the flame out before it could fully catch.
    After three or four failed attempts, the crowd started chuckling. Then, one of my brothers, who was a groomsmen, offered me his Bic lighter, which drew more good natured laughter. Well, eventually the flame took and all was well. Afterward, the priest who married us joked that he considered our persistence throughout the candle incident to be a good sign of our willingness to stick it out together. Thirty years on, I guess he was right!

  13. Congrats on the new release! Looking forward to reading. Allan and Alison’s wedding colors are gorgeous, and the laughing picture is a wonderful keepsake and a harbinger of a life of happiness ahead. I’m sure Robbie and Abe will have the same.

  14. Twenty-five books – wow! Congratulations! Unbeknownst to me, all the guys in the wedding party swapped out their tux shoes for black cowboy boots. I remember sitting outside thinking, “My mother is going to have a fit.” She didn’t though.

    1. Good for them, and for you mom for taking it in stride. My sons went to their cousin’s Wyoming wedding where everyone who owned cowboy boots wore them – even the bride!

  15. I love this series and can’t wait to read this! Congratulations! My wedding took place four days after 9/11. I had family stranded all over the country, so I was sad they were unable to make it. We had close to 400 people and as the night progressed, everybody stopped to thank us; they were glad to get out and celebrate something happy! Our reception was a positive way for people to deal with the past few days and just let go a little. Our reception didn’t end until 2am and the owner had to ask people to leave! My hubby and I will celebrate 20 years together in a few weeks and even after a crazy wedding, it was all worth it! Here’s to Robbie and Abe and many happy years together!!

  17. Congrats on your latest book, I can’t wait to read it. My own wedding was a very quick put-together event. We decided to get married and put together a church wedding in a couple of weeks. We’ve been married 37 years tomorrow, August 25th. My only tip is, don’t have oral surgery a couple of days before getting married if pain medicine makes you drowsy! Lol! I had a couple of unruly wisdom teeth cut out a couple of days before we got married and no one would let me have the pain pills because they made me fall asleep! Luckily, ibuprofen worked fine.

  18. Congratulations on the new book…can’t wait to read it! At my cousin’s wedding, when she and her groom knelt at the altar, you could see the shoe size — a big “11” — written on the bottom of the groom’s shoes, We still laugh about that 46 years later.

  19. At my daughter’s wedding,she used her great grandmother’s mason jars filled with paper flowers for decoration on all of the tables. I also crocheted the flowers in her bouquet to which she added jewels to the centers. It was a beautiful day.

  20. Congratulations on your book. I was young when I planned my wedding in September during hurricane season in New England. Luckily we had beautiful weather for our wedding.

  21. We have been married 59 years. We didn’t know until that Friday night if we could get married that Saturday (May 12). The church had something else going on but it was later. So on May 12, with my parents, his parents, my sister, his brother and the ones standing up with us, we got married. No flowers, no reception, just an 18 year old and a 21 year old Air force private.

  22. Shortly after arriving at the church the 5 year old ring bearer, my soon to be stepson, thought he would see if his head fit through the holes in the altar rail. It did going in, but got stuck coming out. Took almost 5 minutes to get him out. The next day went much better.

  23. Congrats on #25!
    I was bridesmaid in the wedding of the son of my co-worker/friend. The bride did not choose me, but miraculously I chose a mauve dress that matched the bride’s white gown, down to every pleat. We did not see each other’s dress until the big day.

  26. I have to say, my son’s wedding in Kinsale, Ireland, was just SO MUCH FUN. I think everyone should get married in Ireland to a lovely Irish girl with a huge Irish family. These people really know how to throw a party. The festivities went on until, I kid you not, 4 in the morning. At which point the band played not only the Irish national anthem (the traditional way to close out the evening) but also the U.S. anthem. It was all magical, as only Ireland can be.

  27. This is my favorite of your series. About time for the wedding! My favorite wedding memory? Our ceremony was quite elegant – not! We were just out of high school, 1969, married by the local Justice of the Peace who never turned off the TV, so Gunsmoke was our theme music, and he never asked my groom to take off his sunglasses. I am in the probably very small minority of women who never dreamed of a big wedding so it worked for me. And for us – 52 years this past June.

  28. For my brother’s second wedding they did an outdoor beach theme in their backyard. They asked everyone to wear Hawaiian style shirts and shorts and they had Caribbean themed food. It was one of the most fun and relaxed weddings I’ve ever been to. And the young kids that attended had a great time since they had activities for them.

  29. Congratulations on the Silver Anniversary Book! And, of course, many more. Thank you, Edith.

  30. Congrats on the new book!

    And Sherry is completely right. We want to be included in the wedding. We’ve invested that much in the relationship, we want to be there for the big day.

  31. Our wedding, 33 years ago, was wonderful as cousins we had not seen for awhile were able to come celebrate with us.

  32. Congratulations on your book birthday! I had an outdoor wedding & wanted a simple dress without a train, went to a local bridal shop & the sales person kept showing me fancy dresses with trains. Finally I looked at bridesmaid dresses & asked if they came in white & ivory – success! Not sure why these weren’t recommended in the first place.

  33. Congratulations on your 25th book! That’s quite an accomplishment. The last wedding I went to was beautiful. It was in Chicago and the bride and groom thought of everything. The roof top cocktail hour on a beautiful summer day in Chicago and pizza before going home was a great way to end the evening.

  34. Congrats, Edith, on #25! You are an amazing author, and an amazing woman. Can hardly wait to read of Robbie’s wedding and the whole mystery.

    We had a very small wedding, planned in 10 days, in a park gazebo. Seven in attendance including us and the minister. Oh, and the big red dog that came out of the pond and shook all over us. Wore a Gunny Sack dress (all the rage in the 70s), all the flowers were arranged by me (my bouquet, mother and mother-in-law corsages, and boutonniers, and the flower girl’s – my daughter – cornucopia of daisies). It was marvelous. Still sends shivers down my spine 46 years later.

  36. Congratulations on your 25th book Birthday! That is Awesome! Your book sounds like a great read and I love your book cover! My daughters wedding colors were Fuchsia and gray, her maid of honor and the bridesmaids were able to choose the style of their dress as long as it was a gray, they all looked so beautiful. She has been married for 17 years. Her bouquet had some fuchsia colored flowers in it and her Father daughter dance song was You are My Inspiration.

  38. Happy book birthday. We had a fall wedding. Our colors were scarlett and white. The girls had hooped dresses with off the shoulder dresses. Thank you for the opportunity.

  39. Congrats on your new release. I loved No Grater Crime.

    My favorite wedding memory is something that happened during my brother’s wedding. My nephew was 4 or 5, and my brother asked if he wanted to be the ring bearer. My nephew was so cute in his little tuxedo and shiny black shoes.

    He did excellent in practice, but during the actual wedding he walked through the door, saw all the people and froze. He finally spotted his dad at the front of the church (he was a groomsman). He took off running down the aisle (luckily the rings were tied on) and launched himself at his dad. My brother-in-law had to hold him throughout the whole ceremony (nephew actually fell asleep on his daddy’s shoulder). It was precious.

    1. I love that image, Ann! My son Allan, same as in the post, was ring bearer for his Uncle Jim when Allan was nearly five. He took the job with great solemnity, being that kind of kid, and walked up the aisle with his same age girl cousin, who had the basket of flowers.

  40. What fun! Of course, downplaying the wedding leads to a bit of suspense as obstacles arise . . . will they? won’t they? Aah . . . and yes, we do want to be invited. <3

  41. Happy release day!
    My eldest son and his wife had my then 3 year old grandson (the groom’s brother’s child) as ring bearer. They couldn’t find a tux or suit to fit him. The smallest size was still way too big. Watching that sweet child walking down the aisle trying not to trip on the excess pant leg fabric was comical and endearing.

  42. My cousins’ great grandmother made me two garters for my wedding. One to throw and one to keep!

  43. My husband forgot to pick me up from our house to go to the reception I checked our house to make sure no one was waiting there. I called the country club and spoke to my husband. He told me to drive there. When I arrived everyone applauded. Embarrassing!!

  44. Not entering. I just want to say that I absolutely LOVED this book! Thank you for the sneak peek on how you came up with the ideas for Robbie’s wedding.

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