Health & Fitness
Rosemary Harris - Master Gardener and Mystery Writer
An intimate evening with author Rosemary Harris proves to be a fun way to learn about the mystery genre.
The Henry Carter Hull Library has a number of adult programs throughout the year, many of these events include visits and discussions by various authors. On Tuesday, June 14, 2011, I had the opportunity to be a part of an intimate discussion with mystery writer, Rosemary Harris.
I normally do not read mystery novels, but about a year ago I saw "Pushing Up Daisies" on the library's NPR shelf. What intrigued me about the book flap and the author was that it was a mystery series involving a gardener, and a mystery sleuth. The author was also from Connecticut, and she was a master gardener. That sold me right then and there. I knew I had to read this debut mystery novel. You can read more about the book review in a 2010 Fun and Flora blog post.
Each of her books within her dirty mystery series offers a little gardening with a twist of "cozy mystery." From garden restoration and unearthing mummified remains to a corpse flower and murder, and the deadheading of flowers, that bring new life to plants as well as a mystery woman living among her friends and family.
There was about ten library patrons in attendance during the author's discussion. What we found was that Rosemary Harris is extremely articulate, incredibly knowledgeable about the mystery genre, and very funny. Her husband Bruce was also in attendance to provide us some interesting tid-bits about Rosemary's life as an author and a resident of Stamford, Connecticut.
One of the locations that appears as a setting in her books is called the Paradise Diner. We all had wondered if this diner really existed and we discovered that a diner like it actually does in Stamford, Connecticut called the Lakeside Diner. It is an eclectic breakfast/brunch establishment with interesting customers, and killer donuts.
Rosemary Harris does an amazing job of developing her eccentric characters. One of her fans' favorite characters is "Babe" the owner of the Paradise Diner. We learned that she developed this character through an interaction with an interesting someone during a Habitat for Humanity build. In the end, Harris had done her job when women readers want to be her and men readers want to date her character.
Her latest Dirty Mystery novel is called "Slugfest" and sleuth Paula Holliday is a part of a garden show at the Javits Center in New York City. She agrees to help an artist friend with his exhibits at the show, and then becomes entrenched in a murder case where she holds the clue to the murder. I look forward to reading about her secondary characters from New York City.
Along with Harris' commitment to mystery writing, she is also a supporter of Habitat for Humanity throughout the world. Rosemary and her husband Bruce have completed Habitat builds in China, Tanzania, El Salvador, Mexico, and post-Katrina New Orleans. Their love of Habitat for Humanity inspired them to build a library in central Tanzania. To learn more about the library please visit the Chalula Library Page on her website.
