The Big Bang

 by Charlotte Hinger

And a grand time it was too. The whole Hinger clan met in Beaufort North Carolina for a 4th of July celebration. We hope to establish a tradition similar to our beloved Phez Phest which took place in Hoxie Kansas every fall. 

Of course the Coast House event is minus the bird dogs and the hordes of friends who came from all over lugging musical instruments. But we got off to a wonderful start. Our host, Cheryl Flink and Jim Vetricek have a terrific four story house with five bedrooms and four bathrooms. It's right on a private beach that fronts a waterway that leads to the Atlantic ocean. 

Cheryl Flink and Jim Vetricek

The meals were wonderful. Harry and Michele Crockett are first class white water people who organize week long rafting trips both small and large. They divided everyone into meal teams who were responsible for the evening meal. 

Michele surprised everyone with these matching T shirts. 

Happy rest of the year to everyone. 

Happy 4th of July!

Today is Independence Day in the U.S. A time for eating, barbecues and fireworks.

I’m not a huge fireworks fan. I’ve seen my share of displays and found them nice, but I’m not one to buy any or make an extra effort to go to see a display. The city I live in does its fireworks display in early December, but some neighboring cities have theirs on the 4th or near the 4th. This year some of them took place on July 1st.

While I’m not a huge fan, I can see tons of possibilities for mysteries surrounding the holiday. The noise could cover up a dastardly deed. Or someone could have an “accident” while setting them off. A television show I watched recently (can’t remember which one, but it may have been Elementary) had someone setting off fireworks as a distraction for a crime. They caught her because she’d injured herself and went to a local hospital for treatment.

I did an author panel last weekend at the Memorial Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library where one of the things we discussed was where writers get their ideas. I mentioned that the idea for Paint the Town Dead came from attending a painting convention and wondering what would happen if someone collapsed during class and died. The subject of fireworks didn’t come up, but it’s a similar thing. The average person sees the event, but a writer wonders what would happen if...

Here are a few photos of the event:

Anne Louise-Bannon, me, Diane Vallere, Jill Amadio, Connie Archer

For your enjoyment, here’s a list of cozy mysteries with a Fourth of July theme. https://www.cozy-mystery.com/fourth-of-july-mystery-books-list.html

For those of you who celebrate the 4th, enjoy your holiday!