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Duffy Brown
loves anything with a mystery. While others girls dreamed of dating Brad Pitt,
Duffy longed to take Sherlock Holmes to the prom.
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| Spooky |
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| Dr. Watson |
She has two cats, Spooky and
Dr. Watson, and conjures up who-done-it stories of her very own for Berkley
Prime Crime. Iced Chiffon, out
October, 2012, is the first in the Consignment
Shop Mystery series. Duffy writes romance as Dianne Castell and is a USA
Today bestselling author.
And Now, Here's What Duffy has to say about her Consignment Shop Inspiration:
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Consignment
shopping is the fun of wearing designer clothes on the cheap. I could never
afford a Coach handbag or an Armani jacket but I do love the expensive look and
great quality. Most of all I love bragging to my friends how much I paid! The
conversation goes something like, “Oh, isn’t that a great Kate Spade purse.”
And my reply is, “I got it at the Snooty Fox for forty bucks!” instead of the
usual three-hundred and fifty!
For years I
shopped consignment stores then decided I needed to work at the Snooty Fox
since I was there all the time looking for deals. My kids were some of the best-dressed
on campus and I did it for K-Mart prices.
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Don’t you love the
name Snooty Fox! The Snoot is an upscale consignment shop. How many times have
you bought something, wore it once, decided it wasn’t your color or didn’t fit
the way you liked and you were stuck with it? Well, that’s where the Snooty Fox
comes in. You can sell your green plaid jacket that you just had to have but
then decided you hated at the Snoot. There is a customer out there who will
love that jacket and pay you good money for it.
How this works is
that you open an account and hand over your clothes. The Snoot chooses which
clothes they will take...it’s called Snooty for a reason, we only take the good
stuff. The clothes must be cleaned, pressed, on a hanger, gently worn, in very
good condition, and within a two-year style period. The price is a third to a
fourth of retail and you get half of that when the item sells. Not a bad deal
for something hanging in the back of your closet that you’re never going to
wear again!
Consignment
shopping is a lot like solving a mystery. It’s all about the hunt for the
perfect scarf, skirt or shoes. I think that’s why the Consignment Shop
mysteries seemed like a perfect fit. The hunt is on!
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I’m always amazed
at where someone’s hobby or special interest leads them. I have a friend who
loves to paint and is now doing murals on nursery room walls. Another friend
loves to dance, took lessons and met her future husband at an Arthur Murray
studio.
So what about you and your hobbies or special interests? Did
you meet a best friend? Your mate? Visit a new place? Get an award for
perfecting your hobby or even teach a class on it?
Hobbies enriched
our lives and often take us to places we never expected...like a murder mystery
series. Who would have thought.
I’ll give away two Iced Chiffon totes from the answers. Please leave your email address so you can be contacted.
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About Iced Chiffon:
To pay for rehabbing the dilapidated Victorian house she loves, Reagan
Summerside opens the Prissy Fox consignment shop on the first floor and gets
involved in the lives of her Savannah customers, neighbors, ex husband and the
attorney who screwed her over in the divorce.
Murder and mayhem at the consignment shop for the ex, his Cupcake and
the badass attorney
Amazon Link: http://amzn.com/0425251608
Barnes and Noble:
Happy Reading.
Duffy Brown
Berkley Prime Crime
Mystery and Mayhem for Fun and Profit
Welcome to Spunky Senior Authors and Talents, Duffy. I also love shopping at consignment shops. I also love browsing at garage and rummage sales to find items not available any more at stores.
ReplyDeleteMorgan Mandel
http://www.morganmandel.com
Hi all!
ReplyDeleteWonderful being at Spunky Seniors. I love this blog and being a true spunky senior. Not only do I work at the Snoot...I'm there tonight three till close...I love to hike.
Last year did Zion National Park, the year before hiked Glacier NP and the year before that did a week of whitewater rafting though the Grand Canyon. Now there's a trip. Any of you done amazing bucket-list trips? I'm always looking for new places to visit. And hiking is so cheap...you just put one foot in front of the other and you're off!
I love consignment shopping and will check out the Snooty Fox next time I'm in Savannah! My wardrobe got WAY better once I discovered this fun way to shop. And trust me, clothes shopping had never been fun before. Fairly near to Savannah, there are several great consignment opportunities in Hilton Head and in Charleston, SC.
ReplyDeleteLove the new series! Love getting something great for a bargain price...for me its purses! And you inspired me to do the Grand Canyon last year! My bucket list includes sn Alaskan cruise and writing a bestseller and climbing Masada in Israel. You are my hero.
ReplyDeleteOh, Deborah, we get such wonderful deals on purses. I bought a Gucci for 100 bucks that was 600 on the shelf. Love that purse. Always makes me feel special just carrying it around.
DeleteWell Duffy, I've been consignment shopping WITH you, so of course I adore it, and I write the Vintage Magic Mysteries, so anything I buy is for research. Yeah, that's what I tell myself. I NEED it. :) Great idea for a blog btw. Kudos.
ReplyDeleteHi, Cindy!!
ReplyDeleteGreat hearing from you.
Unfortunately The Snooty Fox is in Cincinnati with me, I set my Consignment Shop mysteries in Savannah as I love Savannah!
My daughter went to school there and I feel in love with the city. Visit all the time and if my kids didn't live in Cincy I'd be in Savannah.
I very seldom go to the malls. Shoes is about it. If it wasn't for shopping at the Snooty Fox I'd be naked! LOL
Oh wonderful!!! I thought it was in Savannah and now learn it's in Cincinnati....my hubby and I have been planning a trip (for three years) to go to Ohio to see some special friends....and she lives close to Cincy...I can't WAIT to go check out the Snooty Fox.
DeleteOh, and I'm celebrating the release TODAY of my newest Anthology, SISTERS OF SPIRIT, because there's some vintage shopping in MY novella. Isn't there always?
ReplyDeleteOh, Annette, you are so funny. That's how I justify my shopping too...research. How can I write about the fun of a consignment shop if I don't back it up with the wardrobe. LOL
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely love your Vintage Magic Mysteries. You get the best covers ever and your magic stores are so much fun. See you at Malice.
Oh, Bucket Lists, I just got home from Rio de Janeiro where we went for Christmas and New Year's to meet our new daughter-in-law's family. Tick that one off the bucket list. Silly bucket list item, though: I want to learn to play the piano. How daring is that?
ReplyDeleteOh, Annette, what a wonderful trip...and it's summer there, an extra bonus.
DeleteBuy that piano! Learn to play. Bet you can set a mystery around it. LOL
Congrats on the new release, Annette. I'm off to B&N right now to pick it up with my Christmas gift card. Can't wait to read it.
ReplyDeleteI love the name of the shop and think it's a great place to put a mystery series.
ReplyDeleteReagan opened the shop to pay for rehabbing the old Victoria the shop is in.
DeleteHer auntie KiKi lives next door. Reagan has to prove her ex innocent of murder or he'll sell her house to pay is attorney bills.
An absolutely wonderful idea for a mystery series!
ReplyDeleteI work at the Snooty Fox here in Cincy for fifteen years. They say write what you know. I figured consignment shopping was more interesting than changing cat litter. LOL
DeleteBook two is Killer in Crinolines. It's out in May.
ReplyDeleteFacedown in five-tiers of icing and fondant a dead groom leads to wedding chaos for Reagan, her BFF and the hotshot attorney.
My hobby (among many) is rubber stamping and making home made cards. I have made countless friends because of this wonderful craft. I have also traveled to many different cities that I may otherwise not have visited because of rubber stamping or a get together. I used to teach classes and workshops on making cards but now I just share and enjoy!! I don't mind teaching a newbie that is just starting out or sharing ideas but for the most part, I just want to send cards and maybe make someone's day a little brighter.
ReplyDeleteIt can be an expensive hobby, what hobby isn't, but it's also a hobby that allows you to bless others along the way.
I like to crochet, read, walk and many other things but card making just blesses me so much and in turn...hopefully blesses others.
Pawsnstamp@crestviewcable.com
Hi, Char.
DeleteI love the home mede cards. I have a collection of ones people have sent to me. They are so special and took someone a long time and a lot of effort to make them personal.
That your passion has taken you to many places and made lots of friends is wonderful. I feel the same way about writing. Have me so many people along the way.
You are one busy gal, a true spunky senior. :-) Thanks for chatting.
Hi, ladies.
ReplyDeleteCindy
Char
Liz
Jacquelin
If you ladies would like an Iced Chiffon tote email DuffyBrown@DuffyBrown.com and I'll send you one. Thanks tons for chatting. Hugs, Duffy
This sounds like a fabulous book. I love how you combined what you know with a genre that lends itself to mysteries in strange places.
ReplyDeleteMy hobby is reading, so I became part of the blogging craze. It's been fun getting to know authors I might not of heard of otherwise.
Wishing you the best,
Cheryl
Hi Duffy, what a great idea for a mystery series. I'm new to it. After I lost a lot of weight I sent all my gently used clothes bought when I attended several Romantic Times Conferences after my first sales, to a local shop. Not consignment, but one in town with profits used to benefit abused women. They were so happy to get them and I was happy to know they would help someone out. Enjoyed your post here on Spunky Seniors.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy browsing and shopping consignment stores, but I've found that when I take things in, I don't sell much. Last time I picked up the stuff that didn't sell, I found two things stained, two torn, and two that "walked away" (and the store owner told me that if they turned up, she'd call me.) The things that sold were the jewelry (also, one walked away) and the Missoni for Target tote bags that I was afraid to use because of the tags on them that said they contained lead. LOL! I suppose this tells you that I have really bad taste. The clothes that were ugly on me were ugly on everyone! It wasn't just that I am built like a beach ball with arms and legs and a little round head up top. (That is a tough shape to dress.)
ReplyDeleteBut I do enjoy looking around the shops. You sometimes find a treasure in someone else's "trash."