A Home Town Setting.. by Christine Bush

 

I grew up in an artsy little town in eastern Pennsylvania, right on the Delaware River.  New Hope has been a center of theater, antiques, art galleries and delightful shops for many generations.  Tourists flock there to enjoy the Bucks County Playhouse, great restaurants, and the overall ambiance that celebrates creativity, individualism and acceptance.

It was a unique place to grow up.  The school was tiny (my graduating class was 51!) and diverse, a mixture of kids from the arts community, the surrounding farms, and the growing new neighborhoods that began springing up in the 60’s.

The town was full of colorful characters, and full of interesting opportunities.  I worked as an usher at the playhouse, getting to spend time with the amazing array of actors who graced the stage, like Liza Minelli, Tom Poston, and Angela Lansbury. I painted scenery, sold ice cream, and seated many famous people who came to be part of the full house audience. 

I worked part time in several art galleries and gift shops, and helped out at a ritzy bed and breakfast during the summer season.  The variety of my experiences, and the wide range of people I had the opportunity to meet growing up was not apparent to me until I went away to college, a traditional school in a traditional town. I already knew a lot about life.

I’ve just begun a new cozy mystery series, “The Strawberry Manor Mysteries”.  It’s set in New Hope, my little home town in Pennsylvania. The characters are all fictional.  Buildings and business referenced are often real, sometimes altered, but the spirit of the town is the same. 

Strawberry Manor is an imaginary bed and breakfast located on the river north of town, and my main character, Charley McAdams, is a young widow who runs it.  The manor is often chosen by the actors from the Playhouse as a residence during their several week casting in a show.

In the first book of the series “Swan Song”, one of those actors is found “dead in his bed” on the morning after his last rousing performance. When suspicion falls on the inn, threatening the reputation Charley has worked so hard to build, she decides she has to jump in and help solve the mystery.

 I hope you enjoy this adventurous story, full of delightful characters, and mystery, and the promise of love.  And also, I hope you enjoy your visit to the charm of “New Hope” in its pages. It was a lot of fun to write.

How about you?  What kind of home town did you grow up in?  How has it affected you?  I’d love to hear!

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Christine Bush is a USA Today Bestselling author of romance, romantic mystery, and suspense.  She can be found living in the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania with her husband and 2 lazy cats, and spending time with her 14 grandchildren.   When she’s not writing, she’s teaching Psychology at a local college, and working with clients in her private practice as a Marriage and Family Therapist. She loves to hear from readers and writers!

 

Check out “Swan Song!”.  It’s available in print or ebook.

 

 Swan Song: Bush, Christine: 9798424148651: Books - Amazon

 

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