Some authors carefully invent every detail of their fictional worlds.
Others look around at the people, places and objects they already love – and quietly smuggle them into a book.
That is how a dark navy 1966 Daimler has found itself roaring through the village of Thimblewick with Granny Thimble behind the wheel.
Nobody is feeling reassured about this.
From the Real World to Thimblewick
I know Alex Askaroff (of Sewalot fame) and his family through the wonderful world of antique sewing machines. I have a few particularly treasured antique machines of my own that came from Alex, so his knowledge, stories and remarkable collection have already been a lovely part of my sewing life for some time.
Their Daimler is another of those unforgettable pieces of family history.
It is long, dark navy blue and wonderfully dignified, with a tall chrome grille, polished hubcaps and the sort of stately presence that suggests it should be driven carefully to a country house for afternoon tea.
So, naturally, I asked whether I could put it into Book Three and allow Granny Thimble to drive it during an emergency.
He very kindly said yes.
He may come to regret this.
Granny does not drive it carefully.
There are corners.
There is shouting.
Several members of the Thimble family are giving instructions at once.
And the village fountain may wish to seek legal advice.
Granny Thimble Has the Keys
Borrowing somebody’s treasured classic car for a story sounds perfectly harmless until you remember that fictional characters cannot always be trusted with valuable machinery.
Granny Thimble believes speed limits are largely advisory.
Grandpa Bobbin is attempting to protect the upholstery.
Uncle Seam Ripper is being helpful in the way that usually makes everything worse.
Sir Whiskers has somehow secured a position with an excellent view of the chaos.
The Daimler, meanwhile, is enduring the whole thing with remarkable dignity.
I cannot say much more without revealing what the family are doing – or why they are in such a hurry – but the car has become an important part of Book Three.
It is not merely sitting prettily outside The Stitchery.
It is very much involved.
Book Three Has a Title
The third book in The Thimblewick Mysteries is called:
The Missing Needle
The story begins with the Thimble family already in serious trouble, before travelling back forty-eight hours to reveal exactly how everything went so spectacularly wrong.
There will be a strange telephone call.
There will be an attempted kidnapping.
There will be increasingly ridiculous security measures inside The Stitchery.
And eventually, there will be a dark navy Daimler moving through Thimblewick considerably faster than its manufacturer probably intended.
Borrowing From Real Life
One of my favourite parts of writing these stories is slipping little pieces of the real world into Thimblewick.
Old sewing machines, unusual objects, family stories and treasured possessions can all become the beginning of something new.
I am always enormously grateful when friends allow me to borrow those pieces of their lives.
Once something enters Thimblewick, however, I cannot promise that it will behave itself.
A sewing machine may conceal a clue.
A piece of fabric may hold a secret.
And a respectable family Daimler may become involved in a chaotic rescue attempt led by a household of tiny sewing people.
That is the risk you take when you lend something to an author.
More From Thimblewick Soon
Like the first two Thimblewick mysteries, The Missing Needle was originally written many years ago, when streaming, Instagram and the #stitchfam were still a very long way from finding their way into The Stitchery.
Those old stories are only now being carefully brought into the modern world – freshened up, polished and given a few contemporary touches, while keeping the characters, humour and mysteries at their heart exactly where they belong.
Book Three is currently undergoing that transformation, and I will be sharing more glimpses behind the scenes as it gets closer to publication.
Until then, the first two modernised stories are already available:
Book One — The Poisoned Cup
Book Two — The Vanished Sampler
They are the best place to meet the Thimble family, visit The Stitchery and discover why allowing Granny Thimble access to a powerful motor vehicle was never going to end quietly.
My thanks to Alex and the Askaroff family for allowing their beautiful Daimler to become part of Thimblewick – and for trusting Granny Thimble with the keys.
More soon.
Assuming the car survives.
Poppy x
