CANR
WORK TITLE: The Herringbone Harbor Mystery
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://sallygoldenbaum.com/
CITY: Gloucester
STATE:
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME: LRC August 2022
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born November 18, 1941, in Manitowoc, WI; daughter of Armin Louis (a shipbuilder) and Frances Arlene Pitz; married Donald M. Goldenbaum (a director of a business institute), September 27, 1969; children: Todd, Aria, Daniel.
EDUCATION:Fontbonne College, B.A. (cum laude), 1965; attended University of Notre Dame, 1966; Indiana University—Bloomington, M.A., 1970.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Educator. Roman Catholic nun, 1960-67; teacher of Latin and religion at Roman Catholic high school in St. Louis, MO, 1965-67; WQED-TV, Pittsburgh, PA, public relations writer, 1968-69; writer for instructional television in Bloomington, IN, 1969-71; Laidlaw Educational Publications, Oakbrook, IL, editor of linguistic workbooks, 1971-72; Rockhurst College, Kansas City, MO, adjunct professor of philosophy, 1973-74; writer, 1974—. Johnson County Community College, creative writing teacher; Kansas City Children’s Center for the Visually Handicapped, member of board of directors.
MEMBER:Romance Writers of America.
AWARDS:Woodrow Wilson fellowship, 1965.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Sally Goldenbaum is a former educator, former nun, editor, and writer. Born in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, on November 18, 1941, she graduated cum laude from Fontbonne College in 1965. In 1970 she completed a master of arts degree at Indiana University in Bloomington. She then went on to work for Pittsburgh public television station WQED, before teaching philosophy and, later, creative writing. Describing her life and career on her website as a “meandering, interesting journey,” Goldenbaum credited the start of her writing career to her marriage to Donald M. Goldenbaum, “a nice Jewish man” whom she had met in graduate school, and whose own career brought the couple to Prairie Village, a small town outside of Kansas City. It was while teaching English at a community college and raising her three children that Goldenbaum made the acquaintance of her future writing partner. As Goldenbaum notes on her website: “The seeds to writing a novel—or rather ‘finishing’ a novel—were planted in a sandbox in a park, not far from our Prairie Village home. It was there I met another newcomer to the area, Adrienne Staff, a woman who would become a lifelong friend. While our children played together in the sand that day, I learned that not only was Adrienne as hungry for friendship as I was, but both of us loved to read and write and had drawers filled with unfinished novels. In no time at all we decided that perhaps the key to finishing a novel (at least, in our case) was to write a book together. A match made in heaven—a nice Jewish girl from New York and an ex-nun—certainly a pair with diverse experiences to spare! We’d hold one another to the task and we would complete a book and rid ourselves of the awful unfinished novel curse. And so we did. Soon after finishing our first book, we found our wonderful agent, Andrea Cirillo, and went on to publish a dozen or more novels together.”
In an interview with CA:, Goldenbaum also explained: “After moving to Kansas City, I fell into a job teaching English at a community college and met a fellow teacher, a misplaced New Yorker, who also wanted to write. Lacking the discipline necessary to finish a work of fiction individually, we decided to write a book together, primarily to see if we could do it. Romance novels seemed a likely genre for a coauthored book, and that was the beginning of the Natalie Stone books for Dell. We then wrote several for Bantam, at which point my coauthor moved to Florida and our writing was done long-distance.
“Writing together was great fun. We combined and elaborated on experiences (she, a nice Jewish girl from New York, and I, an ex-nun from a small Wisconsin town!), played with them, added whimsy and humor and came up with stories we hoped brought pleasure and joy to our readers. Naturally one of our books was about a Jewish lass from New York City who ended up in Kansas City ( What’s a Nice Girl …? ) and another told the tale of a sweet Irish woman who leaves the convent and comes of age ( Banjo Man ). Other stories evolved from things we read in the paper, people we met, and a lot of brainstorming as we sat at a small round table in our favorite French bakery. When we hit snags, we’d buy a six-pack of beer, rent a movie, and adjourn to one or the other’s house for the afternoon (and inevitably ideas came from those hours), or we’d take off for a fine arts theater and watch old Alfred Hitchcock movies.
“But all good things end, I guess, and after Adrienne moved to Florida and we labored through two books long-distance, I began writing alone. It’s not nearly as much fun—I don’t laugh the same way or eat as many French pastries—but solo writing brings its own joys and a whole new kind of satisfaction. I can work more diligently on my individual style, and my characters have more freedom to change than when they were subject to a lengthy outline.”
Following the end of her partnership with Staff, Goldenbaum continued publishing romance novels, while also teaching creative writing classes, as well as giving lectures and leading workshops on creative writing. As she told CA:,“The creative writing classes provide a wonderful balance to writing. It’s a nurturing process and brings with it great satisfaction. It is exciting to see ideas germinate, then take larger form, and to provide some of the encouragement and guidance that help transform the ideas into honest writing. Each class I teach teaches me, and I always walk away with new writing energy.”
In her earlier writing career, Goldenbaum wrote under the pseudonym Molly McGuire and the joint pseudonym Natalie Stone. Goldenbaum credited a new partnership with her entry into mystery writing and her first titles under her own name. As she writes on her website, “friendship again played a huge role in my publishing life—this time in the person of Nancy Pickard (The Scent of Rain and Lightning author), who invited me to help her with a mystery she was working on. Nancy turned a blind eye to the fact that I had never written a mystery—and together we sat and drank coffee and talked and wrote and rewrote, examined red herrings and twists and turns, and talked some more. And we finished the mystery. Imagine that. I had written my first mystery … with the help of an accomplished, award winning author. Certainly someone, somewhere was smiling on me. After that, I was hooked! Now not only had I always loved to read mysteries, now I loved to write them, too. How fortunate I was to have learned from a pro—and then to have lucked into my first mystery series, the ‘Queen Bees Quilters’ mysteries.”
That series began with Murders on Elderberry Road,, published in 2003. The novel, along the two other titles in the series, was later reissued under new titles in 2019. By that time, Goldenbaum had become known especially for her popular and prolific “Seaside Knitters Mystery” series. Goldenbaum started this series after moving with her husband to Gloucester, Massachusetts, to be near their first grandchild, Luke, then living with his parents in Cape Ann. Becoming a grandmother provided the inspiration for Goldenbaum’s new series, while Cape Ann served as the backdrop for the series’ fictional Sea Harbor home.
The first novel in the “Seaside Knitters Mystery” series, Death by Cashmere, was published in 2008. In this novel, Izzy Chambers leaves her Boston legal practice to open the Seaside Knitting Studio in her hometown of Sea Harbor, Massachusetts. She attracts a unique group of knitters. When Angelina, the woman who rents the flat above the studio, is found murdered, Izzy recruits her knitting group to uncover the murderer.
Lorraine Gelly, writing for Reviewingtheevidence.com, pointed out that “the author is a teacher, an editor, and a knitter. This is obviously the beginning of a series which should be well received by knitters and non-knitters alike.” A contributor to Kirkus Reviews cautioned that “even the genuine charms of its characters can’t save Goldenbaum’s series debut from its glacial pace and obvious ending.” In contrast, a contributor to Publishers Weekly, described the novel as “an ideal beach read.”
The second novel in the series is Patterns in the Sand. When young fiber artist Willow Adams visits Chambers’s knitting studio, she is immediately embraced by the Seaside knitters. Soon after her arrival, Aidan Peabody, a popular artist living in Sea Harbor’s Canary Cove, is fatally poisoned and Willow becomes a suspect after the authorities learn she is Aidan’s sole beneficiary. The Seaside knitters set out to help their new friend and find the real killer. “This second installment … confirms that the Seaside Knitters belong on most cozy fans’ A-lists,” observed Judy Coon in a review in Booklist.
In the third novel in the series, Moon Spinners, the Seaside knitters look into the death of wealthy socialite Sophia Santos whose Ferrari ran off a cliff. “Well- drawn characters and an intriguing plot lift this well above the average cozy,” noted a Publishers Weekly reviewer. In the next installment, A Holiday Yarn, Chambers’s Aunt Nell plunges the knitting group into a murder investigation. Christmas is coming and Mary Pisano has been renovating her grandfather’s estate with plans to open it as a bed-and-breakfast. However, when the Pisano family gathers in Sea Harbor for their annual family meeting, her cousin Pamela is found dead on the mansion’s porch. Once again, the ladies have to set aside their knitting needles to solve a case. A Holiday Yarn “features appealing characters whose relationships will matter to the reader,” remarked Kat Kan in a review of the novel for Booklist.
The fifth novel in the series is The Wedding Shawl. In this installment, the Seaside knitters are joyously preparing for the wedding of Chambers, but first they have to solve the murder of the wedding party’s hair stylist. “The characters were engaging, complex, and had flaws, but they still came across as extremely nice people [who] would be relaxing to hang out with,” noted the writer of the Genre Reviews book blog. The same writer added, “The vivid details about the setting and people brought the story alive in my imagination.” Leanne Davis, who reviewed the novel on the Fresh Fiction website, also commented on the characters: “Goldenbaum has built a community of characters that makes the reader wish they could live there and interact with the locals.” The author “has a light touch, guiding rather than forcing readers into this intriguing hometown tale of secrets and murder. As the knitters unravel the mystery and knit up Izzy’s wedding shawl, readers are gradually but inextricably pulled into their lives and may never want to leave,” commented Deborah Adams in a review on the Curled Up with a Good Book website. The Wedding Shawl “is a very pleasant read that evokes summers by the sea and features a mystery that will keep you guessing,” stated a contributor to Kirkus Reviews.
A Kirkus Reviews reviewer described 2012’s A Fatal Fleece as “another enjoyable visit with the ladies.” Several other titles in the series followed, including Angora Alibi in 2013, Murder in Merino in 2014, A Finely Knit Murder in 2015, and Trimmed with Murder, also published in 2015. Central character Birdie Favazza’s Lambswool Farm provides the locale for Murder at Lambswool Farm, published in 2016 as the eleventh novel in the “Seaside Knitters Mystery” series. As a reviewer for the Midwest Book Review noted, the novel “once again demonstrates this author’s mastery of the Mystery/Suspense genre.”
Goldenbaum returned to Sea Harbor—and to knitting—in 2017 with a continuation of the series in Murder Wears Mittens. A Kirkus Reviews reviewer remarked that “this one keeps you guessing a bit longer than usual and features such caring sleuths you can’t help but like them.” A Publishers Weekly reviewer described the novel as “comforting,” noting that, “as usual, the mystery element is slight, with clues doled out in between family reunions, meals, and walks on the beach.”
Subsequent titles in the series include How to Knit a Murder , published in 2018, A Murderous Tangle , in 2019, and A Crime of a Different Stripe , in 2020. Noting a darker, and topical tone to the 2020 novel, in which Goldenbaum’s cast of sleuths expose the murder victim’s “odious treatment of women,” a Kirkus Reviews reviewer pointed to the novel’s “endearing characters” as they “tackle a tangled case that leads to a sad but ultimately satisfying conclusion.”
Goldenbaum takes on the holidays in the 2022 installment of the series, A Dark and Snowy Night, in which renowned chef Lidia Carson, hired to cater a Christmas party for Sea Harbor’s mayor, turns up dead in a snow drift on the mayor’s property. As noted by a contributor to Kirkus Reviews, “good friends, good food, and a murder combine in a delightful holiday cozy.”
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After A Twisted Skein, a mystery about twin sisters and a man who apparently comes between them, Goldenbaum wrote The Herringbone Harbor Mystery. In this installment in the “Seaside Knitters Society” series, the knitters are making a blanket together and also preparing for the upcoming tourist season. Meanwhile, one of the knitter’s granddaughters is visiting and has started a dog-walking business. Then a beloved business owner named Nick turns up dead, and the main suspect is the longtime mayor he had crossed. It turns out that there are other suspects, too (maybe Nick was not as beloved as he seemed), so the knitters have to try to determine who the murderer was. “A deep dive into the characters’ lives and relationships brings depth to a puzzling mystery” was how a writer in Kirkus Reviews described the novel.
[CLOSE NEW]
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, May 15, 2009, Judy Coon, review of Patterns in the Sand, p. 24; May 1, 2010, Ilene Cooper, review of Moon Spinners, p. 41; November 1, 2010, Kat Kan, review of A Holiday Yarn, p. 29.
Bookwatch, July, 2010, review of Moon Spinners; January, 2011, review of A Holiday Yarn; May, 2016, review of Murder at Lambswool Farm.
California Bookwatch, July, 2011, review of The Wedding Shawl.
Kirkus Reviews, June 15, 2008, review of Death by Cashmere; October 15, 2010, review of A Holiday Yarn; April 15, 2011, review of The Wedding Shawl; May 1, 2012, review of A Fatal Fleece; June 15, 2017, review of Murder Wears Mittens; September 15, 2020, review of A Crime of a Different Stripe; August 1, 2022, review of A Dark and Snowy Night; October 15, 2023, review of A Twisted Skein; November 1, 2024, review of The Herringbone Harbor Mystery.
Publishers Weekly, June 16, 2008, review of Death by Cashmere, p. 36; March 16, 2009, review of Patterns in the Sand, p. 45; March 29, 2010, review of Moon Spinners, p. 42; October 18, 2010, review of A Holiday Yarn, p. 29; March 21, 2011, review of The Wedding Shawl, p. 58; July 10, 2017, review of Murder Wears Mittens, p. 67.
Wisconsin Bookwatch, May, 2016, review of Murder at Lambswool Farm.
ONLINE
Berkley Prime Crime, http://berkleysignetmysteries.com/ (February 24, 2012), Q & A with author.
Curled Up with a Good Book, http://www.curledup.com/ (February 24, 2012), Deborah Adams, review of The Wedding Shawl.
Fresh Fiction, http:/ /freshfiction.com/ (June 16, 2011), Leanne Davis, review of The Wedding Shawl.
Genre Reviews, http:/ /genrereviews.blogspot.com/ (May 6, 2011), review of The Wedding Shawl.
Once Upon a Romance, http://www.onceuponaromance.net/ (February 24, 2012), Mary Lignor, review of A Holiday Yarn.
Reviewingtheevidence.com, http://www.reviewingtheevidence.com/ (November 30, 2009), Lorraine Gelly, review of Death by Cashmere.
Sally Goldenbaum website, http:// sallygoldenbaum.com (February 19, 2025).
Sally Goldenbaum
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Sally Goldenbaum is the author of three dozen novels, most recently the Seaside Knitters Mystery Series, set in the fictional town of Sea Harbor, Massachusetts.
Sally was born in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and now lives in Prairie Village, Kansas, with her husband, Don and a terrific Aussie, Sophie.
In addition to writing mysteries, Sally has taught philosophy, Latin, and creative writing, edited bioethics and veterinary healthcare journals, and worked in public television at WQED-Pittsburgh (then home to Mr. Rogers and his Neighborhood).
Sally's family includes her husband, Don, three wonderful adult children, their fine spouses, and six amazing grandchildren.
Genres: Cozy Mystery, Romance
New and upcoming books
November 2024
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The Herringbone Harbor Mystery
(Seaside Knitters Society, book 7)
Series
Queen Bees Quilt Mystery
1. A Patchwork of Clues (2003)
aka Murders On Elderberry Road
2. A Thread of Darkness (2004)
aka A Murder of Taste
3. A Bias for Murder (2005)
aka Murder on a Starry Night
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Seaside Knitters Mystery
1. Death By Cashmere (2008)
2. Patterns in the Sand (2009)
3. Moon Spinners (2010)
4. A Holiday Yarn (2010)
5. The Wedding Shawl (2011)
6. A Fatal Fleece (2012)
7. Angora Alibi (2013)
8. Murder in Merino (2014)
9. A Finely Knit Murder (2015)
10. Trimmed With Murder (2015)
11. Murder at Lambswool Farm (2016)
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Seaside Knitters Society
1. Murder Wears Mittens (2017)
2. How to Knit a Murder (2018)
3. A Murderous Tangle (2019)
4. A Crime of a Different Stripe (2020)
5. A Dark and Snowy Night (2022)
6. A Twisted Skein (2023)
7. The Herringbone Harbor Mystery (2024)
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Novels
Banjo Man (1986) (with Adrienne Staff)
Crescendo (1986) (with Adrienne Staff)
Kevin's Story (1986) (with Adrienne Staff)
A Dream to Cling to (1987)
The Baron (1987)
Honeymoon Hotel (1988)
Chantilly Lace (1988)
Once in Love with Jessie (1989)
The Passionate Accountant (1990)
A Fresh Start (1990)
Mornings at Seven (1991)
For Men Only (1994)
Moonlight on Monterey Bay (1994)
Sally Goldenbaum | A Knitter Stumbles on the Body of a Well-loved High School Teacher
November 28, 2023
1–What is the title of your latest release?
A TWISTED SKEIN (A Seaside Knitters Society mystery)
2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
In the series seventeenth mystery, Nell, Izzy, Birdie, and Cass become involved in helping repair a rift between twin sisters, whose parents have both died, but the mother’s spirit seems to be inhibiting one of the twins. The seaside knitters’ efforts inadvertently pull them into an equally perplexing close-to-home mystery when one of the knitters stumbles on the body of a well-loved high school teacher, a murder that pulls the town apart.
3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
The Seaside Knitters mysteries are set on Cape Ann, MA, in a fictional town called Sea Harbor. Initially I chose the Massachusetts North Shore area because I love the ocean and the northeast. Another, very important reason, was because my daughter lives on Cape Ann, and as I was beginning Death by Cashmere, the first in the series, she became pregnant with our first amazing grandchild. Setting my mysteries where she lived provided me with even more incentive to visit the beautiful area.
But eventually, as the grandchildren and the seaside mysteries kept coming, my husband and I simplified our life and simply moved to Cape Ann permanently. It was an inspired move we never regretted.
4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
I have four protagonists, ranging from 30-something to 80 and I truly love these women. Despite their age differences, they are dear, life-long friends to one another. They share their diverse outlooks on life, their hopes, the philosophies of life. I would be insanely happy to spend hours with them (which, actually, I guess I do).
5–What are three words that describe your protagonists?
Loving, compassionate, wise, funny, irreverent, kind, creative, and prescient. (I took the liberty of adding extra traits for the four of them.) Although each of the women could claim several of these traits, I think each character exemplifies one of them in a unique way.
6–What’s something you learned while writing this book?
In A Twisted Skein, I learned some fascinating things about bird watching. It’s a popular hobby in this part of the country, and I learned that birds can teach us many things about respecting our world and its beauty.
An aside: I also became aware that the word ‘skein’ is not only a knitting term, but describes a flight of birds, which is how we settled on the title for this book. (I say “we” intentionally because I successfully failed Titles 101 early on. It has always taken a group of us—agent, editor, etc. to find the right title. And thank heavens my team, despite my inadequacy, is very good at it).
7—How did your heroine surprise you?
In a Twisted Skein, Birdie, the oldest of the seaside knitters, surprised me by taking me for a walk into her early life, the time when she was a newlywed, deeply in love. She has talked about her first husband in other books in the series, but this was the first time she actually allowed me to see their relationship close up.
8–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I would like SO much to write a first draft quickly, then spend wonderful, relaxing time editing and fine tuning. But I can’t seem to be able to do that. Instead, I write like the winding spirals of the old slinky toy, writing one day, then going back the next and finessing, again and again, around and around. Sigh.
9–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
I love wood-fired arugula burrata pizza. There’s a local restaurant just down the block from me, Bravo-by-the-Sea, that makes an amazing one. I like unusual meals at fine restaurants, too, but some days nothing but a slice of pizza will do the job. So, I’ll walk down at night to get a piece of this amazing caloric treat—and it never fails to comfort me.
10–Describe your writing space/office
Although I have a den that I love, with a soft sofa, a nice desk, and lots of light, I sometimes need a change of scene. I find that noise doesn’t bother me so on those days I often go to a coffee shop/bakery across the street from my condo that makes great breakfast sandwiches. It’s called Source and the two owners welcome ‘computer people’ and have ample space and plug-ins for writing. Another coffee place I write in, Cake Ann, looks over the Gloucester harbor and has a screened porch for summer writing and a fireplace for winter. They also make kouign-amanns (an amazing pastry I had never heard of before). I now eat way too many and introduced the seaside knitters to this delight in A Twisted Skein.
11–Tell us about when you got “the call.” (When you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
One of the first books I ever wrote was one on which I collaborated with a good friend. We sent two chapters off to an agent we’d met at a conference (this was in the early days of publishing, and it was much easier then!). Once we sent it off, we started writing more chapters, just like ‘the books’ tell you to do. And we were doing exactly that, sitting in our office writing, when we got a call from our agent telling us that she’d received an offer for our book. OUR BOOK.
‘Would we like to accept the offer?’ she asked.
What? Was she serious? We wondered. Would we like. . .? It took us two and a half seconds to calm down enough to say ‘oh, yes, please!’
We then grabbed a credit card and headed to a very nice restaurant to celebrate.
12 -What’s your favorite genre to read?
I have a special love for family-issues and relational books that often involve broader social issues, the kind of stories Sue Miller, Elizabeth Strout, Ann Patchett, Anne Tyer, Celeste Ng, etc. etc. etc. write so well. I seem to lean toward women writers, although one of my all-time favorite books is Colum McCann’s Let the Great World Spin, which doesn’t really fit in the above category. Clearly, this is a very difficult question! I also love mysteries.
13–What’s your favorite movie?
Tootsie – I own a copy and watch it once a year.
14–What is your favorite season?
I love spring and fall in equal measure. But summer in Sea Harbor, aka Gloucester MA, is very special, too. A destination place for its wonderful beaches and for exploring the sea. Well, Winter’s not too bad, either, as long as it comes with snow and not just gray days. So, there’s my very wobbly way of saying I think there’s something special in each—especially if the sun is shining during the day and there’s a glorious sunset as night falls.
15- Do you ever read nonfiction that inspires your fiction writing?
Yes. I often read a poem or two of Mary Oliver’s, and it almost always inspires a conversation or thought inside one of my characters. I also read Wendel Berry for his love of the environment. Reading books on the enneagram sometimes help me understand my characters better. And Annie Lamott’s books are always helpful in jumpstarting my writing when I’m stuck.
16–If you had to write in a different genre, what would it be and why?
I have always wanted to write a contemporary family story, one that focuses on friendship and family, love and loss, the unexpected vagaries of life and how they affect the characters. Next to mysteries, it’s what I love to read.
My agent calls this book my ‘Sunday Project’ and whether it’s ever finished or not, it is definitely percolating there in my heart.
17–What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
Recently I’ve enjoyed getting away from real life and watching the streaming series The Morning Show, Bad Sisters (I have two sisters and we all loved it!), and Lessons from Chemistry (book and series). I also recommend Glennon Doyle’s podcast “We Can Do Hard Things,” which has helped me through some difficult times this year.
18—Does music play a role in your writing?
It does. I like to find songs that are appropriate to the mood in a particular scene, and have whatever it might be, playing in the background both in the scene and through my air pods. The music can range from Fleetwood Mac to Segovia’s classical guitar to Van Morrison and the Beetles and Adele.
19—What do you do in your free time
I enjoy being with my grandkids, hiking around the local quarries and Ravenswood Park, long walks along the shore, knitting, and reading, especially when a nor’easter is barreling down on us and everyone is huddled together inside.
20— What can readers expect from you next?
I’ve committed to continuing the seaside knitters’ mysteries for at least three more books (#18, 19, and 20)—so I am busy exploring friendships, small town living, and murder with my four dear protagonist friends. The first of these, The Herringbone Harbor Mystery (#18) will be released late next year.
And then, who knows? Maybe I’ll revisit my ‘Sunday Project.’
Thanks so much for having me on Fresh Fiction, and my warm thanks to all of you readers for visiting.
Happy reading and happy holidays to all.
Sally
The Long...
Life.....It's been a meandering, interesting journey that began in Manitowoc, WI, a town on the shores of Lake Michigan. Father built ships, my mother stayed home, and my sisters, brother and I lived an easy small-town life. After high school, I moved to St. Louis (college); then Bloomington, IN (graduate school); and several other places along the way. Jobs included working in WQED public television (with Mr. Rogers and his neighborhood); teaching Latin, creative writing, and philosophy. A checkered past, of sorts.
After marrying a fellow graduate student, we moved to Prairie Village, KS, where we raised our three children, and it was there my writing began.
The seeds to writing a novel—-or rather 'finishing' a novel—were planted in a sandbox in a park, not far from our Prairie Village home. It was there I met another newcomer to the area, Adrienne Staff, a woman who would become a life-long friend. While our children played together in the sand that day, I learned that not only was Adrienne as hungry for friendship as I was, but both of us loved to read and write and had drawers filled with unfinished novels. In no time we decided that perhaps the key to finishing a novel (at least, in our case) was to write a book together. A match made in heaven--a nice Jewish girl from New York and an ex-nun--certainly a pair with diverse experiences to spare! We'd hold one another to the task and we would complete a book and rid ourselves of the awful unfinished novel curse.
And so we did. Soon after finishing our first book, we found our wonderful agent, Andrea Cirillo, and went on to publish a dozen or more novels together.
Years later, after Adrienne had moved away, friendship again played a huge role in my publishing life—this time in the person of Nancy Pickard (author of The Scent of Rain and Lightning and many other mysteries), who invited me to help her with a mystery she was working on. Nancy turned a blind eye to the fact that I had never written a mystery—and together we sat and drank coffee and talked and wrote and rewrote, examined red herrings and twists and turns, and talked some more. And we finished the mystery. Imagine that. I had written my first mystery...with the help of an accomplished, award winning author. Certainly someone, somewhere was smiling on me.
After that, I was hooked on mysteries! I had always loved to read mysteries, and soon I came to love writing them. How fortunate I was to have learned from a pro—and then to have lucked into my first mystery series, The Queen Bees Quilters mysteries.
Three mysteries later, my life took another turn: my first grandchild! And along with baby Luke was born a new mystery series, The Seaside Knitters mysteries. (Grandchildren....knitting....it was meant to be.) Luke's parents live in a charming seaside town on Cape Ann, just north of Boston. A perfect place for a mystery series. And a perfect place for the series' author to settle. And so I did. It's a remarkable place in which to research plots, check out life on the dock, eat lobster—and to watch Luke, his sister Ruby, and his brother Dax grow and thrive. And where I now happily call a small condo home.
More grandchildren followed (living now in Decatur, GA). Atti, Julian, and Sebastian. Now six amazing little people fill my life and heart and keep me writing mysteries.
and Short of it.
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Sally Goldenbaum enjoys writing mysteries about the intricacies of women's friendship, the complexities of small town living, and what happens to the good people when a murder disrupts their lives.
She has written more than forty novels, but is best known for the USA TODAY best-selling series, The Seaside Knitters {Society} Mysteries.
Sally also writes the The Queen Bees Quilting mysteries.
Sally received a masters degree in Philosophy from Indiana University, worked in public television, taught philosophy, latin, and creative writing, edited bioethics and veterinary healthcare journals. She now lives on Cape Ann, MA, the inspiration for her current mystery series.
Goldenbaum, Sally THE HERRINGBONE HARBOR MYSTERY Kensington (Fiction None) $27.00 11, 26 ISBN: 9781496747181
Four friends continue their habit of bringing murderers to justice.
Wealthy widow Birdie Favazza, lobster company owner Cass Halloran Brandley, yarn studio owner Izzy Chambers Perry, and Izzy's aunt Nell Endicott form a close circle of amateur sleuths in Sea Harbor, Massachusetts. When Squid, the frightened dog of well-regarded business owner Nick Cabot, turns up at the home of Birdie's teenage granddaughter, Gabby, who runs a dog-walking business, Gabby knows something bad has happened. Nick is widely beloved in Sea Harbor, and plenty of people have been encouraging him to run against longtime mayor Beatrice Scaglia, whose announcement that she'll never let that happen gives her an obvious motive when Nick is found shot dead in the burned ruins of his house. In addition to Beatrice, there are other people who didn't like Nick. Bobby Palazola, the chef at Gracie Santos' Lazy Lobster and Soup Café, had a sterling reputation as a Boston chef and blames Nick for the bad reviews he's been getting. And Gracie and Cass are wary of Marco Costa, who works part time helping Bobby buy fish. Marco used to work for Cass, who didn't trust him, and he overheard the two women asking Nick about him, since the men were neighbors. Slowly, the four women, who--except for Izzy--were born and brought up in Sea Harbor and are related to many of its residents, begin to gather tidbits of information they eventually shuffle into a pattern that will uncover the killer.
A deep dive into the characters' lives and relationships brings depth to a puzzling mystery.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Goldenbaum, Sally: THE HERRINGBONE HARBOR MYSTERY." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Nov. 2024. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A813883621/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=354ce2b0. Accessed 3 Feb. 2025.
Goldenbaum, Sally A TWISTED SKEIN Kensington (Fiction None) $27.00 11, 28 ISBN: 9781496729439
The Seaside Knitters, who have a long record of solving murders, face a particularly knotty case.
Both octogenarian Birdie Favazza, the Knitters' leader, and Nell Endicott, aunt of yarn shop owner Izzy Perry and friend to lobster company owner Cass Halloran Brandley, are worried by a sudden schism between twin sisters Rose and Jillian Anderson. Although she's only minutes older, Rose has always been Jillian's protector. For reasons unknown, she's taken a violent dislike to Josh Elliott, a brilliant teacher, birder, and all-around nice guy. Jillian is currently doing a teaching practicum while Rose works at a gallery and both help with a knitting fashion show. Birdie, meanwhile, has followed her name and taken up bird-watching. Walking a path through the woods, she comes upon the lifeless body of Josh Elliott, whose death was no accident. Since everyone in Sea Harbor knows that Rose was no fan of Josh, she naturally becomes a suspect. Sure that their caring, talented friend did not kill Josh, the Knitters start looking at other possibilities. Josh's students loved him, but his teaching style and the freedom he was given to pursue it did not sit well with all his colleagues. Even some of the bird-watching group seemed jealous of his abilities. Rose, who's keeping a family secret that goes to the heart of her dislike of Josh, is loath to break a promise to her late mother and reveal it. So it's up to the knitters to find the truth and expose a killer.
Heartwarming comfort food.
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Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Goldenbaum, Sally: A TWISTED SKEIN." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Oct. 2023. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A768633691/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=8ad15fb4. Accessed 3 Feb. 2025.