Sewing Can Be Dangerous And Other Small Threads by S.R Mallery

 Sewing Can Be Dangerous And Other Small Threads by S.R Mallery. 
This is a collection of 11 short stories. Featuring stories from genres like mystery, history, romance and action, this anthology has been highly rated by readers all over the world and has 4.8 out of 5 rating on Goodreads. 

 I am so excited to share this book on my blog today:
 Sewing Can Be Dangerous And Other Small Threads by S.R Mallery 



 #BlogTourAnnouncement and #Signup: Sewing Can Be Dangerous and Other Small Threads by S.R. Mallery {16-19 July}
Title : Sewing Can Be Dangerous And Other Small Threads 
Author:  S.R Mallery
Publication Date: December 2013
Genre: Historical Fiction, Anthology, Short Stories, Romance, Mystery, Action
276 pages

Blurb:
The eleven long short stories in "Sewing Can Be Dangerous and Other Small Threads" combine history, mystery, action and/or romance, and range from drug trafficking using Guatemalan hand-woven wallets, to an Antebellum U.S. slave using codes in her quilts as a message system to freedom; from an ex-journalist and her Hopi Indian maid solving a cold case together involving Katchina spirits, to a couple hiding Christian passports in a comforter in Nazi Germany; from a wedding quilt curse dating back to the Salem Witchcraft Trials, to a mystery involving a young seamstress in the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire; from a 1980s Romeo and Juliet romance between a rising Wall Street financial star and an eclectic fiber artist, to a Haight-Asbury love affair between a professor and a beautiful macram artist gone horribly askew, just to name a few.

 Add to Goodreads: Sewing Can Be Dangerous and Other Small Threads by S.R Mallery

~Excerpt~

An Excerpt from Sewing Can Be Dangerous & Other Small Threads

From A Drunkard?s Path

 ....Are you kidding me?? Deborah exploded. My life is falling apart! C'mon, curses don't really happen, do they? I mean, what can I do? You tell me now!? She segued into a screech.
 Come over to my place tomorrow and I'll try to relate it all to you, I promise.

Do you know anything about the Salem Witchcraft trials?
 The older woman leaned in toward her niece, as if casting a spell herself.
No, not much, why??
You remember Martha Stinson from my quilt group? Well after the wedding, she showed me a journal written by a relative of hers and frankly, I am very concerned about you. It seems one of the accused witches from the original Salem trials might have actually had a connection with a real witch, an ancestor of Martha's.

* * * *
Inside the packed meetinghouse, dust particles from mud-caked boots floated throughout the air, rendering it dense, murky. That year, April had been an unkind month to Salem Village. Rain-drenched meadows produced a sludge that clung to the edges of women's dresses, creating odors so foul that in such tight quarters, it became difficult to breathe.  But people weren't concerned with such matters on this day. They had gathered for a higher purpose: the Devil was in Salem, and they wished him thwarted at all costs. Even the constant threat of Indian attacks and surviving harsh winters paled in comparison to what was happening now, in that room, swelling with apprehension.
Crammed into high-walled pews, dark wooden benches, or simply shoved up against walls, spectators filled every conceivable space in the meetinghouse. Donning black hats, cloaks, and breeches, the men angled forward, their eyes boring holes into the five men sitting up front, yet it was the women who carried the greatest burden that day; their hooded coats and muffs covering their recently unkempt hair and unwashed fingernails, couldn?t disguise the uncertainty they felt about their community's loyalty to them and how it would all end.
Sitting at the head of the counsel table, amongst other magistrates in the newly appointed Court of Oyer and Terminer, John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin quietly conferred with each other before beginning their first round of questioning. Arrogant, self-important, the black-robed magistrates assumed their positions on the political totem pole, and having been brought to Salem for such a specific purpose, they dared not disappoint. They were on a mission to deliver souls. Hathorne, displaying the greatest exhibition of self-aggrandizement, seemed the most severe. With no real legal experience, and having only glanced at Sir Mathew Hale's Trial of Witches, and Joseph Granvill's Collection of Sundry Trials in England, Ireland the week before, he nonetheless believed he was more than competent to interrogate the accused.
At the front of the room facing the magistrates, sat all the accusers, the afflicted girls: Abigail Williams, her cousin Betty Parris, Ann Putnam, Sarah Bibber, Sarah Churchill, Elizabeth Booth, Mercy Lewis, Susanna Sheldon, Jemima Rea, Mary Warren, Mary Walcott and Elizabeth Hubbard. With downcast eyes and folded hands, they appeared demure; inwardly they were experiencing emotions quite different from anything they had ever known. Childhoods stocked with adult repression and fear now served as a springboard to the frenzy of accusations they had created, because on this day, along with their catharsis and even exhilaration, came the most important emotion of all: a sense of empowerment. At last, they were getting adults to listen to them, and it was intoxicating.
John Hathorne commenced with the proceedings. Bring in the accused, Bridget Bishop...

~Buying Links~

Grab the kindle/Nook book at just $0.99 or Rs. 63!
Amazon IN: Kindle Book
Amazon US: Paperback | Kindle Book
B&N: Nook Book



I really enjoyed this collection. S.R. Mallery's words paint images that transport the reader to another time, place and culture. 
You'll enjoy getting lost in each experience. 
Each tale gives a deeper understanding of history.
Among my favorite's are Lettie's Tale, the story of a slave child viewed as less valuable since she is deaf and mute. Lettie becomes a master seamstress and is invaluable quilting messages and directions to help slaves escape. 
A very exciting story.

Also, Murder She Sewed, about detective Carla Del Riggio, burnt out after cases gone wrong, who is ordered to take a leave of absence. She finds herself not only on a cruise but with an arm-chair sleith for a cabinmate. 
Mary Ellen Stafford is teaching a quilting workshop on the cruise. 
This lighter, breezy tale proves vacation can be murder.

The book opens with the title story, Sewing Can Be Dangerous, a heart tugging tale about a disasterous fire in 1911. 
It covers the horrendous conditions for immigrants both at work and at home.

A Drunkard's Path is a mystical mystery of a different sort, with ties back to the Salem Witch Trials.
The Comforter takes us to yet another era, where an art professor turned passport forger risks his own life, and his wife's, to save Jews from the Nazis.
A Plague on both Your Houses is a modern day twist on the classic from which the title is borrowed.
Border Windfalls makes us think deeper about our life choices and their consequences. Does the end justify the means?
Emma at Night is a harrowing adventure of duplicity and betrayal, secret messages sewn and almost unnoticed.
Speaking of duplicity - there is no telling who is really who in Layla's Summer of Love.
Two additional tales make the reader consider how how different races and culture are viewed, even today. 
Nightmare at Four Corners is a study of contrasts. Can it end up being inspiring and encouraging? Who will make a difference if only someone will listen?
Precious Gifts was very interesting and enjoyable. Taking place around 1872, after Mr. Singer himself brings his sewing machine to the territory fair. 
At great expense and sacrifice, Mama becomes addicted to her machine and spends many hours sewing in the middle of the cornfield. 
That decision puts her in the path of an Indian retaliation, but what ends up happening could be a spiritual intercession. 
Could sewing actually create greater understanding?

~Meet the Author~

S.R. Mallery has worn various hats in her life. First, a classical/pop singer/composer, she moved on to the professional world of production art and calligraphy.?Next came a long career as an award winning quilt artist/teacher and an ESL/Reading instructor. Her short stories have been published in descant 2008, Snowy Egret, Transcendent Visions, The Storyteller, and Down In the Dirt.

Website/Blog:  www.srmallery.com
Twitter:  @SarahMallery1
Goodreads:
Pinterest:  (I have some good history boards that are getting a lot of attention?history, vintage clothing, older films)





Comments

  1. Thank you SO much for the lovely review of my SEWING CAN BE DANGEROUS stories, Laura! It's much appreciated! Also, much thanks for featuring an excerpt...

    ReplyDelete

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