As I begin work on the sequel to The Seventh Tapestry, my first art crimes mystery, I started by rereading The Seventh Tapestry and taking notes. OK, I was disappointed to find a typo (soon to be fixed), and I'm not sure I like the cover, but I was drawn into Sandra and Neil's story -- how they met, how the thefts at the Museum of Medieval Art brought Sandra into danger, and how beautifully the Lion and the Unicorn tapestries were at the heart of this mystery.
Chapter 5 reintroduced me to Lady Stairs Close and that apartment where we stayed for a month a few years back, some five stories above the inner courtyard, just next to The Writers' Museum. Each afternoon, rain or shine (and it does rain in Edinburgh), we could watch people visit this lovely museum, paying homage to Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson.
Of course, our apartment became Sandra's apartment in The Seventh Tapestry.
The view from our apartment in Edinburgh,
just off Lawnmarket.
The Castle at Edinburgh,
a short walk up the Royal Mile
Just like Sandra and Neil, we wandered through the halls of Edinburgh Castle, saw stone walls covered with tapestries and met with weavers working on a replica of the Hunt for the Unicorn (originals at the Cloisters just outside of New York). Did I tell you that The Seventh Tapestry was inspired by our visit to Cluny in Paris, where we spent hours admiring the six tapestries that make up the Lion and the Unicorn series?
"Sight" from the Lion and the Unicorn set of tapestries,
Cluny Museum, Paris.
So this morning, when I pulled out my travel journals for Edinburgh, Paris, and Egypt, and a thick, 3-ring binder dubbed 'Art Crimes Bible,' another surprise awaited. I haven't looked at this wip since last June and deep in revisions of Scattered Stones (1840s Scotland), somehow forgot that I have nearly 50 pages of a draft of this new story set in Egypt, single-spaced! Now, my work truly begins!
May the rest of August bring you a few cool days, good times with family and friends, and a bit of a read.
Scattered Stones, perhaps the last in the Stones series, awaits you! Let me know what you think.
I am excited that you are ready to dive into the art crimes story again. Your extensive travels bring true excitement and authenticity to your story. I can't wait to see what is in store for Sandra and Neil! You are beautifully organized. You've piqued my curiosity for what is surely coming!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sandy, as always, for being so supportive. Yes, we write, one page at a time, and hope for the best! May your own writing go well!
DeleteOh, thank you so much for sharing this with us! Love the view from your apartment, and the reminder that I would love to visit Cluny someday -- I had a unicorn sticker book when I was a kid that replicated some of those tapestries, and I've always loved them but still haven't seen the originals!
ReplyDeleteI read this post with interest and ordered your book today. I've been working on writing a YA mystical fantasy novel about the Met Cloister's unicorn tapestries (for about 30 years now)! Our stories are vastly different, but I'm hoping reading yours will reignite my excitement about mine.
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