Drawn to Murder
Author: Sarah Vernon
Publication date: January 31st 2024
Genres: Adult, Cozy Mystery
Sam Green is a newly minted art school graduate, excited to attend her first artist residency. But the pretty, serene Vermont surroundings soon turn sinister.
After a few months spent looking for the right project, Sam has landed a dream opportunity: three blissful weeks of working at a beautiful artist residency program in remote northern Vermont. But almost as soon as the residency begins, strange things start happening. Eager to settle into her work and make new friends, Sam tries to ignore the vaguely sinister feelings trying to warn her that something is afoot. But when a body is discovered, Sam can’t ignore what’s going on any longer.
If she has any chance of getting out of here – alive – Sam will have to figure out who the killer is.
an excerpt
It was mid-morning as I got back from my usual walk and opened the door to the pottery shed. It
was a bit bigger than your average garden shed, but not much more finished: its walls were still
unfinished wood and though the room was filled with sturdy desks, drying racks, and almost new
pottery wheels, the space still had major log cabin vibes. Mercifully, as the only ceramics artist
in the bunch, the small space was all mine. As I switched on the overhead lights, I took a
moment to appreciate the smell, an earthy mix of wet clay and old wood. My ideal perfume, in
other words.I sat down at the wheel, rolling my sleeves up and, without stopping to think, dipped into the
huge chunk of plastic-wrapped clay at my feet and deftly cut a hunk off with a wire loop tool.
Wetting my hands and a sponge, I fixed the clay onto the wheel (which took something of a hard
slam that still never came elegantly to me) and slowly started up the foot pedal. It was easy to go
into a kind of trance at this point, half watching the clay as it spun, mesmerized as new shapes
emerged at the slightest touch, and half moving only by feel, allowing my hands to make their
own decisions, aware that the smallest differences in pressure and angle could take the piece into
wildly different directions. I thought back to the introductions we heard on Monday night,
shaking my head at the memory. How could you possibly put this experience into adequate
words? It was my idea of heaven. Little did I know how much I should’ve been appreciating
these moments here, savoring this time while it lasted. Because soon, it would all be over.
about the author
Sarah Vernon is an author and artist based in Massachusetts, where she writes the Triple-Decker Mystery Series.
Website / Goodreads / Instagram
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a giveaway
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