FAQ

Where is Buckeye Grove located?

Buckeye Grove is a fictitious town based on Grove City located just south of Columbus, Ohio. 

Where did you get the name Alma Lynn Thompson?

Alma Lynn Thompson is a nom de plum and was created by using the name of a significant person in each author’s life. Alma Oksness was Jan Biggs’ maternal grandmother; Kyleigh Lynn Hannon is Diana Forrester’s grand daughter; and Dallas Thompson, was Mary Clark’s maternal grandmother.

Is the quilt shop real?

Yes, Mary Clark, one of the authors owns the real live Always in Stitches in Grove City, Ohio.  It is located in the Mill Street Market, which was the Farmers Exchange and has been renovated to accommodate several shops.

Are the other shops in the book real?

No, the rest of the shops in the Granary are totally fictitious.

Is Caroline Clarkson based on Mary Clark?

There are some similarities.  Mary, as well as the character Caroline, is very strong, independent individual.  When you first meet Mary you feel like you have known her for a long time.

Tell us more about the Guild Members.

The Granary Guild is the result of the imagination of the real live Monday Morning Book Club.  Members filled out character sheets including descriptions of each character along with their likes, dislikes, pet peeves, political affiliation, family history and many more items so when we wrote about the characters we were able to get into the character's soul.  There may have sprinkled some truth into the character sheets.

Did one of the Monday Morning Book Club members really have breast cancer?

Many of our members have either had cancer themselves or a family member who is struggling with the disease.  Because cancer is so prevalent in society we chose breast cancer because that is one of the most important cancers to all women.

How did you decide to write a book?

The Monday Morning Book Club, which meets at the real live Always In Stitches in Grove City, Ohio, have been reading several books that have a quilting theme.   The books we have read sparked lots of lively discussion.  As we shared our experiences we felt we had a story to tell.  Since we enjoy this type of fiction we felt other quilters might enjoy something new.

Do you have plans for another book?

Yes, our next book will be a mystery about a civil war quilt.  We are currently doing research and will start the manuscript soon.

Who does the writing?

Diana Hannon and Janis Biggs accomplished the primary writing. Mary Clark provided creative input amidst her hectic life of running the real life Always in Stitches.

What are the challenges when writing with more than one person?

The challenge is to maintain a uniform voice through out the book so the characters are seamless to the reader regardless of who did the writing.