My husband, Charlie, and I recently did some traveling. We flew into San Diego and then took a cruise from there to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. We had a great time. On the way home, Charlie pointed out an article in one of the airplane magazines. It mentioned that the largest farmers' market in the country is located in Dallas, Texas. I had an interesting reaction to this fact. First, I thought: wow, I'd love to visit the largest market in the country. Second, I thought: well, it might be the biggest, but there are so many wonderful things about every market I've visited. And finally, I thought: ooh, Bailey's Farmers' Market needs to have a write-up in an airplane magazine. I was sort of jealous of the Dallas market. To be clear, Bailey's is the purely fictional market in my farmers' market mystery series. I laughed at my jealousy for my made-up world.
But the article also did something else; it got me thinking about the universal greatness of all farmers' markets. In fact, the time in Cabo among the street vendors showed me that there's something great about all sorts of markets set up with stalls that are run by a single person or a couple of people or a family. Farmers, artists and other vendors all work hard to create and/or display their products so people will want to buy them. And the vendors are the best part; they come in many different personalities; some are pushy, some are shy, some are friendly, some are cantankerous. I'm drawn to them all. I love visiting markets and talking to vendors and hearing their personal stories. One of my favorite things about writing the farmers' market series is creating the vendors' backgrounds and personalities. Sometimes, they take over and tell me more about themselves than I could ever make up; they have a tendency to take on a life of their own. Maybe that's why I was jealous for them.
So, on behalf of everyone at Bailey's, may your upcoming market season be full of amazing products and interesting vendors. If you get a chance, stop by and see us. We're always here.
Thank you!
BOOK CONTEST:
To help celebrate the release of Fruit of All Evil, Paige has given me a signed copy to give away to one lucky winner. Just leave a comment on the blog and I'll randomly draw a name on Monday, March 7th!
