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Wednesday, August 17, 2016

County Fairs, inspiration and a give-away! Roxanne Rustand



This summer we  traveled back to our home state for a funeral, and ended up visiting two county fairs afterward, because we wanted to see our youngest relatives proudly showing their 4-H animals.

It's been ten years since our youngest child ended her 4-H  years, and many decades (ouch!) since I finished up with mine.  What a great experience this organization is!

Kids learn that hard work and  perseverance really do pay off, and to see the pride and excitement on those young faces is such a delight.  Were you involved in 4-H, scouting, or other groups as a child?

Going to these county fairs offered another benefit...I couldn't help but chuckle  over some of the animals on display.


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And then I began to think about working some of them into a cozy mystery. What trouble could they cause? Or, what sort of help--inadvertent or otherwise?

Hmmmm...the alpaca (or is it a llama?)  on top seemed to be giving us the evil eye as we passed, so we moved along a little faster hoping he wouldn't decide to spit.  After several days of noisy crowds passing by, he was probably well tired of people and wanting to go home!

And though our niece and nephew's champion milking goats at the fair were all very well behaved, I can remember a childhood friend owning a goat that got into endless trouble. No fence could contain it, it easily mastered gate locks, and it had a penchant for clambering atop parked cars. It liked to butt people with its horns, too.


This darling pony was also at the fair.  She belongs to my sister-in-law, who with her husband also owns many other darling miniature ponies, miniature donkeys, and Belgian draft horses.

Again, I began to think of trouble and other plot twists that could involve these four-footed guys...whether they escaped, impeded a villain's escape, or required a vet call in the dead of night...

...only when a car pulled into the drive, maybe it wan't the vet. It was....someone else. Someone unexpected.

Do you like to read a light touch of humor in the suspense and mystery novels you read? Or do you much prefer a plot focused only on gripping action?

And when is the last time you went to a county fair? What did you enjoy most while there?


Best wishes for a lovely summer!  Almost forgot--if you leave a comment, you will be in a drawing for an e-book of my newest release, shown below!

Roxanne Rustand



USA Today Bestselling Author
The Single Dad's Redemption, Love Inspired 7/2016
An Aspen Creek Christmas, Love Inspired 12/2016
A London Christmas, (Sweet Christmas Kisses Anthology 2016)
An Irish Christmas Blessing (Sweet Christmas Kisses Anthology 2015)
A Scottish Christmas (Sweet Christmas Kisses Anthology 2014)
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12 comments:

  1. There's always room for a little humor, in my opinion. Those are adorable animals. Thanks for sharing.

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  2. Thank you for your comment! :) I just loved seeing all the animals there. We have horses, dogs, and cats, but its always such fun to see the 4-H kids with their farm animals!

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  3. I enjoy humor with laughter while reading a book. I was in 4-H when I was a child so I attended our county fair annually. Also, our state with family members for 4-H projects. Thank you for sharing your adventures.

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    1. Thank you for your comment, Marilyn. A fellow 4-H member! Lots of great memories!

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  4. Roxanne, ur world can get us so tied up in knots and humor goes a long way to untie them. Laughter releases endorphins which is good for our health. Absolutely add humor. In fact, I require it in all my cozy reading. I'm an author of cozy mysteries, too, and all but one have an animal that somehow helps out, in troublesome ways most often. And the stories all have humor. Thanks so much for your interview. Cheers

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  5. Wonderful to hear from you, Marilyn!!

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  7. I love the rabbits at the county fair. Especially the ones that look like siamese cats.

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    1. Oh, yes! Our boys had bunnies, and one was like that. So pretty!

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  8. I love the rabbits at the county fair. Especially the ones that look like siamese cats.

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  9. I am looking forward to reading The Single Dad's Redemption and An Aspen Creek Christmas.Thank you for the opportunity to win.

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