Betsy needs a boyfriend. She has had two romances in the course of this series. The first was Morrie Steffans, a retired police detective who wanted Betsy to sell her shop and move with him to Florida. When she refused, he moved away alone. Down there, he found a new girlfriend. But he could move back. He is tall, with a lantern jaw and jug ears. He admires her talent for detective work, and has gentle manners. A widower, compassionate and decent. (I really liked him, I don’t know why I let him get away.)

The second was Stan Omernic, a hard-working police detective. Good looking in an Eastern European way, very competent. In Sins and Needles he is married (but he could get or already be divorced) with children. Honest, not too cynical, tolerant.

The third? Well, invent someone, one of you. Or tell me why to bring back one of the above two.

Betsy is fifty-six, short, plump, intelligent, hard-working, funny, open-minded, a church-going Episcopalian. She is independently wealthy (though that may change if the economy keeps sliding). She owns her own business and sleuths on the side. She keeps a cat. She needs a boyfriend she can keep!

Because of my wide readership, I am offering a choice of prizes to the winner:

1) A hand-painted canvas by Peter Ashe called Winter Cottage, not stitched.
2) A sampler pattern called “A Sampler for Merry Pat” from Blue Ribbon Designs.
3) “The Long Thistle” cross stitch chart from Landmark Tapestries.
4) An autographed ARC (Advance Review Copy – bound galleys) of Thai Die.
5) An antique (around 1912) toy typewriter from Simplex.
6) A skein of fuzzy yarn (mohair, wool, nylon blend, 50 grams, 122 yards) in fall colors from The Gourmet Collection, suitable for knit or crochet.

The rules of the contest: You have until November 15 to invent a fictional male boyfriend for my sleuth, Betsy Devonshire. He needs a name, a physical description, and a solid outline of his character. Add any details you like, such as how they meet – though that’s not necessary. Oh, I need to like him, too. Winner gets his/her choice of one of the five prizes – plus a copy of Blackwork (in which the new boyfriend will appear), suitably autographed.

Go to my web site, Monica-Ferris.com, and contact me through there. Thank you, and good luck!