I’m so excited that the release of The Wishing Thread is just around the corner!

I’ve been in quite a tizzy these last few weeks, getting ready, making last minute preparations, talking to bloggers, etc.

The question I keep running across is, “Where did you get the idea for this book?”

Sometimes story ideas sneak up on me, with random notions popping up here and there, until I suddenly I see how they all coalesce and work together. So there’s no one single moment of “Eureka!”

But The Wishing Thread was different. It had a very specific moment of coming to life.

Many of you know that I’m a knitter (lisava on Ravelry), and when I knit a gift, I always be sure to “knit” some good energy and prayers into the stitches for the recipient.

One day, I thought: Wouldn’t it be cool if someone could knit a magic spell?

I didn’t say I was a GOOD knitter!

And bam! That was the beginning of The Wishing Thread.

Of course, that’s not a story—it’s a question. And it’s just one of the many questions that drive the book. But it was definitely the moment that I knew The Wishing Thread was a book I was meant to write.

Little by little, I discovered the story of three estranged sisters in Tarrytown who must come together to decide the fate of their family legacy: a yarn shop called The Stitchery.

But the magic of the sisters isn’t an “easy” magic. To make the Stitchery’s magic work, a person has to be prepared to make sacrifices. And that’s where things get interesting. Some people in town believe in the magic. Some think it’s just the power of suggestion at work. You—reader—will have to decide what you think.

As for me, I’m already at work on my next magical book (which is due in about two weeks, by the way). If only I could get someone to knit a magical spell for me!

Thanks so so much for your support as this book comes out. I put off writing this story for quite some time, because I wanted to truly be sure I could do it justice. It’s silly, but having it out on the shelves is going to feel so very liberating; I can’t wait to share.

NOTE: Be sure to LIKE my Facebook page to enter the giveaway I’ll be hosting there later this week.

Hope to see you there!

Lisa Van Allen

QUESTION: What’s a favorite hand-crafted item in your life?