MIDDLEBURY— The Milk & Honey Quilters Guild welcomes guest speaker Marie Bostwick on Tuesday, May 24, at the American Legion building, in Middlebury at 7 p.m. for a discussion of her novels and a trunk show of her inspirational quilts. Bostwick will present “When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Turn to Quilting,” a pictorial storytelling of the special quilts that have helped her, her characters, and her readers navigate life’s rough spots.   
Bostwick is known and widely revered for “The Cobbled Court Quilts” series, about a quilt shop owner who has been transplanted from Texas to Connecticut, as well as her friends and a niece. Her newest book, “From Here to Home” (2016) is a sequel to her first “Too Much, Texas” novel, “Between Heaven and Texas” (2013) and brings back one of Marie’s most beloved characters, the irrepressible Mary Dell Templeton, who has also made many appearances in the “Cobbled Court” books.
Set in current times, “From Here to Home” centers on the challenges Mary Dell faces as an artist and television personality trying to stay relevant in a youth-obsessed culture, while holding together her family in the face of changing times and the wake of personal tragedy. There’s a whole lot of quilting going on in the story, but these broader themes make this book relevant to readers of every stripe.
Bostwick began her “Cobbled Court Quilts” series in 2008 with the novel, “A Single Thread.” Published in 2008, it is now in its 16th printing. That book, as well the third book in the series, “A Thread So Thin,” were included in Reader’s Digest Select Editions. “A Thread of Truth” (2009) was named an “Indie Next Notable” book by the members of the Independent Booksellers Association. “Ties That Bind” has been nominated as Best Mainstream Novel of 2012 by RT Book Reviews magazine. In 2014, Bostwick received the Career Achievement in Mainstream Novels award from the same organization.
Guild member Dorothy Hayes of Middlebury arranged for Bostwick’s visit. “I read very few novels. I simply don’t have time. However, every spring when Marie’s newest quilting novel gets released, I pre-order it and I can’t wait for it to arrive,” she said.
“Marie’s stories transport me to a small town where the local quilt shop is about more than just fabric and thread. The Cobbled Court Quilt Circle characters are genuine and engaging. Through their common passion for quilting, vulnerabilities become revealed, unexpected friendships evolve, and a few smart women bond together through clever plot twists to overcome daunting challenges. These are great stories by a truly great writer.”
Bostwick will sign books at the meeting.
As always, the meeting will include show-and-tell, and people are encouraged to bring in finished quilts and works in progress.
For more information, visit milkandhoneyquilters.com.