A young woman agrees to house-sit for an eccentric aunt in a seaside town and encounters mystery and romance.

Myrtle Reed was a popular author at the turn of the 20th century and published several romantic novels as well as essays and cookbooks. Her writing tends to eulogize "traditional values" of hearth and home, though she also seemed to think it was good for women to be educated and have careers BEFORE their marriages. Lavender and Old Lace is fluffy and romantic, but also has some humor and a weepy ending. I've read in a few places that "Arsenic and Old Lace" (or at least the title) is supposed to be a bit of a parody of this novel but I don't know if that's true. Enjoy!


EDIT - May 18, 2008

I should have proofread it better before I uploaded. Many apologies--I'm still learning. :) I also made some improvements in the formatting. I've uploaded the new version.

Also, if you're interested, here's an article about Myrtle Reed (http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/August-2006/Hell-in-Paradise-Hotel/). She had kind of a sad life. There's not much out there about her--somebody on one of my listservs turned me on to her a few years back.

Thought you said "Arsenic and Old Lace" at first. I'll take a look at this -- I like fluffy romances!

I made some corrections to the text and improvements to the formatting and have uploaded a new version. Thanks for the kind reception!