ISBN 0-944851-30-4  July 2008
YOUNG ADULT FICTION — Mystery   Retail $9.95
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There isn't a lovelier time of the year in Wisconsin than the woods in October, with the splendor of autumn colors and Indian Summer afternoons.

My teen-age years hold precious memories as a time when I came to appreciate nature, and the bonding of special friends.

Annette, of course, is the girl I always wanted to be -- bold, rational, and grounded -- but mostly a girl who had the privilege of growing up in the country.

The ham radio theme in The Pouting Pumpkin Mystery was inspired by my oldest brother, Jon Schumacher, whose ham hobby since childhood always fascinated me. At age 62 he is still a ham operator out of Pahrump, Nevada, at KNV1, and his wife, Sally, is a ham at KE7FDD.

Annette and Penny's desire to own a horse together motivates them into growing a pumpkin patch and selling them to raise the needed funds. When the Duncan's hired hand, Dave Beck, suggests they would make more money selling carved jack-o-lanterns, they take him up on his idea... never suspecting the man's true intentions at offering them some helpful advice.

Annette can't seem to make up her mind which boy she likes best in The Pouting Pumpkin Mystery, because even though she's set her sights on Pete Randt, his cousin's pretty groovy... and then... oh dear, there's those mixed-up feelings about her best friend's brother Tim!
 

About the Series:

There are many people who contributed to the culmination of the final version of The Mystery at Hickory Hill, the first of the Annette Vetter mystery series. My younger siblings, Paul, Laurie and Alice, were probably the first ones to listen to the story when I wrote the original manuscript at age 15. I used to read my original stories out loud to my younger brother and sisters. They were my first audience, and their attentiveness and interest motivated me to pursue my writing as the book went into different revisions over the years.

My teen-age friends were an inspiration to me, and their personalities are reflected in the characters of the series. Annette, of course, is the girl I always wanted to be — bold, rational, and grounded — but mostly a girl who had the privilege of growing up in the country.

The second book of the series takes place in Wisconsin, Annette’s and my native state, even though the first novel was situated in Colorado. At one time, I wanted to “modernize” Annette by making her more contemporary, but I decided the ’60s time period was important in many respects, and it gives the reader a flavorful serving of that era. So much was different back then, yet so much has remained the same.

With the start of the school year comes new faces (kids and teachers), new classes, the end of summer, and the first football game. Will Annette ever get over how Mr. Hendrickson, the new art teacher, humiliated her in class? And does she have a chance with Pete Randt, who's really kind of cute? What's the mystery in her new friend Chris's family? Annette hosts a slumber party in which five girls are terrified. Was it a neighborhood prowler or... a murderer?

— Ann Carol Ulrich (Ann Ulrich Miller)

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