“ I think vintage styles are beautiful and the craftsmanship was wonderful . I feel like I have a personal style , but I ’ m not like , you know , following the latest designers and breaking bank to go and get a pair of $ 600 shoes or anything like that . That ’ s not me . But I love a 1940s suit . Think about it . They are just gorgeous .
“ In one of my photos , I ’ m sitting in my dining room in front of an old typewriter . It ’ s a murder scene , and I ’ m wearing a 1930s dressing gown . The fabric is amazing , as are the puffs and leg-o-lamb sleeves . It even has a tiny train in the back . I found it in a vintage shop in Billings , Montana , and I think it ’ s just beautiful .”
Beyond books and vintage couture , Sanders also has a love for animals . A certain mystical cat features heavily in her “ Witch Way Librarian ” series . In her real life , she has some beautiful and unique felines .
“ My cat Squeaky is in the murder scene photo . In the corner , you see a man ’ s feet and Squeaky is looking down at them . I had to put some tuna juice on the bottom of that shoe to get the cat to stare at it . He ’ s a great cat , but I must give credit for that photo to Holly Andres . She managed to capture that moment perfectly .”
Photo aside , Sanders also claims that her old cat , Mae West , was the embodiment of the plain Bennett sister , Mary , in the book “ Pride and Prejudice and Kitties ”– a version of the classic , as told from the perspective of the family cat .
“ Mary was the homely Bennett sister , but my old cat Mae West was a very beautiful tuxedo cat . I called her that because she was a portly seductress .”
Plain or pretty , one cat allowed Sanders to expand her horizons through travel .
“ I used to write about perfume pretty regularly , so I ended up knowing some of the people I wrote about . I became friends with a beauty journalist who lived in Paris , France but was born and raised in Canada . I am a Francophile . I love France and study the language . So , when she went back to visit her parents , I would catsit for her and enjoy the use of her apartment . I did that for seven or eight years , and it ’ s a good way to go , let me tell you . Her cat was an older Siamese . She had her quirks but was easy to take care of . It was great !”
20 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE