How to Make a Folding Book by Kirsten Weiss

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpQt84T3vbg]

I love books, and I’m guessing you do too. (I also like pie a lot, but that’s neither here nor there).

So, in addition to writing cozy mystery novels, I’ve learned a simple “bookbinding” technique that anyone with a single sheet of paper can use. There’s no actual binding in this book – just lots of clever folds and a single, short cut.

To make this, you’ll need a sheet of paper, scissors. A spoon or bone knife are optional.

1. Take your sheet of paper and fold it in half, lengthwise. Note: start from the center of the paper for a more even fold. Use a bone knife or the back of a spoon to get a nice sharp edge.

2. Unfold the paper and fold it in half again, this time widthwise, using the same center and spoon technique. Keeping the paper folded, fold it in half one more time.

3. Unfold your sheet once. Using a scissors, cut from the center of the folded edge to the center DO NOT CUT BEYOND THE CENTER FOLD.

4. Unfold your paper completely, and fold it in half again, lengthwise.

5. Holding the “short” ends (arrows in the image below), gently push each end toward the center. The center pages will naturally fold out. Flatten your book “shut.”

If you, like me, have a tough time figuring out diagrams, I’ve also made a YouTube video demonstrating all this here: https://youtu.be/eV5HHQIeVWo

Now you have a lovely paper book, most likely with nothing inside. If you’d like to print on your book, I’ve created a simple MSWord template using linked text boxes. Just start typing in the box labeled Pg. 1, and the text will automatically flow to the correct pages. (Note: in some cases, the text will appear upside down, but when you fold your book, it should be right side up.) You can download it here.


Is Val’s breakfast pie the quiche of death?

Owning her own business seemed like pie in the sky to Valentine Harris when she moved to the coastal California town of San Nicholas, expecting to start a new life with her fiancé. Five months—and a broken engagement—later, at least her dream of opening a pie shop has become a reality. But when one of her regulars keels over at the counter while eating a quiche, Val feels like she’s living a nightmare.

After the police determine the customer was poisoned, business at Pie Town drops faster than a fallen crust. Convinced they’re both suspects, Val’s flaky, seventy-something pie crust maker Charlene drags her boss into some amateur sleuthing. At first Val dismisses Charlene’s half-baked hypotheses, but before long the ladies uncover some shady dealings hidden in fog-bound San Nicholas. Now Val must expose the truth—before a crummy killer tries to shut her pie hole.