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‘Mudder’ launch to be clean fun to explore area

The fourth murder-mystery in Kate Dyer-Seeley's Pacific Northwest series comes with a cool launch event: a mud run

By Scott Hewitt, Columbian staff writer
Published: November 26, 2016, 6:01am
2 Photos
Author Kate Dyer-Seeley
Author Kate Dyer-Seeley Photo Gallery

Portland recreation reporter and girly-girl Meg Reed has got to be the only person who’d attempt a mud run in darling pink sneakers.

Reed is an ambitious but bumbling Portland outdoor-adventure writer whose real idea of adventure is climbing onto the sofa without spilling her latte. She’s the fictional creation of Kate Dyer-Seeley, a Vancouver mystery novelist whose breakout Pacific Northwest Mysteries series is grounded in real local places we all know and love.

Her debut, “Scene of the Climb,” hauls murder up the hiking trails and sheer cliffs of the Columbia River Gorge; “Slayed on the Slopes” takes capital crime to the skiing scene on Mt. Hood; and “Silenced in the Surf” finds foul play amongst Oregon’s Hood River’s always-cooler-than-you windsurfers.

Now, you can pull on your own cute pink sneakers to join Meg in her latest, dirtiest escapade: “First Degree Mudder.”

If you go

 What: Launch party for “First Degree Mudder,” a Pacific Northwest mystery by Kate Dyer-Seeley.

• Featuring: Book sales, fun and freebies from tenants of the former Sparks building.

• When:6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday.

• Where: Corner of Evergreen Boulevard and Broadway, downtown Vancouver.

 On the web: www.katedyerseeley.com

The plot involves that signature of Pacific Northwest fitness macho, the mud run. Meg means to undertake and write about a killer 5K squish challenge known as Mud, Sweat and Tears, so she signs up with a team run by former drill sergeant Billy The Tank. The Tank is about as rough on his recruits as his name would lead you to expect — and when he turns up dead in the locker room, Meg digs deep into the mud of a new mystery.

Each Dyer-Seeley book has been something of a travelogue and local-culture primer, and this one is no exception. “First Degree Mudder” sees Meg visiting the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site and the food cart pods of Portland, drinking at Migration Brewing and Hopworks Urban Brewery, pedaling along with a BrewCycle tour and, of course, running the mud race itself.

Promotion with Sparks

From 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, you can channel your inner Meg and visit the same sorts of spots she’d frequent in preparation for a mud race — while keeping your own feet completely clean.

It all takes place at the former Sparks furniture building at the corner of Evergreen Boulevard and Broadway, which has been remodeled into several smaller spaces.

“We thought this would be a unique thing, a great way to partner with local businesses and promote our sense of place,” said Dyer-Seeley’s publicist, Erika Albright.

A (non-muddy) race course will be set up inside the building, and interactive maps will guide you to numerous interior stops for special treats provided by the building tenants. Collect stamps at all the stops to be entered in a drawing for giveaways.

• Black Rock Coffee Bar will offer free samples of Meg’s favorite drink, hot mocha with lots of extra whipped cream. Buy your copy of “First Degree Mudder” here.

• Makeup-and-makeover lounge GLAMbeauty Bar will be Meg’s favorite color, glittery pink, from top to bottom. Author Dyer-Seeley will be signing books here.

• Macho cupcake maker Man Kakes will be offering a little bit of Meg heaven: a sweet cupcake made with beer. Get a free one while discussing your insurance needs with Erik Morton of State Farm.

• Veraison Wine & Events will offer complimentary pours of Meg’s favorite pinot. More available for purchase.

• And, when the race has been run, get a complimentary mini-massage at Bridge Chiropractic. You’ll leave ready to tackle more mud — or at least, to let Meg do it.

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