Inspiration for "Nitpicky Corners: The Doppelgangers"
I love this photo of the Henderson Castle in Kalamazoo, Michigan! The Henderson family owned a regalia company, which was part of the inspiration for Nitpicky Corners: The Doppelgangers. The story centers around a mysterious lamp post which sits on a corner, near the old Regalia Company. The fictional Knightly Pickery Regalia Company was run by the upright and generous Josiah Knightly and his dispicable partner, Amon Pickery. At the turn of the century, the greedy Pickery travels to Russia, hoping to secure orders for millions in church regalia, only to stumble into more than one plot to take over Russia! That begins a chain of events which results in a town filled with doppelgangers.
The book title comes from the lamp post, which has street signs attached. When it was erected, it said "Knightly Street" and "PIckery Avenue", but over time some letters fell off. Now it says "_NI__T__" and "PICK__Y", so the locals have named it Nitpicky Corners.
In real life, The Henderson family ran the regalia company and built this mansion (legend has it that Mr. Henderson tried to convince others to build castles near his, but nobody did). The magnificent home is now a bed and breakfast and event site.
