<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" = http-equiv=Content-Type> <META content="MSHTML 5.00.2614.3500" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Anita</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Check out the books by R. Bruce = Hoadley: UNDERSTANDING WOOD and IDENTIFYING WOOD, Taunton Press. Both give a lot = of information on wood properties including carving. I "wood" think (couldn't resist) an exotic wood from an obscure = country/carver would ad value and intrigue.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Paul Chick</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: = 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A href="mailto:anita@proaxis.com" title=anita@proaxis.com>Anita = Sullivan</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org" title=pianotech@ptg.org>pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, February 22, = 2001 8:03 AM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Tuner Mystery = Novel</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV>Dear List,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I have a rather odd request. I've been tuning and fixing pianos = for about 20 years and I'm also a writer. I've decided to write a series of = mystery novels with a piano tuner as the heroine. I've started the first one = and have two more ideas in mind.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I want the mystery to revolve around some aspect of music, = pianos, musical instruments. In the first novel a wooden carving is stolen for = no apparent reason from one of the tuner's client's house. It's a = beautiful statue of a monk playing a cello (some friends actually do have a = carving like this, and it's beautiful). My dilemma is this: What wood can the = statue be made of, which would be valuable enough to be stolen by someone who = wanted it in some aspect of musical instrument building, and yet still could be = made into a statue probably about 2 feet high? I had in mind Brazilian = Rosewood, does that make sense?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I was going to have it be a harpsichord builder, but then I am = told rosewood was not used on historical harpsichords (thus would not be = used in replicas). Duh! I guess I should have known that. So, either I need = another wood, or I have to change the guy into a builder of historical pianos, = or maybe a violin maker.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The instrument builder, by the way, is NOT the one who stole the = statue. Heaven forbid! He's just a kind of red herring. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>If anybody can help me, I would be MOST  grateful. I would = even receive plot ideas graciously! Please reply to me at my home address, = <A = href="mailto:anita@proaxis.com">anita@proaxis.com</A>   =    Thanks so much!</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Anita Sullivan</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>