When I was writing the book, I knew that one of the places that I, and subsequently Kitt, would visit would be a candy store. As a huge fan of candy, sodas and sweets, candy stores were and still are some of my favorite places. In this regard, the small town I called home had its advantages.

First off, there was a candy store downtown that we referred to as “The Caramel Corn Shop.” This shop is still owned by the Wertz family, and they make the best homemade candy east of the Mississippi! They make delicious chocolates and very tasty caramel corn. My friend John’s mom always had a box of their chocolates on the desk in the living room or a bag of caramel corn in the kitchen. And of course, I found my way to each one whenever I was at his house.

We also had a mom and pop type of store called McHenry’s that had a huge penny-candy case loaded with candy like Pixy Sticks, Candy Buttons, Sweet Tarts, Coconut Watermelon Slices, Jaw Breakers, Bazooka Bubble Gum, Licorice Pipes, and Tootsie Rolls to name a few. If you were lucky enough to have a quarter to spend, that bought you a twelve cent soda and thirteen pieces of candy. Then if you took the bottle back to the store you got your two cent deposit back and could buy two more pieces of candy. I loved that store! And I especially loved the fact that Mrs. McHenry let us take all the time in the world to choose just the right candy and treats.

Last but not least, the Hershey Chocolate Factory was about sixteen miles west of us, right up Route 422. Many times we’d take a road trip to the Factory, where we would be right in the same room as the actual chocolate that was being prepared to be made into candy bars or kisses. I often think that the wind blowing over the Hershey Chocolate Factory smoke stacks must have blown right over my house, thus creating my love of Hershey Chocolates.

So now you can see, with my love of candy and sodas, it was inevitable that Kitt would make a sweet stop in a candy store.