by: Debra Sennefelder
Series: Food Blogger Mystery
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release Date: November 12, 2024
Publisher: Beyond the Page
Hope Early is fully immersed in the spirit of the Christmas season, until the sounds of joyful carolers are silenced by the words “Ho-ho-homicide”...
Food blogger Hope Early always gets a hearty holiday laugh from knowing that the weeks leading up to Christmas are as frantic as they are festive. But in spite of everything she has to do, the one thing she always has time for is the annual Jingle Bell Stroll, a night when the community gathers to sing their hearts out and enjoy each other’s company. This year’s caroling feels especially heartwarming, until the final note lands with a thud when Hope finds the body of the man who’d volunteered to play Santa, a knife plunged into his back.
With virtually the whole town present at the caroling, the list of suspects seems endless. It doesn’t take long, though, for both Hope and the police to turn a sharp eye on the victim’s bitter and vindictive ex-wife, along with his new wife, who may have been after his money. Then Hope unearths a clue that suggests the dead man may have been hiding a sordid past and connections to unseemly characters. But as she closes in on the killer, they’re determined to wring her neck before she can ring in the new year…
Includes tasty and toasty holiday recipes!
I’m doing great. Thank you for chatting with me about my new release. A CORPSE AMONG THE CAROLERS.
You’re welcome. You’re a new to me author, can you please tell me what drew you to writing cozy mysteries?
I’ve always loved mysteries. My older cousins had passed down their collections of Hardy Boys mysteries and Nancy Drew mysteries and I read every one. Then I discovered Agatha Christie. Fast-forward to when I discovered culinary cozy mysteries. I read Diane Mott Davidson, Joanne Fluke, Katherine Hall Page, and the list goes on and on. I fell in love with those mysteries and decided to try to write one. I love writing amateur sleuths. For me, they’re not a busybody but rather someone determined to uncover the truth and see that justice is served. And in cozy mysteries, there’s also the community and cast of fun, quirky characters.
Congratulations on the release of A Corpse Among the Carolers, the seventh book in your Food Blogger Mystery series. Can you please tell me about the series and what readers can expect from A Corpse Among the Carolers?
The Food Blogger mystery series features Hope Early, food blogger and amateur sleuth. Set in Jefferson, CT, the series follows Hope’s return to her hometown and her uncanny ability to stumble into murder cases. She’s surrounded with family and friends, a few join her in solving the whodunit.
For cozy mystery readers who adore the magic of Christmas and the warm comfort of a good mystery, A CORPSE AMONG THE CAROLERS is a delightful treat. With its charming community, heartwarming characters, and festive atmosphere, this book offers a cozy escape filled with holiday cheer and a captivating whodunit. And don't forget the delicious recipes that will make your own holiday season even more special!
As I mentioned, this is the seventh book in the series. Can new readers easily pick it up and not have any problems understanding the characters and dynamics?
Since A CORPSE AMONG THE CAROLERS is a part of a series, I believe the reader will have the best experience reading the book if they have read the previous books. However, there was an early 5-star review from a reviewer who hasn’t read the other books and enjoyed the story. If this is a reader’s first book in the series, I think they will have fun reading it since it’s set at Christmas and the murder is solved at the end of the book.
Who or what inspired the character of Hope Early?
Many writers hear the advice, “write what you know”. That’s what I did when I set out to write the Food Blogger mystery series. I knew that I wanted to have a series set around food. So I made a list of how I could do that – caterer, bakery shop owner, cake decorator, etc. And then it hit me, I could make Hope a food blogger. For a couple years I had a food blog but shut it down to focus on fiction writing. Hope and I share similar traits, but we are very different. She loves her planner, cinnamon buns and baking cookies just like I do. She’s divorced, appeared on a reality baking show and pokes around murder cases. I’ve been married for 34 years, there are no reality shows in my background and I stay away from murder cases.
Recipes are included in all the books in the series. Are you a cook/baker by nature, or is this something you have to work at?
I’ve always loved baking and cooking. I truly enjoy spending time in the kitchen whipping up meals and treats.
Final question. What’s your favorite part of the writing process?
That’s a hard one. There are so many parts of the writing process I enjoy. I love it when I get a spark of a new idea. I love when my imagination runs wild while outlining a book. I love diving into a first draft, which is what I’m currently doing. I love sending back my proof pages to my editor because that means I’m done with a manuscript. See, so many things. But I think my most favorite part of the job with writing the first draft. It can feel magical at times.
Debra, thank you so much for taking the time to answer some questions for me.
“How’s Trixie?” Hope asked. Right after Halloween, Drew worked on a story for a local animal rescue group, and there he met a girl who stole his heart. Her name was Trixie, and she was a four-month-old Jack Russell terrier. So, he thought it was a good idea to double down on the chaos of his life, which included renovating his new home, by adopting a puppy. Since she’d pretty much done the same thing, she couldn’t judge her best friend.
“She’s in her absolute terror phase. And those sharp little teeth are brutal. But when she’s asleep, she’s adorbs.”
Hope chuckled. She’d warned him, but he’d heard none of it. Though, she was confident he would survive Trixie’s puppyhood.
They stepped out of the church hall, their breath visible in the chilly winter air. She tucked a stray lock of dark hair behind her ear, her gaze wandering across the parking lot and stopping abruptly on a heated argument playing out just a few feet away.
Ralph Lang’s face was flushed with anger as he pointed a trembling finger at Mitty Fitzgerald. “You think you can get away with cheating me? Let me tell you, you’ve got another thing coming!”
Mitty Fitzgerald, his usual calm manner slightly rattled, replied, “Look, I didn’t cheat you. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Hope watched with fascination as her curiosity was piqued. What had driven these two mild-mannered men into such a heated confrontation? Then she remembered. She’d heard that Ralph believed that Mitty had sold him a fake antique six months earlier. A tall, lanky man with a perpetual smile and a reputation for being the town’s easiest-going and most honest handyman, Ralph hadn’t missed an opportunity to gripe about Mitty and the lamp he purchased.
“This isn’t good,” Drew whispered to Hope. “We should break it up.”
Hope nodded, and together they stepped forward. But they were too late.
Before her eyes, Ralph’s frustration reached its boiling point, and he shoved Mitty hard enough to send him stumbling back into the side of his pickup truck. The impact echoed through the quiet parking lot, and Hope gasped in shock, her heart pounding.
“Whoa!” Drew’s eyes bugged out and, in a split second, he took off in a sprint. He put himself between the two arguing men. “You both need to cool off.”
Meanwhile, Hope hurried to Mitty, who peeled himself away from the side of his truck and signaled to Hope that he didn’t need any help.
Ralph’s chest heaved as he shot an accusing glance at Mitty. “This man is a swindler, Drew! He ripped me off, and I won’t stand for it. In fact, you should write an article in the Gazette about his shop and warn the public.”
Mitty, still shaken from the shove, shook his head. “It’s not true. I have never sold fake antiques. I have sold reproductions, but I’ve always made it clear what they were.”
Ralph huffed in frustration, then turned and stormed away. Before disappearing, he cast one last warning glance at Mitty. “You’ll regret this, Mitty!”
Hope couldn’t help but be astonished. Ralph was the last person she’d expect to lose his temper like that, and Mitty’s calm response was a stark contrast to the accusations. Something didn’t add up.
“She’s in her absolute terror phase. And those sharp little teeth are brutal. But when she’s asleep, she’s adorbs.”
Hope chuckled. She’d warned him, but he’d heard none of it. Though, she was confident he would survive Trixie’s puppyhood.
They stepped out of the church hall, their breath visible in the chilly winter air. She tucked a stray lock of dark hair behind her ear, her gaze wandering across the parking lot and stopping abruptly on a heated argument playing out just a few feet away.
Ralph Lang’s face was flushed with anger as he pointed a trembling finger at Mitty Fitzgerald. “You think you can get away with cheating me? Let me tell you, you’ve got another thing coming!”
Mitty Fitzgerald, his usual calm manner slightly rattled, replied, “Look, I didn’t cheat you. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Hope watched with fascination as her curiosity was piqued. What had driven these two mild-mannered men into such a heated confrontation? Then she remembered. She’d heard that Ralph believed that Mitty had sold him a fake antique six months earlier. A tall, lanky man with a perpetual smile and a reputation for being the town’s easiest-going and most honest handyman, Ralph hadn’t missed an opportunity to gripe about Mitty and the lamp he purchased.
“This isn’t good,” Drew whispered to Hope. “We should break it up.”
Hope nodded, and together they stepped forward. But they were too late.
Before her eyes, Ralph’s frustration reached its boiling point, and he shoved Mitty hard enough to send him stumbling back into the side of his pickup truck. The impact echoed through the quiet parking lot, and Hope gasped in shock, her heart pounding.
“Whoa!” Drew’s eyes bugged out and, in a split second, he took off in a sprint. He put himself between the two arguing men. “You both need to cool off.”
Meanwhile, Hope hurried to Mitty, who peeled himself away from the side of his truck and signaled to Hope that he didn’t need any help.
Ralph’s chest heaved as he shot an accusing glance at Mitty. “This man is a swindler, Drew! He ripped me off, and I won’t stand for it. In fact, you should write an article in the Gazette about his shop and warn the public.”
Mitty, still shaken from the shove, shook his head. “It’s not true. I have never sold fake antiques. I have sold reproductions, but I’ve always made it clear what they were.”
Ralph huffed in frustration, then turned and stormed away. Before disappearing, he cast one last warning glance at Mitty. “You’ll regret this, Mitty!”
Hope couldn’t help but be astonished. Ralph was the last person she’d expect to lose his temper like that, and Mitty’s calm response was a stark contrast to the accusations. Something didn’t add up.
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When she’s not reading, she enjoys cooking and baking and as a former food blogger, she is constantly taking photographs of her food. Yeah, she’s that person.
Born and raised in New York City, where she majored in her hobby of fashion buying, she now lives and writes in Connecticut with her writing companion, Connie.
Places to find Debra Sennefelder:
You can follow the A Corpse Amon the Carolers Blog Tour here.
I enjoy this interview. Thanks!
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