Thursday, December 3, 2015

Decorating for Christmas - and Murder?


Season's Readings! Robbie Jordan here from the Country Store Mysteries, written by Maddie Day - who's offering two holiday giveaways.

 There's Birdy on a pile of our books. He loves being on the covers, and in the stories, too.

 My author, Maddie Day (otherwise known as Edith Maxwell), wants to offer you an early Christmas present, or a gift for whatever holiday you celebrate. She'll send along a signed copy of Flipped for Murder to one commenter, and a special Edith Maxwell author mug to another. All you have to do is leave a comment about your favorite holiday custom or decoration at the end of this post. She'll pick a winner on Saturday, December 5, and will post the name here. Make sure you leave her some way to contact you in your comment.

 And remember, every day this month through Christmas there's a giveaway from one of the Killer Characters for Season's Readings!


My gift to you is the following passage from our second book, Grilled for Murder (out at the end of May, and already available for preorder), where I decorate Pans 'N Pancakes for the holidays:

I hated feeling helpless, but I’d done all I could, so I might as well decorate. Having busy hands sometimes let puzzle-solving thoughts into my brain, too. And if ever there was a puzzle that needed to be solved, it was the question of who really killed Erica Berry Shermer. Because I knew as sure as I was a Californian that Phil didn’t. I called and left him a message on his cell, asked him to call me back. I almost said more, but disconnected. We’d talk later.

 Wincing at the sight of the plywood, I dragged over the stepladder and looped the first string of lights over the front door. I’d asked at the store if I could order new glass today, but they’d said Don, the owner, had to do the ordering and he didn’t come in on Sundays.


I plugged another string into the first one and stretched it between the windows and on top of the window frames, adding more strings as I went, until I reached the end of the front wall. I knew Phil hadn’t killed Erica—didn’t I? I was as sure as I could be. He was a gentle, generous, fun-loving soul. So who was the real murderer? Erica and Tiffany had argued, but it wouldn’t make sense for Tiffany to kill someone she’d accused of stealing, not if she wanted to get her jewelry back.

 I started stringing lights on the other side of the door until I got to the cookware area. That part would have to wait to be decorated until the evidence people were done with it. Max had seemed angry with Erica for taking Paula’s side. Surely not mad enough to kill her, though. Maybe the murderer was somebody in Erica’s past. Or someone who’d followed her here from Chicago. I’d ask Jim tonight if he knew anyone in Erica and Jon’s group of friends or business associates. I couldn’t remember what Jim had said his brother did for work, if he even had. Jim had spoken only once to me about his brother’s suicide. He’d said losing his twin was like losing a chunk of himself, and that he’d had no idea Jon was that despondent. Or why he would be.

 I inserted the last plug for the lights into a wireless device and plugged the device into the wall. I stepped back and flipped on the switch. The sight of all the little white lights did, in fact, cheer me. I turned to the kitchen area and hung green garlands under the counter and over the door to the walk-in, adding a red bow here and there to brighten them. All I needed was a model train set running around an oval in the front window, with tiny snow covered houses and a miniature Pans ’N Pancakes in the center of town.

 I wasn’t particularly religious, but I loved the Christmas season, especially here in the Midwest where the days were short and the temperatures chilly. Christmas in Santa Barbara, where I’d grown up, was a different experience altogether. Mom and I had usually taken a Christmas brunch picnic to the beach and soaked up some cool sunshine while we celebrated. Once, when I was eight, we’d come to Indiana to spend Christmas with Adele. It had snowed on Christmas Eve, and I couldn’t believe I was seeing the winter wonderland I'd only read about in books. At home the winter air smelled of orange blossoms and sea breezes. Out here? The crisp taste of apples and the sharp smell of snow were more the order of the day.

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56 comments:

  1. Mary PrestonDecember 3, 2015 at 4:52 AM

    I do love decorating the Christmas tree with all of the family. It's a very special tradition.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

    Reply
  2. Kristin A.December 3, 2015 at 5:17 AM

    Your picture of Birdy laying in the pile of books is just too cute! We just adopted our 3rd cat from the Humane Society a month ago. Jingles,11, is still getting used to things, but is a little sweetie. Christmas really is the most wonderful time of year and it's so hard to pick favorites. My nativity was a gift from my grandma is very special to me, but I also have many ornaments from when I was a little girl that are dear to me as well.

    Merry Christmas!
    kristin409 at comcast dot net

    Reply
  3. Dianne BahnDecember 3, 2015 at 6:30 AM

    Decorating the Christmas tree is my favorite tradition. I love seeing all the special ornaments we've collected over the years, most of which have some special meaning or memory attached to them. [email protected]

    Reply
  4. DebbyDecember 3, 2015 at 7:49 AM

    I love my Christmas Tree but I also like to put up all my cards.

    Reply
    Replies
    1. DebbyDecember 3, 2015 at 7:50 AM

      forgot my email debby236 at gmail dot com

    2. mary reedDecember 3, 2015 at 8:38 AM

      I put up the tree and hook up the "darn Christmas lights". Then my daughter and grandson come over and decorate the tree. Everyone has there favorite ornaments. Almost 50 years worth. Merry Christmas.

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