Sunday, December 3, 2017

Holiday Decorating in South Lick, Indiana

Happy Season's Readings from me, Robbie Jordan! My author Maddie Day is on retreat, but she wants to give away a copy of the book that takes place closest to Christmas, Grilled for Murder, to one commenter here today.  She also wanted me to remind you that the fourth book in the series, Biscuits and Slashed Browns, releases January 30 and is available for preorder wherever books are sold.

She is sharing a passage from the book 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.

 Maddie also says to tell you she's been immersed in our lives on her solo retreat. She's been writing book six in the series, Strangled Eggs and Ham, and she's loving spending time with me, my aunt Adele, Officer Buck Bird, and the rest of the South Lick regulars!

 Macavity- and Agatha-nominated Edith Maxwell writes the Quaker Midwife Mysteries, the Local Foods Mysteries, and award-winning short crime fiction. As Maddie Day she creates the Country Store Mysteries and the Cozy Capers Book Group Mysteries.

Maxwell is President of Sisters in Crime New England. She lives north of Boston with her beau and two cats, and blogs here, with the other Wicked Cozy Authors, and with the Midnight Ink Writers. You can find her on Facebook, twitter, Pinterest, and at her web site, edithmaxwell.com.
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43 comments:

  1. ChrisDecember 3, 2017 at 5:49 AM

    I am looking forward to this one...love the series!! cking78503(at)aol(dot)com

    Reply
  2. AnonymousDecember 3, 2017 at 6:35 AM

    I love the Christmas Season too. This book sounds charming. Thank you for the chance.
    Marilyn [email protected]

    Reply
  3. DebbyDecember 3, 2017 at 8:01 AM

    I love Christmas and am adding this one to my list.
    debby236 at gmail dot com

    Reply
  4. jnalpathDecember 3, 2017 at 8:20 AM

    Thanks for the chance! maceoindo (at)yahoo(dot)com

    Reply
  5. Pam McNamaraDecember 3, 2017 at 8:35 AM

    Thanks for the chance to win. Looking forward to reading the newest book in the series. [email protected]

    Reply
  6. TempewytchDecember 3, 2017 at 8:36 AM

    This sounds like a wonderful Christmas read :D

    Reply
  7. MelissaDecember 3, 2017 at 8:52 AM

    Absolutely love this series! Looking forward to reading the book! mcastor07 (at)gmail(dot)com.

    Reply
  8. gillahooleyDecember 3, 2017 at 9:07 AM

    I have not had the pleasure of reading a book from this series. Finding a new cozy series makes me smile. :)drwgsmom(at)yahoo(dot)com

    Reply
  9. Cynthia VoskampDecember 3, 2017 at 9:48 AM

    Thanks for the opportunity! I'd love to curl up and enjoy it. c(dot)s(dot)voskamp(at)gmail(dot)com

    Reply
  10. Kathleen KendlerDecember 3, 2017 at 10:10 AM

    looking forward to the next few books. Thanks for the update and the opportunity to win a book.
    kckendler at gmail dot com

    Reply
  11. travelerDecember 3, 2017 at 10:33 AM

    Thanks for this delightful feature and giveaway. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

    Reply
  12. Celia FowlerDecember 3, 2017 at 10:43 AM

    I love your Robbie Jordan books and their titles! Thanks so much for the giveaway ~ [email protected]

    Reply
  13. Ann MettertDecember 3, 2017 at 11:03 AM

    Would love to read this. I'll put it on my list. 😉
    [email protected]

    Reply
  14. AnonymousDecember 3, 2017 at 11:11 AM

    I read and enjoy all of Edith Maxwell books except this series.I think it would be fun to start reading this series with the book closest to Christmas.Ruth Nixon [email protected]

    Reply
  15. Maryanne BirchDecember 3, 2017 at 11:24 AM

    Thanks for the chance to win. rhybirch(at)gmail(dot)com (Rhy Birch)

    Reply
  16. AnonymousDecember 3, 2017 at 11:38 AM

    Thanks for the chance to win. [email protected].

    Reply
  17. SueDecember 3, 2017 at 12:03 PM

    I love the Christmas season and all the decorations.
    [email protected]

    Reply
  18. AnonymousDecember 3, 2017 at 12:13 PM

    I loved the sound of this book. I was born a Hoosier, not too far from French Lick.
    cjreynolds52(at)comcast(dot)net

    Reply
  19. mary cadahiaDecember 3, 2017 at 12:35 PM

    Love the cover. Looking forward to reading

    Reply
  20. Paula AdamsDecember 3, 2017 at 1:00 PM

    I love the title. Thank you for the chance. pgenest57(at)aol(dot)com

    Reply
  21. Donamae KutskaDecember 3, 2017 at 2:38 PM

    Sounds like a fun book to read to get in the Christmas spirit! [email protected]

    Reply
    Replies
    1. Edith MaxwellDecember 4, 2017 at 10:59 AM

      Donamae, you won! Please check your email and send me your mailing address so I'll get that off to you. Congratulations!

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