If
you enjoy a little romance, a little history, and a little mystery, you’re
going to love “A Mistletoe Mystery” in the
Merry Little Mysteries
anthology. A half dozen authors have banded together to bring you a collection
of contemporary and historical mysteries, all clean and sweet, that are sure to
tickle your funny bone all the way down to your toes in your stockings.
My
story, A Mistletoe Mystery, is set in Boulder Colorado in 1883, and it
opens with Holly and Ivy Christmas discovering that somebody has seeded their
champion spruce trees with dwarf mistletoe, a parasitic plant every bit as
destructive as the ordinary kind of mistletoe, but not quite as pretty. They
follow the trail to a neighbor’s property but lose the tracks because the wind
blew the snow away.
What
follows is a typical mystery in that the four band together and follow the
clues, ask questions, narrow down the list to a few suspects, and trigger a
meeting of the bad guys by putting pressure on a weak link.
While
they’re doing this, they’re also spending time with each other. Figuring out
they like how the other person has turned out. Wonder why they ever stopped
talking to each other. And—well—love blossoms, as it should, in any good
romantic mystery.
You
can purchase the ebook now on pre-order at: https://mybook.to/MerryLittleMysteries
The
print book releases mid-November at the same link.
Giveaway:
Leave a comment and we will randomly choose one lucky winner to win an ebook
copy of “Merry Little Mysteries” anthology. Cleverly disguise your email
address so the bots don’t find you. For example: donna AT livebytheword DOT com
A
Sneak Peek:
Holly & Ivy Christmas
Tree Farm, Boulder, Colorado
Chapter 1
December 3rd,
1883
Holly Christmas froze in
her tracks. Not because the temperature hovered around ten degrees—although it
did. Not because she’d tromped around her thousand-acre Norway Spruce tree farm
for almost three hours—although she had. And not because the sun only now cast
a blush on the Rocky Mountains as it peeked over the horizon—although it was.
No, Miss Holly emulated a statue because of what
hung from the branches of the prime specimen before her. A tree destined to
decorate the grand ballroom of the governor’s mansion in six days’ time.
Already paid for. Already marked with a red flag for cutting and shipping
tomorrow.
She tore her gaze from that monster of a spruce
and scanned the next in line. This one, a foot shorter than its neighbor’s
fourteen feet, for the mayor of Kansas City. Again, due for cutting next week.
Holly pushed her spectacles higher on her nose.
Didn’t change what she saw.
Her heart pounded in her ears at the sight before
her. And at its ramifications.
Mistletoe.
Dwarf, to be exact, if she knew her botany.
Native to Colorado. Usually found in stands of
spruce and pine that suffered from disease, or overpopulation, or overgrowth.
Never in her tree farm.
Not before today, that is.
Holly slogged through the knee-deep snow back to
the barn, hitched a wagon to their cart horse, tossed a couple of long poles
into the bed, then headed for the house.
She scraped her boots before entering through the
back door.
Her sister, Ivy, stood at the stove cooking
breakfast. She looked up, all rosy cheeks and steamed up spectacles. “You’re
back early.” Her brow pulled down. “What’s wrong?”
Ivy knew her too well. “We got trouble.”
“With the trees?”
“What else?” She snagged her sister’s winter coat
and woolen cap from the hook near the door. “Come on. Daylight’s a-burnin’.”
Ivy chuckled at her voicing about their father’s
favorite witticism. “Barely.”
Holly led the way to the wagon and clambered
aboard. She nodded when Ivy, younger than her own twenty-nine years by eleven
months, slid onto the wooden seat. Slapping the reins, Holly urged the gelding
into a quick walk.
Ivy tugged on her sleeve. “You gonna fill me in?”
“Somebody
is out to destroy us and our farm.”
About
A Mistletoe Mystery in “Merry Little Mysteries”:
Boulder
Colorado 1883: Two sisters living next door to two brothers. When bad stuff
starts happening, who is behind it? If not a neighbor, then who? Can the two
ranches, competing in the Christmas Tree Market, cooperate enough to save their
land? Or are they doomed to lose all?
About
Donna:
A hybrid author, Donna writes squeaky clean historical and
contemporary suspense. She has been published more than 50 times in books; is a
member of several writers groups; facilitates a critique group; teaches writing
classes; ghostwrites; edits; and judges in writing contests. She loves history
and research, traveling extensively for both, and is an avid oil painter.
www.DonnaSchlachter.com Stay
connected so you learn about new releases, preorders, and presales, as well as
check out featured authors, book reviews, and a little corner of peace. Plus:
Receive a free ebook simply for signing up for our free newsletter!
www.DonnaSchlachter.com/blog
Check out previous blog posts at www.HiStoryThruTheAges.wordpress.com and www.AllBettsAreOff.wordpress.com
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/DonnaschlachterAuthor
Twitter: www.Twitter.com/DonnaSchlachter
Books: Amazon: http://amzn.to/2ci5Xqq
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/donna-schlachter
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&query=donna+schlachter
