When I think of Christmas, I think of Charles Dickens and A Christmas Carol. I had the opportunity to see it performed by Patrick Stewart, gosh, about 20 years ago. It was a one man show, where Patrick Stewart told the story, playing all the parts through the telling. It was magical and he was amazing.
When I realized when the seventh Bread Shop mystery would be released, I knew I wanted to turn it into a Christmas-themed cozy. My editor was on board with the idea, so I got to work creating the story.
Deadly Patterns, one of my Magical Dressmaking Mysteries (written as Melissa Bourbon) has a holiday theme and a dead Santa, so I knew I didn’t want to go that route with my holiday story.
Dickens, of course, was the first thing that came to mind. The idea of a Dickens-themed Christmas party materialized, and from there, the story took off. When we nailed the title—I mean, isn’t A Murder Yule Regret the absolute best?—and then the cover was completed (it’s amazing and captures the image of one of the scenes really perfectly!), I knew we had the holiday cozy trifecta.
I hope you all enjoy the book!
A Breadshop Mystery: Book 7
Publication Date: November 30, 2021
Freelance photographer and Yeast of Eden bakery assistant Ivy Culpepper has just scored the job of a lifetime shooting the Dickensian dress-up X-mas party thrown by It Girl film actress Eliza Fox . . . until an unwanted guest appears.
A holiday costume party in the sleepy coastal town of Santa Sofia could be just the boost Ivy needs for her fledgling photography business. At the party, Ivy enters a Victorian fantasy come to life, all courtesy of the fabulous Ms. Fox. Ivy gets to play shutterbug while hanging with Scrooge, Marley, the Cratchits, and more classic Dickens characters. But what begins as the best of times turns out to be the very worst for one of the party guests—a tabloid journalist with more enemies than Ebenezer himself.
When the man’s body is found sprawled across the jagged rocks below the house, the fingers begin pointing at Eliza. Meanwhile, Ivy gets roped into helping prove the starlet’s innocence. Her festive photos are now official evidence—and the Ghosts of Christmas Present could mean the party for Eliza is over, once and for all.ance photographer and Yeast of Eden bakery assistant Ivy Culpepper has just scored the job of a lifetime shooting the Dickensian dress-up X-mas party thrown by It Girl film actress Eliza Fox . . . until an unwanted guest appears.
A holiday costume party in the sleepy coastal town of Santa Sofia could be just the boost Ivy needs for her fledgling photography business. At the party, Ivy enters a Victorian fantasy come to life, all courtesy of the fabulous Ms. Fox. Ivy gets to play shutterbug while hanging with Scrooge, Marley, the Cratchits, and more classic Dickens characters. But what begins as the best of times turns out to be the very worst for one of the party guests—a tabloid journalist with more enemies than Ebenezer himself.
When the man’s body is found sprawled across the jagged rocks below the house, the fingers begin pointing at Eliza. Meanwhile, Ivy gets roped into helping prove the starlet’s innocence. Her festive photos are now official evidence—and the Ghosts of Christmas Present could mean the party for Eliza is over, once and for all.
Winnie Archer is the nationally bestselling author of the Bread Shop Mystery series, and the Magical Dressmaking Mystery series written as Melissa Bourbon. A former middle school English teacher, lives in North Carolina with her educator husband, Carlos, and the youngest of their five children. She can be found online at MelissaBourbon.com.
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