From Across State Lines with Paula Charles!
- PA Cozy Mystery Writers
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Please give a warm welcome to Paula from Washington…
When Paula Charles isn’t writing, you can find her reading and baking in her 125-year-old house by the sea. She is the author of the Hometown Hardware Mysteries, as well as the Zen Goat Mysteries written as Janna Rollins, both cozy mysteries. She has six grown children, and a gaggle of grandkids. Paula lives on the Washington coast with her extremely patient husband, and maybe a ghost or two.
Find links to her social media on her website - www.paulacharles.com
Dream Vacation: Of the vacations I’ve taken so far, Ireland has my heart. I’d love to spend some time in Scotland and Wales, as well.
If your book is holiday-themed, tell us more about how you included the holiday.
I love Christmas and knew when I started this series that I wanted to set one of the books during the holiday season. There’s a whole lot of Christmas going on in Zappy. Besides the town Christmas tree lighting and the light tour, Dawna is hosting Santa’s Workshop at the hardware store, there’s Giving Trees all around town to donate gifts to the less fortunate. A holiday play is taking place at the historic Emery Theater, and the scents and smells of Christmas permeate the story.
Introduce us to one of the animals in your story.
Lilac is a white fluffy cat with lavender eyes who just happens to be a ghost. She was Dawna’s cat but passed a decade ago. One night recently, she showed up in Dawna’s bedroom, jumped up onto the bed with her where she slept all night. Dawna was in that half-state of sleep and didn’t even think to be startled until the morning. Now, Lilac hangs around the house quite a bit, always winding around Dawna’s legs and settling on her lap when she needs comfort. She’s a very sweet cat, and loves to swat at the decorations on the Christmas tree, even though her ghostly paw doesn’t deliver the desired effect.
Do you have any reoccurring characters in your story? (please tell us about two of them)
In A Zappy Little Christmas, Dawna’s elderly neighbor, Smitty, plays a bigger role. Smitty has been in every single book but only little cameo appearances. Smitty is 88 and always telling outlandish stories that she insists are absolute fact. And boy can that tiny little woman eat!
Darlene Lovelace rents space from Dawna next to the hardware store. She has a boutique called Lipstick and Lace, and thinks she’s all that. She’s always giving Dawna grief about one thing or another. Darlene would love to shake the dust of Pine Bluff off her expensive cowboy boots, but the opportunity hasn’t presented itself yet.
Favorite Style of Music: Like my main character Dawna, I’m a country music fan through and through. I do enjoy many kinds of music, but my heart lies in the older country style, (up through the 90s, mostly)
A Zappy Little Christmas: A Hometown Hardware Mystery #3
A Little Bit About the Book:
Silver bells ring out, but in the air there’s a feeling of…murder.
Pine Bluff, Oregon resembles a perfect cozy Christmas card. Sparkling Christmas trees line snowy main street. Wreaths, red ribbons, and colored lights adorn every door. Hardware store owner Dawna Carpenter is in a festive mood. She invites her elderly neighbor, Smitty, to join her and daughter April on the Christmas Light Tour, a trolley that takes guests through all the best decorated neighborhoods while they enjoy steaming mugs of hot cocoa and scrumptious treats.
But when Smitty spies one of the homeowners dead—a macabre decoration in an otherwise merry display—the cheerful ride turns somber fast. Dawna notices the ghost of the deceased woman standing next to the display, clearly angry over her recent demise. As snow blankets the valley and her newest employee is implicated in the crime, it’s up to Dawna to find out who’s been naughty and who’s been nice—before it’s lights out for her, too.
What Format Is This Book Available In?
Paperback | Ebook
Paula's book, A Zappy Little Christmas, is available for purchasing through the following links:
For more information, please visit her website: www.paulacharles.com
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