A Christmas Candy Killing - An Interview, Review, & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Christina Romeril to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Christina writes the Killer Chocolate Mystery series. A CHRISTMAS CANDY KILLING is the first book in the series and was released last week.

Kathy: In A CHRISTMAS CANDY KILLING we meet identical twin sisters Alex and Hannah. Why choose twins to be the protagonists of your series?

CR: Originally, Hanna was Alex’s BFF, but it was my editor, Tara Gavin, at Crooked Lane Books that requested I give Alex a twin. So I turned the BFF into Alex’s twin sister. The change definitely helped improve the story. I love the relationship Alex and Hanna have, especially the way they can tease each other, the way my brother and I do.

Kathy: The twins own a mystery bookshop that sells poison-themed Killer Chocolates. Usually people don't want the word poison even whispered around the food they sell. What made you have the twins embrace this unusual concept?

CR: I’ve been a huge mystery fan since third grade. One of my (and Alex’s) favorite ways for an author to kill off their victim is with poison. When I was trying to decide how to pair the mystery bookshop the twins own with something sweet, chocolates came to mind. It seemed like a fun idea to name the chocolates after poisons to tie them more closely to the mystery aspect of the business. It also seemed like something fun for the shop’s customers. If you’ve got someone you don’t especially like, but need a gift for why not let your imagination run away with the idea of poisoned chocolates.


Kathy: A neighbor tells Alex that a murderer from a true crime show has moved to town. Do you enjoy watching or reading true crime?

CR: My husband is actually the true crime fan in our family. But I have watched quite a few shows with him. I’ve even watched a few episodes about women poisoners. Right up my alley. While I find many true crime shows fascinating, I prefer to live in a world of pretend murder.

Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?

CR: My mother bought me a Trixie Belden book in third grade. I was hooked from the first chapter. I devoured that series before moving on to Nancy Drew, and Agatha Christie. As a teen I started watching Murder She Wrote and loved it. When I read those early books, I imagined myself as the sleuth puzzling out the mystery. For me it’s always been the puzzle that draws me in.


Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?

CR: A CHRISTMAS CANDY KILLING is the first thing I’ve written. I have read in a wide variety of genres over the years, but mysteries are my happy place.


Kathy: Tell us about your series.

CR: A CHRISTMAS CANDY KILLING is the first in the Killer Chocolate Mystery series. Identical twin sisters, Alex and Hanna, go from selling mystery books and making poison-themed chocolates to channeling their inner sleuths to find a killer. The twins use their sweet confections to loosen tongues and get villagers to share their secrets.
 

Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?

CR: I love writing one of my side characters, Drew Fletcher. He’s a retired pharmacist and major hypochondriac. It’s the quirky or nasty characters that I find the most fun to write. Drew is definitely on the quirky side. He’s also a little unpredictable and that gives me leeway with what he might do.


Kathy: Did you have a specific inspiration for your series?

CR: When I moved to the village where I now live I knew I wanted to write a cozy mystery set here. While the book is set at the foot of the Rocky Mountains in Montana, you could wander the streets where I live and recognize landmarks. 

 

Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?

CR: I’ve wanted to write a book and have it published for decades. Being an author has been a dream since my teens. I wrote A CHRISTMAS CANDY KILLING with every intention of sending it out to agents.
 

Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?

CR: Definitely Jane Austen. The next three are tricky. While I love lots of authors, I think for a dinner party I’d want a lively group. Libby Klein, M.C. Beaton, and Ellie Alexander. I think we’d have a riot.


Kathy: What are you currently reading?

CR: Right now I’m reading Kate Khavari’s, A BOTANIST'S GUIDE TO PARTIES AND POISONS.
 

Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?

CR: Aside from reading, I enjoy doing crafts, usually with paint. I create mostly signs these days.
 

Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.

CR: Spinach, and chocolate protein powder for the smoothies I have most days. Plus, eggs, I eat lots of eggs because I don’t like to cook during the week, and dark chocolate, of course.
 

Kathy: Do you have plans for future books either in your current series or a new series?

CR: Book two in the Killer Chocolate Mystery series is with my editor. I expect to get it back for revisions any time. I’m working on Book three in the series. I also have an idea for another series I’m working on in my spare time.

Kathy: What's your favorite thing about being an author?

CR: I love the creative process. Coming up with the idea for a new book and figuring out the clues, red herrings, motivations, and subplots is just so much fun.

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Review

A CHRISTMAS CANDY KILLING by Christina Romeril
The First Killer Chocolate Mystery

 

In the small town of Harriston, Montana everyone knows everyone else's business. Jane Burrows, who loves true crime and horticulture, has a habit of watching true crime shows and accusing townsfolk of being the wanted murderer. Though everyone scoffs, this time she's certain that a killer is hiding amongst them. Confiding in her friend Alex Wright, the co-owner of Murder and Mayhem, the towns bookstore and chocolate shop, Jane insists Alex come over to see the show. When Alex arrives, however, she finds Jane's body...murdered. Who could have killed the sweet older lady? Everyone loved her, or did they? Could Jane have been right, is there a murderer in town desperate to keep their identity a secret? Or was there another reason to want Jane dead? Between running her bookstore, helping her twin create poison themed chocolates, and preparing for Christmas, Alex will also try to find a killer!

 

Christmas in snowy Montana with a bookshop that also sells handmade chocolates? Yes, please. Most of the characters were personable and I enjoyed getting to know them. Drew was a hoot and it's too bad that Jane was killed as I feel she would have been a great character throughout the series. I liked the variety of suspects although I cottoned on to the killer fairly quickly, even before the clues really pointed out who it was.

While I enjoyed the story the pacing seemed off. The book just seemed to drag on for way too long. I was waiting for something to happen, but the storyline just plodded along, gradually adding clues and red herrings by slow increments. I did enjoy the final confrontation, which was exciting. 

 

A CHRISTMAS CANDY KILLING is a cozy holiday mystery and a promising start to a new series.

 

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 A Christmas Candy Killing (A Killer Chocolate Mystery) by Christina Romeril

About A Christmas Candy Killing

A Christmas Candy Killing (A Killer Chocolate Mystery)
Cozy Mystery 1st in Series
The book is set in a fictional town, Harriston, Montana.
Crooked Lane Books (October 11, 2022)
Hardcover: ‎ 304 pages

Their chocolates are to die for—but things aren’t so sweet when a real killer comes to town, in this debut mystery perfect for fans of Joanne Fluke and Laura Childs.

Identical twin sisters Alex and Hannah are the owners of Murder and Mayhem, a mystery bookshop that sells their famous poison-themed Killer Chocolates. But now, there’s a real killer in their midst. Shortly before Christmas, their septuagenarian neighbor, Jane, confides to Alex that a murderer from a true-crime show has taken up residence in the village. Unfortunately, she’s also shared her suspicions with town gossip Netta. The next morning, Alex shows up at Jane’s house to watch the show, but instead discovers Jane's body, with a box of Killer Chocolates nearby.

The sheriff quickly zeroes in on two suspects: Alex, a beneficiary in Jane’s will, and Zack, a handyman who was seen leaving the crime scene. But Alex maintains her innocence and sets out to draft a list of other potential suspects—townsfolk who’d recently been seen arguing with Jane.

When Alex gets hold of Jane’s journal, she begins to understand the truth. But a bearer of ill tidings is arriving early this year—and Alex just might not make it to Christmas.

About Christina Romeril

Christina Romeril loves to plot murders, especially by poisoning. When she’s not plotting how to kill one of her characters she’s coming up with ways to dispose of the body. Since writing her debut novel her husband’s friends have been regularly checking on his well-being.

Christina also loves to read, eat chocolates, and travel when she’s not in her she shed writing. She grew up in Southern Ontario and spent most of her summers in Muskoka swimming, boating, and generally getting into mischief. She’s lived on both coasts of Canada and has a love of being near the water and close to a forest. Thus, it makes perfect sense that she moved to the prairies of Southern Alberta over twenty years ago.

During the warmer months you’ll find her escaping to nearby Waterton Lakes National Park with her cooler stocked full of chocolate and pastries. Occasionally, the once avid hiker will even set out on one of the many hiking trails and hope she doesn’t run into a hungry bear.

Christina is a member of Sisters in Crime and enjoys interacting on social media.

Author Links:

Webpage https://christinaromeril.com/

Blog https://christinaromeril.com/blog/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/christinaromerilwriter

Twitter https://Twitter.com/romerilchris

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/christinaromerilwriter

GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22222730.Christina_Romeril

Purchase Links - Amazon - B&N - 

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