A Corpse Among the Carolers - An Interview

I'm pleased to welcome Debra Sennefelder back to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Debra writes the Food Blogger Mystery series. A Corpse Among the Carolers is the seventh book in the series and is being released today!

Kathy: In A Corpse Among the Carolers murder disrupts the Jingle Bell Stroll, a community caroling event. Do you go Christmas caroling?

DS: No. I’ve never been. But I would love to even though I can’t sing. I think it would be so much fun!


Kathy: What's your favorite Christmas carol to sing? What about your favorite Christmas song to listen to?

DS: Great questions. All I Want For Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey and Hark the Herald Angels Sing.


Kathy: I love reading holiday themed mysteries. What makes ones set during Christmastime so special?

DS: Setting a cozy mystery during Christmastime adds an extra layer of warmth and magic that draws readers in. The holiday season creates a rich backdrop filled with traditions, community gatherings, and an overall sense of togetherness—ideal for a cozy mystery. It’s a time when people reconnect, share memories, and lean into nostalgia, making the stakes feel even higher when something goes awry. A Christmas cozy mystery feels like curling up with a warm blanket—there’s excitement and suspense, but it’s wrapped in the comforting glow of holiday lights and festive cheer.


Kathy: Your book includes tasty and toasty holiday recipes. Do you have favorite dishes you make every year? Do you roll out new recipes as well?

DS: Our Christmas dinner includes a roast beef with red cabbage that I absolutely love. And every year I bake cookies. I will try a new cookie recipe every couple years at Christmas but that’s about it. I usually stay with the tried and true and the recipes my family and friends love.


Kathy: Was there a specific inspiration for this story?

DS: I wanted to write a mystery set during Christmas and I have no idea where the idea for the caroling event came from. It just popped into my head one day and I loved it and fleshed out the story.


Kathy: Are you able to share any future plans for Hope?

DS: Yes. I’m currently writing her next book. I’m in the beginning of the first draft of that manuscript. All I can say about that story is that I’m loving it and it’s set during a winter snowstorm.


Kathy: When it comes to writing I understand there are 2 general camps-plotters, who diligently plot their stories, and pansters, who fly by the seat of their pants. Are you a plotter, a panster, or do you fall somewhere in between?

DS: I’m a plotter. I love a detailed outline before I begin writing the story. But even though I have an outline, as I’m writing the story sometimes things change.


Kathy: Authors are required to do a lot of their own marketing, especially for a new release. What's your favorite part of marketing your work? What do you dislike about marketing?

DS: I enjoy connecting with readers whether it’s through a blog post, an interview or a live video. While there’s no part of the process I dislike, I do find that the added workload of marketing on top of writing a book is stressful.


Kathy: Will you share any other upcoming books?

DS: Besides the next Food Blogger mystery that I’m writing now, I do have a couple of manuscripts lined up to write in 2025 but at this time I can’t share much more than that about them.

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 A Corpse Among the Carolers (A Food Blogger Mystery) by Debra Sennefelder

About A Corpse Among the Carolers 

A Corpse Among the Carolers (A Food Blogger Mystery)
Cozy Mystery 7th in Series
Setting - Connecticut
Publisher: ‎ Beyond the Page Publishing (November 12, 2024)
Paperback: ‎ 226 pages

Hope Early is fully immersed in the spirit of the Christmas season, until the sounds of joyful carolers are silenced by the words “Ho-ho-homicide” . . .

Food blogger Hope Early always gets a hearty holiday laugh from knowing that the weeks leading up to Christmas are as frantic as they are festive. But in spite of everything she has to do, the one thing she always has time for is the annual Jingle Bell Stroll, a night when the community gathers to sing their hearts out and enjoy each other’s company. This year’s caroling feels especially heartwarming, until the final note lands with a thud when Hope finds the body of the man who’d volunteered to play Santa, a knife plunged into his back.

With virtually the whole town present at the caroling, the list of suspects seems endless. It doesn’t take long, though, for both Hope and the police to turn a sharp eye on the victim’s bitter and vindictive ex-wife, along with his new wife, who may have been after his money. Then Hope unearths a clue that suggests the dead man may have been hiding a sordid past and connections to unseemly characters. But as she closes in on the killer, they’re determined to wring her neck before she can ring in the new year . . .

Includes tasty and toasty holiday recipes!

About Debra Sennefelder

Debra Sennefelder is the acclaimed author of charming and suspenseful cozy mysteries set in small towns filled with intriguing characters and delightful pets. Based in Connecticut, Debra shares her home with her family and a lovable, slightly spoiled Shih Tzu. Her passion for mystery fiction, particularly cozy mysteries, inspires her to create engaging stories that blend crime-solving with delicious recipes and stylish fashion. She is the author of the Food Blogger Mystery series, the Resale Boutique Mystery series, and the Cookie Shop Mystery series. When she’s not plotting her next whodunit, you’ll find her baking sweet treats or indulging in a good book.

When she’s not reading, she enjoys cooking and baking and as a former food blogger, she is constantly taking photographs of her food. Yeah, she’s that person.

Born and raised in New York City, where she majored in her hobby of fashion buying, she now lives and writes in Connecticut with her writing companion, Connie.

She can be reached at Debra@DebraSennefelder.com

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How the Murder Crumbles - A Review & Giveaway

Review

HOW THE MURDER CRUMBLES by Debra Sennefelder
The First Cookie Shop Mystery 

Beatrice Wright is known around Wingate, Connecticut as Queen Bea. So when she's found murdered there are plenty of suspects, including Cookie Shop owner Mallory Monroe, who just had a huge blowup with the victim. With townsfolk looking askance at her, Mallory also has to deal with bickering employees, a devious cousin, and the woman she caught her boyfriend with, not to mention a hunky detective, all while creating distinctive and delectable cookies. Desperate to prove her innocence, Mallory starts her own search for a killer. But will she solve a murder or become a victim? 

How anyone can claim a cookie recipe is theirs and theirs alone is beyond me, but that's just what the supercilious Queen Bea believes. With a huge ego and little tolerance for others it's no wonder she becomes our murder victim. As Mallory investigates we learn even more reasons why people would like to kill her. I love mysteries with a good number of suspects all with excellent motives, and that's what we get in the first Cookie Shop Mystery.

I enjoyed my first visit to Wingate, Connecticut and the Cookie Shop. I like the slight tweak to the bakery in that the focus of the shop is highly decorated cookies and cookie bouquets. It's a nice departure from just regular baked goods, although Mallory offers those too...leading to the threats. I like that Mallory is somewhat suspicious of everyone and I think the addition of "the other woman" into her close circle is great fun. All of the characters have dimension and I look forward to learning more about them, especially a certain detective with a sparkle in his eye.

With great character dynamics, some surprising twists and turns, and lots of delicious cookies HOW THE MURDER CRUMBLES is a great start to a new series.

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 How the Murder Crumbles (A Cookie Shop Mystery) by Debra Sennefelder

About How the Murder Crumbles

How the Murder Crumbles (A Cookie Shop Mystery)
Cozy Mystery 1st in Series
Setting - Connecticut
Crooked Lane Books (June 20, 2023)
Hardcover: ‎ 304 pages

Debra Sennefelder whips up cookies and crime in a delicious new cozy series, perfect for fans of Joanne Fluke and Peg Cochran.

Wingate, Connecticut, is famed as one of the top ten shopping destinations in the state, and home to Mallory Monroe’s beloved Cookie Shop—a place where patrons are greeted with the heavenly aroma of freshly baked cookies that are as beautifully decorated as they are insanely delicious.

But things aren’t going so smoothly for Mallory. Her two employees are a disaster in the kitchen, she catches her boyfriend with another woman, and she’s seen having a fierce argument with food blogger Beatrice Wright, who accuses Mallory of stealing her cookie recipe. Then Beatrice turns up dead in her kitchen, flour outlining her body and a bloodied marble rolling pin nearby. Mallory immediately becomes suspect number one, her sales plummet, and she desperately tries to clear her name—but that’s not the only murder the killer is baking up.

Debra Sennefelder has cooked up a perfect recipe—endearing characters, a picture-perfect evocation of small-town life, and a quaint sweets shop. And just when things get a little too comfy, there’s always a murder or two for good measure.

About Debra Sennefelder

Debra Sennefelder, the author of the Food Blogger Mystery series, the Resale Boutique Mystery series, and the Cookie Shop mystery series, is an avid reader who reads across a range of genres, but mystery fiction is her obsession. Her interest in people and relationships is channeled into her novels against a backdrop of crime and mystery. When she’s not reading, she enjoys cooking and baking and as a former food blogger, she is constantly taking photographs of her food. Yeah, she’s that person.

Born and raised in New York City, she now lives and writes in Connecticut with her family. She’s worked in pre-hospital care, retail and publishing. Her writing companions are her adorable and slightly spoiled Shih-Tzus, Susie, and Billy.

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Currently Reading...

I just finished reading How the Murder Crumbles by Debra Sennefelder. This book is the first in the Cookie Shop Mystery series and will be released June 20, 2023.

Beatrice Wright is known around Wingate, Connecticut as Queen Bea. So when she's found murdered there are plenty of suspects, including Cookie Shop owner Mallory Monroe, who just had a huge blowup with the victim. With townsfolk looking askance at her, Mallory also has to deal with bickering employees, a devious cousin, and the woman she caught her boyfriend with, not to mention a hunky detective, all while creating distinctive and delectable cookies. Desperate to prove her innocence, Mallory starts her own search for a killer. But will she solve a murder or become a victim?

What Not to Wear to a Graveyard - A Book Blast!

What Not to Wear to a Graveyard (A Resale Boutique Mystery) by Debra Sennefelder

BOOK BLAST

About What Not to Wear to a Graveyard

What Not to Wear to a Graveyard (A Resale Boutique Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
A Resale Boutique Mystery Novella
Lyrical Press (September 8, 2020)
Print length: ‎ 97 pages

After trading her Manhattan digs for her upstate hometown, fashionista Kelly Quinn has big plans for her grandmother’s consignment shop. But this All Hallow’s Eve someone is already dressed to kill . . .

A socialite’s missing dog has made front page news in Lucky Cove—complete with a hefty reward. But between renovating the consignment shop, planning her costume for a 1970s themed Halloween party, and scouting a location for a fashion shoot, Kelly doesn’t have time to search. Yet a visit to the local colonial-era cemetery—ideal for the moody atmosphere she’s after—soon turns up the precious pooch. Kelly’s looking forward to collecting the check—until she makes a gruesome discovery in an abandoned farmhouse: The dog’s owner, stabbed through the heart.

Kelly can’t help wondering why Constance Lane was traipsing around the farmhouse in stilettos. But as Kelly gets decked out in a vintage disco caftan, that isn’t the only fashion misstatement spooking her. Hidden in the dead woman’s past is a secret that could be the motive for the murder. And as the Halloween party gets started, even a menacing clown and a threatening bearded lady can’t keep Kelly from trick or treating for the truth—even if it means her last dance . . .

About Debra Sennefelder

 

Debra Sennefelder is the acclaimed author of the Food Blogger Mysteries, the Resale Boutique Mystery Series and the upcoming Cookie Shop Mystery series. An avid reader who reads across a range of genres, mystery fiction is her obsession. Her interest in people and relationships is channeled into her novels against a backdrop of crime and mystery.

Her first novel, THE UNINVITED CORPSE (A Food Blogger mystery) was published in 2018.When she’s not reading, she enjoys cooking and baking and as a former food blogger, she is constantly taking photographs of her food. Yeah, she’s that person.

Born and raised in New York City, where she majored in her hobby of fashion buying, she now lives and writes in Connecticut with her family. She’s worked in retail and publishing before becoming a full-time author. Her writing companion is her adorable and slightly spoiled Shih-Tzu, Connie.  

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Beauty and the Deceased - A Spotlight

Today I'd like to shine a spotlight on a book on my TBR pile. Beauty and the Deceased by Debra Sennefelder is the fourth book in the Resale Boutique Mystery series.

Blurb:

Kelly Quinn’s Long Island consignment shop offers high style at secondhand prices—but when a body is found on the beach, she needs to start hunting for a wolf in sheep’s clothing . . .
 
Kelly is thrilled when she gets a visit from a cousin she hasn’t seen in years. Becky’s cosmetics company is taking off, and she just might have laid the foundation for a big-money buyout. It’s a time to celebrate—but Kelly is heartbroken when a killer puts an end to their happy reunion during a mysterious midnight meeting near the shore.
 
Despite multiple warnings to steer clear, Kelly starts shadowing a variety of suspects both inside and outside the beauty business—when she isn’t busy filling the racks of the Lucky Cove Resale Boutique with lots of new inventory from a local shopaholic. Gossip and accusations are flying, but there’s no glossing over this ugly crime, and she’s going to make sure the culprit faces justice…

Silenced in Sequins - A Review & Giveaway

Review

SILENCED IN SEQUINS by Debra Sennefelder

The Second Resale Boutique Mystery

Kelly Quinn is not in the Christmas mood. Her dreams of increased business and popularity after receiving several items on consignment from a reality TV star turn into a nightmare when the two dueling reality "ladies" battle after one shows up wearing the other's cast off clothing! When one of them vows to destroy Kelly's business, Kelly wants to find a way to make things better, but what she finds is the Long Island Lady's dead body! Now the prime suspect wants Kelly to help her, the producer wants her on the show, and the detective in charge wants her away from her investigation and her brother! All that combined with discovering a secret from her late Granny that could uproot Kelly and all she's worked for, it's no wonder Kelly can't find her holiday spirit.

SILENCED IN SEQUINS deals with secrets. Not only do the cast and crew of the Long Island Ladies have secrets, Kelly's late granny has a whopper of one. Indeed the plot hinges upon how people deal with these secrets.

The second Resale Boutique Mystery showcases a wide variety of characters, those you like, those that pique your interest, and those you love to hate, or at least really really dislike. Kelly is likeable. She's trying hard to build a business for herself, repair relationships with family and friends, and make people proud of her. At times, however, I find myself yelling at her for her lack of good judgement and annoying thought process. Still, she's evolving and I hope she continues to grow as the series progresses.

SILENCED IN SEQUINS brings together guilty pleasures, lifestyles of the rich and wanna be famous, and murder in a charming mystery.

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Silenced in Sequins (A Resale Boutique Mystery) by Debra Sennefelder

About Silenced in Sequins

 

Silenced in Sequins (A Resale Boutique Mystery) 

Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series  

Publisher: Lyrical Press (January 7, 2020)  

Print Length 256 Pages 

Former Manhattan fashion buyer Kelly Quinn is turning her grandmother’s outdated consignment shop into her quaint hometown’s hot spot for upscale style—until her second-hand couture makes the scene of an ice-cold crime . . .

With her bottom line looking a little threadbare, Kelly is going all out to promote the Lucky Cove Resale Boutique. She’s counting on Black Friday to recover her start-up expenses—including a website and an advertising blitz. But the publicity is overkill when two warring divas, and one sparkly evening dress, thrust Kelly and her fledgling business into a scandal she can’t afford.

The gorgeous garment came to Kelly from the walk-in closets of Wendy Johnson, one of reality TV’s Long Island Ladies. When Wendy’s former co-star, Diana Delacourte, graces a Christmas gala in the dress that was once her rival’s, a very public catfight ensues. But is Wendy to blame when sequin-clad Diana turns up dead? Dodging the show’s ever-present cameras—and a detective’s stern warnings—Kelly hunts for a killer before the powerful celebrity-suspect makes good on her threats and rips her to shreds . . .

About Debra Sennefelder

 
Debra Sennefelder, the author of the Food Blogger Mystery series and the Resale Boutique Mystery series, is an avid reader who reads across a range of genres, but mystery fiction is her obsession. Her interest in people and relationships is channeled into her novels against a backdrop of crime and mystery. When she’s not reading, she enjoys cooking and baking and as a former food blogger, she is constantly taking photographs of her food. Yeah, she’s that person. Born and raised in New York City, she now lives and writes in Connecticut with her family. She’s worked in pre-hospital care, retail and publishing. Her writing companions are her adorable and slightly spoiled Shih-Tzus, Susie and Billy. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, Women’s Fiction Writers Association and Romance Writers of America.  

Author Links: Website – Facebook – Goodreads  

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Murder Wears a Little Black Dress - A Review

Review

MURDER WEARS A LITTLE BLACK DRESS by Debra Sennefelder

The First Resale Boutique Mystery

After a humiliating dismissal as a buyer for a New York department store, Kelly Quinn has returned home to Lucky Cove. Restyling her late grandmother's consignment shop into an upscale clothing boutique is a challenge, however. Pepper, her grandmother's best friend and Kelly's employee is not shy about voicing her displeasure about the changes Kelly wants to make. When a local psychic collapses after receiving a vision when trying on a dress in the shop, the resale boutique gets lots of publicity. People are coming to hear about the "murder dress" and visit the "haunted shop", but not buying any wares. Desperate to stop the negative publicity, matters get worse when Kelly becomes a suspect after she finds the murdered body of the psychic's cousin. Now she's determined to find the truth behind, not only the current murder, but the "murder dress" while she wonders if her decision to come home was the right one.

MURDER WEARS A LITTLE BLACK DRESS is about growing up, finding your place, and fighting for what's right. Kelly Quinn is a likeable, if somewhat juvenile protagonist. In fact, almost all of the characters are a blend of likable with notable character flaws...except for the obvious bad guys like Kelly's uncle and his new wife who are completely unpleasant. One of my favorite characters is Kelly's cousin, Frankie. A chef with an interest in the occult, Frankie is a good-natured goof and a peace-keeper in the family. I hope we get to see more of him in future books.

While the first Resale Boutique Mystery should not be classified as a paranormal mystery, I really enjoyed its paranormal aspect. The mystery here was interesting, with many angles, as was Kelly's involvement and increasing belief in Bernadette's psychic ability. MURDER WEARS A LITTLE BLACK DRESS is a good start to a new series. 

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Murder Wears a Little Black Dress (A Resale Boutique Mystery) by Debra Sennefelder

About the Book

Murder Wears a Little Black Dress (A Resale Boutique Mystery)  

Cozy Mystery 1st in Series  

Lyrical Underground (January 22, 2019)  

Paperback: 200 pages

Manhattan fashionista Kelly Quinn thought she’d left her upstate New York town far behind . . . until the Seventh Avenue expat returns home to revamp her grandmother’s consignment shop into an upscale boutique—and unwittingly sets a trend for murder . . .

After her rising career as a Manhattan buyer is derailed, Kelly has mixed feelings about relocating back to Lucky Cove, in spite of her big plans for the soon-to-be-renamed Curated by Kelly Resale Boutique. What’s left of her luck starts running out when a customer puts on a black lace dress that triggers visions of someone being murdered. As if the haunted “Murder Dress” isn’t enough to kill business, the psychic’s doppelganger cousin has just been found bludgeoned to death. Was Maxine LeMoyne the real target or was it a case of mistaken murder? With some creepy pre-Halloween bargain hunters walking the night and Kelly suddenly a person of interest, a second murder rocks the close-knit town. Now Kelly could be the one who ends up talking to dead people when she’s stalked by a killer determined to take her out in high style . . .

About the Author

 
Debra Sennefelder, the author of the Food Blogger Mystery series and the Resale Boutique Mystery series, is an avid reader who reads across a range of genres, but mystery fiction is her obsession. Her interest in people and relationships is channeled into her novels against a backdrop of crime and mystery. When she’s not reading, she enjoys cooking and baking and as a former food blogger, she is constantly taking photographs of her food. Yeah, she’s that person. Born and raised in New York City, she now lives and writes in Connecticut with her family. She’s worked in pre-hospital care, retail and publishing. Her writing companions are her adorable and slightly spoiled Shih-Tzus, Susie and Billy. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, Women's Fiction Writers Association and Romance Writers of America.  

Author Links: Website – Facebook – Goodreads 
Purchase Links Amazon B&N Kobo Google Play

Currently Reading...

I actually just finished reading Murder Wears a Little Black Dress by Debra Sennefelder. This book is the first in the Resale Boutique Mystery series and will be released January 22, 2019.

After a humiliating dismissal as a buyer for a New York department store, Kelly Quinn has returned home to Lucky Cove. Restyling her late grandmother's consignment shop into an upscale clothing boutique is a challenge, however. Pepper, her grandmother's best friend and Kelly's employee is not shy about voicing her displeasure about the changes Kelly wants to make. When a local psychic collapses after receiving a vision when trying on a dress in the shop, the resale shop gets lots of publicity. People are coming to hear about the "murder dress" and visit the "haunted shop", but not buying any wares. Desperate to stop the negative publicity, matters get worse when Kelly becomes a suspect after she finds the murdered body of the psychic's cousin. Now she's determined to find the truth behind, not only the current murder, but the "murder dress" while she wonders if her decision to come home was the right one.

The Uninvited Corpse - An Interview & Review

I'm pleased to welcome Debra Sennefelder to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Debra writes the Food Blogger Mystery series. THE UNINVITED CORPSE is the first book in the series and is being released today!

Kathy: While I write a mystery blog, Hope Early writes a food blog. What is Hope's favorite aspect of blogging and what's her least favorite thing.

DS: Hope loves to feed people, she’s been doing it for years with friends, family and colleagues and now with her food blog she can feed so many more people when she shares her recipes. She struggles with photography, it’s an area she definitely needs to work on.


Kathy: Hope had an embarrassing stint on a reality baking show. Do you enjoy watching baking shows on TV? Do you have any favorites? I adore the Great British Baking Show.

DS: I love the Great British Baking Show. I also enjoy all of the baking competition shows on Food TV, my favorite are the cupcake episodes. It’s amazing how creative those bakers are.


Kathy: Hope does lots of recipe testing. Do you enjoy trying out recipes? Or do you create dishes off the cuff? Do you even like to cook yourself?

DS: Yes, to all of the above. I enjoy trying out new recipes, taking an old favorite and tweaking it. I like to cook very much but my passion is baking. I’ve always loved to bake.


Kathy: In THE UNINVITED CORPSE Hope attends a spring garden tour. I enjoy going on local garden tours. Do you?

DS: I’ve been to a few garden tours. We toured a beautiful garden up in Newport, Rhode Island a few summers ago. It was breathtaking. To be honest, I’m not much of a gardener and that’s probably why the first crime scene in the book is the home of a garden tour. Now that I have more time, I’ve been able to do some new plantings and I actually enjoyed it. So, maybe this city gal will become a full-fledged gardener someday.


Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?

DS: So many things. The community, how the amateur sleuth navigated her way through the murder investigation and her relationships with those around her as she dug further into the mystery, the cast of characters, the mystery itself. I believe the amateur sleuths in cozies are strong woman with a lot of guts and determination.


Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?

DS: Not currently. I’d written a few romantic suspense manuscripts and I had a few chicklit short-stories published over the years.


Kathy: Tell us about your series.

DS: The Food Blogger Mystery series opens when former reality TV star Hope Early thought her biggest problem was driving traffic to her food blog, but discovering two dead bodies and clearing her sister of their murders have Hope trading her Google analytics for amateur sleuthing. When there’s an attempt on her own life, Hope has no choice but to uncover the murderer before she becomes the next corpse du jour.

My second series, debuting in January 2019, finds Kelly Quinn’s plan to revamp her grandmother’s clothing consignment shop hitting a snag when a psychic customer’s vision links a discounted dress to a murder. Skeptical she investigates the mystery dress, stumbles on a dead body. Now Kelly is under suspicion for murder, superstitious customers are afraid of her inventory and she needs to find a murderer because orange may be the new black, but Kelly looks so much better in turquoise.


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

DS: Hope is my favorite character and that’s because I’m in her head the entire book and I know the character very intimately. I adore all of the other characters, even the not-so-nice ones.


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

DS: No, not really. I’d wanted to write a culinary focused series because I do enjoy cooking and baking and then realized I could make the protagonist a food blogger and be able to draw off of my own experience.


Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?

DS: I’d always wanted to be a published author for as long as I can remember.


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

DS: Great question. Katherine Hall Page, Kate White, Mary Higgins Clark and Agatha Christie.


Kathy: What are you currently reading?

DS: I KNOW WHAT YOU BID LAST SUMMER by Sherry Harris.


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

DS: Aside from baking, I enjoy reading, shopping (now I guess it’s called research for my second series) and exercising.


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

DS: Plain Greek yogurt, eggs, pesto and Parmesan cheese.


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

DS: Yes. I’ve turned in the second Food Blogger mystery, THE HIDDEN CORPSE, to my editor and just finished the first draft of the third book, untitled at this time. I’ve turned in the first book of the Resale Boutique mysteries to my editor and I’m currently writing the outline for book two.


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

DS: I get to tell stories. I’m truly blessed to have the best job ever.


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Review

THE UNINVITED CORPSE by Debra Sennefelder

The First Food Blogger Mystery

Peaches McCoy wasn't the only uninvited guest to attend Audrey Bloom's garden tour and book signing, after all Claire talked her sister, Hope, into bringing her along. But Peaches was the one most of the other guests disliked and Peaches was the one who became the corpse. With the detective in charge honing on on Claire as the killer, Hope feels she has no choice but to save her sister and figure out who killed Peaches herself.

THE UNINVITED CORPSE introduces us to Hope Early, a former magazine editor who claimed her 15 minutes of fame as runner up on a reality baking show. Now she's returned home to Connecticut where she's working as a food blogger. Hope is tenacious, if somewhat of a wimp. Unsure whether to risk exploring her feelings for her old friend, the current chief of police, she's certain to pick up after you and try to fix things. It's this maternal instinct and desire make everything just right that drives Hope to get involved with the murder investigation, despite being warned off by the police. She's also urged on by two likable characters, Jane and Drew. Most of the characters are not very likeable, however, this does make for some very good suspects and villains, but it also made me wish Claire would be found guilty!

Despite not having an affinity towards most of the characters, I did enjoy the book. Debra Sennefelder was able to draw me into her world with vivid descriptions and excellent pacing.