S.A. Kazlo, author of Mistletoe, Mutts and Murder, the latest novel in the Samantha Davies mysteries series, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today.

Welcome to the blog, Syrl.

Tell us about your novel. Is it part of a series? If so, please tell us about the series too.

Mistletoe, Mutts and Murder is book 6 in my Samantha Davies Mystery series. It is a cozy mystery. It’s Christmas in, Wings Falls, a small town in upstate New York.

Samantha Davies’ parents, Chuck and Barbara, have travelled north from their home in sunny Florida to spend, the holidays with Sam and her beloved dachshund, Porkchop.

Sam belongs to a hooking group, rug hookers that is, and is hosting a Christmas party, Unfortunately, an uninvited guest shows up, Santa. But not just any Santa, this one is her neighbour, Theo Sayers, who is the Santa at the local mall and the person her father has been feuding with for decades.

Santa has had a little too much holiday cheer and makes wild allegations that Sam’s father and his best friend, Herb were involved years ago in shady dealings at the landfill where they were involved.

When Santa aka Theo winds up runover by a plastic reindeer and a string of Christmas lights around his neck, Chuck and Herb become prime suspects in his murder

Much to the dismay of Sam’s boyfriend, Hank Johnson, a detective on Wings Falls Police Force, she becomes involved in trying to solve Santa’s murder, so her father and his friend don’t spend Christmas opening their presents behind bars.

The series revolves around Samantha Davies, her dachshund, Porkchop, her Southern Belle cousin, Candie, and Sam’s boyfriend, Hank Johnson.

Sam has the misfortune to stumble upon dead bodies. Unfortunately, these wind up being murder victims and the suspects are friends or family of Sam. Because of her close relationship with the suspects, she feels compelled to help prove them innocent of these crimes. But she isn’t about to do her sleuthing on her own. Nope, she involves her cousin, Candie, a true Southern Bell who grew up in Hainted Hollar, Tennessee. Another key sleuther is her dachshund, Porkchop, who is a vital part of the team helping to sniff out clues.

Hank Johnson, whom Sam met over a dead body, is not always thrilled with Sam’s involvement in his cases as he fears for her safety.

Where did the idea for the mystery that is central to the story come from?

 I wanted to write a holiday themed story and what better victim to have than Santa Claus.

Is there a theme or subject that underlies the story? If so, what prompted you to write about it?

I’d guess the central theme of the story is that there is no stronger bond than love of you family.

How do you create your characters? Do you have favourite ones? If so, why are you partial to them?

I take a good many of my characters from family members and friends. They are a great source of inspiration.

I’d say my favourite one is my main character. I modelled Samantha after my daughter Mandy. I’ve given Sam the same strength and spunk that Mandy has.

How do you bring to life the place you are writing about?

I’ve modelled Wings Falls after a town I live near in upstate New York. I just have to drive through the town to see the similarities.

What research do you do to provide background information to help you write the novel?

I draw on my surroundings and for anything police related I pick my husband, Mike’s, brain. He’s a retired Pennsylvania State Trooper.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers about the book?

The book is filled with a lot of humour, too. There are characters for everyone to love .like Gladys O’Malley, Sam’s 80 something neighbor whose husband was a fisherman, but now his boat rides the waves of crabgrass in her backyard and his ashes are in an urn behind the ship’s wheel. Now she has Frank Gilbert, her Pookie Bear, to snuggle with at night.

Thank you for answering my questions, Syrl, and good luck with Mistletoe, Mutts and Murder, the latest book in the Samantha Davies mystery series.

Readers can learn more about S.A. Kazlo by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn pages. You can also follow her on Twitter.

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

Amazon – B&N – Smashwords – Kobo

About S.A. Kazlo: Syrl, a retired teacher, lives in upstate New York with her husband and two lively dachshunds. She writes the Samantha Davies Mystery series, featuring Samantha Davies and her loveable dachshund, Porkchop. When not writing she is busy hooking, rug hooking that is, and enjoying her family. Her newest book, number six in the series is, Mistletoe, Mutts and Murder.