Noeline Potts from A Classic Case of Murder, a Literary Dining mystery, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today to tell us about the literary dining party she’s planning.

Welcome, Noeline. I’ll turn the floor over to you –

Hi, I’m Noeline Potts, mother of two young women—Allie Catt’s best friend, Tegan, and Allie’s sometimes catering partner, Vanna, and I am the proud owner of two bed-and-breakfast inns. One is located in Bramblewood and the other in Montford. Both are charming towns near Asheville, North Carolina.

I own a small portion of Feast for the Eyes bookshop in Bramblewood because my older sister, rest her soul, bequeathed it to me, but I don’t spend any time managing it. I leave that responsibility to Tegan. Allie helps out, as well.

My gift is hospitality. I love hosting people in my B-and-Bs. They aren’t large establishments. Both are quaint Victorian homes with approximately ten to twelve rooms for guests.

This year, at the Amber Lantern, I will be hosting the literary dining party that Tegan, Allie, and Vanna will put on, featuring the classic tale, A CHRISTMAS CAROL, by Charles Dickens. I am a Dickens fan through and through. I’ve read all his work. My favorite is A TALE OF TWO CITIES.  I’ve been looking for a first edition for quite a while. I try to manifest it coming into my life, but so far, no luck. We shall see.

What is a literary dining party?  Oh, they’re a delight. The girls ask attendees to read the same classic book, and then they invite them to dress in costumes and dine on delicacies from the time period. Can you imagine the feast for this one? Clove-studded ham, turkey, stuffing, figgy pudding, and sweets. Yum. My cook and housekeeper, Helga, is so excited. She has invited her niece to help her with preparations. The décor in the inn is spectacular. We have Christmas trees in many rooms, and we’ll have carolers on occasion, and a player piano will pipe holiday music. 

Also, for this special occasion, my good friend Erwin Scroggie, a wealthy, loveable curmudgeon, is allowing us to view his first edition of A CHRISTMAS CAROL. A guard will be on site 24/7 to protect it, as it is quite fragile.

Oh, how I want everything to go smoothly. I’m not superstitious, but after losing two husbands—one to illness and the other to an early death by accident—and after losing my dear sister to murder, I am definitely not as ebullient and hopeful as I once was. I’d like to be again. The holidays should bring cheer, don’t you think?

How do you spend your holidays? Do you love parties as much as I do?

Thank you for sharing this with us, Noeline, and good luck to you and your author, Daryl Wood Gerber, with A Classic Case of Murder, a Literary Dining mystery. Readers can learn more about Noeline and her author, Daryl Wood Gerber, by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, Goodreads, BookBub, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram pages.

The book is available online at the following retailers:

AMAZON BARNES AND NOBLE BOOKSHOP.ORG KOBO MYSTERIOUS GALAXY

About Daryl Wood Gerber: Daryl is the Agatha Award-winning and nationally bestselling author of the Literary Dining Mysteries, Aroma Wellness Mysteries, Fairy Garden Mysteries and Cookbook Nook Mysteries. As Avery Aames, she penned the popular Cheese Shop Mysteries. In addition, Daryl writes suspense novels, including the well-received Accidental Murder, The Son’s Secret, Girl on the Run, and the popular Aspen Adams trilogy. Daryl has published a standalone Christmas romance, Hope for the Holidays, a mystery anthology, and a children’s illustrated rhyming book. Fun Tidbit: as an actress, Daryl appeared in “Murder, She Wrote.” She loves to cook, garden, read, and walk her frisky Goldendoodle. Also she has been known to jump out of a perfectly good airplane.