I’m Brynn MacAllister and I love my cows. I know some people think it’s ridiculous. Some people don’t consider cows in high regards. That is because they don’t know them. Or take the time to get to know them.

But then again, I never would have either if it wasn’t for cheese.

Let me backup a bit here.

I’m a cheesemaker. I dropped out of college to follow my bliss–I went from being a chemistry major to a cheesemaker in the blink of an eye. I found my way to a British farm and apprenticed myself. The more I learned of cheese, the more I wanted to control every part of my process. Hence, the cows. I control what they eat, how they are milked, and well, have a lovely relationship with my three “girls.” Buttercup. Petunia. And Marigold. Each one of them has a different personality.

I was thrilled to find three Red Devons ready to be purchased. We moved to Buttermilk Creek, in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, just outside Staunton and found a lovely little piece of heaven. I purchase what used to be a rectory, then a bed and breakfast. And just over the hilly field is the old church, which hasn’t been used in years.

MY friend Nancy purchase it and is living in the basement while renovating it into a farm shop. I’m very excited about it. In fact I’m very excited about being a part of this community, with an active Community Supported Agriculture group, and healthy farming practices. That’s why we wanted to be here. Ooops. There is no we. I have to get used to being a single woman again. My fiance proved to be a dirtbag, so our dream of owning a microdairy farm and cheesemaking business became mine.

And here I am–a woman alone on a farm, starting a new life with my cows and my new friend Nancy, who comes by every morning for a cup of Earl Grey. We talk every morning about our plans. She with her farm shop, and me with my cheese.

With such solid plans, what could possibly go wrong?

You can read more about Brynn in Christmas Cow Bells, the first book in the NEW “Buttermilk Creek” cozy mystery series, released September 24, 2019.

The first novel in Mollie Cox Bryan’s brand new mystery series, set in the Blue Ridge Mountains, will keep you guessing until the cows come home . . .

Christmas is a time for new beginnings, so after her big breakup, Brynn MacAlister takes the gouda with the bad. With her three Red Devon cows, she settles in bucolic Shenandoah Springs, eager for a new life as an organic micro-dairy farmer and cheese-maker. Then her dear cow Petunia’s bellows set the whole town on edge. But it isn’t until Brynn’s neighbor, Nancy, dies in a mysterious fire that her feelings about small town life begin to curdle . . .

It seems some folks were not happy with Nancy’s plan to renovate the Old Glebe Church. But is a fear of change a motivation for murder? As a newcomer, Brynn can’t ignore the strange events happening just on the other side of her frosty pasture—and soon on her very own farm. Suddenly Christmas doesn’t feel so festive as everyone demands she muzzle sweet Petunia, and Brynn is wondering if someone wants to silence her—for good . . .

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About the author
Mollie Cox Bryan is the author of the Cora Crafts Mysteries and the Cumberland Creek Mysteries. Her books have been selected as finalists for an Agatha Award and a Daphne du Maurier Award and as a Top 10 Beach Reads by Woman’s World. She has also been short-listed for the Virginia Library People’s Choice Award. Her latest book, The Jean Harlow Bombshell, was selected to top ten mystery read for May by Crimereads.

To learn more about Mollie, visit her website at molliecoxbryan.com or follow Mollie on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram.

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