Candie sits down for a Q&A with dru’s book musings responding to twenty or more questions so we can learn more about her. Are you ready? Let’s get to know Candie.

What is your full name?
Candie Parker-Hogan

How old are you?
Oh, Sugar, no Southern Belle tells a soul her real age. I’ll only say I’m in my mid-fifties.

What is your profession?
My daytime job is secretary to my darlin’ hubby Mayor Mark Hogan, but in my spare time, when I’m not trying to solve murders with my cousin, Samantha Davies, I write steamy romance novels under the name Candie Del’Amore.

Do you have a significant other?
After eleven engagements, I found the perfect peach of a fellow and we are now hitched.

What is their name and profession?
This peach is named Mark Hogan, and he is the mayor of Wings Falls, NY.

Do you have any children?
No, unfortunately my baby-making days had passed me by when I finally found the right man and got hitched.

Do you have any siblings?
No, that was a tragedy. My parents were killed in an automobile accident when I was five years old. I went to live with my Memaw and Grandpop Parker on their farm in Hainted Holler, Tenn.

Are your parents nearby?
No, they are deceased.

Who is your best friend?
For sure, Sugar, it is my cousin, Samantha Davies. We do tend to get into some sticky situations together.

Do you have cats, dogs, or other pets?
I have two pets, my adorable cat Dixie and the newest member of the family, Annie. I have no idea what breed she is. She’s just a mix of sweetness.

What town do you live in?
I moved north about 15 years ago to Wings Falls, New York after fiancé number eleven and I parted ways.

What type of dwelling do you own or rent?
I own a big ol’ purple painted Victorian home.

What is your favorite spot in your home?
I love snuggling up on the sofa in my living room with my Markie.

What is your favorite meal and dessert?
Favorite meal- anything Southern. But if I have to narrow it down, I’d say a mouth-watering barbeque sandwich with a side of sweet potato fries.

Do you have any hobbies?
I guess when I’m not helping my cousin solve murders, I love writing my romance novels.

What music do you listen to?
Well, my Southern boy, Elvis, of course.

What is your favorite color?
Purple, anything that is a shade of purple.

What is your favorite vacation spot?
Since I live in upstate New York, near the vacation spot, Lake George, I’d say Lake George. I don’t have to travel far to enjoy the lake and beautiful mountains surrounding it.

Are you a morning or night person?
Evening person, definitely. A Southern woman needs her sleep to look her best.

What is your idea of a really fun time?
Fun time- any time I spend with my hubby, Mark.

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
The Many Loves of Candie Parker-Hogan.

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
Amateur sleuth. My cousin Samantha has a habit of stumbling on dead bodies. She calls on me to get her out of these pickles.

What is a typical day in your life like?
My days are far from typical with my cousin. I wake up with enough time to tend to my fur babies and hubby, then go to work at City Hall as Mark’s part-time secretary. Wings Falls doesn’t have the budget for a full-time secretary. If I’m lucky when I get home, I can spend time on my novels, but too often that is interrupted by a call from my cousin to help her solve a murder. At night, I like to soak in the tub filled with lavender scented bubbles then spend the rest of the evening cuddling with Markie.

Mistletoe, Mutts and Murder, A Samantha Davies Mystery Book 6
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: December 2024
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link

Christmas is coming and children’s book author, Samantha Davies, and her lovable dachshund, Porkchop, are caught up in the holiday festivities in beautiful upstate New York. Sam’s parents, Chuck and Barbara, who have been enjoying their retired life in sunny Florida, have flown into Wings Falls to spend the holidays with Sam and meet her new boyfriend, Detective Hank Johnson. Sam is also busy hosting this year’s Christmas party for the Loopy Ladies, Sam’s rug hooking group.

The Loopy Ladies know how to party and are enjoying an evening eating, drinking, and making merry… until Santa crashes the party. Unfortunately, this Santa is Sam’s next-door neighbor who her parents have had a long-running feud with. When not playing the local mall’s not-so-jolly old St. Nick, Leo Sayers is a newspaper reporter, and he announces to the group that he’s written a damning article accusing Sam’s dad and his close friend, Herb Feinstein, of some very shady dealings in their past. To preserve peace on earth—and among the Loopy Ladies—Chuck and Herb escort Leo from the party.

Only, not long after being sent on his way, Santa is found dead—lying in the snow, run over by a plastic reindeer, with a string of Christmas lights around his neck! Are Sam’s father and Herb now on the naughty list? If Sam can’t prove them innocent of murdering Santa, she’s afraid their stockings will contain handcuffs and a one-way ticket to prison this year!

About the author
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, Mistletoe, Mutts and Murder was released in December 2024