“Hi! Wow, I feel so famous getting to be on a blog and all. I’m Carol, a close friend of Allie McMurphy who owns the McMurphy Hotel and Fudge Shop.”

“She is not that close a friend,” Irma butted in. “She’s just nosey and gets herself in trouble a lot.”

“Irma, this is my blog, go away! Anyway, “Having a Fudgy Christmas Time” tells the story of me…”

“And the book club,” Irma interjected.

“Ahem, solving a murder. But that’s not what you came here to read. You want to know about a day in my life. It usually begins with a stretching video, followed by a brisk three mile powerwalk…”

“With me.” Irma added.

“Anyway, after exercising, I usually have a light breakfast and a cup of tea. Then I check my schedule, which is quite busy.”

“She’s on a lot of island committees. I told you she was nosey.”

“You’re on committees, too. Back to me, I usually go down to the senior center to volunteer all morning and then help serve lunch. I often bring my prize-winning scones. People can’t get enough of them.

“Betty’s scones are better.” Irma said. “Well, they are.”

“Please ignore her, this isn’t her story. After lunch, I help clean up and perhaps join someone for a game of cards or a puzzle. It helps seniors keep their minds sharp. I don’t need to do it, obviously. But if it helps some old soul. Then I’m there.

“Don’t let her kid you, she’s nearly 75.”

“Irma! I’m 70”

“Like I said nearly 75.”

“That’s neither here nor there. After cards, I’ll go home and take a nice walk.”

“More like nap.”

“Make a simple dinner and then…”

“The book club comes over.” Irma finished her sentence. “We usually talk about the latest gossip.”

“We talk about books and other intellectual things. Whenever Allie discovers a dead person, we help her with the case.”

“We have a murder board and everything.” Irma winked. “Even if we’re not supposed to.”

“After the ladies leave, around 9 pm, I get ready for bed, say my prayers, and say goodnight to my plants. Oh, yes, I’m married but ever since he’s retired, my Barry travels a lot for fishing, hunting, and such. He invited me, but heavens, no.”

“She is really bad at it, unlike me.”

Carol rolled her eyes. “And that is a day in my life. It’s exciting, isn’t it? Oooh, I can’t wait to tell you all about how I found a body in the senior center and…”

“Don’t give it away.” Irma nudged her.

“Irma!” Carol shook her head. “Come on, let’s go home.”

They turned together to leave. “Does this make me famous, too?”

“Probably not,” Carol said. “We have desserts to make and committees to attend and these wonderful people need to get about their day.”

Having a Fudgy Christmas Time, A Candy-Coated Mystery Novella
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: September 2023
Format: Digital
Purchase Link

Fans of the perennially popular Candy-Coated Mystery series featuring Allie McMurphy are treated to a holiday e-novella in which Allie’s frequent sleuthing partner Carol Tunisian gets mixed up in a holiday homicide.

’TIS THE SEASON FOR FUDGE—AND SLEUTHING

Carol is looking forward to finishing plans for the Mackinac Island Senior Center Christmas Ball. But when she arrives at the center, she finds the door jimmied open and a dead man inside. The victim is a local senior who seems to have been sleeping in the center at night—but why? Although she promises Officer Rex Manning not to involve her book club in solving the mystery, Carol finds a way to fudge around that. Rallying her troop of silver-haired sleuths—and with some support from Ally in between her batches of Christmas fudge — Carol sets out to discover which grinch tried to steal this Christmas. All she wants from Santa is to get this case wrapped up with a bow!

About the author
USA Today Bestselling Author, Nancy Coco also known as Nancy J Parra, and Nell Hampton is the author of over 30 published novels which include: The Candy-Coated Mystery series (Kensington), and The Oregon Honey-comb Mystery Series (Kensington). Her love of the mystery genre keeps her writing. Nancy is a member of Sisters in Crime and loves to hear from readers.

All comments are welcomed.