Merry Wilkinson first appeared in Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen and one of the best ways to learn about a person is by asking questions, so let’s get to know Merry.

What is your name?
Merry Wilkinson

How old are you?
33

What is your profession?
I own Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, a gift and holiday decor store in my hometown of Rudolph, New York. I used to be a design and style editor at a lifestyle magazine in New York City

Do you have a significant other?
Right now I do. Let’s hope it lasts. This time.

What is his name and profession?
Alan Anderson. He’s a woodworker and toymaker who provides lots of the beautiful hand-made things I sell in my shop. He also serves as Santa’s Head Toymaker at holiday events in our town.

Any children?
Nope.

Do you have any sibling(s)?
Two sisters and a brother. Eve, Carole, and Chris. Do you see a theme?

Do your parents live near you?
Sometimes, they live far to near me. Mom’s a retired opera diva (think soloist at the Met or La Scala) and Dad’s our town’s former mayor and current Santa Claus.

Who is your best friend?
Vicky Casey, owner of Victoria’s Bake Shoppe. Except when it’s time to compete for the trophy for best float in the Santa Claus parade. Then we’re bitter enemies.

Cats, dogs or other pets?
Matterhorn, my Saint Bernard. Yes, I know. I own a china shop and I have a Saint Bernard.

What town do you live in?
Rudolph, New York. America’s Year-Round Christmas destination.

House or building complex? Own or Rent?
I have an apartment on the second floor of a grand old Victorian.

What is your favorite spot in your house?
There’s not much to choose from and I’m not there very often. See owning own business part.

Favorite meal? Favorite dessert?
Thanksgiving dinner as made by my dad. Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, squash casserole, cranberries. And an apple pie for dessert. You can read about our Thanksgiving plans (and whether or not it all comes off) in Silent Night, Deadly Night.

Favorite hobby?
Hobby?

Favorite color?
Blue, blue, blue. All shades of blue

Favorite author?
That would be telling

Favorite vacation spot?
Vacation?

Favorite sports team?
Sports?

Movies or Broadway?
I used to love Broadway when I lived in the city. But my ideal night (if I’m not with Alan) it’s a bad movie on the couch with pizza and wine and my best friend Vicky.

Are you a morning or a night person?
Morning, but not by choice. Day comes early when you own a small store with not many employees.

Amateur sleuth or professional?
Strictly amateur, and I’d rather not.

Whom do you work with when sleuthing?
Vicky helps out now and again. Vicky would say I help out now and again.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
Busy. Every day’s busy running a successful shop. I try to source as many of the things I sell locally, and that means driving around to visit the artisans, but sometimes I have to meet with salespeople or scour catalogues, as well as put time in on the shop floor, as I only have one full time employee. But come the holiday season busy isn’t even the word. I occasionally play Mrs. Claus to my father’s Santa and Alan’s head elf. We take Christmas seriously in Rudolph, New York.

You can read about Merry in Silent Night, Deadly Night, the fourth book in the “Year-Round Christmas” cozy mystery series, released August 27, 2019.

Residents of Rudolph keep the spirit of Christmas alive year-round—but their joy is threatened when a group of grinches visits the town, in the charming fourth installment of the Year-Round Christmas series.

It’s the week before Thanksgiving, and Merry Wilkinson, owner of Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, is preparing for a weekend reunion of her mother’s college friends. But when the group of women comes into Merry’s shop, Merry is met with frosty attitudes and cold hearts.

The women argue amongst themselves constantly, and the bickering only intensifies after one of the friends is poisoned. With her father’s role as Santa in danger due to his proximity to the crime, Merry will need to use all of her investigative gifts to wrap this mystery up and save Santa and her favorite holiday.

Purchase Link
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About the author
Vicki Delany is one of Canada’s most prolific and varied crime writers and a national bestseller in the U.S. She is currently writing four cozy mystery series: the Year Round Christmas mysteries for Penguin Random House, the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series and the Lighthouse Library series (as Eva Gates) for Crooked Lane Books, and the Tea by the Sea mysteries for Kensington.

Vicki lives and writes in bucolic Prince Edward County, Ontario. She is a past president of the Crime Writers of Canada. Her work has been nominated for the Derringer, the Bony Blithe, the Ontario Library Association Golden Oak, and the Arthur Ellis Awards. Vicki is the recipient of the 2019 Derick Murdoch Award for contributions to Canadian crime writing.

Visit Vicki at vickidelany.com, on Facebook and on Twitter at @vickidelany.

All comments are welcomed.