A day in the life of Holly Miller by Krista Davis

We’ve had a prosperous year in Wagtail. It’s the premier resort for vacationing with dogs and cats. So instead of giving gifts and having secret Santas, we decided to help the less fortunate in the community and give them a merry Christmas. Merchants are making donations, and anyone can submit the name of a deserving Wagtailite. Elves are dispatched in the dark of night to deliver Christmas food packages, bicycles, cat trees, dog beds, and even Christmas trees.

So these days, I get to sleep in! A rare treat for me. The town is having a German-style Christmas market on the green. After a delicious inn breakfast, I bundle up and head for our booth. Working there is a study in human behavior. People are strange. We’re in the mountains, but they want Christmas ornaments in the shapes of palm trees and flamingos?

Around midnight, I dress as an elf. Even my little Jack Russell Terrier, Trixie, wears an elf outfit. We climb into a golf cart decorated like Santa’s sleigh, and drive around town leaving goodies for residents. It’s about as close as a person can get to being Santa. We’ve been spotted by a few children. Consequently, rumors are running wild at the elementary school. I’m told some children now suspect that Wagtail might actually be the North Pole.

Being out and about in the wee hours of the morning has proved to be interesting. You’d be surprised who you see sneaking around. One can’t help but wonder what they’re doing peering over their shoulders or slinking into hotels where they’re not staying. But when my Jack Russell terrier, Trixie, discovers a visitor who has been murdered, all that sneaking around takes on new meaning…

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You can read more about Holly in Not a Creature Was Purring, the fifth book in the “Paws and Claws” mystery series.

Santa Claws is coming to town and checking his list for a murderer—as the New York Times bestselling Paws & Claws Mysteries continue. . .

Inn owner Holly Miller finds it ruff staying cheerful over the holidays when the dead body of a beloved businessman turns up in the pet-friendly town of Wagtail, Virginia.

Inspired by her German heritage, Holly’s grandmother has arranged for Wagtail to have a Christkindl Market packed with goodies and decorations for the howliday tourists. But Holly’s mood takes an unseasonable turn when she learns that her old flame and childhood friend Holmes Richardson has brought his fiancée home—and she’ll be staying at the Sugar Maple Inn. . .

A love triangle becomes the last thing on Holly’s mind when her Jack Russell Trixie’s nose for trouble leads her to the corpse of a pet clothing tycoon. Now Holly and her dedicated detectives—Trixie and Twinkletoes the cat—must sniff out the killer to keep Christmas from going to the dogs…

Delicious recipes for owners and pets included!
Books 1-4:
Murder, She Barked
The Ghost and Mrs. Mewer
Murder Most Howl
Mission Impawsible

Buy Link

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Giveaway: Leave a comment below for your chance to win a print copy of Not a Creature Was Purring. U.S. entries only, please. The giveaway ends November 19, 2017. Good luck everyone!

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About the author
New York Times Bestselling author Krista Davis writes the Paws and Claws Mysteries set on fictional Wagtail Mountain, a resort where people vacation with their pets. Krista also writes the Domestic Diva Mysteries. Her new series, Pen & Ink Mysteries, debuts February 29th with Color Me Murder. Like her characters, Krista has a soft spot for cats, dogs, and sweets. She lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia with three dogs and two cats.

Follow Krista at kristadavis.com, Facebook, Pinterest, mysteryloverskitchen.com, Twitter, and killercharacters.com.

All comments are welcomed.