Welcome Back, Author Clara McKenna

by Barb, in Maine, where the hordes have gone home and the house is suddenly very quiet

Please welcome longtime Friends of the Wickeds Clara McKenna to the blog. Clara is here in support of her holiday mystery, Murder on Mistletoe Lane, the fifth book in her historical, cozy Stella and Lyndy Mystery Series.

Doesn’t that cover put you right in the mood?

Over to You, Clara!

Writing a book centered around any one holiday is a challenge. Typically, the holiday only lasts a day or maybe a short season, but as a writer, you need to capture the mood, the mystique, and what makes the holiday special 365 days a year. I discovered this when I set out to write Murder on Mistletoe Lane, the fifth book in my historical, cozy Stella & Lyndy mystery series, which tells how my main characters manage to navigate the murder and mayhem at Morrington Hall and still have a lovely first Christmas together.

Luckily, I didn’t go into the endeavor without the requisite deep love of Christmas. In February, I could envision the gingerbread men my mother used to bake and line the kitchen shelves with every year like soldiers who’d break your teeth if you tried to eat them. In July, I drew on the ingrained memory of the fragrant scent of the Christmas trees my father used to sell every year or the aroma of a hot cup of cocoa warming my cold fingers as I stood in the snow caroling. In September, my birthday month, I’d remember the joy and love as I unwrapped the annual ornaments my aunt gave me as a child to someday hang on my own Christmas tree.

Cherished memories helped me channel Christmas every time I sat down at the computer, and I set out to create similar ones for my characters while sharing the emotions they evoked with readers. I wanted to create a mystery that was uplifting as well as entertaining. To do that, the plot and subplots of the story, even when punctuated by murder, needed to reflect the Spirit of Christmas as well. I considered all that the holiday embodies and incorporated as many aspects as possible: family, home, tradition, charity, love, and kindness. The characters exchange thoughtful gifts. The hall is decked with evergreens and hope. The Yule log warms the guests and family alike for days. Neighbors serenade each other with song. Hymns and carols fill the rafters at church. As this is a grand country estate, the staff take extra pride in the celebration foods they prepare, and Stella, being the outsider, enriches the British traditions by sharing a few of her own from home.

But beyond the food and festivities, I thought it equally important for the mystery to reflect how lives can be positively impacted during the holiday season. Family members are reunited. A desperate widow is given a gift that helps sustain her young family through the upcoming winter. A cantankerous older woman is given the gift of forgiveness. A maid is given a second chance. A pony is given a new home. And since this is a murder mystery, justice is served, and peace prevails. And that, to me, is what Christmas is all about.  

Readers: What does Christmas mean to you? How do you sustain that throughout the year?

About Clara McKenna

Clara McKenna writes the acclaimed historical cozy Stella & Lyndy Mysteries series, about an unlikely couple who mix love, murder, and horseracing in Edwardian England. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and the founding member of Sleuths in Time, a cooperative group of historical mystery writers who encourage and promote each other’s work. With an incurable case of wanderlust, she travels every chance she gets, England being a favorite destination. When she can’t get to England, she happily writes about it from her home in the Upper Midwest. Visit her online at www.claramckenna.com

About Murder on Mistletoe Lane

Ex-pat Stella and British aristocrat Viscount “Lyndy” Lyndhurst are thrilled to celebrate their first Christmas together as Morrington Hall comes alive with caroling, intricate decorations . . . and a deadly murder.
 
Taking on the responsibilities that come with being Lady Lyndhurst, Stella is eager to embrace yuletide traditions in the Edwardian English countryside and use her strong social influence for good. Her world becomes so consumed with starting a horse farm charity for the holidays that she barely notices the usual oddities attached to her upper-crust lifestyle. At least, not until items vanish from her bedroom and maligned housekeeper, Mrs. Nelson, becomes seriously ill—only to be found dead in the cold on Mistletoe Lane . . .
 
Cheery spirits are dashed following the sudden death, especially once Stella questions whether her own staff knows what—or who—killed the woman. Her suspicions mount when another person dies under strange circumstances during New Forest’s annual Point‑to‑Point Boxing Day race. Then there’s the case of Morrington Hall becoming plagued by false identities, secret affairs, and disgruntled employees . . .
 
Now, with two murders unfolding before their eyes in late December, Stella and Lyndy realize they can’t fully trust anyone except for themselves while investigating. Because as disturbing answers come into focus, identifying the criminal responsible and surviving into the new year would be the greatest gift of the season . . .

BUY LINKS

Amazon
Bookshop.org
Barnes & Noble
Apple Books
Kobo