Heather Weidner has graciously joined us today to talk books and holidays. Thanks, Heather. Let’s begin talking holidays.

Heather, what are some of your holiday traditions? Do you have a favorite holiday? 

I love all the holidays, but Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are probably my favorites. I have so many wonderful holiday memories. My grandmother and I would always put up her Christmas decorations on the Friday after Thanksgiving, and it was always a magical, fun time. (Back then, that was early for holiday decorations, but she’d be right in style today.)

Do you want to share a recipe?

This is a quick (and delish) one that’s perfect for holiday gatherings. It’s from my new mystery, Christmas Lights and Cat Fights.

Triple-layer Peanut Butter Brownies

Ingredients

1 package of brownie mix (20 ounces)

1 cup of cold milk

1 cup of creamy peanut butter

1 ½ cups of Cool Whip

½ cup of dry roasted peanuts, chopped

1 package of vanilla instant pudding

½ cup of powdered sugar

3 squares of semi-sweet chocolate

Directions:

Bake brownies in 13×9-inch pan. Follow the package directions. Beat milk and pudding mix with a whisk for 2 minutes. Add peanut butter and sugar. Mix well. Refrigerate until brownies are completely cooled. Spread pudding mixture over brownies. Microwave Cool Whip and chocolate on high for 1 minute. Stir every 30 seconds. Spread over pudding. Sprinkle with nuts. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Why’d you decide to write a Christmas cozy? 

Each of the Jules Keene Glamping mysteries are set in the season after the previous book. Christmas Lights and Cat Fights fell during the winter months, and the holidays were a perfect backdrop for a cozy. Fern Valley is planning weekend holiday festivities to bring tourists to the quaint town in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The town sparkles with all the decorations and lights. Everyone is excited about the festivities. What could go wrong?

And if you like Christmas all year, check out my Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries. My amateur sleuth, Jade Hicks, owns a Christmas shop in a little beach town in Virginia.

What did you do to get in the mood? Did you decorate your office with Christmas decorations?

I love Christmas, and I go a little crazy sometimes. I put up five trees last year, but I love all my ornaments, and it’s such fun to theme the trees by room. I have gold/silver/white tree, a toy tree, a purple tree, a blue and silver tree, and a peacock tree that goes in my Florida room.

We watch holiday movies and shows while we decorate. (And this is going to start a discussion about whether or not it’s a Christmas movie, but I always watch Die Hard in December. Other favorites are the classic 70s and 80s cartoons and A Christmas Story.)

Did you play Christmas music? Do you have a playlist for this book? If so, what’s on it?

I love holiday music (after Thanksgiving). I like to celebrate the holidays in order. I always have music on, and the holiday songs add to the festivities. I love all kinds of music, but I’m an 80s girl, so “Do They Know It’s Christmas” is always a favorite.

Friends, through the years, Heather Weidner has been a cop’s kid, technical writer, editor, college professor, software tester, and IT manager. She writes the Pearly Girls Mysteries, the Delanie Fitzgerald Mysteries, The Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries, and The Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries.

Her short stories appear in the Virginia is for Mysteries series, 50 Shades of Cabernet, Deadly Southern Charm, and Murder by the Glass, and she has non-fiction pieces in Promophobia and The Secret Ingredient: A Mystery Writers’ Cookbook.

She is a member of Sisters in Crime: National, Central Virginia, Chessie, Guppies, and Grand Canyon Writers, International Thriller Writers, and James River Writers, and she blogs regularly with the Writers Who Kill.

Originally from Virginia Beach, Heather has been a mystery fan since Scooby-Doo and Nancy Drew. She lives in Central Virginia with her husband and a pair of Jack Russell terriers.

Here are some ways to get in touch with Heahter:

Website and Blog: http://www.heatherweidner.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeatherWeidner1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeatherWeidnerAuthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heather_mystery_writer/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8121854.Heather_Weidner

Amazon Authors: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00HOYR0MQ

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/heather-weidner-d6430278-c5c9-4b10-b911-340828fc7003

LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/heatherweidner

Christmas Lights and Cat Fights is available October 17.