Holidays & Homicides: A Short Story Collection
by Rosalie Spielman, Catherine Bruns, Gin Jones, Annie McEwen, Lena Gregory, Jennifer Fischetto, Anne Marie Stoddard, Kelly Rey, Misty Simon, Christine Knapp, Jamie L. Adams, Erica Wynters
I am pleased to welcome Jennifer Fischetto to
Escape With Dollycas today!
The Gianna Mancini Mysteries
by Jennifer Fischetto
When I first created Gianna Mancini—the sandwich-making, food-loving woman who could talk to ghosts—I modeled her parents after my grandparents. I didn’t plan it. Mostly, it started with Pop, Gianna’s father. He has that quiet steadfastness that my grandfather had. My Nani passed away long before Gianna came to me, and maybe it was a way to honor the man who left us too soon, who barely got to know my oldest child and never met my youngest. Then it was only natural that Ma was crafted after my Nana. But while Pop and Nani’s resemblance was based on their temperament and personality, Ma and Nana’s similarities were more physical. The dark hair, brown eyes, and the occasional pop of red lipstick. And of course, since they’re all Italian, they shared the love of family, Sunday dinners, holiday gatherings, and food.
Nana passed away October 2024. She was ninety-nine years old. She lived a huge life. And she loved Christmas. As I wrote my latest addition to Gianna’s world, “Ornaments, Surprise & Dead Guys”, I thought of Nana’s house decorated for the holiday. From the tree with the gold garland and silver tinsel, the ornaments that were probably as old as me, the lights, and the angel up top. Each of us had a stocking hung, including Nani. Seventeen in all—fourteen blood and three lucky individuals who married into our family. And all of the various other items: the figurines that sang or danced, the ones that just stood there, dressed in red, plaid, and/or green, the reindeer, the snowman, and Santa too.
The outside lights that would make me smile before I even entered the house. It’s sold now. That’s so weird. It was “home” my entire life. All of the decorations were distributed to those who wanted them. I took a tiny glass Christmas tree that broke on my way home from New York to Massachusetts. I glued it back together. It’s not the same. The lower tier of the tree hangs odd now, but from afar it still sparkles and catches my eye.
I’m so grateful for all of the memories I shared with Nana, Nani, and the rest of my family. And I’m honored to have shared a tiny part of them with all of you through Ma, Pop, Gianna, and the Mancini clan.
Whether you celebrate this holiday or not, I hope you are healthy, warm, fed, happy, and loved.
Happy holidays and happy reading!
USA Today bestselling author
Jennifer Fischetto
Thank you, Jennifer, so much for visiting today!
Keep reading for more information about the book, that includes Jennifer’s Ornaments, Surprise & Dead Guys, and 11 more holiday short stories.
About Holidays & Homicides
Holidays & Homicides: A Short Story Collection
Holiday Cozy Mysteries
Publisher : Gemma Halliday Publishing
Publication date : December 2, 2025
Print length : 419 pages
ASIN : B0FSNH17GM
From twelve USA Today bestselling and award winning authors, comes a short story collection stuffed full of mirthful mysteries, clever criminals, and holiday cheer! These short holiday bites are perfect for enjoying between rounds of wrapping or binge-reading over a cup of cocoa!
Stories include:
A Hometown Christmas Caper (Hometown Mysteries)
by Rosalie SpielmanGossip, Guilt & Gingerbread (Coffee & Cream Café Mysteries)
by Lena GregoryLarceny & Twinkle Lights (Jamie Winters Mysteries)
by Kelly ReyHolidays & Heists (Aloha Lagoon Mysteries)
by Anne Marie StoddardOrnaments, Surprise & Dead Guys (Gianna Mancini Mysteries)
by Jennifer FischettoIt’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Mischief (Northwoods Mysteries)
by Annie McEwenYou Can’t see the Forest for the Christmas Trees (Modern Midwife Mysteries)
by Christine KnappJingle Bell Rocker (Sunny Side Up Mysteries)
by Misty SimonHolly, Handcuffs, and Hearsay (Camelot Flowers Mysteries)
by Erica WyntersSearch for the Silent Santa (Ghost Town Mysteries)
by Jamie L. AdamsNothing But Truffle (Cookies & Chance Mysteries)
by Catherine BrunsA Heartland Homicide (Bourbon B&B Mysteries)
by Gin Jones
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Anthologies like this are wonderful for checking out new authors and their cozy mystery series. It is also nice to visit characters you already know during the holiday season.
I started with Gossip, Guilt & Gingerbread (Coffee & Cream Café Mysteries) by Lena Gregory. This is a series I read as soon as each new book comes out. In this story, we arrive just in time for the annual tree lighting in Watchgue. Dani and Katherine Woodhull, owner of the local sweet shop, have a little disagreement regarding the similar products they sell. Later, Katherine’s dead body is found under the community’s Christmas tree. Dani had promised her boyfriend, Detective Jake Barlow, she would stay out of trouble this holiday season. Now she is caught up in another murder.
Ms. Gregory has wrapped her marvelous characters in an amusing cozy Christmas mystery in this entertaining short story.
Then I read It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Mischief (Northwoods Mysteries) by Annie McEwen. This is a series I have started but need to catch up on. This book is a perfect one for new readers of the series, as it is a prequel. It is set in the Wisconsin Northwoods, and Emmy Cooper has come home from Chicago for the holidays. She gets to spend time with her family and her BFF Whitney. Someone or some people are pranking the town of Covington with some cleverly placed Christmas decor, and not everyone is appreciative or sees the humor in the situation. Dani and Whitney have some fun trying to catch the pranksters.
This is a fun little caper and a great way to meet Dani, her family, and friends.
Next up was Jingle Bell Rocker (Sunny Side Up Mysteries) by Misty Simon. Ms. Simon is not a new author to me, but this series is. It is a series I have been wanting to read since Diners, Drive-Ins, and Lies, was released. It has been impatiently waiting on my Kindle. This story allowed me to get to know a bit about these characters in what was a wonderfully written short story. It’s an emotional story with a heartwarming ending. I am excited to get reading the rest of this series.
I have read Catherine Bruns ‘ Maple Syrup Mysteries, but have not read her . I am always hesitant to jump into a long-running series; truthfully, I am a stickler for reading series in order, but this story has me intrigued.
The other authors/series are completely new to me, but like I said, anthologies like this are wonderful for checking out new authors. So, I have left this book of short stories open on my Kindle in hopes that I can read the rest during this holiday season and beyond.
These short entertaining Christmas stories are easily read, 1 at a time, in a night or two, and are sure to brighten your days this holiday season!
Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent
About the Authors
Catherine Bruns is the USA Today bestselling author of the Cookies & Chance mysteries. She lives in New York with her very patient husband, three sons, and several spoiled pets. Catherine has a B.A. in English and is a former newspaper reporter and press release writer. She also writes the Italian Chef mysteries, Cindy York real estate and Carrie Jorgenson (Aloha Lagoon) culinary series. Her book, For Sale by Killer, won the 2019 Daphne du Maurier award for Mainstream Mystery/Suspense.
Get a free ebook when you sign up for Catherine’s newsletter at https://www.catherinebruns.net/contact
Please feel free to connect with her on social media as well: Facebook Twitter
Lena grew up in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island. She recently relocated to Florida with her husband, three kids, son-in-law, and four dogs. Her hobbies include spending time with family, reading, jigsaw puzzles, and walking. Her love for writing developed when her youngest son was born and didn’t sleep through the night. She works full time as a writer and a freelance editor and is a member of Sisters in Crime.
To learn more about Lena and her latest writing endeavors, visit her on Social Media.
Newsletter Website Facebook Facebook Fan Page
Twitter (X) Goodreads Pinterest
Rosalie Spielman is a mother, veteran, and retired military spouse. She was thrilled to discover that she could make other people laugh with her writing and finds joy in giving people a humorous escape from the real world. Her cozy mystery novels are set in locales that have chickens—such as sunny Kauai and rural Idaho—writing for the multi-author Aloha Lagoon mystery series and her own Hometown Mystery series.
She currently lives in Maryland with her husband in a rapidly emptying nest. For more information on her books or to subscribe to her newsletter, go to www.rosalie-spielman-author.com, follow her Facebook page (Rosalie Spielman author), or join her Facebook group (You Know The Spiel). Rosalie strives to provide you a cozy escape…one page at a time.
Website Bookshop storefront Amazon author page Facebook author page Facebook readers group
From her first discovery of Nancy Drew, USA Today bestselling author Kelly Rey has had a lifelong love for mystery and tales of things that go bump in the night, especially those with a twist of humor. Through many years of working in the court reporting and closed captioning fields, writing has remained a constant. If she’s not in front of a keyboard, she can be found reading, working out or avoiding housework. She’s a member of Sisters in Crime and lives in the Northeast with her husband and a menagerie of very spoiled pets.
Gin Jones is a retired lawyer who specialized in ghost-writing for other lawyers. She prefers to write her own books, though, since she doesn’t have to worry that her sense of humor might get her thrown into jail for contempt of court. In her spare time, Gin makes quilts, grows garlic, and advocates for patients with rare disorders.
Jamie L. Adams fell in love with books at an early age. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott opened her imagination and sparked a dream to be a writer. She wrote her first book as a school project in 6th grade.
A graduate of the Institute of Children’s Literature as well as member of American Christian Fiction Writers, The Writing Desk and several critique groups, she spends most of her time writing, reading or learning more about the craft near to her heart.
The parents of three very active children, she and her husband live in the Ozarks surrounded by forest and wildlife.
Erica Wynters started as most authors do – as an avid reader. Cozy mysteries and romantic suspense offered her just the escape she was looking for! The combination of great love and great danger keeps her turning pages late into the night.
Now they keep her writing pages late into the night. Her goal is always two-fold: help you fall in love with love all over again and take you on an adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat!
Falling in love has never been so fun…or so dangerous!
Misty Simon always wanted to be a storyteller…preferably behind a Muppet. Animal was number one, followed closely by Sherlock Hemlock… Since that dream didn’t come true, she began writing stories to share her world with readers, one laugh at a time.
Touching people’s hearts and funny bones are two of her favorite things, and she hopes everyone at least snickers in the right places when reading her books. She lives with her husband in Central Pennsylvania, where she is hard at work on her next novel or three.
Facebook Instagram Tiktok Website
Christine Knapp practiced as a nurse-midwife for many years. A writer of texts and journal articles, she is now thrilled to combine her love of midwifery and mysteries as a fiction author. Christine currently narrates books for the visually impaired. A dog lover, she lives near Boston. Visit thoughtfulmidwife.com
Website Facebook Instagram X Bluesky
Annie McEwen is the author of the Northwoods Mysteries Series, set amongst the tall pines and sparkling lakes of northern Wisconsin where she spent vacations as a kid. Because of a sweet love story between her youngest sister and a local Wisconsin boy (storyline idea!), she’s still been able to keep on visiting the beautiful place that means so much to her.
Annie and her husband are empty nesters—their son is married to his high school sweetheart, and their daughter is married with two adorable toddler boys. Being grandparents is definitely the best gig ever! They also have four fur babies who just might make some special appearances in Annie’s books.
When Annie isn’t writing, playing with her grandsons, or tackling trash-to-treasure projects, she works as a radiological technologist, aka, she takes pictures of bones…you can’t hide much from her! Writing, though, is her first love.
Jennifer Fischetto is the USA TODAY Bestselling author of the Gianna Mancini paranormal cozy mystery series, as well as a dozen other titles. She writes family-centric murder mysteries and things that go bump in the night.
A lover of rainstorms and snow, she prefers fiction over reality and longs to live in a world where French fries grow on trees, chocolate appears whenever desired, and every day is October. She watches too much television and movies, which fuel her never-ending supply of plot ideas, and is a rabid fan of suspense, horror, and everything supernatural.
You can learn about her next book by subscribing to her newsletter HERE.
Visit Jennifer at: Website Bluesky
Anne Marie Stoddard is a USA TODAY bestselling author and former Amazon Mover & Shaker. She writes supernatural suspense and humorous cozy mysteries with an edge. Her Amelia Grace Mystery series, inspired by her years working in radio, and concert venues and music festivals across the U.S., has won several awards, including the 2012 AJC Decatur Book Festival Writing Contest, the 2013 Book Junkie’s Choice Award for Best Debut Fiction Novel, and nominations for the 2014 & 2016 RONE Awards Best Mystery/Thriller Category.
Aside from writing, Anne Marie loves her husband and their dog, college football, hula hoops, music, coffee, and anything pumpkin-flavored.
For more details about Anne Marie’s upcoming projects, giveaways, and more, visit her online and subscribe to her newsletter HERE. Connect with Anne Marie on social media! Facebook Twitter
Buy Links:
TOUR PARTICIPANTS – Please visit all the stops.
December 2 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – REVIEW
December 2 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
December 3 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
December 3 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – AUTHOR GUEST POST
December 4 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
December 4 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW – AUTHOR GUEST POST
December 5 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – AUTHOR GUEST POST
December 5 – Hall Ways Blog – SPOTLIGHT
December 6 – @bibliophile_foodie – REVIEW
December 6 – Cassidy’s Bookshelves – SPOTLIGHT
December 6 – Jemima Pett, Author – REVIEW
December 7 – Books1987 – SPOTLIGHT
December 8 – Angel’s Book Nook – SPOTLIGHT
December 8 – Bea’s Book Nook – REVIEW – INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY
December 9 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR GUEST POST
December 9 – Sarandipity’s – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
December 10 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW
December 10 – Caboodle of Cozies – SPOTLIGHT
December 11 – Sarah Can’t Stop Reading Books – REVIEW
December 11 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
December 12 – Salty Inspirations – REVIEW, AUTHOR GUEST POST
December 12 – The Mystery of Writing – SPOTLIGHT
December 13 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
December 13 – Reading Is My SuperPower – SPOTLIGHT
December 14 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
December 15 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – REVIEW
Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?
Click Here to Find Details and Sign Up Today!
Want to Book a Tour?
Click Here
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” “As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.