Celebrating Launch Day with Christmas Cookies!

I know it's only September, but today was the day that my second book in the Beacon Bakeshop Mystery Series was supposed to come out. Sadly, due to supply chain issues regarding paper, my launch day got pushed back a week--to October 5th. That's not so bad. In fact, it's not going to stop me from celebrating the launch of my first ever Christmas cozy mystery, MURDER AT THE CHRISTMAS COOKIE BAKE-OFF. That's because I have some really fun events happening today (Tuesday, September 28th). And, of course, I'm celebrating the day with Christmas Cookies! The above video is the debut of Lindsey Bakewell's signature cookie from the book. What is a signature cookie? Well, when you read the book you'll see.

New launch date of October 5th, 2021

Before setting out to write this mystery, I was trying to come up with the perfect, iconic Christmas baked good that would be perfect for the Beacon Bakeshop. I love Christmas, and while there are so many wonderful holiday treats, I kept coming back to Christmas cookies. I think it's the variety of Christmas cookies that I was drawn to. Everybody has a family favorite, or a traditional recipe, and there's always room for a new favorite. Another thing that tipped the scales for me regarding cookies, was that I actually read about a lakeside village in Michigan that hosted a tour of Christmas cookies throughout the town to encourage shoppers to visit each establishment. Shoppers would then vote for their favorite cookie. It sounded like such a brilliant idea... until the article stated that somebody in the village became a little competitive and stole all the Christmas cookies from the establishment that was winning the cookie contest. Those wacky Christmas cookie shenanigans inspired me, and I just had to see what would happen in the town of Beacon Harbor if such a Christmas cookie competition was introduced. I think you'll find that Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bake-Off is the perfect book to get you into the holiday spirit while inspiring you to try your hand at making some of the town's favorite Christmas cookies.

Although there are many cookie recipes included in the book, including this one, you can print off a copy of Lindsey's Signature Lemon Ginger Sandwich Cookie here! Or visit my recipe page here!

My first event today will be at the fabulous Howell Carnegie District Library (where I used to work!). We're going to chat about the book and eat cookies. It's a virtual event, so if you're interested in registering, click on the banner above! If you can't make it but would like a signed copy of MURDER AT THE CHRISTMAS COOKIE BAKE-OFF pre-order your book here!

I love to celebrate book birthdays with giveaways. I have some fun giveaways planned, but don't worry if you can't make it to my book launch events today. There will be plenty of opportunities to connect with me and win giveaways from today until Christmas. Liking my Facebook Author Page (Author Darci Hannah) is a great way to stay connected. For my Facebook page, click here! Three lucky readers will win these prizes today during my live zoom event!

I'll also be celebrating the day with five other fabulous authors who have the same book birthday as I do. Is there anything more special than celebrating the day with friends? Please join us tonight from 7:30 to 8:30 pm. EST. You can get the link for the live Facebook event here!

Check out these wonderful NEW cozy mysteries from my friends! They come out today!

Click on the books for purchase links!

Here Comes the Fudge by Nancy Coco

Fudge shop owner Allie McMurphy never expected her maid of honor duties to include clearing the groom of murder . . .

THE BODY OF A CRIME

It’s late spring on picturesque Mackinac Island, Michigan. Allie is prepping her Historic McMurphy Hotel and Fudge Shop for the start of the tourist season and her best friend Jenn’s wedding. But when Jenn’s fiancé Shane, a crime scene investigator on the island, misses a dinner date, the two friends go looking for him. Led by Allie’s bichonpoo Mal into an alley, they come upon Shane standing over a body with a bloody knife in his hand. Shane won’t say what’s happened, just tells them to call 911. As the CSI is taken into custody by his colleagues, including Allie’s beau Rex Manning, the fudge maker vows to prove her friend’s fiancé is not a killer—before the ceremony turns into a jailhouse wedding . . .

Murder Outside the Lines by Krista Davis

With Halloween just around the corner, the fall colors in Georgetown are brilliant. As manager of the Color Me Read bookstore, coloring book creator Florrie Fox has arranged for psychic author Hilda Rattenhorst to read from Spooktacular Ghost Stories. But the celebrity medium arrives for the event in hysterics, insisting she just saw a bare foot sticking out of a rolled-up carpet in a nearby alley. Is someone trying to sweep murder under the rug? Florrie calls in her policeman beau, Sergeant Eric Jonquille, but the carpet corpse has disappeared without a trace.

Then in the middle of her reading, Hilda chillingly declares that she feels the killer's presence in the store. Is this a publicity stunt or a genuine psychic episode? It seems there's no happy medium. When a local bibliophile is soon discovered missing, a strange mystery begins to unroll. Now it's up to Florrie and Jonquille to expose a killer's true colors . . .

Murder can Frost your Doughnut by Rose Pressey

The ghost of an Elvis impersonator has got psychic painter Celeste Cabot all shook up...

Celeste has pulled up in her pink Shasta trailer, aka mobile art studio, to the Sevier County Fair in the mountains of eastern Tennessee to sell her paintings. A highlight of the fair promises to be the celebrity impersonation contest. But the low point is when Celeste and her floppy-eared white Chihuahua Van (short for Van Gogh) find an Elvis impersonator in his trailer doing a great impression of a corpse, clutching a doughnut in his hand.

Seeking a vision to solve the crime, Celeste paints her own Elvis portrait—and suddenly the ghost of the Elvis impersonator appears. They say fools rush in, but with the help of this spirit, Celeste sets out to find the real killer among all the fake celebrities. It’s now or never, because there won’t be time to tell the killer: “Don’t be cruel.”

Wreathing Havoc by Julia Henry

There’s nothing like autumn in picturesque Goosebush, Massachusetts, but beneath the season’s sun-dappled foliage, Lilly Jayne and her Garden Squad must investigate a shadowy murder mystery after a theater owner’s sudden death sows as much drama behind the scenes as on any stage...

Lilly Jayne typically spends the harvest season baking festive pies and crafting colorful wreaths to enter in the library’s annual fundraising contest. But this year, autumn opens on a somber note when beloved local theater owner, Leon Tompkin, dies unexpectedly. His memorial sets the scene for a mini reunion of The Goosebush Players’ best and brightest alumni, including Hollywood star, Jeremy Nolan...until someone plucks Jeremy from the spotlight, permanently.

Now, as dedicated theater volunteer, Scooter McGee, falls under suspicion, Lilly and her Garden Squad must spring into action. They quickly discover a cornucopia of potential suspects in Jeremy’s murder. Was it an embittered ex...or a jilted lover? A rival thespian...or an overly ambitious artist? Lilly rakes through the piles of clues, but if she doesn’t uncover the real killer soon, more than autumn leaves will be dropping in Goosebush...

Food blogging is turning Hope Early into a household name. But the dead body down the block makes her a #1 suspect . . .

It seems everyone loves Hope’s blog these days, and she’s busier than ever volunteering to help other women create their own paths to success. So she’s shocked when a neighbor petitions to run Hope right out of her small Connecticut town! Set in her ways, apparently Birdie Donovan doesn’t like the chaos Hope’s sleuthing creates, the police activity and crime scenes, and it’s happening way too often lately. Eager to make amends, Hope bakes Birdie a batch of her best muffins. The delicious treats might have smoothed things over—until Hope discovers Birdie dead in her gazebo the very next day . . .

Now instead of worrying about holding on to her beloved home, Hope is trying to stay out of jail. Because suddenly she’s the lead suspect in the case. Not even her boyfriend, Police Chief Ethan Cahill, is promising he can clear her name, much less discuss the investigation with her. It’s up to Hope to get to bake new ground on the case before the lifestyle brand she’s created—and her whole life—crumbles . . .

Thank you so much, dear friends and readers, for taking the time out of your busy day to read my blog. In fact, I'm so happy that I'm offering another MURDER AT THE CHRISTMAS COOKIE BAKE-OFF giveaway! All you have to do to enter is answer the question below. As always, happy reading and happy baking!

What is your favorite Christmas cookie?