Hello and Welcome All!

Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing Paty Jager author of Merry Merry Merry Murder.

Hi Paty, thank you for agreeing to this interview.

Who inspired you to become a writer?

I’m not sure. I wrote stories as a child, and I think I would have to say that two teachers and a writing instructor inspired me to be a writer. My high school English teacher gave us the assignment of picking someone from history and writing a story from their viewpoint. I picked Joan of Arc being burned at the stake. My teacher read my story to the class and there wasn’t a sound when she finished. I wish I still had that story. Then in college, I had a creative writing class. The instructor in there was always marking my paper up and not the other students. But I would get a better grade than them. So I asked him, why are your marking up my paper so much? He said, because I see your potential. Then an instructor from a night writing class gave me the guts to actually take something I wrote to an editor at a newspaper and he bought it and put me on as a freelance human-interest reporter. Those three people inspired me to continue learning the craft and working on novels.

What types of scenes are your most favorite to write?

My favorite scenes to write are the ones that either include animals or have humor in them.

Do you work with an outline, or just write?

I work with a suspect chart. It’s not a detailed outline; it’s a chart with character names, how they know the victim, why they might kill the victim, and the red herring to make the reader think they are the killer. Once I have my victim, the method of death, and where I want to start the story, I take off writing and slowly bring each of the suspects into the story.

What do you do when you are not writing?

When I’m not writing, I’m walking with my little chiweenie, reading, quilting, or at book selling events. I do a lot with family and friends to. They keep me hopping.

What are some books you have enjoyed recently?

I recently came across Sujata Massey’s 1920s India Mysteries. I really like them. And the Captain Jim and Lady Diana Mysteries by Nev March. This series starts in India and comes to America. I like mysteries set in other countries and cultures, so it’s a bit like I traveled there with only spending my time reading and minimal money. 😉

How did you come up with the concept and the characters for the story?

I mentioned my chiweenie, Nia, earlier. She was with me at an outdoor book selling event. A woman came along and sat at the end of my book trailer for fifteen minutes, petting and talking to Nia. When she was ready to leave, she told me I should use Nia as a therapy animal. When the woman left, I told the author who was at the event with me, I didn’t have time to take Nia around, but it was a great idea for a book. And that’s how the concept for Cuddle Farm Mysteries came about. I decided my protagonist would have therapy animals, they would travel around the area, meet lots of people, and come across bodies.

Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?

This particular book, the setting is similar to the town we are moving to when my husband retires from farming. I have had, known, or talk to people who have had all the animal species in my cuddle farm. Other than that and using some instances I’ve read about or heard about for the murders, everything is pretty much my imagination. I have other books I’ve written that have some real life experiences in them. But I think all writers put some of them and what they’ve gone through into everything they write.

Give us insight into your main character. What does he/she do that is so special?

Special… Andi champions the underdog. She genuinely wants to help people. She is a math genius. All of these things have helped her not only when she was globe-trotting with her deceased husband, but now that she is back where she grew up, trying to start her therapy animal business and help her family business. These traits also help her when she’s sleuthing to find a killer

What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?

My favorite parts of this book are when I show the reader the personality of each animal. As the series progresses each one will in one way or another be a part of the plot as Athena is in this book, by being the catalyst that gave Andi insight into the murder victim.

Readers should read this book…

Readers should read this book if they enjoy reading about animals and their antics, seeing justice prevail, and small-town dynamics.

Thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to take part in this interview.
 

Merry Merry Merry Murder

(Cuddle Farm Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting: Oregon
Publisher: Windtree Press
Publication Date: October 10, 2025
Print Length: 194 pages

In the close-knit town of Auburn, Oregon, Andi Clark’s therapy animals bring comfort to the community, especially during the holiday season. As the annual Christmas Craft Bazaar draws near, Andi agrees to set up a Petting Zoo with her beloved animals, bringing smiles to the faces of children and adults alike.

But when a young girl seeks solace from Athena, Andi’s therapy dog, after witnessing an unsettling scene behind the sleigh, it marks the beginning of a much darker holiday. As the town gathers for the Tree Lighting Ceremony, a scream shatters the festive atmosphere. Cocoa, Andi’s loyal Border Collie, pulls her toward a chilling sight: a woman standing over the lifeless body of the girl’s mother, strangled with Christmas lights.

Determined to help the grieving girl and her town recover from the shock, Andi, her therapy animals, and her niece, a county deputy, take it upon themselves to investigate. As they uncover secrets and untangle clues, they stay one step ahead of the new sheriff and worry that the killer lurking in their midst could be someone they know.

Amazon * Barnes & Nobles

 

Paty Jager is an award-winning author of murder mysteries, western romance, and action-adventure. All her work has Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and engaging characters. Riding horses and battling rattlesnakes in eastern Oregon, she not only writes the western lifestyle, she lives it.

Author Links
Website * Blog * Amazon * Pinterest * Goodreads 

 

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There is a King Sumo Giveaway for this tour.
Prize – A Copy of Merry Merry Merry Murder (Cuddle Farm Mysteries) by Paty Jager, Cuddle Farm Sticker, & Swag.
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