Hello and Welcome All!

Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing Christina Romeril author of Deck the Halls With Homicide.

Hi Christina, thank you for agreeing to this interview.

Hi! I’m so happy to be here with you all!

For those readers not familiar with you, would you please tell us a bit about yourself?

I write the Killer Chocolate Mystery series set in a fictional Montana town at the base of the Rocky Mountains near the real-life town of Big Fork. My home is about four hours from my fictional town, in Southern Alberta where I live with my husband and two Chihuahua puppies, Nacho and Paco.

My parents were German, so I grew up speaking it fluently and sprinkle a few German words and sayings in my cozies. I actually grew up in Southern Ontario and about twenty-five years ago I packed up my four children and moved to Alberta. They are all grown up and I have about a dozen grandchildren. My time these days is divided between my writing, puppies, grandchildren and travelling to Mexico where one of my kids still lives.

How did you choose the genre you write in?

When I finally got serious about writing a book in 2018, I decided I wanted to write books like Agatha Christie. The modern version we now call cozy mysteries. Mysteries were always my first love since starting the Trixie Belden series in third grade, so it’s not really any surprise that was where I was drawn to as a writer. I read widely in the mystery/thriller genre, though I don’t like anything too dark. Dark being defined as emotionally heavy. Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache series is probably as dark as I go.

What are your ambitions for your writing career?

I’m always seeking a challenge, so in addition to writing my Killer Chocolate Mystery series, I’m currently working on a new mystery more along the lines of Finlay Donovan. I’ve also got some ideas for more traditional mysteries and thrillers. I might even want to try my hand at a rom com one day. Basically, my goal is to entertain so I’m always taking courses and doing things that will improve my craft so people can get lost in the pages.

Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult?

If I had to pick one author who has been the biggest influence it would have to be Agatha Christie. My goal is always to craft a mystery filled with clues and red herrings that keep the reader guessing to the end of the book, but also to write characters that the reader is invested in.

If you could have dinner with any three authors (alive or dead, who would you choose and why?

Jane Austen: She is probably my favorite author of all time, and while I love reading her books, I have no ambition to write in that genre. But I think she would be fun to talk to because of her amusing insight into people.

Elle Cosimano: I love her books and her humor and I think we would have an absolutely hilarious time talking over dinner. Plus, I’d love to pick her brain on how she constructs her plots.

Ellie Alexander: She is so passionate about books and murder! I think we would have a blast over dinner and by the end of the meal we’d have a potential victim chosen from the restaurant patrons, how they would be killed, and who would have done it.

Tell us a little bit about your upcoming book?

Deck the Halls With Homicide finds identical twins, Alex and Hanna, preparing for the Christmas festival in Harriston. Alex is actually a little grumpy because she has to judge a decorating contest with her surly neighbor, Penelope, while a bossy diva who’s constantly directing little digs at Alex is in charge of the contest. On top of that, she’s been dealing with her boyfriend’s catty daughter who isn’t happy about her father’s dating situation. So, when she finds a body during the decorating contest, and her boyfriend is the top suspect—she goes into sleuth mode.

Hanna is right there helping her investigate, even as she navigates some her own personal challenges. It’s filled with fun twists and turns as the twins deal with all kinds of quirky characters during the Christmas festival.

You’re definitely going to want to grab a cozy blanket and a mug of something sweet as you settle in a comfy reading nook with this one.

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

Funny you should ask. The victim in this one is actually based on someone I know, though all the situations are fictional. I also loosely borrowed the premise of one of the subplots from real life (the one with Regina-I won’t say more because I don’t want to spoil anything), though the characters and scenes are completely fictional. Additionally, several characters are inspired by real people, though they differ widely from their real-life inspirations. I like to drop a few Easter eggs in each book, for example, my real-life brother’s name is Steve (same as the twin’s). Also, there actually is a B&B in my town similar to the one I describe in the book (though, sadly, they recently closed as a B&B).

Even though I may take some inspiration from real life, the characters, scenes, and plots are pure fiction.

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

Alex is very analytical most of the time, thus making her a great sleuth. But every now and again she’ll do something completely spur of the moment, plus she listens to her “gut” so she’s not predictable. She’s an introvert and has a harder time mingling with people, but she can read them well. Hanna is the more charming, and outgoing of the twins, but both have a great sense of humor. I like to think the twins balance each other.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

I didn’t have a very robust outline, so I enjoyed coming up with unexpected things for the story even though it necessitated a lot of editing. There were a lot of really exciting moments as I wrote something unexpected. My hope is since it was fun and surprising for me to write, the reader will feel the same way.

Please share a few fun facts about this book…

The manuscript actually started out at about 115,000 words and it went through numerous beta readers and drafts to cut it down to the final word count of 89,000 words. At one point I had it down to 85,000 words, but I ended up adding in some things that I think strengthened the story.

I had to delete a favorite scene that was inspired by the movie, Top Gun, due to the high word count. I also added, deleted, and combined characters numerous times. It was not easy for my critique group to keep things straight in the early days.

There is also something that happens in the book that has devastated my husband. This is a spoiler free zone, but he still hasn’t gotten over it.

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

Thank you so much for having me on the blog today and letting me tell you and your readers a bit about myself and my books today!

Deck the Halls With Homicide

Killer Chocolate Mysteries
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting: Harriston, Montana (fictional)
Publisher: Independently Published
Publication Date: October 28, 2025
Print Length: 326 Pages
Paperback

Perfect for fans of Jacqueline Frost and Vicki Delany, when a holiday decorating contest turns deadly, twin sisters Alex and Hanna trade tinsel and twinkle lights for tracking the twists and turns of a cunning killer.

Alex and Hanna, owners of Murder and Mayhem book and chocolate shop, are hoping for a quiet holiday. That is, after Alex is finished judging the Deck the Halls contest organized by Vanessa,

nicknamed “The Dragon.” The whole experience has turned Alex’s usual festive spirit a little grinchy. Instead of inspiring holiday cheer with fun lawn displays, the contest has turned cutthroat and decorations have started disappearing. After Alex’s beau, Tom, is seen in a heated argument with the Dragon about his stolen trimmings, Alex finds him dressed as Santa, kneeling over Vanessa’s dead body…with one of his missing candy cane decorations buried in her chest. It’s no surprise he becomes the sheriff’s top suspect.

Alex and Hanna quickly amass a cast of suspects deeper than Santa’s reindeer roster, including an old family friend tasked by their mother with romantic interference; a nosy reporter eager to reveal Alex’s previous murder-y exploits; and the victim’s psychologist-to-the-stars husband with a spicy secret. But as they try to catch a crafty killer, Alex also grapples with the escalating wrath of Tom’s daughter, and a mysterious psychic dropping cryptic clues, while Hanna deals with her own Christmas crisis.

Murder puts a bitter spin on the twins’ sweet confections and they must find the killer and wrap up the case to keep Santa off the naughty list.

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Christina Romeril loves to plot murders, especially by poisoning. When she’s not plotting how to kill one of her characters she’s coming up with ways to dispose of the body. Since writing her debut novel her husband’s friends have been regularly checking on his well-being.

Christina also loves to read, eat chocolates, and travel when she’s not in her she shed writing. She grew up in Southern Ontario and spent most of her summers in Muskoka swimming, boating, and generally getting into mischief. She’s lived on both coasts of Canada and has a love of being near the water and close to a forest. Thus, it makes perfect sense that she moved to the prairies of Southern Alberta over twenty years ago.

During the warmer months you’ll find her escaping to nearby Waterton Lakes National Park with her cooler stocked full of chocolate and pastries. Occasionally, the once avid hiker will even set out on one of the many hiking trails and hope she doesn’t run into a hungry bear.

Christina is a member of Sisters in Crime and enjoys interacting on social media.

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