The Toy Puzzle by Victoria LK Williams

The toys are gone!

All the toys the town has gathered for the local toy drive have disappeared without a clue. Leigh-Ann sets out to catch a thief and make sure the kids have a merry Christmas. Clues and gossip are easy to find at the Tattletale Café!

What quirky Christmas tradition does your character do every year?

Since this series is set in Florida, Christmas looks different than the pretty snow-covered postcard pictures. And that also means the activities are a bit different too. Two of the traditions Leigh-Ann looks forward to are parades; one is a boat parade and the other a golf cart parade. The boat/golfcarts are decorated for the holidays and in the evening, they join in the appropriate parade to show off and compete for first prize.

What was your favourite or most memorable gift you got as a child?

A barbie fashion show. What I remember most is we were not home in NY for Christmas; we had come to FL to visit my aunt and uncle. My brother and I were so scared Santa wouldn’t find us! But he did (we even got a telegram from Santa to tell us to be good and he would be there on Christmas eve). But back to the gift-I can remember my dad and uncle spending hours on Christmas day putting it together and hearing some rather nasty words about Barbie and all her stuff! But they finally got it together-and it lasted about half an hour before falling apart!

Can you share an enticing (50 words or less) snippet that isn’t in the blurb?

Liz and Nora looked at each other. It was clear they hadn’t thought beyond the fact that the toys were stolen. But on instinct, they both began making plans for what needed to be done next. These women weren’t the head of committees for nothing. They spent the next few moments making notes and plans for how they could start collecting toys so that not all the children would go without. But while their thoughts were going on how to be constructive and replace the missing toys, my thoughts went down a different path. I wondered what could be done to find the missing toys and bring the heartless person to justice.

What’s your favourite Christmas movie?

I have to cheat! I have loved How the Grinch stole Christmas since I was a kid. For me that was the official start of the holiday season. My son loved it too (year-round-you’d never believe how many times I read that story to him! My new favorite is The Christmas Train. It is a new one, Hallmark I believe, taken from the book of the same title by David Baldacci.

How does this story connect with your other books or series? This story is the first of 6 novellas in the Tattletale Café Series. Like all my cozies, it takes place in South Florida, USA.