Award winning Rosie is the author of two series; A Rosie Life in Italy, the story of her adventures renovating an derelict villa in Italy, and the Deadly Wedding Cozy Mystery. You can follow Rosie on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with her adventures.

Jingle Bones    by Rosie Meleady

Irish wedding planner Daisy Dell is an international expert on everything weddings, especially in Italy. But sometimes, a dash of murder and mystery finds its way past her up the aisle.

When asked to organise a simple Christmas wedding in Puglia, Daisy was not expecting a weekend of mayhem and possibly murder. Not only have the wedding funds gone missing, but also the Basilica’s most precious relics… Santa Claus’s bones.

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

When I was 9 years old, I asked for a gold bike and Santa (my mum) bought a second hand one and sprayed it gold. I was so happy Christmas morning even though the paint was still sticky! I also got the game ‘Guess Who?’ from my older sister that year and I loved that game, I felt I was being a detective! I still do like games like that. My daughter bought me ‘Code Names’ last Christmas and it really gets the brain juices working, I love it.

Your story is set in Puglia, Italy. Why did you choose that as the setting for your book?

I visited the Basilica in Puglia, where the story is based, about 5 years ago. There was a full orchestra and choir practicing for the feast of St Nicholas and it blew me away. I had a great guide who told me so many stories attached to the place that I wanted to find a way to combine them into a fictional story someday, and this was the perfect opportunity.

Speaking as your character, what is your favorite thing about Christmas?

As an event planner I’m at parties 3 times a week most of the year so I like the silent nights of Christmas. I like being on my own and being completely cut off from the world without having to take calls or do work. Just me and Shadow (my dog), curled up on the sofa reading and drinking thick Italian hot chocolate.

What’s your favorite Christmas movie?

The original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I still watch it every Christmas morning. I just realized I describe some of the characters in my book ‘Jingle Bones’ as Oompa Lumpas, so this is a very fitting question!

How does this story connect with your other books or series? All the books in my Deadly Wedding Cozy Mystery series are based in different regions of Italy. I moved from Ireland to Italy three years ago and I love discovering quirky historical facts about places I visit so I try to weave some of these into my stories. As my main character is a wedding planner, all my mysteries have a wedding being planned in the background. I have been a destination wedding planner for 20 years, so I drop in some fun stuff that I’ve experienced at weddings too, as sometimes truth is stranger than fiction!

Have you gotten you copy of the Anthology yet? Don’t forget-it dissapears after the holidays, so don’t miss out!