When I say this author is our fearless leader, I mean it. The Cozy Mystery Anthology, Clues, Christmas Trees and Corpses, was her idea. Each of us writers were invite to join R.B. on this amazing journey of creating this book for your holiday enjoyment. The organization of all the behind the scene work was handled by R.B., and I have to confess, she made it seem painless. Through her endless efforts, you and I met some amazing authors! I can’t thank her enough. And she has even taken on our next anthology Mysteries, Midsummer Sun and Murders

R.B. Marshall is a native Scottsman, and loves her horse. She is much like her charactor, Izzy, in the Highland Horse Whisperer Mystery series. R.B.’s talents don’t stop with mysteries. She also writes  fantasy and clean romance/women’s fiction, as Roz Marshall and Historical Romance telling the story of Mary Queen of Scots, as Belle McInnes.

The Secret Santa Mystery                                         by R.B. Marshall
Security expert for a British bank by day, horse trainer at night, Izzy Paterson is a multi-tasking, dressage-riding computer whiz with an addiction to strong coffee and a penchant for CSI on Netflix. So, when the Secret Santa at her office Christmas party hands her a perplexing riddle, she just can’t ignore the mystery.

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

I was an adult, not a child, but I think the best gift I ever got was a dog! My sister gave me a rescue collie for my first Christmas after I got a house with a garden. Meg was a great companion and lived till she was 13.

If you had to describe your character in three words, what would those three words be?

Clumsy, geeky and a coffeeholic.

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

The finance capital of the UK is London, and my heroine, Izzy, works as a security analyst for a large bank, so it seemed logical to set it there. London isn’t the small town, which is more traditional for cozy mysteries, but even this large city is made up of lots of little ‘villages’ and communities – like the friends at the stables where Izzy keeps her horse, the members of her Pilates class, or her colleagues at work.

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

A minute later, lights appeared in the tunnel entrance, and I stepped forward, preparing to board the tube train. But suddenly, something pushed me from behind – hard. Hard enough to force me to the very edge of the platform.

Dimly, I heard the crowd behind me gasp, as I teetered on the concrete lip above the tracks, illuminated in the headlights of the approaching train…

How does this story connect with your other books or series?

The Secret Santa Mystery is the prequel to my Highland Horse Whisperer Cozy Mysteries series. It tells the story of how Izzy Paterson – a multi-tasking, dressage-riding computer whiz with an addiction to strong coffee – solves a perplexing mystery which threatens the livelihoods of everyone she works with. That leads, via a circuitous route, to her becoming a horse trainer in the Highlands of Scotland.