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

Synopsis

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.

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Guest Post

The Cuddle Farm Mystery series is the fourth mystery series I’ve written.

My original series, Shandra Higheagle Mysteries, concluded with 16 books. The main protagonist is a Native American potter. Her deceased grandmother comes to her in dreams and helps with clues that solve the murders. The paranormal element was fun to write, but I felt Shandra had come to a time in her life when she had to stop chasing after killers. Many of my readers keep asking for more. I have given it some thought as to how I could pick it up and write about Shandra, Ryan, the twins and Crazy Lil. But my mind finds other things that interest me and that’s where I have to go to keep my writing exciting for me and hopefully exciting for the reader.

The second series I am still writing is the Gabriel Hawke novels. I had a blast riding around for a day with an Oregon Fish and Wildlife State Trooper. He gave me insights into the day-to-day events as well as told me about some things that didn’t sit right with him. I’ve written a couple of the books with that information in mind. I’ve tried to incorporate more of Hawke’s Nez Perce roots into his life, but it’s hard when he’s always busy chasing down killers in the wilderness. There are 14 books in the series and I don’t see an end to it yet. I still have stories to tell, and Hawke is still ready to ride the mountains and seek justice.

The third series I’m writing is the Spotted Pony Casino Mysteries. I love the main character. Dela Alvaro is a disabled veteran who is the head of security for my fictional casino on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation outside of Pendleton, Oregon. There are murders, missing women, and corrupt people that make her job harder. When she has to deal with these things, she calls on her high school sweetheart, a Tribal Policeman, and an FBI Special Agent, who has a history with her from when they were in the military.  Dela is dealing with not only being an amputee, but getting over survivor’s guilt, a best friend who was killed,  and the belief that her father isn’t who she’s been told he was all her life. There are ongoing subplots that keep this series very interesting for me to write.

There are days I wish my brain wasn’t so creative. Like when I decided to write a fourth mystery series. I loved the idea, the concept, the setting, the characters- but do I have time to write another mystery series and keep my readers happy? That has been my biggest fear. Adding another book to write will put Hawke’s and Dela’s books farther apart. Will my readers be okay with that?

I’m hoping they will love the Cuddle Farm Mysteries as much as they do the other series and won’t be too put out that they have to wait a little bit longer for each book.

The plan was to keep the Cuddle Farm Mysteries at the shorter word count that is usual for a cozy. But as usual, my books are a little bit edgier than a typical cozy, and the word count was longer than I’d planned.

I like having fun characters, but I have to make the reasons for the deaths more logical for my mind to have someone want them dead. And the darker side of things is usually where a murderer lurks.

Thank you for being part of my blog tour. I hope your followers enjoyed learning about my mystery series and my new book, Merry Merry Merry Murder. Oh, have you all been wondering about the title? The title came to me when I heard the Christmas Carol, Carole of the Bells, and they sing; Merry, merry, merry, Christmas. Merry, merry, merry, Christmas. My mind put in Merry, merry, merry, murder!  And that is how the title came for this book. And now you’ll be singing it all day. 😉

About the Author

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.

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