Goodness gracious, it’s only the beginning of November and one of my holiday traditions has already bit the dust! This year will be the first year since 2003 without a Special Pennyfoot Hotel mystery. A Christmas-themed series that has been released annually, Kate Kingsbury‘s series has become a regular November release every year for over a decade, though there was a two year gap after the first release when she didn’t put out a Christmas book.
The Special Pennyfoot Hotel holiday series began as a spin-off from the main Pennyfoot Hotel mystery series, Kate Kingsbury’s original series. Published in 2003, No Clue at the Inn was a continuation of the characters and setting, which had been shelved since 1999 with the final Pennyfoot Hotel release. (I wanted to post these covers since I think they are so beautiful. Shrouds of Holly is the 3rd in this Christmas Cozy Mystery series, and Decked with Folly is the 5th.)
Kate Kingsbury is still putting out books, of course, though she isn’t using the name Kate Kingsbury any more. Instead, her new series, the Raven’s Nest Bookstore Mystery Series, is published under the name Allison Kingsley. I don’t know why she decided to change the name she publishes under, as my understanding is that the Pennyfoot holiday series continued to be well-received and popular with her fans. (Also, I should mention that she wrote the Bellehaven House Mystery Series as Rebecca Kent.)
So, as I said at the beginning, this will be the first November in years without a Cozy Christmas Pennyfoot Hotel mystery. It seems like a strange thing to get a bit sad about, but I feel like the month will be a bit different without what had sort of become a tradition for me.
Do any of you happen to share my tradition of curling up before the fire (well, leave out the fire part here in San Antonio!) with a good annual holiday mystery? Is there another holiday tradition that you’re fond of that you’ve had to let go of in recent years? As always, I appreciate all comments.
