Talkshow Thursday: Welcome Back Donna Schlachter!

The Story Behind the Story of 

The Mystery of Christmas Inn, Colorado

This romantic suspense is set in Colorado in 1921 at Christmas time. My hero is re-visiting the hotel where he spent his honeymoon 40 years before, while my heroine is seeking a refuge from her haranguing family while she makes some difficult choices. Matthew cannot find a reason to go on, and Edith refuses to give up.

I chose this setting because of some research I did into a famous hotel in Colorado Springs, The Antlers, as well as research about other buildings in that city which were razed in the 60’s to make room for urban expansion. I was horrified at the way the downtown core lost its history and its personality, and wanted to write a story where that didn’t happen.

I chose older characters because, well, I’m getting older, and I find my tastes turning to older characters

who are more set in their ways, less likely to jump out of moving vehicles or parachute from perfectly good airplanes. The time period seemed perfect because the train had just started coming to Colorado Springs from Denver, and the original Antlers hotel was slated for destruction early in 1922. I wanted to change that history.

Matthew and Edith team up to find a way to save the old hotel, and in the process, they uncover more than they bargained for: a body in a wall; a decades-old murder mystery; a secret somebody wants to keep; and a love that will carry them through the coming years.

About The Mystery of Christmas Inn, Colorado:

Matthew returns to Christmas Inn to celebrate his fortieth anniversary alone, intending to take his own life so he can join his beloved Sarah, who passed on to glory the previous January. Not certain how—or if—he will go on without her, Matthew learns on his arrival that the old inn will close its doors on New Year’s Eve. A developer has purchased the building and intends to tear it down and put up a chain hotel. Determined to keep his memories and his connection to Sarah alive, Matthew embarks on a harebrained scheme to keep the inn open.

Edith Cochrane, a widow, comes to Christmas Inn because she has nowhere else to spend the holidays. Her children are angry with her because she refuses to choose to live with one of them. Edith and her husband enjoyed a long marriage and a long mission-field ministry, but ever since his passing the previous year, Edith has found herself at loose ends. She comes to Christmas Inn to spend some time thinking about her options.

Can Matthew and Edith save the old hotel—and themselves—or will they run out of time?

Buy link: https://amzn.to/43jVAJY

About Donna: A hybrid author, Donna writes squeaky clean historical and contemporary suspense. She has been published more than 60 times in books; is a member of several writers' groups; facilitates a critique group; teaches writing classes; and judges in writing contests. She loves history and research, traveling extensively for both, and is an avid oil painter. She is taking all the information she’s learned along the way about the writing and publishing process, and is coaching committed writers eager to tell their story. Learn more at https://www.donnaschlachter.com/the-purpose-full-writer-coaching-programs Check out her coaching group on FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/604220861766651

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Photo credit: Antlers Hotel/courtesy of Antlers.com