By Ruth Buchanan
As a Florida-based writer accustomed to sea breezes and balmy sunsets, I couldn’t ask for a setting less like my own than that of Birchardville, Pennsylvania. Buried deep in the Endless Mountains near the upstate border with New York, Birchardville is surrounded by dense forests, rolling pastureland, and—let’s face it—more than its fair share of collapsing barns and dilapidated silos.
I first visited Birchardville in 2013 with my friend Alissa, a genuine Birchardville original. An introvert by nature, Alissa had done very little to prepare me for what I was about to see. I don’t remember what she’d told me or exactly how the conversation went, but I do remember my reaction being something like, “Wait, you live in a town that’s named after your family and you never told me?” Although to be fair, she might have told me. I’m not the world’s best listener.
Upon arrival, I immediately sensed the story possibilities intrinsic to the rich, atmospheric backdrop. When Alissa took me down to the cemetery to show me her favorite headstone, I was a goner. I knew then that I’d eventually set a story in Birchardville. But it wasn’t until a subsequent visit in 2014, while taking a long twilight walk up Cobb Hill Road (gripping a can of pepper spray in case of bears), that the story began taking shape.
During 2017, I finally wrote Murder on Birchardville Hill, a heartwarming tale of holiday mayhem. Though the work is fictional, the setting—as I’m clear to point out in the book’s opening sequence—is real.
The good news is that you don’t have to wait for the holidays to enjoy this cozy Christmas mystery. Published in December of 2017, it’s now available at your convenience. Along with central character Morgan Scott, you too can enjoy the thrill of discovering that indeed, Birchardville is real.
Depressed at the prospect of spending another Christmas alone, successful crime podcaster Morgan Scott travels to the Endless Mountains of Pennsylvania to research a historic murder. But in the tiny village of Birchardville, past crimes and present dangers collide, placing both Morgan and the local residents in very real peril. This Christmas, there'll be no silent night.
Ruth Buchanan is a Christian freelance writer who holds degrees in ministry and theology. She writes fiction, non-fiction, plays, and sacred scripts. She’s an eager reader, an enthusiastic traveler, and the world’s most reluctant runner. Ruth loves Jesus, family, church, friends, and coffee. She lives and works in South Florida.
You can follow Ruth on Twitter or Instagram: @Ruthette
