"It's the week before Christmas, and antiques dealer Weezie Foley is in a frenzy to garnish her shop for the Savannah historical district decorating contest, which she intends to win. Weezie is ready to shoot herself with her glue gun by the time she's done, but the results are stunning." - excerpt from "Blue Christmas."

Sara Hopkins / Special (ENLARGE)

Avondale Estates residents Kathy and Tom Trocheck sit with their dog, Wyatt, in the living room. Kathy is better known as best-selling author Mary Kay Andrews.

Kathy Hogan Trocheck, aka Southern fiction author Mary Kay Andrews, has been in a decorating frenzy herself, getting her house ready for the 15th annual Avondale Christmas Tour of Homes on Dec. 9. Between sending her son, Andy, out for red ribbon and consulting with her decorators, Clay Snider and Marie Mealor, Trocheck hasn't written much in the last week.

Trocheck, a former reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, has written 10 critically acclaimed mysteries. They have been nominated for the Edgar, Anthony, Agatha and Macavity Awards.

Her 16th book, "Deep Dish" is due out in February.

The Trochecks' 1926 Craftsman-style home spans about 3,200 square feet with three bedrooms and three bathrooms.

It's one of the original homes in Avondale Estates, just east of Atlanta. Previous owners, Dave and Talia Blanchard, restored the home, and the Trochecks moved in about a year ago. The Blanchards' new home also is on the tour.

"We like Craftsman houses, and we always had a porch," Kathy Trocheck said, adding that they were looking at modest houses because they were empty-nesters. "This home had a lot of similarities to our old house."

The Trochecks raised their family in Avondale, living there for 20 years before Tom Trocheck took a job in Raleigh, N.C.

"I left kicking and screaming ... those claw marks on I-85 are mine," his wife added.

The job lasted five years before the couple returned to their old neighborhood. Tom Trocheck is director of development for First Industrial Realty Trust.

Their son, Andy, is a surveyor who also lives with them at the house. Their daughter, Katie, lives in Phoenix.

A self-proclaimed antique fanatic, Kathy Trocheck calls her taste "eclectic excess meets five-and-dime festive."

The sun room is one of her favorite rooms. She often takes her laptop there to write when her office becomes confining or she needs a change of scenery.

"I'm a Leo, so I like the sun," she said. (Trocheck also gets away to another sunny spot, Tybee Island, to write and find her muse.)

The rug in the sunroom is nothing special — but it's another estate sale find.

"I just like funky old stuff. I found Clay (Snider, her designer) at a yard sale," she said. "I'm great at shopping, but I'm not sure where to put it. I need an editor."

In the living room, Trocheck has slipcovered her white comfy sofa and chairs so her dog, Wyatt, can land on them without fear.

Above the sofa is a painting by Atlanta-based, Nigerian-born painter Ibe. The couple buy a painting together every year for their anniversary. Kathy Trocheck also loves to buy art (and antiques) while she's on book tours.

The coffee table in the room is made from an antique iron window grate saved from a townhouse in Charleston, S.C. An antique English pine armoire finishes out the room.

She collects mid-century Christmas decorations and snowmen from the 1940s on. Beat-up but loved sterling candlesticks grace the mantle.

The fireplace is flanked by a built-in secretary and leaded glass shelves.

The cranberry-red dining room shows off her large collection of blue and white transferware. Chairs from the 1920s, recovered in floral reds and blues, surround the table. The cupboard is 19th-century Welsh — providing a space to display her vintage Christmas brush trees.

Renovations

The kitchen is the biggest change they've made to the home.

"Tom and I like to entertain a lot," Kathy Trocheck said. The couple installed new upper cabinets and changed the color scheme to white with stainless steel accents and appliances. They added a tall cupboard to complement the antique one in the dining room. The curtains are made from colorful dishtowels.

Speaking of colorful details, the downstairs bathroom towel racks might be overlooked by guests, but their story is sensational. As a young newspaper reporter in Savannah, Trocheck wrote about a funeral home's estate sale. She bought a couple of (new) silver-plated casket handles to use as towel bars.

Upstairs, Trocheck's office occupies the sleeping porch overlooking the back yard. The framed book covers of her 15 books line the wall, and a small, wooden shrine houses the Virgin Mary and St. Therese.

Next door is her husband's office, with an old pine harvest table, fly-tying equipment and big leather chair that makes visitors want to grab a book and snuggle in. Tom and Andy Trocheck's love of fishing is also evident in this room's Christmas tree, which is adorned with fishing ornaments.

The Trochecks, who were high school sweethearts, enjoy their light-bathed master bedroom. The previous owners bumped out the attic to create space. The master suite is roomy and airy with a sitting area.

The couple painted the walls white and light blue to give it a cottage feel. Kathy Trocheck found the headboard, an old porch railing, at a shop in Virginia Highland.

Barely a year into their house, Kathy Trocheck feels right at home, and the place looks settled and festive. She's glad to be back in the neighborhood.

"We didn't look anyplace else," she said.

HOUSE HIGHLIGHTS:

• The 3,200-square-foot home has three bedrooms and three bathrooms. It was built in 1926.

• Kathy Hogan Trocheck (aka Mary Kay Andrews) is the author of the New York Times bestselling "Savannah Breeze" and "Blue Christmas," as well as "Hissy Fit," "Little Bitty Lies," and "Savannah Blues."

• The Avondale Christmas Tour of Homes runs from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 9. There is a Holiday Market from noon to 6 p.m. You can find out more at the Web site, www.avondaletourofhomes.com or call 404-294-5400. Tickets are $12 in advance; $15 day of tour.