Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for In the Wick of Time (Magic Candle Shop Mystery) by Valona Jones. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!

In the Wick of Time (Magic Candle Shop Mystery)

by Valona Jones

In the Wick of Time (Magic Candle Shop Mystery)
Paranormal Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – Savannah, Georgia
Crooked Lane Books (October 17, 2023)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 288 pages

Tabby Winslow will help her twin sister Sage with anything and everything—and that includes putting out the flames of suspicion when Sage’s boss is found murdered in this magical mystery, perfect for fans of Amanda Flower and Sofie Kelly.

December in Savannah, Georgia, is a sight to behold. With all the festivities—including the traditional riverfront luminary display during the boat parade—twin sisters Tabby and Sage Winslow are busier than ever setting up for the big celebration. But that isn’t the only thing on the sisters’ minds. Both Sage and her fellow employee Mary Nicole are vying for the sought-after assistant manager job at the plant nursery. But when Loren Lee, their boss, is found dead, and Sage becomes the police’s favorite suspect, both Winslow girls know that they’ll need more than a flicker of magic and their sisterhood to solve the murder and clear Sage’s name.

Soon, Tabby realizes that this is just one of the many problems they have. If being a suspect for murder wasn’t enough, there are more magical problems that they have to fix: Sage’s boyfriend is having a paranormal experience of his own he can’t control, there’s an energy vampire searching for his supposedly lost cousin, her cat suddenly dislikes her, and oh—every time Tabby hiccups, she turns completely invisible. The suspect list grows with each day and it seems everyone has a reason or a connection to Loren Lee.

Tabby and Sage are burning the candle at both ends—but will it be enough to keep their friends safe and find this killer? Or will they be burned by their efforts?

Character Guest Post

Character guest post: Cats Rule

By Harley the shop cat

If you’ve ever been to Bristol Street in Savannah, Georgia, you’ve seen my place. The humans named it The Book and Candle Shop, but I am in charge here. All who enter are subject to my scrutiny, and if they don’t pass muster, I sound the alarm.

Sometimes that means I rub the legs of my human, Tabby Winslow. That prompts her to pick me up. Then our energies meld, and I can convince her without words to get rid of the troublemaker. Sometimes, though, a person’s energy is so scary that instinct takes over. I dart out of the store and hide in my lair upstairs until the threat passes.

I don’t hide often, though I do skedaddle when cops come. My person doesn’t like them and neither do I. They smell wrong, and they upset my person. If I could get away with attacking them, I’d claw and bite the troublemakers. But I started life at the pound vowed never to return. Thus, I choose my battles.

My sister Luna also lives here. She thinks she’s in charge of everything, but we know better. I determine who stays or goes. Luna watches likes she’s sitting in judgement. I tell her watching is not enough, and she says I waste my time meddling in the affairs of humans. As if.

I adore my person, Tabby Winslow. She more than cares for me. She showers me with energy that feels dreamy like a sun-drenched pool of light. I used to sleep next to her until she got a mate. Now I follow Luna up to the apartment at night and wonder why Tabby doesn’t want me in her new den two doors down. One of these days I’m gonna march over there and take my rightful place.

My person speaks to her twin in two ways. One is the oral way, with a human voice and lots of words. The other is like savant cats. Invisible communication through the air waves. All cats know how to do this but there’s no reason to send a message to anyone in the same room as you are when you can show them what you want.

I don’t allow the customers to pet me. I reign from a shelf above the cash register. My favorite perch is between the gargoyle and the skeleton statues. It smells like forest up here, but if I were to stalk over to other perches in the shop, different scents would assail my sensitive nose. None of them are bad, I just prefer the aroma of forest.

The shop has extra lights in it now, and a fake tree that is an abomination. Sometimes when no one is looking, I’ll bat the globes around on the tree, but I’ll be glad when it is gone. That’s the thing. Very few items stay in the shop for long. They either sell or they get put away for later.

Through the cat grapevine, I learned of an upcoming Festival of Lights and a Lighted Boat Parade on the waterfront. That’s on the next full moon. My brethren are concerned that people will die, but I pledge to protect my family from harm, no matter what happens.

I like living here, like having my poop cleaned out of the box, and really like treats. My humans are trained now. I don’t want the trouble of breaking in a new batch.

So I remain faithfully on guard. Watching. Waiting. And ready to attack at a moment’s notice.

About Valona Jones

Valona Jones, also known as Maggie Toussaint, writes paranormal cozy mysteries set in coastal Georgia. A former scientist, she’s drawn to the study of personal energy. She sharpened her people-watching skills as a lifelong introvert and had a bank vault of personal observations when she began to write fiction. Her newest release is In The Wick of Time, book 2 in the A Magic Candle Shop Mystery, preceded by Snuffed Out, which released Jan. 2023. She’s a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime with more than twenty-five published works of fiction. She lives in coastal Georgia, where she’s seen time and tide wait for no one.

Author Links

Website https://www.valonajones.com

Facebook https://facebook.com/ValonaJonesAuthor

Amazon Author Page https://amazon.com/author/valonajones/

GoodReads Author Page https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22140872.Valona_Jones

BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/valona-jones

 Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo – BookShop.org

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In the Wick of Time TOUR PARTICIPANTS

October 19 – Angel’s Guilty Pleasures – SPOTLIGHT

October 19 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

October 19 – Lady Hawkeye – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

October 20 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST

October 20 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – REVIEW

October 21 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

October 22 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

October 22 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

October 23 – Mystery, Thrillers & Suspense – AUTHOR GUEST POST

October 23 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT

October 23 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

October 24 – Cozy Up WIth Kathy – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

October 24 – Baroness Book Trove – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

October 25 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER GUEST POST

October 25 – Novels Alive – REVIEW – SPOTLIGHT

October 26 – The Mystery Section – AUTHOR GUEST POST

October 26 – Jane Reads – CHARACTER GUEST POST

October 27 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT

October 27 – My Reading Journeys – SPOTLIGHT

October 28 – Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW

October 28 – StoreyBook Reviews – AUTHOR GUEST POST

October 28 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT

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