Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Funerals and Familiars (A Cozy Midlife Witch Mystery) Willowmere Mysteries by Carmen Radtke. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
Funerals and Familiars (A Cozy Midlife Witch Mystery) Willowmere Mysteries
by Carmen Radtke
Funerals and Familiars (A Cozy Midlife Witch Mystery) Willowmere Mysteries
Paranormal Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Oregon
Independently Published (May 23, 2025)
Digital Print length : 248 pages
Midlife can be murder – or magic…
Almost fifty and freshly divorced, Bex Merriweather is going through The Change – battling hot flashes and night sweats. Little does she realize that when an elderly relative dies and leaves her a lending library in sleepy Willowmere, complete with cat, her whole life is going to change…
Turns out Aunt Violet left behind more than books and home-made herbal teas, like full-blown witch powers, and a small town where murder is very much on the menu. Even Cosmo the cat is no ordinary feline, but a sassy talking familiar. And when rumors about her aunt’s death begin to circulate, Bex has no choice but to embrace her witchy inheritance, and her inner detective.
Now the novice witch, armed only with her circle of lifelong friends and a snarky, judgemental cat mentor, must uncover the truth, before her newly acquired magical life goes up in smoke.
Perfect for fans of cozy mysteries, magical mayhem, and heroines who believe it’s never too late for a new chapter—or a little witchcraft!
Character Guest Post: Cosmo Berlin de Beaufort
Enchanté, so pleased to meet you. In case we haven’t had the honor yet (if you haven’t, you really should read the newsletter freebie A Box Full Of Secrets, for that elusive first glimpse of me): My name is Cosmo Berlin de Beaufort and I have steered the fate of generations of good witches. In case you’re wondering how old I am – well, time is but a human construct. Let us just say that the idea of nine lives has not entered the lore out of thin air.
If you’re also wondering how it works: it depends. I, although not the only of my kind, appear when I’m needed, so I might not be reborn straight after one life has ended. While some people are born as witches, others inherit certain traits at a later stage. Their skills need to be honed, their sensibilities carefully guided.
Did you just wonder if you too have a familiar in your home or at least have one among your acquaintances? You might. You just might. You might even have met me, either in my mortal form or in another incarnation. Or have you never noticed how much black cats and of course other animals have inspired human artists?
Take a good look. We are everywhere. Now you probably ask yourself why we don’t just take over, considering that we are descended from gods and goddesses and could easily sway susceptible minds.
We don’t. We are happy to stay in the background, to give you a gentle nudge and to help when it is needed. Ask the good people of Venice who still celebrate us for saving them from the black plague in medieval times.
But we really want you to get your act together. We can’t take care of the whole word for you. Do you have any idea how exhausting it is to look solely after one human? Let’s call her “Bex Merryweather” in this case. As delightful as her company can be, she needs a lot of support and encouragement. Sometimes I need to hold her back a little bit because once a human gets a taste of magic (or magick, whatever you prefer), they tend to get overconfident or don’t really understand the rules of the game.
Magic isn’t here to make all your worries disappear. It is there to aid. When I insist that Bex should practice her powers and work on her spells in the light of the moon, it is not to make her life more difficult. It is simply the way it has to be. It’s draining for me as well, thank you very much for asking.
Luckily I can take a nap afterwards. I have trained her well enough to supply me with ample sleeping spots in the apartment, the library and even the kitchen and our secret layer. And yes, every good witch needs to have a secret lair. Where else are we supposed to teach you away from prying eyes?
And what do I ask for in return? Not much. A soft bed or five, a couple of sofas, good meals, preferably fresh meat, raised to the highest animal welfare standards, not just tinned cat food please. One does have one’s needs, especially if one wants to live and enjoy all one’s nine lives. Gentle strokes, massages, company whenever I feel like having company, that is not a lot to ask for. In return, Bex receives my full attention and I help her take care of the good people of Willowmere. Whether it’s using my power of the purr, comforting them with physical contact, or the magical beam of my huge green eyes which have been praised by certain painters, famed and immortal, everything I do is important.
One thing that is new since Bex took over from my dear, dear Violet is the murders. Bex’s aunt and I, we were used to preventing fights, easing pain and curing small illnesses, but we never had to deal with murder most foul in this town. Luckily I am a cat of unusual abilities and mental flexibility. Truth be told, adding the role of Sherlock Holmes to my ample repertoire does hold a certain appeal.
Whereas Bex is starting to understand the rules of witchcraft, she is still plodding and muddling her way through our investigations. I add panache, style, and an understanding of powers way beyond your school wisdom to the team. And I protect her.
Most of us do, even if not all of us possess my superior qualities as a mentor, familiar, and supernatural being. You might have certain powers yourself. Kitchen witches, garden witches, people with a sixth sense, calming spirits – magic comes in many forms. And if you’re blessed with an animal companion, look into their eyes, feel their love and support, and realize the gift you’ve been given.
I remain your friend, Cosmo Merlin de Beaufort.
About Carmen Radtke
Carmen has spent most of her life with ink on her fingers and a dangerously high pile of books and newspapers by her side.
She has worked as a newspaper reporter on two continents and always dreamt of becoming a novelist and screenwriter.
When she found herself crouched under her dining table, typing away on a novel between two earthquakes in Christchurch, New Zealand, she realised she was hooked for life.
The shaken but stirring novel made it to the longlist of the Mslexia competition, and her next book and first mystery, The Case Of The Missing Bride, was a finalist in the Malice Domestic competition in a year without a winner. Since then she has penned several more cozy mysteries, including the Genie and Adriana Darling ghost mysteries and the Jack and Frances series set in the 1930s.
Carmen now lives in Italy with her human and her four-legged family. Although she possesses no witchy powers, she’s known to be easily held spellbound by animals.
Author Links
Website – Facebook – Twitter/X – GoodReads
BookBub – Instagram – BlueSky – Threads
Purchase Link – Amazon
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Funerals & Familiars TOUR PARTICIPANTS
June 11 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
June 11 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
June 12 – Infinite House of Books – SPOTLIGHT
June 12 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
June 13 – StoreyBook Reviews -CHARACTER GUEST POST
June 14 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
June 14 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
June 15 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW
June 16 – Frugal Freelancer – AUTHOR GUEST POST
June 16 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
June 17 – Sneaky the Library Cat’s Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
June 17 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
June 18 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST
June 18 – Angel’s Book Nook – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
June 19 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – REVIEW
June 20 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
June 20 – Sarah Can’t Stop Reading Books – REVIEW
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