Kathy: You start a new series with STEEPED IN MURDER. Was there a specific inspiration for this series?
KW: I visited a tea and tarot parlor in Florida years ago and loved the experience. I'm a big fan of Tarot, and have studied the cards for years. There are a lot of tea-themed cozies out these days, but I thought adding Tarot to the mix would be a fun twist for a setting and for the characters.
Kathy: Tell us about your new series.
KW: My heroine, Abigail, has a complicated past when it comes to all things New Age. So when she's forced to partner up with a Tarot reader to solve a crime and save her dream of opening a tearoom, she's got some issues to overcome. But those conflicts, I think, can really enrich a cozy mystery, adding to the fun of solving the puzzle.
Kathy: You touch on two of my favorite things in your new series, tea and tarot. Have you studied the tarot or ever have your cards read?
KW: I took a Tarot deck with me when I joined the Peace Corps, thinking I'd have a lot of time on my hands to study it. Little did I know that the symbolism and history of the Tarot cards would lead me through all sorts of wormholes in our folkloric and occult history. Alchemy, Grail Quest, medieval Christian mysticism, archetypes... They're all connected to Tarot somehow.
Kathy: Some people believe that all tarot readers and other new age and paranormal practitioners are con artists, while others are devout believers, and still others have a healthy skepticism but willingness to believe. Where do you fall on this scale?
KW: Yes. My answer is yes. All of the above are true, in my opinion. There are con artists. There are people with genuine talent. And there are people who believe but are deluding themselves. So I think it helps to go into any encounter with a tarot reader or other paranormal practitioner with an open mind, and that openness must include a healthy skepticism AND a hard budget. A good warning bell is when paranormal practitioners start asking for big sums of money, or trying to scare you with warnings about curses that can only be cured by handing over more money. This is an issue I explore in the Tea and Tarot stories, because a part of Abigail wants to believe, but she can't quite bring herself to trust it.
Kathy: I actually collect tarot decks. I love the variety and yet the symbolism remains the same. Do you have any decks of your own? Are you partial to any style?
KW: So many. Too many. I now have a massive collection of Tarot decks, and I keep swearing the last deck I purchased is my absolutely last deck. Then I see another one I absolutely must have... My current favorite is the Pagan Otherworlds Tarot by Uusi. But when I'm reading for friends, my go-to deck is either the classic Rider-Waite-Smith (I have an oversized version) or The Tarot of the Sevenfold Mystery, by Robert Place.
Kathy: In STEEPED IN MURDER Abigail Beanblossom dreams of opening her own tea room. Do you frequent tea rooms? What's your favorite thing about them?
KW: Not as often as I'd like! I mainly go for the scones, which I love. I love tea of course, too!
Kathy: I adore tea, but admit to drinking it in a more Asian style that British. I practice the gong fu style of tea making and I drink my tea neat, never adding cream or sugar, or anything else (aside from ice for my iced tea). How do you like your tea?
KW: It depends on the tea. I recently found a cinnamon orange tea made locally that doesn't need a single thing done to it. But usually I'll add some honey to my tea.
Kathy: I love all sorts of teas, but am partial to lapsang souchong. Do you have a favorite tea?
KW: Chai, made with some form of milk. I love the stuff, hot or cold!
Kathy: Will you share any other upcoming books?
KW: Right now I'm in the midst of a crazy project to write my sixth Doyle Witch mystery and my third Wits' End mystery. They both take place in the imaginary town of Doyle, California, and this time, I'm overlapping their stories. The mysteries occur over the same time period, with overlapping subplots, but the characters are seeing the events from very different points of view. The witches see paranormal things happening, and my non-witch B&B owner thinks there's a rational explanation for everything. But I decided they'd be solving two different murders, so the readers won't get cheated out of a "wrong" solution. And yes, if this sounds complicated, I'm worried I may have bitten off more than I can chew this time. But I want to keep challenging myself so my writing doesn't get stale, and this project is a part of that. Hopefully, it will be fun for the readers as well!
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Review
STEEPED IN MURDER by Kirsten Weiss
The First Tea and Tarot Mystery
Abigail Beanblossom's dream is about to come true. She paid her realtor 6 months rent in advance for the perfect building and is about to open her own tearoom. She has interior designs in mind and a business plan all set. What she didn't account for was the fact that her realtor was a con artist who had also rented the building to Hyperion Night, a tarot reader. Before matters can be straightened out they find the realtor dead behind their building, murdered. As Abigail tries to get her money back she finds herself teaming up with Hyperion. Will they get their money? Will either of them be able to get the building? Or will they find themselves victims of murder instead of just a con?
Tea and tarot are two of my favorite things, so when I discovered that Kirsten Weiss was writing a series combining the two I was elated. The first Tea and Tarot Mystery did not disappoint. I admit that some of it was a bit over the top. With main characters are named Abigail Beanblossom and Hyperion Night that's to be expected! Hyperion is a bit campy and the lead detective is an overt germophobe. In fact most of the characters are a bit high on the excitable scale...the other victims of the con artist take drama to high art! But it works. They are fun, funny, yet still relatable. Deep down they are caring people facing real issues. Trust, abandonment, compromise, and the ability to have an open mind are just some of the themes dealt with here.
The author's knowledge of the tarot shines through adding depth and meaning instead of using it as a gimmick. I love Abby's tea blends and the description of scones had me drooling. I wish I could go to their shop, sip some sage and spearmint tea, nibble an almond and apricot scone, and have Hyperion give me a reading. Since I can't visit them personally, I was thrilled to find recipes included at the end! I may get that scone after all!
STEEPED IN MURDER is a fun start to a new series. Delightful characters and a complex mystery provide plenty of laughs and a good puzzle for readers to enjoy.
Thank you for hosting me today, Kathy! It's been a pleasure, as always.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for stopping by! You're always welcome at Cozy Up With Kathy!
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