I'm pleased to welcome Valona Jones to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Valona writes the Magic Candle Shop Mystery series. SNUFFED OUT is the first book in the series and was released last week.
Kathy: Tabby and Sage Winslow own The Book and Candle Shop in Savannah. I love candles, jar candles, pillar candles, candles of all sorts and scents. Do you love candles as well?
VJ: Yes! I absolutely adore candles. I love the instant ambiance that comes from lighting a candle. For me the flame represents home and hearth and heart. My favorite scents are those of citrus blends and also the scents of forest and sea.
Kathy: Tabby and Sage are fraternal twins. Why make your protagonists twins instead of friends or another kind of relation?
VJ: How interesting that you asked this question because there is some background to this… You see in the first draft of the story a few things weren’t sticking together well enough for my longtime critique partner, Polly Iyer. In those first 80 pages or so, the sisters (who were close in age but not twins) often used telepathy to communicate. Their paranormal talent kept them tightly bonded. They were each other’s best friend. One day Polly said to me, and I’m paraphrasing here, that these girls were closer than mere sisters. I wouldn’t have to explain so many things if they were also twins. As soon as she said it, story lightning flashed in my head. That was the key I needed to propel the story forward naturally. After all, people already know that twins are closer than regular siblings. I’m so lucky my critique partner is a genius.
Kathy: I love mysteries that include a paranormal touch. Why decide to make your series a paranormal one?
VJ: Because of my fascination with candles, I know that certain scents are deemed by some to have qualities that enhance relaxation, relieve stress, and more. Did you hear how many mealy-mouthed words I had to use to explain that in today’s world? So, I wanted to start with the premise that in The Book and Candle Shop the candles definitely have that helping touch. They label them “aromatherapy candles” and don’t push them more than any other products, but word gets around, you know? If order for all the moving pieces to connect, paranormal was the only way to go.
Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?
VJ: My first introduction to the genre came through the television show, “Murder She Wrote.” Every week I eagerly watched actress Angela Lansbury figure out whodunnit when the next person in Cabot Cove died. The show and the story genre truly held my attention. I loved that an every-woman could flex her “smarts” and keep poking around until she found answers. Further, the story device of an amateur sleuth who used her connections and insider information truly appealed to me. I love the way the lead character puzzles over the case the same way a hobbyist assembles a jigsaw puzzle. Thus, an amateur sleuth keeps collecting information and piecing it together until the villain is revealed. It is a perfect fit for my skillset.
Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?
VJ: Yes! Under the name of Maggie Toussaint, I’ve published romance, romantic suspense, cozy mystery, and paranormal cozy mystery books. Many readers hounded me to write a mystery about a scientist because that was my background and you’re supposed to write what you know. So I thought about my scientist story for a long while before I jumped into it. Writing as Rigel Carson, I penned a three-book science fiction trilogy about a scientist on a Georgia barrier island with all manner of trouble raining down on him.
Kathy: Tell us about your series.
VJ: The series name for SNUFFED OUT, is A Magic Candle Shop Mystery. This Savannah, Georgia, establishment is owned and operated by a family of psychics, though that’s not their name for themselves. They call themselves energetics, and they can take or give energy at will.
Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?
VJ: I love Tabby Winslow to the stars and back. She thinks she’s doing a good job of fitting into a normal world and passing for normal, but people can sense her power. They’re either attracted or repelled by it. Meanwhile, Tabby and her sister make classic business mistakes to put their shop in jeopardy. Tabby rises to the occasion every time.
Kathy: Did you have a specific inspiration for your series?
VJ: Oddly, the pandemic is to blame! I live in a rural area, and we were concerned that supply lines would foul up (and they did), and there would be real shortages. I decided to make our own cloth facemasks and then give them away to as many locally who needed them. When we couldn’t get rubbing alcohol and hand sanitizer was as precious as gold, I learned how to make hand sanitizer using White Lightning, aloe and essential oils, bottled it and gave it away to family and friends. Same for foaming soap. I considered making candles too. I read lots of material about it, and would’ve done it too, but I already have a stock of candles that I keep on hand as hurricane supplies. I moved on to other projects, but the idea of making candles kept bugging me. So I decided to write about a candle maker. True confession time…most of my candle making experience is from Scouts, where we poured wax over ice cubes in quart-sized milk cartons. But in any event, I have a love for doing crafts and making things, so writing about a candle maker is a very good fit for me.
Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?
VJ: Coming from a career in science, I had worked for years under the threat of the phrase “publish or perish,” and in fact, I had coauthored half a dozen scientific articles by the time we moved. For me fiction publishing is much harder than nonfiction publishing. But back in the day I had that cocky jaunt to my step and a young person’s invincibility about everything. How hard could it be? Pretty darn hard, that’s what. People may take up this career with dreams of fame and fortune, but it takes so long to “make it,” that many wash out.
Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?
VJ: This will either be the most interesting dinner party in the world or all the guests will walk out on me. I adore Fannie Flagg’s “Fried Green Tomatoes At The Whistle Stop Cafe.” It was the first humorous fiction novel I’d ever read. I would love to sit down with Shirley MacLaine (“Out on a Limb” and “Dancing in the Light”) talk about anything and everything. And I’d drag Pat Conroy into the mix. His “Prince of Tides” is my all-time favorite books because I am also the child of a shrimper. That leaves one open place at the table. Who will it be? As a young adult and then for decades afterward, I was drawn to evangelist Billy Graham. His words riveted me to my seat and opened my ears. He’s written book after book about his faith, but the book I still have my eye on is his autobiography “Just As I Am.”
Kathy: What are you currently reading?
VJ: I have two new ebooks om my Kindle;. One is “Sleep No More” by Jayne Ann Krentz. The other is book 18 in my friend Nancy J Cohen’s Bad Hair Day Mysteries, “Star Tangled Murder”. I also do a lot of rereading fav authors when I’m in writing mode.
Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?
VJ: I enjoy so many things! Reading is a big one for me, as are yoga and singing. I enjoy several reality TV shows, such as The Voice, Survivor, The Curse of Oak Island, and the veterinarian shows on National Geographic. I’m not big into gardening but every year I plant more flowers in a memorial garden for my late sister Carol. It’s right outside my office window.
Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.
VJ: Duke’s Mayonnaise, frozen shrimp, grits, and iced tea. That’s a meal right there.
Kathy: Do you have plans for future books either in your current series or a new series?
VJ: Yes, I intend for the series to keep going as long as the publisher wishes me to write them. When interest wanes at some future point, I’ll already know what themes, settings, and topics I’d like to explore next.
Kathy: What's your favorite thing about being an author?
VJ: Hanging out with other authors, readers, and fans. Talking shop with all of them. Getting to be an introvert again when I return home.
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Review
The First Magic Candle Shop Mystery
Snuffed Out (Magic Candle Shop Mystery) by Valona Jones
About Snuffed Out
Paranormal Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Savannah, GA
Crooked Lane Books (January 10, 2023)
Hardcover 304 Pages
Twin sisters Tabby and Sage co-own a candle shop, but will it all go up in flames in Valona Jones’ series debut, perfect for fans of Amanda Flower and Bailey Cates.
30-year-old fraternal twins Tabby and Sage Winslow own The Book and Candle Shop in Savannah. Sage is hot-headed and impulsive while Tabby is calm and collected, making them the perfect partnership. When one of their customers is found murdered, from a blow to the head, that partnership is put to the test.
Blithe McAdam had been seen in a heated argument with shop clerk Gerard, which immediately makes him suspect number one. The twins are convinced of Gerard’s innocence and start digging into Blithe’s past. But no one is cooperating. The neighbor who found the body isn’t talking, medical examiner Quig won’t give any details about the autopsy, and nasty rumors begin surfacing about the drowning of Blithe’s father years earlier—evidence that could seal Gerard’s fate.
Tabby and Sage dig desperately for the truth. But it’s not only their friend who’s in peril. With the clock ticking, the twins find themselves in the grip of an unseen and deadly energy that has seeped into their midst—and in the sights of a ruthless killer.
About Valona Jones
Valona Jones writes paranormal cozy mysteries set in Southern locales. Her work blends mystery and the unexplained, along with a sprinkle of romance. A former scientist, she’s drawn to the study of personal energy. She sharpened her people-watching skills as a lifelong introvert and thankfully had a bank vault full of personal observations when she began to write fiction. Her forthcoming release, Snuffed Out, A Magic Candle Shop Mystery, is slated for January 10, 2023, release. She’s a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. She lives in coastal Georgia, where time and tide wait for no one. Visit her at https://valonajones.com
Author Links:
Website: https://valonajones.com
Facebook: https://facebook.com/valonajonesauthor
BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/valona-jones
GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22140872.Valona_Jones
Purchase Links - Amazon Kindle - Amazon Hardcover - Nook - B&N Hardcover - Kobo -
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Sounds good. I like the cover.
ReplyDeleteSo happy to hear that, Rita, as I love it too!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cozy up with Kathy, for featuring SNUFFED OUT here on it's Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour. I appreciate the review very much and I thought the interview questions were very insightful. Thanks again for your hospitality! Maggie aka Valona Jones
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for stopping by!
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