I'm pleased to welcome Sage Winslow to Cozy Up With Kathy today. You can find Sage on the pages of the Magic Candle Shop Mystery series by Valona Jones. IN THE WICK OF TIME is the second book in the series and was released last week.
By Sage Winslow
Dear Diary,
At thirty years old, I’m too old to be using a diary. I suppose I should call this a journal, but I can’t keep all this pain inside. It’s too much for anyone to bear. My closest friend is my twin sister, but she’s gun-shy after all the breakups I’ve had. Junior was too clingy, Mark too distant, and Avery thought the world revolved around him. I thought for sure Brindle Pratt was my Mr. Right.
After all, he doesn’t question my moods or my need to stay in my family’s apartment above The Book and Candle Shop in downtown Savannah, GA. He doesn’t question my desire to also work a second job with plants because that soothes my soul. With being a junior partner in a law firm, Brindle works long hours too. Plus, we are compatible in the sack, and that’s saying something.
He never says he’s too tired. Neither when he goes to bed, nor when he wakes up. That’s a good thing, an excellent thing for someone like me who craves that intimacy. Unlike my sister Tabby, I lose energy as the day goes on, and the recharge that only occurs at night in our Bristol Street home doesn’t fill me up. When I’m not in a relationship, I’m constantly asking Tabby to top me off. One of these days she’s rightly gonna say no, and then what will I do?
Oh darn. One of my tears fell on the page, and the gel pen ink ran. Lemme find a ball point pen…Okay I’m back now. I can’t promise not to cry, but at least I won’t destroy my innermost thoughts by soaking the page.
Where was I? Oh yes, my constant energy shortage. I’ve seen firsthand what happens when you repeatedly run yourself down to nothing. You die. It happened to my mom, and we couldn’t save her. Her death was horrible and pointless. She should still be alive, but, no, she had to help her friend with cancer. She valued her friend’s life more than she did her own.
I realize I sound like a jerk, but Mom knew cancer didn’t respond to our energy. By giving her friend all those energy transfusions, she only helped her friend deal with the pain. She wasn’t fixing anything. That was so frustrating for me, and I lost my mom to boot.
I thought that was the worst thing that ever happened to me.
I was wrong.
Brindle shattered my heart tonight.
The hurt is so raw I can barely breathe.
Here’s what happened. Since we’ve been dating a few months, we have keys to each other’s apartments. Tonight was the third night in a row that he worked late. He claimed he didn’t want me to wait up, so he’d go to his place after work. I couldn’t settle down. I needed to see him, so I decided to surprise him with my new lingerie. It was December, so I wore a long coat over my new intimate wear. I drove over, parked in the lot, and walked the half-block to his residence.
All the lights were on in his place. Oh! My heart quickened. He was home already. Great. I walked faster. Then I saw them. Brindle. My shirtless boyfriend. And another woman. I stared at her in utter confusion then hatred. It was Alyss, the receptionist from his office. My jaw dropped until my mouth became so dry I had to close it.
He was holding her the very same way he held me. Dancing in that hip-to-hip way that was Ours. He stroked her hair and kissed it the same way he did mine. My anger flared, and I wanted to hurt both of them. Bad.
Confronting them wouldn’t change anything. He’d cheated. He’d lied to me about everything. He was to blame. How could I have been so blind? In spite of knowing I should turn around, I knocked on the door. No one answered, so I let myself in, yelled his name.
He stared at me like he’d seen a ghost.
I called him every name in the book, threw his key at him, and ran out of there. I never knew I could hurt so much, or that it would feel like my guts were ripping apart.
My twin pinged me on our twin-link. You okay?
I couldn’t talk about this to anyone yet. Couldn’t face the shame of humiliation yet. I’m okay.
Somehow I drove home and cried my eyes out. Brindle called and texted, but he didn’t come over. That made me feel worse. I shouldn’t want his comfort after he’d cut me to the quick. I couldn’t hurt him physically, but I had to do something. I took off the lingerie and cut it to shreds. I was done with him once and for all.
The next day came, and I couldn’t face the world yet. Maybe not ever.
Why wasn’t I enough for him? Why?
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In the Wick of Time (Magic Candle Shop Mystery) by Valona Jones
About In The Wick Of Time
Paranormal Cozy Mystery
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?
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.
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Intriguing and captivating. A very creative and talented author.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rita Wray and traveler for your kind words. This post from Sage gives readers more insight into her brokenness. Her character has a very long arc in this series. She's been broken in several ways and she's just now realizing how that effects her...and others. Thanks also to Cozy Up With Kathy for being part of the cozy mystery community and for participating in the Great Escapes Book Blog Tour.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for stopping by!
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