When a guest dies in the B&B she helps her aunts run, a young witch must rely on some good old-fashioned investigating to clear her aunt's name in this magical and charming new cozy mystery.
For four hundred years, the Warren witches have used their magic to quietly help the citizens of the sleepy New England town of Evenfall thrive. There's never been a problem they couldn't handle. But then Constance Graves--a local known for being argumentative and demanding--dies while staying at the bed and breakfast Brynn Warren maintains with her aunts. At first, it seems like an accident...but it soon becomes clear that there's something more sinister at work, and Aunt Nora is shaping up to be the prime suspect.
There's nothing Brynn wants more than to prove Nora's innocence, and it hurts her to know that even two years ago that might have been easier. Brynn, after all, is a witch of the dead--a witch who can commune with ghosts. Ghosts never remember much about their deaths, but Constance might remember something about her life that would help crack the case. But Brynn hasn't used her powers since her husband died, and isn't even sure she still can. Brynn will just have to hope that her aunts' magic and her own investigative skills will lead her to answers--and maybe back to the gift she once thought herself ready to give up forever.
The Season of Witching
I'm so glad I live in a world
where there are Octobers.
- L.M. Montgomery
I hate picking favorites, but I love autumn.
Maybe it’s the kiss of frost on the grass in the early morning or the smell of mouldering leaves and woodsmoke. Perhaps it’s the cozy, cable-knit sweaters perfect for a walk through the woods or that first taste of pumpkin spice coffee served in an oversized mug. Who am I kidding? It’s all of those things and more. I can’t get enough. So, when it came to choosing a setting for my Evenfall Witches B&B Mystery series, I knew it had to be somewhere that showcased the finest of the season’s splendor.
It didn’t take long to narrow in on New England given all its autumnal beauty, but my editor suggested I get more specific. Salem was the obvious choice given that my amateur sleuth, Brynn Warren, comes from a long line of witches, but somehow that felt too on the nose. What I wanted was a close-knit small town with towering old trees and wrought iron streetlamps. You know, the kind of place that has sidewalks covered in crunchy leaves and historic old homes decorated with pumpkins and surrounded by orchards serving tangy apple cider on crisp fall days. A village like Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls. We live in troubled times, so I sought to create a town that could provide readers with a magical escape…and once I had that place in mind, Evenfall, Connecticut came to life.
October nights in Evenfall are made for witches.
The yellow moon was rising up from behind the
trees of the hemlock forest at the edge of town while bats swooped against the
darkening sky. The crisp wind with its traces of wood smoke skittered dried
leaves across the pavement as a dog barked ceaselessly in the distance. The
stirrings of night magic put most creatures on edge.
-In the Company of Witches
In the opening pages of In the Company of Witches, Brynn and her aunts are settling in for a cozy evening by the fire at their family-run B&B, Ivywood Hollow, when a thump from the second floor rattles the parlor chandelier. They quickly discover guest and local malcontent Constance Graves dead in the en suite of her room. At first, it seems like an accident...but it soon becomes clear that there's something more sinister at work.
Unfortunately for Brynn, she can’t rely solely on her powers to solve the mystery. That would be far too easy. Once a witch of the dead possessing the ability to speak with ghosts, Brynn has given up her powers after the loss of her husband, so now she has to cultivate some good, old-fashioned detective skills in order to uncover the identity of poor Constance’s killer. ~ Auralee Wallace
Auralee Wallace is the author of multiple novels, including the Otter Lake mystery series. She has an undergraduate degree in psychology and a Master’s degree in English literature, and she worked in the publishing industry for a number of years before teaching at the college level. She lives in Ottawa with her family.
She can be found on Twitter, Goodreads, Facebook, and her website http://auraleewallace.com/.
Thank you for all the information on "IN THE COMPANY OF WITCHES". I enjoyed reading Auralee Wallace's guest post and I can't wait for the opportunity to read this great sounding book.
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