Fate: A Doyle Witch Cozy Mystery (The Witches of Doyle)
by Kirsten Weiss
I am thrilled to welcome Kirsten Weiss to Escape With Dollycas today!
Hi Kirsten.
Tell us a little bit about yourself. I write mystery novels – both straight cozy and paranormal – and I love writing both! I grew up reading mysteries and always wanted to write them, so I’m thrilled I can do it for a living now.
What are three things most people don’t know about you? I spent most of my adult life working overseas in a field called microcredit – making very tiny loans, usually around $100, to women with small businesses in developing countries to help them build their businesses. (Later, my focus turned to micro-savings, but that’s another story). I started reading when I was three. And I think my house may be haunted. There are lots of mysterious footsteps upstairs when I’m alone in the house (if anyone has a logical, construction reason for that, please let me know).
What is the first book you remember reading? Go Dog Go. I’m sure there were others, but that one stands out in my memory. I loved the dogs with hats and dogs in trees!
What are you reading now? A Dean Koontz novel about Frankenstein. He’s an expert when it comes to weaving the supernatural with suspense and the spiritual as well.
What books have most inspired you? Sherlock Holmes for the mystery. Jeeves and Wooster for the comedy. Nora Roberts for the romance. (Those aren’t books per se, but how do you choose just one from that selection?).
What made you decide you wanted to write mysteries? Like so many girls, I grew up on Nancy Drew. At first, I wanted to be a girl detective. But since no mysteries were happening for me to solve, I realized writing detective stories was probably a better play.
Do you have a special place you like to write? I have a home office, with my father’s rolltop desk, where I often sit and write. But sometimes I like to sit at my dining table and write with a view of the Rocky Mountains. The latter, however, can get distracting.
Where do the ideas for your books come from? Places I visit, stories I hear. I was just on a month-long road trip and got an idea for a fantastic quirky town for a future cozy mystery. Then I had dinner with a cousin, and she told me about a very irritating neighbor who I thought would make a perfect fictional murder victim, since he’s outraging everyone in the neighborhood and there’s nothing anyone can do to stop him. So… from life. Though of course, I change the details so people don’t see themselves.
Is there anything about writing you find most challenging? It’s always a challenge. One’s always learning and never good enough. But I enjoy the challenge, and I enjoy pushing myself.
What do you think makes a good story? Great characters are, I think, the foundation of a good story because they’ll always have strong desires that lead to conflict, that leads to story. But as a mystery writer, I often come at the story from the plot first. I need to figure out whodunnit, why and how, and how to seed in the clues and red herrings.
Which, of all your characters, do you think is the most like you? Probably Rocky Bridges in The Mannequin Offensive. Like me, she worked in conflict zones and developing countries, and it left a mark. Her mark is a Viking spirit though who won’t go away…
What makes your books different from others out there in this genre? In my paranormal mysteries, I try to keep things as “real” as possible. And that means using existing magical systems – whether its shamanism or earth magic – as accurately as possible, as they’re practiced today or as they were practiced in the past. For example, I write about magic based on HP Lovecraft in Fate, and that’s really a thing. These aren’t instruction manuals, and the results in my books are more spectacular than in real life, but I try to make them as close to the real thing as I can.
Another thing, I think, that makes my books a little different are my complicated heroines. Even the chipper ones have issues they’re dealing with because I don’t know a single woman who doesn’t! In Fate, Jayce, for example, is struggling to overcome her party girl reputation – she’s grown a lot over the course of the six Doyle Witch novels. She’s also suffered loss – magic has taken a toll on her loved ones, and she needs to figure out how to do what needs to be done, keep everyone safe, and let the people who love her and who can help, help.
What’s next on the horizon for you? Right now I’m working on another Tea and Tarot cozy mystery (because I love Tarot, tea, and cozies!), featuring Abigail Beanblossom and Hyperion Night. This series is just fun to write because the characters themselves are so funny. And they all care about each other, which makes their interactions even more endearing to me. Ultimately, I want my readers to enjoy a good puzzle, but also feel like the world and the people in it, for all their flaws and foibles, can be a wonderful place.
Thank you, Kirsten, for dropping by.
Keep reading to find out about Kirsten’s new book!
About Fate
Fate: A Doyle Witch Cozy Mystery (The Witches of Doyle)
Cozy Mystery
6th in Series
misterio press (November 15, 2019)
Number of Pages – 250
ASIN: B07XF27R72
Something wicked this way comes…
Witch Jayce Bonheim has spent the last four months waiting for a horde of dark magicians to come to town.
Now, they’ve arrived.
And they’re bigger and badder than this ex-party girl could have imagined, wreaking havoc wherever they go.
When a murder rocks her small town, Jayce must stop the chaos. Battling her way through dark spells and past regrets, this Doyle witch struggles to divine her true friends…
…and her shadowy enemies.
But can she stop a murderer and prevent the opening of a portal that will transform their world forever?
Start reading Fate, book 6 in The Witches of Doyle cozy mystery novels.
This novel is a full-length, witch cozy mystery featuring true-to-life spells in the back of the book, a trio of witchy sisters, and a dash of romance. Though Fate can be read as a standalone, it’s best read in series order. It’s rated PG-13 due to mild language and some romance.
Praise for Fate: A Doyle Witch Cozy Mystery (The Witches of Doyle)
by Kirsten Weiss
What a fantastic read this was!! . . . A must read for fans of magical cozy mysteries. I totally loved it so I give it 5/5 stars.
~Books a Plenty Book Reviews
I have to admit I was so caught up in the story and distracted by a fabulous red herring suspect that I missed the bad guy and I just love when that happens. Though this book stands on its own quite well, I am looking forward to catching up on the whole series.
~I Read What You Write
MoreAbout Kirsten Weiss
Kirsten Weiss has never met a dessert she didn’t like, and her guilty pleasures are watching Ghost Whisperer re-runs and drinking red wine. The latter gives her heartburn, but she drinks it anyway.
Now based in Colorado Springs, CO, she writes genre-blending cozy mystery, supernatural and steampunk suspense, mixing her experiences and imagination to create vivid worlds of fun and enchantment.
If you like funny cozy mysteries, check out her Pie Town, Tea and Tarot, Paranormal Museum and Wits’ End books. If you’re looking for some magic with your mystery, give the Witches of Doyle, Riga Hayworth, and Rocky Bridges books a try. And if you like steampunk, the Sensibility Grey series might be for you.
Kirsten sends out original short stories of mystery and magic to her mailing list. If you’d like to get them delivered straight to your inbox, make sure to sign up for her newsletter at kirstenweiss.com
Author Links
Twitter: @KirstenWeiss
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kirsten.weiss/
Instagram: @KirstenWeissAuthor
Bookbub: www.bookbub.com/authors/kirsten-weiss
Book Series: Sensibility Grey Steampunk Suspense, Tea and Tarot cozy mysteries, the Pie Town cozy mysteries, the Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum cozy mysteries, the Doyle Witch and Doyle Cozy mystery novels, the Riga Hayworth paranormal mysteries.
Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N
Also by Kirsten Weiss
Find more books by Kirsten here.
Tour Participants – Please visit all the stops.
November 8 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – SPOTLIGHT
November 9 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
November 10 – I Read What You Write – REVIEW
November 11 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT, GIVEAWAY
November 12 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT
November 13 – Literary Gold – CHARACTER GUEST POST, GIVEAWAY
November 14 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
November 15 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
November 16 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST
November 16 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
November 17 – Baroness’ Book Trove – REVIEW
November 18 – Cozy Up With Kathy – MAGIC SPELL POST
November 19 – Diane Reviews Books – GUEST POST, GIVEAWAY
November 20 – Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
November 21 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
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I just love Kirsten’s writing! Her books are fun and always highly entertaining! Can’t stop until you are at the end. (Yes, there will be reading until you are at the last page!) Great interview, Lori! Have a Blessed Thanksgiving!
I love your book. The overs are beautiful.
What a fascinating book! Great interview. Thanks for sharing.