Sarah E. Burr is one amazing human being. Not only does she write four (FOUR!) cozy mystery series, she also has mad creative skills when it comes to creating book trailers, bookmarks, and all kinds of other media and swag authors need. Check out her BookstaBundles business if you are in the market for those kinds of items! Sarah also cohosts The Bookish Hour podcast with J.C. Kenney, and is active in the writing community, lifting up her fellow authors. I honestly don't know when this woman sleeps!
The third book in Sarah's Glenmyre Whim Mystery series, Flying Off the Candle, came out last week. This is a magical series set in Crucible, New York where main character Hazel has a candle shop and tries to come to terms with her magical powers.
Here's what to expect:
Spring has sprung in Crucible, and so has another twisted mystery.
After a string of unsettling murders in their beloved hometown, candlemaker Hazel Wickbury and her aunt Poppy finally feel like the worst is behind them. They're looking forward to enjoying the Big Melt festival, a celebration of Lake Glenmyre's thawing and the arrival of warmer days.
But their budding plans are put on ice when a dead body is discovered in a car near Hazel's cottage. Even more troubling, the victim was a former friend of literary superstar Constance Crane. When the police come knocking at Constance's door, Hazel and Poppy are determined to prove their friend isn't the killer. Their amateur investigation soon uncovers hidden agendas and long-held grudges that threaten to snuff out the peace in their idyllic town.
Can Hazel and Poppy solve the case before they get burned?
Join the Glenmyre Girls for another thrilling adventure in this award-winning cozy mystery series with a sprinkle of paranormal fun.'
I really love this series and have Flying Off the Candle in my que to read in the next couple of weeks. I asked Sarah to tell us a little about the paranormal aspect of this series.
Hazel and her Aunt Poppy both possess a special "whim" -- a magical power passed down from their ancestors. Can you tell us a little about each of their whims? If you were to have a whim of your own, what would you like it to be?
You think "magical power," and you think a whim might be fun to have, right? Not in poor Hazel's case. She sees a glowing countdown above the heads of everyone around her, depicting the time they have left to live. Yup, pretty weighty stuff. Luckily, Hazel also wears a special pair of glasses that obscures this countdown--known as a lifeclock--so she can live her life without constantly being reminded of when the people around her will die. Poppy, on the other hand, has a very useful ability. She can see colorful auras around a person, revealing to her their mood, feelings, or reaction to a situation. When she and Hazel are investigating suspects, she basically becomes a human lie detector. Very helpful, indeed! As for me, the whim I'd like to have most is the one Hazel's late mother had: she could touch a book and learn everything there was to know from it. Or, if I had to pick one not mentioned in the Glenmyre Whim Mysteries (yet), it would be to understand and speak any language I encountered...even animals!
Oh, yeah, Sarah. I love both of your choices, and truly feel bad for Hazel. What a burden it would be knowing when your loved ones are going to die. Thank goodness for those glasses!
You can get Flying Off the Candle, or all three of the Glenmyre Whim Mysteries, wherever books are sold - or click HERE for an easy link.
Sarah E. Burr is the award-winning author of the Glenmyre Whim Mysteries, Trending Topic Mysteries, the Book Blogger Mysteries, and the Court of Mystery series. She serves as the social media manager for the New York chapter of Sisters in Crime and is the creative mind behind BookstaBundles, a content creation service. Sarah is the co-host of It’s Bookish Time TV, a YouTube channel featuring live-streamed author interviews. When she's not spinning up stories, Sarah reads everything from mystery to manga, plays video games, and enjoys walks with her dog, Eevee. Stay connected with Sarah via her newsletter here - Sarah E. Burr Books