Can you believe cozy mystery author Jackie Layton is back with a new book? I know! I can’t believe it either. But she is. And not only does she have a new release, she’s starting a whole brand new spanking series entitled A Texas Flower Farmer Cozy Mysteries. How’s that for drawing you in? Flowers? Texas? A few dead bodies here and there? What’s not to like?! So, put down those pruners, my flower-loving friends, toss away that fertilizer, (please) and plop down in that garden wagon to welcome back Jackie Layton.
PT: Welcome, welcome, Jackie. Long time no read, LOL. Take a seat in that lawn chair and lets chat up what’s been happening. First of all, we all want to know, what draws you to write cozy mysteries?
JL: I like the tempo, the small communities, and the people involved in the story. I also like how the sleuth goes about solving the mystery.
PT: Would you like some dandelion tea? (pours) Now, you set your
new series in Texas. Why exactly did you choose Texas?
JL: My youngest son and his wife moved to Texas in 2017, and I’ve
made many trips there over the years. Despite the heat, I’ve come to love
Texas. The people are nice, and it’s such an interesting place to visit.
PT: Agree wholeheartedly. Love that state. So, are you a flower
person? Inside or outside flowers or both? And what is your favorite flower and
are you an avid gardener or a weed grower?
JL: I’m definitely a flower person, both inside and outside.
Daisies are my favorite flowers, and sunflowers might be second. I’ve started a
garden wherever I’ve lived. Two homes I’ve struggled with poison ivy, including
my current home. So, it’s challenging me, but I’m still gardening.
PT: Awww! You hit me straight to the heart with daisies and
sunflowers. Tell us your favorite summer activities.
JL: I love to swim, walk on the beach, and spend time outside with
my flowers.
PT: You are so fortunate to have the beach so close. My dream.
Now, what’s the most memorable book you’ve ever read?
JL: The Bible.
PT: Triple agree. You can’t go wrong with that. I love setting up
a daily reading schedule and reading my Bible year round. So, speaking of the Bible, what special verse is
guiding you right now?
JL: James 1: 2-3 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”
PT: Ah, yes. I've spent some time committing that verse to memory.
One of my favs. When it comes to writing, are you a pantster (write by the seat of your
pants) or planner (sort-of self-explanatory J) when it
comes to writing?
JL: I have a rough outline then pants my way through the book.
Knowing too many details ahead of time stalls me.
PT: (shiver) No authors want a soul-sucking stall when writing. What
kind of quirks does your main character Emma have?
JL: Emma pulls weeds when she needs to think.
PT: I love it! Me, I do laundry. (BTW, I love doing laundry.
Freaky, I know.) Give us a rundown of Weeding
out Lies.
JL: Weeding Out Lies is the first book in A Texas Flower Farmer Mystery series. It’s set in the small town of Lutz, Texas, and the main character is a flower farmer. Emma Justice grows flowers to sell at the local farmers market, but she’ll also deliver bundles of flowers to the local businesses. One morning as she’s making her deliveries, she discovers the dead body of the banker’s wife. This is how Emma’s journey to becoming an amateur sleuth begins.
When a friend is accused of committing the murder, Emma launches
her own investigation. She’s used to separating weeds from flowers and believes
she can weed out red herrings and cultivate a plan to find the killer.
Emma will consider which locals might have a motive for killing the banker’s wife, and she’ll investigate the newcomers and strangers on her quest to find the truth. Along the way she makes a few new friends and rescues an abandoned puppy. She’ll plow through her list of suspects despite warnings from the police chief and threats from the killer.
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| Cover is ADORBS! Click cover to download to your overloaded TBR |
JL: Yes! Thanks for asking. I’m contracted to write two more
books. Clover Covered Corpse (PT: Don’t
you love that title??!!) will be the second book in this series.
PT: Tell us your favorite thing about writing.
JL: I love creating stories!
PT: Indeed and amen. I can easily second that. Thanks so much for
joining us, Jackie. And readers, I bet you love READING stories, including tasty little cozy mysteries like Weeding Out Lies. Why, you're in luck! Once you get those weeds pulled you can go here to download Jackie's newest release (and did I mention it was only $5.99?)
BOOK GIVEAWAY!
Or you can take your chances with a book giveaway. One copy of Jackie's book will be randomly selected from those who leave a comment and email or contact us on our contact form. But there has to be at least 5 people for a drawing. Come on, flower loving readers, wipe that dirt off those fingers and get to clacking those keys! Now, I must go. I have a ton of tomatoes to pick. Happy reading!
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Peggy Trotter's next book Wild Daisies Bloom, the second book in the Up From the Miry Clay Series, is set to release on 12/1! Tap over to my website and sign up for BOOK BLING!(Oh, and newsletters about my new releases!)
