Blog Tour, Spotlight, Character Guest Post & Giveaway ~ Too Much to Candle (Glenmyre Whim Mysteries) by Sarah E. Burr ~ FB: @authorsaraheburr / IG: @authorsaraheburr -

Too Much to Candle (Glenmyre Whim Mysteries)
by Sarah E. Burr

About Too Much to Candle

Too Much to Candle (Glenmyre Whim Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery/Paranormal
2nd in Series
Setting: A fictional town in upstate New York called Crucible
Independently Published (October 13, 2022)
Number of Pages: 249
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0B1QT8XL8

Candlemaker Hazel Wickbury sets out again to bring the truth to light.

Iggy Alewell, Hazel Wickbury’s friend and candle shop assistant, is eager to purchase his own home with the advance from his first big book deal. Iggy is on the hunt for something with character, so what could be better than the old Cragmire house that’s rumored to have buried treasure somewhere on its property? Hazel is thrilled her friend has found success, but things in Crucible take a nasty turn when another potential buyer for the Cragmire house goes missing. He was last seen taking a boat out on Lake Glenmyre, and when the rental is found empty, it’s clear to police that foul play is involved.

What’s worse is that Iggy becomes the prime suspect in the man’s disappearance, and Detective Holden Whitfield’s thorny, new partner is certain Iggy is guilty. To clear Iggy from suspicion and dispel the darkness penetrating their beloved town, Hazel and her Aunt Poppy team up again to find a killer before their friend gets burned.

Return to Crucible in Too Much to Candle, Book Two in the award-winning Glenmyre Whim Mysteries.

CHARACTER GUEST POST

In Conversation with My Author by Hazel Wickbury

Greetings! Thank you so much for having Sarah and me here today on Lady Hawkeye. Since we’re celebrating the release of Too Much to Candle, Book Two in the Glenmyre Whim Mysteries, Sarah and I thought we’d appear together!

Let me make some introductions. I’m Hazel Wickbury. I live in the small town of Crucible, New York, and I own a candle shop. I’m joined today by my author, Sarah E. Burr. Sarah lives outside of New York City. She’s been writing and publishing mysteries for five years. Besides the Glenmyre Whim Mysteries, she also writes the Trending Topic Mysteries and the Court of Mystery series. We’re thrilled to be here to chat about Too Much to Candle, so let’s kick things off!

Sarah: Thanks for letting me join you, Hazel. What have you been up to since the events of You Can’t Candle the Truth (Glenmyre Whim Mysteries Book One) concluded?

Hazel: Well, summer has come and gone in Crucible, so I’m focusing on readying A Wick in Time for the autumn season. This means making candles with lots of apple, cinnamon, and sugary scents since Halloween is right around the corner. And what’s even more exciting is that I get to make them in my newly renovated candle kitchen on-site above the shop.

Sarah: It must be so lovely to be able to make candles during store hours. I know you’ve struggled with having free time that didn’t involve being elbow-deep in candle wax.

Hazel: You’ve got that right. Before having the candle kitchen, I made my candles at home after closing A Wick in Time for the day. It didn’t leave much room for a social life. Things are picking up on that front, so I’m delighted I can multitask during work hours.

Sarah: Ooo, tell readers more! What’s keeping you busy besides work?

Hazel: Well, my new boyfriend, for one. It’s been a long time since I was in a serious relationship, and this is one I’m very committed to making work. Even if it means…well, seeing his lifeclock.

Sarah: Hazel, some of Lady Hawkeye’s readers might not be familiar with the term “lifeclock.” Could you please explain that a little?

Hazel: Sure thing. I am a member of the Glenmyre clan, one of Crucible’s five founding families. That’s not the only thing special about us. Every Glenmyre also has an ability. A supernatural gift, if you will. Although, mine totally does not feel like a gift. “Why,” you might ask. I see an eerie, glowing clock above the heads of everyone around me, counting down the time they have left on Earth. Yep. You read that right. I can see when someone is going to die. Or I can if I’m not wearing my enchanted glasses. My Great-Aunt Ruthie made them for me. My glasses suppress my ability, what we Glenmyres call a “whim.”

Sarah: Even though I’m pretty familiar with your story, the whole “whim” thing is still a lot to unpack. So, just to clarify, your glasses aren’t for seeing clearly but for suppressing an ancient power bestowed to you through your family bloodline?

Hazel: This is why you’re a writer, and I’m not. What you just said is much more concise than what I unleashed on you—excellent job summarizing my rambling. Yes, I actually have great eyesight. My glasses just help me live as normal a life as possible. As long as I have them on, I can’t see how much time is left on a person’s lifeclock.

Sarah: I can’t imagine carrying such a burden. How do you do it?

Hazel: At first, it was really tough. My whim “awakened” after my mom died—our whims usually manifest during a time of great turmoil—and I was utterly overwhelmed by all the lifeclocks I saw around me. Thankfully, Great-Aunt Ruthie also had a whim like mine and had already crafted enchanted glasses to manage her power. She made me a pair of my own; thus, my whim was stifled early on. I didn’t have to endure the daily emotional pain for very long. I’m meticulous about keeping my glasses in place, so I don’t see lifeclocks often.

Sarah: Yikes! Poor Great-Aunt Ruthie. Does anyone in your family have a helpful or pleasant whim?

Hazel: Haha, practically everyone else does! I don’t know how Great-Aunt Ruthie and I got so unlucky with our lot. My ancestors could do many cool things: talk to animals, predict the weather, read minds, speak any language, etc. My mom had one of the most amazing abilities I’ve ever heard of. She could touch a book and immediately understand everything within its pages. She was so incredibly brilliant.

My best friend (and aunt) Poppy—who’s only two years older than me—also has a pretty useful whim. She sees a glowing aura of color around people, telling her their moods or feelings. She uses her whim to help others when they’re down in the dumps.

Sarah: Does Poppy use her a whim a lot?

Hazel: Yes. Unlike me, Poppy thinks of her whim as a true gift. She believes it’s her duty to use it to help people. I admire her so much. She completely embodies our family mantra: With our whims, do good. I wish my whim could be more helpful than hurtful.

Sarah: Well, Hazel, it sounds like you’re doing good by clearing up mysteries in Crucible. Can you share a bit about the case you’re on in Too Much to Candle?

Hazel: Laughs. It’s a bit of a doozy.

Sarah: Murder always is.

Hazel: That’s just the thing—I’m not sure a murder has even occurred. The police are dealing with a missing person case, and they think my shop assistant, Iggy, is somehow involved.

Sarah: What? Iggy is such a great guy. Why would the police think he’d be involved with something so sinister?

Hazel: Because Iggy had a heated confrontation with the missing guy a few nights ago at Cold Cauldron Brewing, and the police think this fight is a smoking gun. But you can bet Poppy and I are putting our heads together to find out who had more motive than Iggy to want this guy gone.

Sarah: Well, I hope this missing person shows up soon to clear the air.

Hazel: You and me both!

Sarah: All right, enough doom and gloom. We’re supposed to be having fun celebrating your new release. So let’s close things out on a lighter note. What’s your favorite candle that you make for your shop?

Hazel: That’s like asking me to choose between my children! Haha, if I had to pick, I love burning my homemade eucalyptus candles and letting the smell fill my lakeside cottage. Although, now that I think about it, if I’m bringing a new pet into my home, I guess I need to reevaluate my use of eucalyptus since it can be toxic to animals.

Sarah: Woah, woah, woah. A pet? It sounds like we may have more to talk about once readers dive into Too Much to Candle!

Return to Crucible in Too Much to Candle, Book Two in the award-winning Glenmyre Whim Myste

About Sarah E. Burr

Sarah E. Burr lives near New York City. Hailing from the small town of Appleton, Maine, she has been dreaming of being Nancy Drew since she was a little girl. After not finding any mysteries in corporate America, Sarah began writing some of her own. She is the author of the Trending Topic Mysteries and the Court of Mystery series. Sarah is also the author of the award-winning Glenmyre Whim Mysteries. You Can’t Candle the Truth was a 2022 NGIBA Best Mystery Finalist and a 2022 Silver Falchion Best Supernatural Mystery Finalist.

Sarah is a member of Sisters in Crime, currently serving as the social media guru for the NY-TriState Chapter. She is also the creative mind behind BookstaBundles, a content creation service for authors. Sarah is the co-host of The Bookish Hour, a livestreamed YouTube series featuring author interviews and book discussions. She writes as a member of the Writers Who Kill blogging team. When she’s not spinning up stories, Sarah is singing Broadway show tunes, video gaming, and enjoying walks with her dog, Eevee.

Author Links

Website: www.saraheburr.com

Newsletter: https://bit.ly/saraheburrsignup

Socials: https://bit.ly/sarahsocialmediahub

Sarah’s Blog: https://bit.ly/noteworthyauthorblog

The Glenmyre Whim Mysteries: https://bit.ly/glenmyrewhimmysteries

Amazon Author Page: https://bit.ly/authorsaraheburr

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Purchase Link – Amazon

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

October 14 – The Plain-Spoken Pen – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW

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