Bait and Witch – A Witch Way Librarian Mystery
by Angela M. Sanders

About Bait and Witch

Bait and Witch – A Witch Way Librarian Mystery
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Publisher: Kensington (December 29, 2020)
Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
ISBN-10: 1496728742
ISBN-13: 978-1496728746
Digital ASIN: B086R8VF2T

Librarian Josie Way moved to small-town Oregon to lay low. Instead, thanks to newfound magic abilities—and a killer on the loose—she’s leapt out of the frying pan and into a cauldron of trouble . . .

 

Josie Way loved working among the Library of Congress’s leather-scented stacks—until she uncovered corruption and made herself a target. As Wilfred, Oregon’s new librarian, Josie can stay undercover until the case goes to court. But life in this little town isn’t as subdued as she expected. The library, housed in a a Victorian mansion, is slated to be bulldozed. Still digesting the news that her safe haven is about to become scrap lumber, Josie discovers a body in the woods . . .

 

Almost as shocking, Josie learns that she’s descended from a long line of witches—and her powers have suddenly sprung to life. With help from a spoiled alley cat who just may be her familiar, Josie’s thumbing through a catalog of suspects, hoping she can conjure a way to save her library—and her life . . .

 

Interview with the Author

What initially got you interested in writing?

I can’t think of a time in my life when I haven’t been interested in writing—or at least storytelling. I didn’t understand that it was my calling in life until I was deep into my first career as a congressional investigator. One day in Washington, D.C., as I left an interview of an Undersecretary of Agriculture, I realized I was more fascinated by the contrast of his lunch of two soggy chili dogs with his grand office and gold-trimmed ceiling moldings than I was with the policies we’d discussed. I had a writer’s view of life.

What genres do you write in?

Light mysteries and cozy mysteries. I also write magazine articles and adore writing profiles.

What drew you to writing these specific genres?

To me, life is a glorious freak show—and I mean that in the most appreciative way. Writing light mysteries lets me indulge in everyday life’s wacky and touching aspects, while giving me the fun of laying out a puzzle.

How did you break into the field?

The old saying goes that luck favors the prepared. This was certainly true for me. I wrote The Lanvin Murders, the first of my Vintage Clothing mysteries, and found an agent after a few dozen query letters. Over the two years I was with her, she submitted to only two publishers, both of whom passed on the series. Frustrated, I broke up with the agent and published the novel myself, and it became an Amazon Top 10 Hot New Release.

In the meantime, my current agent was looking for a writer to take on a house series for Berkley Prime Crime. He found me through another of his clients and signed me on the strength of The Lanvin Murders plus my proposal. My agent then introduced me to Kensington, and now I’m preparing to launch Bait and Witch, the first in the Witch Way librarian cozies. I continue to indie-publish the Vintage Clothing mysteries, and they do well, and I’m super happy with the professionalism, warmth, and care at Kensington. I truly feel I have the best of both worlds!

What do you want readers to take away from reading your works?

I’d love it if my stories help readers appreciate the wackiness and joy of everyday life. That, and give them a few hours of good entertainment. If a reader closes the book at its conclusion and says, “Oh, I can’t wait for the next one,” I’ve done my job.

What do you find most rewarding about writing?

The gut-level satisfaction when a scene opens up under my fingers, and blossoms to life with details I couldn’t have anticipated. It’s magical. I also really appreciate the warmth and supportiveness of the mystery writing community.

What do you find most challenging about writing?

Getting my hind end into my chair every morning. Considering the bone-level joy I get from writing, you’d think I’d leap from my bed to the computer, but I don’t.

What advice would you give to people wanting to enter the field?

My instinct is to say, simply, write, and keep at it.  But let’s take it a step deeper. Writing carries a lot of emotional baggage. You can go to a party and tell people you play the ukulele, and they’re thrilled. They don’t expect more than a semi-competent take on “Red River Valley.” If you tell them you write, they ask, “Are you published? Have I read you?” (To which the savvy writer will reply, “I don’t know. List all the books you’ve read, and I’ll tell you if you get to one of mine.”) The other thing you hear is, “I’m going to write a book once I get the time.” They tap their skulls like it’s simply a matter of turning on a literary spigot. “It’s all up here.” Uh huh.

Writers often feel defensive or timid about their work. They feel they have to write a literary gangbuster or earn the blessing of editors and publishers to be worthy. My advice is to examine why you want to write and find your motivation within yourself—not from other people. Write because you love it. Write because you keep learning; you uncover new aspects of yourself; you enjoy the community; you see the world with a crisper lens; you surprise yourself. This should be writing’s primary reward. Getting published is gravy.

What type of books do you enjoy reading?

I’m hooked on vintage crime novels, especially those written by women. I love vintage clothing and old movies, so street scenes spring to life in my brain, complete with gloves, Packards, and fringed lampshades. Mabel Seeley, Delores Hitchens, and Lenore Glen Offord are among my favorites. I’m on a Helen McCloy binge right now and can’t recommend her enough. That said, I read just about everything!

Is there anything else besides writing you think people would find interesting about you?

I spent 11 years as a congressional investigator. Also, I’ve written about perfume for nearly 15 years and have a special interest in vintage fragrances.

What are the best ways to connect with you, or find out more about your work?

My website, www.angelamsanders.com, lists my books and magazine articles. I’m on Instagram at @angela.m.sanders and Facebook at @AngelaMSanders.

About Angela M. Sanders

Angela M. Sanders writes the Amazon bestselling Joanna Hayworth Vintage Clothing Mysteries and The Booster Club Capers. Under the pen name Clover Tate, she’s the author of the Kite Shop Mysteries (Berkley), which Romantic Times praised for their “well written wit and intrigue.” Angela’s articles on food, personalities, and perfume have appeared in a variety of magazines, and her monthly newsletters have nearly 2,000 subscribers. She interacts with readers on Facebook and Instagram and is a prominent blogger for Now Smell This, which garners 1.5 million monthly page views. Angela has two cats—one of whom is black of course—a witch’s freckle in her left eye and learned to read tarot cards from a pagan priestess.

Author Links

Website – https://angelamsanders.com/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAngelaMSanders

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/angela.m.sanders/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/AngelaMSanders

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo – Google Play – IndieBound

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

January 11 – Mochas, Mysteries and Meows – CHARACTER GUEST POST

January 11 – The Editing Pen – REVIEW

January 11 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

January 12 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

January 12 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

January 12 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT

January 13 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW, EXCERPT

January 13 – Baroness’ Book Trove – REVIEW

January 13 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

January 14 – Angel’s Guilty Pleasures – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

January 14 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

January 14 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

January 15 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

January 15 – Cozy Up WIth Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

January 15 – Moonlight Rendezvous – REVIEW

January 16 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

January 16 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST

January 17 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW

January 17 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW

January 18 – Thoughts in Progress – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT

January 18 – Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT

January 18 – Eskimo Princess Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

January 19 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

January 19 – Sneaky the Library Cat’s Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

January 20 – I Read What You Write – GUEST POST

January 20 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – REVIEW

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TOUR PAGE VISUAL

Bait and Witch – A Witch Way Librarian Mystery
by Angela M. Sanders
About Bait and Witch

Bait and Witch – A Witch Way Librarian Mystery
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Publisher: Kensington (December 29, 2020)
Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
ISBN-10: 1496728742
ISBN-13: 978-1496728746
Digital ASIN: B086R8VF2T

Librarian Josie Way moved to small-town Oregon to lay low. Instead, thanks to newfound magic abilities—and a killer on the loose—she’s leapt out of the frying pan and into a cauldron of trouble . . .

Josie Way loved working among the Library of Congress’s leather-scented stacks—until she uncovered corruption and made herself a target. As Wilfred, Oregon’s new librarian, Josie can stay undercover until the case goes to court. But life in this little town isn’t as subdued as she expected. The library, housed in a a Victorian mansion, is slated to be bulldozed. Still digesting the news that her safe haven is about to become scrap lumber, Josie discovers a body in the woods . . .

Almost as shocking, Josie learns that she’s descended from a long line of witches—and her powers have suddenly sprung to life. With help from a spoiled alley cat who just may be her familiar, Josie’s thumbing through a catalog of suspects, hoping she can conjure a way to save her library—and her life . . .

About Angela M. Sanders

Angela M. Sanders writes the Amazon bestselling Joanna Hayworth Vintage Clothing Mysteries and The Booster Club Capers. Under the pen name Clover Tate, she’s the author of the Kite Shop Mysteries (Berkley), which Romantic Times praised for their “well written wit and intrigue.” Angela’s articles on food, personalities, and perfume have appeared in a variety of magazines, and her monthly newsletters have nearly 2,000 subscribers. She interacts with readers on Facebook and Instagram and is a prominent blogger for Now Smell This, which garners 1.5 million monthly page views. Angela has two cats—one of whom is black of course—a witch’s freckle in her left eye and learned to read tarot cards from a pagan priestess.
Author Links
Website – https://angelamsanders.com/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAngelaMSanders
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/angela.m.sanders/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/AngelaMSanders
Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo – Google Play – IndieBound
a Rafflecopter giveaway

TOUR PARTICIPANTS
January 11 – Mochas, Mysteries and Meows – CHARACTER GUEST POST
January 11 – The Editing Pen – REVIEW
January 11 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
January 12 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT
January 12 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
January 12 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
January 13 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW, EXCERPT
January 13 – Baroness’ Book Trove – REVIEW
January 13 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
January 14 – Angel’s Guilty Pleasures – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
January 14 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
January 14 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
January 15 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
January 15 – Cozy Up WIth Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
January 15 – Moonlight Rendezvous – REVIEW
January 16 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
January 16 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST
January 17 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW
January 17 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
January 18 – Thoughts in Progress – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
January 18 – Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
January 18 – Eskimo Princess Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
January 19 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
January 19 – Sneaky the Library Cat’s Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
January 20 – I Read What You Write – GUEST POST
January 20 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – REVIEW

Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?
Click Here Find Details and Sign Up Today!
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