Witch Hunt (A Full Moon Mystery) + Giveaway

I’m delighted today to be participating in author Cate Conte’s Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for her new release, WITCH HUNT, the first installment in her Full Moon Mystery series.

As part of this delightful tour, we get a chance to meet with Violet Mooney, the owner of The Full Moon crystal shop in picturesque North Harbor.

Witch Hunt (A Full Moon Mystery)

By Cate Conte
* Cozy Mystery
* 1st in Series
* Publisher: Kensington (June 30, 2020)
* Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
* ISBN-10: 1496717600
* ISBN-13: 978-1496717603
* Digital ASIN: B083TQX2CT

Murder isn’t always crystal-clear . . . especially when the prime suspect discovers she’s a witch.

Violet Mooney owns The Full Moon crystal shop in quaint North Harbor, Connecticut. Still grieving her beloved grandmother’s recent unexpected death, she takes comfort in her fat orange cat Monty and her work. Not everyone in town is thrilled with her business, however. When disagreeable town councilwoman Carla Fernandez picks a fight over Violet’s "voodoo shop," the two have a very public confrontation. Of course, when Carla turns up dead, Violet gets little sympathy from the police as suspect #1.

But the shock of two policemen showing up at her door pales in comparison to the sudden appearance of her estranged mother Fiona and a surprise sister, Zoe. What Fiona reveals will rock her world and her sense of self—and reawaken her long-dormant mysterious power. Good thing. She’s gonna need it . . .

Please join me now in giving a warm welcome to Violet. Welcome, Violet.

How do you respond to people who call the Full Moon a “voodoo” shop?

Violet:

Funny you should ask! Carla Fernandez, the city councilwoman who winds up murdered, called my crystal shop a voodoo shop. I try to educate people on healing crystals - working with them is certainly not voodoo. Crystals have been used throughout history as healers. Many people believe that since they come from the earth, their properties are enhanced. And for those who don’t necessarily believe in the healing part, they’re pretty to look at so I make sure I remind people of that!

How did you come up with the name "Monty" for your cat?

Violet:

When I was a kid, I visited an animal shelter and fell in love with a fat orange cat named Monty. I couldn’t adopt him, and I was devastated when he did find a home and left the shelter. I always promised myself that when I was an adult, I’d have my own Monty…and so I adopted an orange cat from the shelter.

Had you ever wished for a sister (or a brother) before you knew you had a surprise sibling?

Violet:

When I was younger, definitely! But then I got older and was perfectly fine with being an only child…so I have no idea how this is going to work out! Especially since I can already imagine the sibling rivalry that will surface between me and Zoe.

What’s your favorite thing to do to relax?

Violet: 

I love spending time in my crystal shop with all my stones. Just being in their presence and soaking up their healing properties is calming and grounds me. And I am always drawn to just the right stones for what I need in that moment.

Do you have a comfort food you enjoy when stressed out?

Violet:

I love chocolate - truffles especially. Unfortunately, my newly resurfaced mother has informed me that chocolate diminishes my magickal powers, so she has removed every last one from my apartment. And whenever I try to replace my stash, she somehow knows, and they vanish from my kitchen.

Violet, thanks so much for joining us today and sharing this insight into your shop and town.

For those who aren’t familiar with the author, here’s a bit of background on her.

Author Cate Conte

Cate Conte is the alter ego of Liz Mugavero. Liz is the author of the Pawsitively Organic Mystery series from Kensington Books, the first of which was an Agatha nominee for Best First Novel. Cate is the author of the new Full Moon Mysteries for Kensington and writes the Cat Cafe Mystery series for Minotaur Books.

As you can imagine, her canine and feline rescues demand the best organic food and treats around. She is a member of Sisters in Crime National, Sisters in Crime New England, Mystery Writers of America, and the Cat Writers’ Association.

She currently lives in Connecticut.

For more on Cate and her writing, connect with her on the following sites:

Webpage

 Twitter

 Goodreads

Facebook

Instagram

WITCH HUNT is available to purchase at the following sites:

Amazon

B&N

Kobo

Thanks everyone for stopping by today. Have you ever visited a crystal shop? If so, what did you like about it? If not, would you like to and why?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can follow Cate and Violet on their tour by visiting the following sites:

June 29 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – SPOTLIGHT

June 29 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

June 29 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

June 30 - Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

June 30 - Thoughts in Progress – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

June 30 - The Book Decoder – REVIEW

July 1 – Literary Gold – CHARACTER GUEST POST

July 1 – Christy's Cozy Corners – REVIEW

July 2 – I'm All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

July 2 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

July 2 – Angel's Guilty Pleasures – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

July 3 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST

July 3 – MJB Reviewers – REVIEW

July 3 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW

July 4 – OFF

July 5 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW

July 5 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT

July 5 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

July 6 – Sapphyria's Books – REVIEW

July 6 – eBook Addicts – REVIEW

July 6 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

July 7 – Dee-Scoveries – SPOTLIGHT

July 7 – Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

July 7 – RUFF DRAFTS – SPOTLIGHT