Violet is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Flamed Out, the latest novel in the Magic Candle Shop mystery series.

Welcome, Violet. Let’s get started, shall we?

Tell us about the novel that you live inside. Is it part of a series? If so, please tell us about the series too.

Hello to all the Ascroft, eh? readers. My name is Violet, and I am a white cat with the soul of my former human self in my head. I live with my nephew Herbert R. Ellis on the riverside property near Savannah that he inherited from me. Convenient, right?

You asked about the cozy paranormal mystery, FLAMED OUT, in which I have another cameo role. I am in two of the most pivotal scenes of the story. Really, the story could not happen without me. This book is the end of a 5-book series starring Tabby Winslow, a psychic, amateur sleuth, and candlemaker of Savannah, Georgia.

In a delightful twist of fate, my friend Marjoram hid her twin daughters from the paranormal community of Savannah. She and I found a way to make everyone forget about them. They grew up like regular kids and weren’t compelled to do the mandated “training” by the Paranormal Council. Lucky them. I mean that sincerely. Ever since my brother Willim ascended to the Senior Magistrate role, our small but mighty band of paranormals has not been the same.

Well, as in the way of the world, there’s a time for every season and Dr. Willim Rosemont, my brother and psychiatrist to the movers and shakers of Savannah, got his comeuppance. Or should I say final curtain call? The police captain and the Paranormal Council begged Tabby to figure out why he fell down the Stone Steps of Death. She’s smart, Tabby is, so the killer couldn’t hide in the shadows for long.

Does the writer control what happens in the story or do you get a say too?

Ha ha ha. My writer Valona Jones (aka Maggie Toussaint) thinks she’s in control, but a powerful spirit like me knows how to feed her information so that she thinks she’s coming up with the story ideas, but it’s me, me, me. Oh, and I have dearly loved this. For six long years I’ve bided my time, making sure that the twins stayed safely out of Willim’s clutches. And the man who thought he could beat time lost the race. Abruptly.

How did you evolve as the character of note?

I was born to be a star, but unfortunately my brother’s star shone brighter than anyone’s. He charmed our parents right up until he made them disappear for good. He wormed his way into the hearts of Savannah, mesmerizing normals and paranormals. He thought he had it all, you see.

Little did he know, I’d planned for multiple contingencies. The biggest one being I’m alive and he’s not. And the truth is people like me better. Fans kept asking to see more of Violet. So here I am. Back in the spotlight again. And loving it.

Do you have any other characters you like sharing the story with? If so, why are you partial to them?

The number of characters I trust I can count on one paw. There’s my nephew Herbert. He’s a man of morals with a fine pedigree. I trust the twins, especially Tabby, the child that I wish had been mine. But Marjoram did a fine job with her and her sister Sage. I trust the three of them too. That’s it. I don’t give a rip about anyone else in the whole world. These people escaped the taint of my brother and are pure in heart. That’s why I trust and protect them.

What’s the place like where you find yourself in this story?

If not for my brother, I would still be alive. He killed me, you know. Filled me with poison while I wasn’t paying attention. I’d known he was evil and thought since I wasn’t a threat to his power, he’d leave me alone. After I’d ingested a lethal dose of poison, he told me that I knew too much, that he couldn’t allow me to live. But I fooled him. I knew my days were numbered once he rose to power. I studied every arcane book I could find, and I learned to do what few had attempted. With my nephew Herbert’s help, I escaped death by inhabiting one of the white cats that Herbert raised for me.

I’m behind the scenes for the first part of the book, but once I come onstage, the spotlight embraces me. Because I came so close to death, I am powerful in ways I never expected. Best of all, most people pay me no notice because I’m an innocent-looking white cat.

Some called me the surprise twist, but I am the secret weapon against all that’s gone wrong with paranormal Savannah. I am the bright sunshine framing the swags of Spanish moss on our centuries old oaks. I am the strong current in the Savannah and Wilmington Rivers. I am life itself.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers about you and the book?

My brother deserved what was coming to him He thought he was the smartest man in the room. But I’m still here and he’s not. Score this round as Violet 1 and Willim 0.

There is a rumor that I might get a spin-off series. But my author is dithering on the matter. She’s not sure if I am a vibrant enough character to sustain a new series. Can you believe it? I’ve been undercover so long people think of me as a bunch of fluff. But I am the real deal, the real paranormal fluff.

ps If you want to help me along the way to a series of my own, chime in and let my author know you want more of my sassy self.

Thank you for answering my questions, Violet, and good luck to you and your author, Valona Jones, with Flamed Out, the latest book in the Magic Candle Shop mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Violet and her author, Valona Jones by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, Goodreads and Bookbub pages.

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

 Amazon        Nook      Kobo    Apple iBook

About Valona Jones: Valona Jones, aka Maggie Toussaint, writes paranormal cozies set in coastal Georgia. Her latest release, FLAMED OUT, book 5 in the A Magic Candle Shop Mysteries, came out October 14, 2025. Under the name of Maggie Toussaint, she also publishes cozy mysteries and romantic suspense. Her pen name for a three-book science fiction ecothriller is Rigel Carson. In total, she has published 30 works of fiction and won multiple awards. She lives in coastal Georgia, where time and tide wait for no one.