Bex Merriweather is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Funerals & Familiars, the first novel in the Willowmere mysteries series.

Welcome, Bex. 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.

Let’s put it this way. When you’re given the chance to start over again as a middle-aged woman, with witchy powers to boot, wouldn’t you want to explore it all in a longer series? Even if it means having to solve the odd murder or two (I hope my author doesn’t go overboard – there’s only so much excitement and danger I can take!)

That aside, I’m finding myself back home in tranquil Willowmere, in Oregon. After my mother passed away, I grew up here with my aunt Violet. She used to run a small private lending library – we haven’t had a public library forever, but she always insisted that books have their own magic and people need them.

Turns out she was right in every sense of the word! The one thing I didn’t know about her was that she was a good witch. I inherited her duties as guardian of Willowmere together with the library, certain powers and a talking cat. Cosmo Merlin de Beaufort is my familiar, teacher, and fiercest critic. He’s also loyal, caring, and his moments of snark and witticisms are part of being an aristocrat (or aristocat?) of the old school. At least I think so.

It’s strange to think that only a few months ago I was smarting from a failed marriage, the loss of my business as furniture restorer and home-stager, and now I’m a novice witch, surrounded by my friends, and every day brings new adventures. Although having to solve murders was something I didn’t have on my bingo card.

Or slowly having to figure out exactly what innate powers I possess and what I need to work hard at. Apparently, being a witch does not automatically equal mastering witchcraft. On top of that, Cosmo and I still must learn how to play sleuth without giving away our secret.

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

My author likes to jump to conclusions and dive headlong into the story. She doesn’t always listen to me, but she does listen to Cosmo. I let him negotiate on my behalf – he does possess the Power of the Purr to the nth degree, so she is putty in his paws. That said, she’s pretty reasonable. I’m allowed to make mistakes, keep my crow’s feet and padding, and she doesn’t meddle in my private life. At least not yet …

How did you evolve as the main character?

For a week or two I thought I’d become another bitter dumped woman, but then I turned it around. My friend’s waffle theory helped a lot. If you haven’t yet heard it, it’s basically comparing marriages to waffles. The first one rarely turns out perfectly, but it allows you to refine the recipe for the next one.

I’m glad I got to return to my true home and to rediscover that together with my friends I’m unstoppable. That’s the real magic! We are never too old to start a new chapter or gain new powers, with or without spells and wands.

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

Cosmo, of course! My ex-husband had an allergy, so I missed out on four-legged company for much too long. Even an ordinary cat would have been bliss.

Oops. I just got hit by a glare that could cut through a glacier. Cosmo told me to pass on this message: “There are no ordinary cats, and even if they did exist, I wouldn’t be one of them.” If you have the pleasure of sharing your home with a pet, or familiar, or animal companion, you’ll understand why I count myself lucky to have him. And why I’m happy to share the spotlight with him.

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

My home is an old villa, with the lending library and a secret lair on the first floor. My living quarters are upstairs. There’s a small tower attached to the side of the building. The room at the top used to be mine, when my aunt was alive. We grow herbs and flowers in one part the back yard. The rest is slowly returning to wilderness where it backs onto the Oregon woods. A shallow lake that gave Willowmere its name is within easy walking distance.

We’re lucky that the house straddles the line between the downtown area with artisan shops, boutiques, and a well-kept main square, and a residential zone. Otherwise, it would have been tricky to get a permit to run the lending library in our home!

Willowmere is surrounded by breathtaking nature yet urban enough to have all the amenities you could wish for in a small town. We don’t attract chain stores, which means if you look for authentic and one-of-a-kind, we’re perfect for you.

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

That I hope they’ll love becoming part of this journey and keep on supporting me n this new chapter of my life? This book (and the sequels) is about midlife magic, cozy whodunits, found family & second chances, and clean paranormal fun.

They celebrate new beginnings, the power of friendship, and the triumph of good over evil. And it’s a really really fun read.

Thank you for answering my questions, Bex, and good luck to you and your author, Carmen Radtke, with Funerals & Familiars, the first book in the Willowmere mysteries series.

Readers can learn more about Bex and her author, Carmen Radtke by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, Goodreads, Bookbub, Instagram and Threads pages. You can also follow her on Twitter/X and BlueSky.

The novel is available at  Amazon 

About Carmen Radtke: Carmen has spent most of her life with ink on her fingers and a dangerously high pile of books and newspapers by her side. She has worked as a newspaper reporter on two continents and always dreamt of becoming a novelist and screenwriter. When she found herself crouched under her dining table, typing away on a novel between two earthquakes in Christchurch, New Zealand, she realised she was hooked for life.

The shaken but stirring novel made it to the longlist of the Mslexia competition, and her next book and first mystery, The Case Of The Missing Bride, was a finalist in the Malice Domestic competition in a year without a winner. Since then she has penned several more cozy mysteries, including the Genie and Adriana Darling ghost mysteries and the Jack and Frances series set in the 1930s.

Carmen now lives in Italy with her human and her four-legged family. Although she possesses no witchy powers, she’s known to be easily held spellbound by animals.