#SaturdaySpotlight is on Alicia Dean & Wick’ed Ways

Good Morning and Welcome Back to Another Edition of Saturday Spotlight. Today we have a returning author with her latest release. 

Thanks for joining us, Alicia! Please tell us more about writing Wick'ed Ways...

 Always a pleasure to visit your blog Pam!

Most of my stories tend to live on the darker side of fiction. I write suspense and horror, where the danger is real, the villains can be downright depraved, and I don’t necessarily shy away from a little bloodshed.

So naturally, I decided to write a cozy mystery about a candle shop.

Okay, maybe it wasn’t quite that simple.

I was invited to join the Mystery on Lilac Lane series, a collection of cozy mysteries all set in the fictional town of Wisteria, Wisconsin. I loved the concept and jumped at the opportunity—even though writing a traditional cozy meant reining in some of my darker instincts. Creating murder and mayhem without getting too graphic turned out to be both a challenge and a lot of fun.

The shared-world aspect presented another interesting challenge. Because all the books take place in Wisteria, each author needed to choose a different business or occupation for her main character. Many of the obvious choices were already taken, so I chose a candle shop.

There was just one problem.

I knew absolutely nothing about making candles.

That meant research—and lots of it. Before long, Lotus and Lights began to take shape, complete with signature scents, creative displays, and a relaxation room that seemed like a wonderful addition to the shop.

Naturally, I put a dead body in it.

Writing Wick’ed Ways also meant sharing certain characters and locations with the other authors. Wisteria’s mayor, police department, and other familiar faces appear throughout the series, giving readers the fun of revisiting the same town while experiencing a completely new mystery with each book.

For me, Wick’ed Ways was a chance to step outside my usual dark and dangerous world without giving up murder entirely. After all, a cozy little candle shop is lovely.

But it’s even more interesting when someone turns up dead.

Of course, LOL! Now please share your blurb, an excerpt and how readers can find you...

Here you go...

In quaint Wisteria, Wisconsin, opening a candle shop was supposed to be Paget Ross’s fresh start.
Instead, she’s become the prime suspect in a small-town murder.

After a bitter divorce, Paget leaves Oklahoma behind and buys Lotus and Lights, a struggling candle shop in the charming town of Wisteria. With creative new ideas, signature scents, and plenty of determination, she quickly turns the cozy little store into a local success.

But when a body is discovered inside her shop’s relaxation room, Paget’s new beginning goes up in smoke.

As whispers spread, suspicion grows, and another murder rocks the town, Paget realizes someone is targeting people connected to the shop—and she may be next.

To clear her name, Paget must uncover buried secrets, outsmart a killer, and expose the truth before the next flame that burns out is hers.

Perfect for fans of cozy mysteries, small-town whodunits, amateur sleuths, and charming shops hiding deadly secrets.

Excerpt: Paget glanced at the clock, realizing that Marco’s hour was almost up. Brooke had left fifteen minutes ago, her shift ending at five. Paget was on her own until they closed at eight.

A customer approached, asking about citrus blends, and Paget focused on helping her—explaining scent layering, recommending options, wrapping a purchase. By the time the transaction was complete, the timer went off.

She stepped out from behind the counter and moved down the hallway, stopping at the door of Scents and Solitude. She knocked lightly. “Marco?” she called. “Time’s up.”

No response.

She frowned.

Maybe he’d fallen asleep. It wouldn’t be the first time someone had done that. But the buzzer went off in the room. Surely that would have woken him.

She knocked again, a little louder. “Marco?”

Still nothing. A small thread of unease wound through her. She reached for the handle and opened the door. “Marco, I just wanted to—”

The words died in her throat.

The room was exactly as she’d left it. Muted light. Gentle music. The candle still flickering steadily.

Marco lay in the recliner. Perfectly still.

At first, her mind tried to make it normal. He’s asleep. That’s all. But something was wrong. Deeply, unmistakably wrong.

At ten years old, Alicia Dean wrote her first romance, starring a hero who looked just like Elvis Presley (which is how she actually described him in the story), and she still has the tattered, pencil-written manuscript—proof that storytelling has been in her blood from the beginning.

With a passion for all things dark and mysterious, Alicia is drawn to scary movies, chilling stories, and true crime, influences that often find their way into her fiction. When she’s not writing, she’s likely listening to Elvis, watching her favorite television shows and/or MLB or NFL games, depending on the season, or plotting her next creepy tale.

Alicia lives in Oklahoma, where she writes stories filled with suspense, secrets, and murder. 

Find Alicia Here: https://linktr.ee/AliciaDeanAuthor1835

Get your copy of Wick'ed Ways at Amazon. Wick'ed Ways is part of the Mystery on Lilac Lane series. Find them HERE.

Check out Alicia's previous visits HERE.

Hope you enjoyed today's spotlight friends and that you'll check back weekly for another great author and his/her books!

Until then, take care, God Bless and read happy!

PamT