A Holland Reads: Midsummer Nights Michief by Jennifer David Hesse

Published: July 26, 2016

Number of pages: 352

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Series: Wiccan Wheel Mystery #1

Synopsis:

As the Summer Solstice approaches in idyllic Edindale, Illinois, attorney Keli Milanni isn’t feeling the magic. She’s about to land in a cauldron of hot water at work. Good thing she has her private practice to fall back on–as a Wiccan. She’ll just have to summon her inner Goddess and set the world to rights. . .

Midsummer Eve is meant for gratitude and celebration, but Keli is not in her typically upbeat mood. The family of a recently deceased client is blaming her for the loss of a Shakespearean heirloom worth millions, and Keli’s career may be on the line. With both a Renaissance Faire and a literary convention in town, Edindale is rife with suspicious characters, and the intrepid attorney decides to tap into her unique skills to crack the case. . .

But Keli weaves a tangled web when her investigation brings her up-close and personal with her suspects–including sexy Wes Callahan, her client’s grandson. The tattooed bartender could be the man she’s been looking for in more ways than one. As the sun sets on the mystical holiday, Keli will need just a touch of the divine to ferret out the real villain and return Edindale, and her heart, to a state of perfect harmony. . .

About the author:

Jennifer David Hesse is the author of the Wiccan Wheel Mysteries, a cozy mystery series published by Kensington Books.

Like her main character, Jennifer is also a lawyer, an English major, and a vegetarian. Unlike Keli, Jennifer is not a twenty-nine-year old single lady, and she does not practice family law. (Jennifer’s legal focus is environmental law.)

As a nature-loving, mystery-reading, magic-seeking, daydreaming kinda gal, Jennifer is thrilled to be able to write fun, lighthearted whodunits ~ with a touch of romance & a hint of magic. Midsummer Night’s Mischief is her debut novel.

Born and raised in Central Illinois, Jennifer now makes her home in Chicago with her husband, jazz guitarist Scott Hesse, and their daughter, Sage. When she’s not working or writing, Jennifer enjoys yoga, hiking, and movie & pizza night with her family.

Author Links

Webpage – http://www.jenniferdavidhesse.com/index.html
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJenniferDavidHesse/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/jenniferhesse3
Amazon – http://amzn.to/1UlmuZu

Purchase Links

Amazon, B&N, BAM, IndieBound, Hudson Booksellers

Guest Post

“Are You a Holiday Enthusiast?”

One of the hallmarks of cozy mysteries is that they often revolve around a particular theme. You’ll see cozies featuring interesting hobbies (scrapbooking, antiquing, and stained glass, to name a few); unusual professions (such as bookbinding, party planning, and psychic tea leaf reading); as well as a host of other engaging pastimes (from fashion and cooking to... well, the sky’s the limit). This is part of the fun of the cozy genre.

My first cozy series is called the Wiccan Wheel Mysteries. It features an amateur sleuth who secretly happens to practice a non-traditional earth-based religion called Wicca. Each book in the series falls on one of the eight seasonal holidays Wiccans observe throughout the year. Some of these holidays are quite familiar to non-Wiccans, such as Yule, May Day, and Samhain (aka Halloween), while others are less known in our modern culture. Still, each one marks a particular point on the “Wheel of the Year” that we can all recognize.

And what is the Wheel of the Year? It’s essentially a calendar that tracks the path of the earth as it revolves around the sun. It’s the ever-repeating cycle of life, playing out in an annual rhythm we can’t help but notice. For example, we notice the longer nights leading up to the winter solstice... and the lengthening days leading up to the summer solstice. We notice the buds of new life following the spring equinox and the winding down of the harvest around the autumn equinox. We see changes in the weather, and we observe how the earth responds to those changes.

We feel the changes too. I think we all get a little stir-crazy at the end of winter... and feel the urge to throw open the windows and clean in the spring. In the summer, we feel more jovial and carefree, like a kid on break from school. In the fall, we sense change in the air; and in winter we go inside—both literally and figuratively. Then, at the start of a new year, we make resolutions, feeling that renewed sense of possibility that comes along with the chance to begin again. “Out with the old, in with the new.”

Yet, at the same time, it’s all too easy for one day to blend into the next, isn’t it? Or even for one year to blend into the next! In our busy lives, it’s all too easy for time to flow by like a river, while we sit back and ride the current.

That’s where holidays come in. Holidays give us a chance to honor the present moment. They make us pay attention to what’s going on in the here and now. Holidays add fun and whimsy, yes, but they also add meaning to our days. We create time-honored traditions around holidays. We use them as a good excuse to get together with family and friends. They give us something to look forward to.

Some people regard birthdays, anniversaries, and even holidays as “just another day.” But I think it’s important to celebrate all special occasions, even if the celebration is simple and unfussy. In fact, simple is often better anyway. As Laura Ingalls Wilder said, “I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.”

And holidays are definitely one of the sweeter parts of life. Sometimes they are about remembrance and gratitude, and sometimes they are about celebration. Oftentimes, they are about food, family, and fun. But there’s one more thing holidays are about: connection. By observing a holiday, you are taking an opportunity to connect with others… or with nature, or with yourself, or with God. Or all of the above.

In an advertisement for the first book in my series, Midsummer Night’s Mischief, the publisher promoted the book as being “perfect for holiday enthusiasts.” Holiday enthusiasts? This was a term I hadn’t really heard of before. I can’t say that I ever thought of myself as a “holiday enthusiast.”

But, now that I think about it, it’s a great thing to be. I AM enthusiastic about holidays, whether national, seasonal, religious, or just for fun. I’m happy to claim the title “holiday enthusiast,” and to recruit others to join me.

How about you?

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