The Whispering Witch Mystery Series
by Mildred Abbott

Start the Whispering Witch Mystery Series today—a paranormal mystery where magic has consequences, trust is dangerous, and even a corgi might not make everything okay. I am pleased to be part of this Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour promoting the series. You have a chance to read the first two books, Gossiping About Grimoires and Verifying About Vampires before the June release of book 3, Snitching About Spirits. The author, Mildred Abbott was gracious enough to write a guest post about finding the spirit behind these books. The author is also providing an ebook GIVEAWAY, so be sure to leave a comment at the end of the post to enter.

AUTHOR GUEST POST:
Behind the The Whispering Witch Mystery Series
By Mildred Abbott

When I first set out to write the Whispering Witch Mysteries, I knew one thing very clearly: I didn’t want to write a traditional cozy mystery.

I love cozy mysteries—the warmth, the sense of community, the way readers can settle into a story and feel at home. But I also wanted more at stake. More danger. A world where things weren’t always safe, even if they still felt grounded and emotionally real.

What I was aiming for was something in between—a blend of cozy mystery and paranormal or urban fantasy. A story with warmth and connection, but also with consequences. A world where magic exists, but it isn’t soft or harmless.

And from the beginning, I knew where I wanted that world to be.
I had moved to New Orleans at the end of 2019, and I’ve always loved writing about real places—especially places I’ve lived. There’s something grounding about it. It lets me weave in real streets, real businesses, real textures of a city. In these books, there are places readers can actually visit. Bakeries and restaurants that inspired scenes, even recipes that make their way onto the page.

But as I started planning the series, I ran into a problem.

I couldn’t quite get into Maeve’s head.

I understood the plot. I understood the world I wanted to build. But I couldn’t fully see it through her eyes yet—and more importantly, I couldn’t quite make the city feel like a character in its own right.

At that point, I had only lived in New Orleans for a couple of years. I knew I loved it, but I hadn’t yet found the way to translate that onto the page.

So one day, I decided to stop trying to force it.

I grabbed a notebook and headed into the French Quarter with no real plan other than this: to walk, to observe, and to try to see the city the way Maeve would.

Almost from the moment I stepped out, it began to rain.

Not a heavy storm—just a steady, quiet drizzle. The kind that doesn’t soak you through, but softens everything. The streets turned slick and reflective. The air grew thick and misty. Sound felt slightly muted, like the whole city had exhaled.

And I walked.

For hours.

Through narrow streets and past iron gates. Along buildings that had stood for centuries. Past courtyards half-hidden behind walls and greenery, places you could easily miss if you weren’t looking for them.

Somewhere along the way, something shifted.

I stopped seeing the city as it is—and started seeing it as Maeve would.

It became so easy to imagine magic there.

Not the loud, obvious kind. Not something that announces itself. But something older. Quieter. Something woven into the bones of the place.

It felt like it was everywhere.

In the ferns spilling over old brick walls. In the mortar between stones that have held together for generations. In the hidden courtyards tucked behind wrought iron gates. In the old glass windows, slightly warped and thickened at the bottom after centuries of settling.

It wasn’t hard to believe, in that moment, that something more could exist just beneath the surface.

And that’s when I found Maeve.

Or maybe more accurately—she found me.

She became so clear on that walk. This young woman who had dreamed about magic her entire life. Who had built a career writing about it, imagining it, shaping it into stories.

And now?

Now she’s stepping into a world where it’s all real.

She finally gets the answer to something she’s wanted since she was a child.

And it’s not simple.

It’s not safe.

It’s not what she expected.

She’s excited—over the moon, really. There’s wonder there, and awe, and that sense of finally touching something she’s always believed in.

But layered right on top of that is something else.

Fear.

Because the world she’s stepping into is overwhelming. It’s complicated. It’s dangerous in ways she doesn’t yet understand. And now she’s part of it—not just as an observer, but as someone with power of her own.

All of that came into focus that day.

Her excitement. Her curiosity. Her uncertainty. The way joy and fear can exist side by side when something changes your life completely.

And just as importantly, the world around her came into focus too.

Not as a backdrop, but as something alive. Something with history and secrets and depth. A place where magic doesn’t need to be invented—just uncovered.

That day didn’t just help me understand Maeve.

It changed the way I saw New Orleans.

I fell in love with it in a deeper, more layered way than I had before—and that feeling has only grown since. The more time I spend here, the more it feels like a place where stories naturally live. Where the past and present sit side by side. Where it’s easy to imagine that something unseen might be happening just out of view.

That’s the feeling I wanted to bring into the Whispering Witch Mysteries.

A world where magic exists, but doesn’t announce itself.

A place where wonder and danger are intertwined.

And a character who steps into that world with open eyes—ready to believe, even when belief comes with a cost.

Because at the heart of it, this series isn’t just about magic.

It’s about what happens when something you’ve always dreamed of turns out to be real…

…and far more complicated than you ever imagined.

And if you’ve ever walked through a place and felt like there might be something more just beneath the surface—something hidden, something magical—you might already understand Maeve better than she understands herself.

Whispering Witch Mystery Series
books 1 & 2 are Available Now

Gossiping About Grimoires

Gossiping About Grimoires (Whispering Witch Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery/Urban Paranormal
1st in Series
Setting – New Orleans, Mostly French Quarter
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independently Published
Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 1, 2026
Print length ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
Paperback
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8243417433
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0GQTC3TKR
Digital
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0GJTS4272

Maeve Hawthorn writes about witches for a living.
They want her to stop.

When a book signing ends in her abduction, Maeve’s only priority is escaping with her corgi, Mischief, alive. That urgency deepens when she learns her captors are real witches, furious that Maeve has been exposing their secrets to the world.

Before Maeve can make sense of how her fiction has become reality, she’s caught in the middle of a murder that leaves her marked by magic she doesn’t understand. When a dying witch’s power floods into her, Maeve becomes the prime suspect in a crime she didn’t commit—and a target for every supernatural being certain she knows too much.

Turns out, magic isn’t a gift. It’s a liability.
And clearing her name may cost Maeve far more than her safety.

With danger closing in and no clear allies other than Mischief, Maeve must navigate a hidden supernatural world that wants her silenced… or dead.

(Includes the Shroom Boom recipe from Ayu Bakehouse, a beloved New Orleans bakery.)

Verifying About Vampires (Whispering Witch Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery/Urban Paranormal
2nd in Series
Setting – New Orleans, Mostly French Quarter
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independently Published
Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 30, 2026
Print length ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
Digital
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0GGZ4YC8Q

Maeve Hawthorn didn’t mean to get involved with vampires.
They insisted.

When a prominent member of New Orleans’ vampire community is accused of murder, Maeve is pulled into an investigation that could unravel the fragile balance between magical factions. Clearing their name isn’t just about justice — it may be the only way to prevent something far more dangerous.

As Maeve follows a trail of secrets through candlelit courtyards and hidden supernatural circles, she discovers that truth in this world is layered, political, and rarely convenient. Meanwhile, living with her roommates and their familiars begins to feel like home. The witches who were once strangers are becoming allies. Maybe even family.

But solving one mystery has a way of exposing others.

And in a city built on power and old allegiances, someone is always watching.

(Includes Butterscotch Pecan Scone recipe from Bywater Bakery, a favorite New Orleans bakery.)

The Whispering Witch Mystery Series book 3
Snitching About Spirits
Available June 30

Snitching About Spirits (Whispering Witch Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery/Urban Paranormal
3rd in Series
Setting – New Orleans, Mostly French Quarter
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independently Published
Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 30, 2026
Print length ‏ : ‎ ~ 400 pages
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0GRSFK8VD

Maeve Hawthorn started chatting with ghosts.
They made demands.

When a murder victim refuses to stay silent and buried secrets start coming to light, Maeve is pulled deeper into the hidden power struggles shaping New Orleans’ magical world. What started as a single investigation is unraveling something much older—and far more dangerous.

As Maeve follows the trail through enchanted courtyards, secret alliances, and the fragile peace between supernatural factions, she begins to realize the truth may not be what anyone wants revealed. Meanwhile, living with her roommates and their familiars is starting to feel less like survival… and more like family.

But some secrets were buried for a reason.

And when the past finally surfaces, it may threaten far more than one witch’s life.

(Includes a bewitching S’mores Cheesecake recipe from Deuxbelle, an award-winning New Orleans bakery.)

Learn More about Mildred Abbott

Mildred Abbott writes twisty cozy mysteries filled with humorous and complex characters. Whether brimming with magic or simply an above-average dose of curiosity, Mildred’s amateur sleuths solve murders with the cutest sidekicks ever. Fifteen years as a special education teacher and a lifetime of loving rescue dogs results in creating adventures with a ton of heart and the need for lint rollers.

Find out more about Mildred and her books at mildredabbott.com

Newsletter sign up:  http://www.mildredabbott.com/contact-mildred.html

Purchase Links- Amazon –

Gossiping About Grimoires   Verifying About Vampires      Snitching About Spirits

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

May 12 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT

May 13 – Sneaky the Library Cat’s Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

May 14 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – SPOTLIGHT

May 15 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY

May 16 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

May 16 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT

May 17 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – SPOTLIGHT

May 18 – Storybook Lady – REVIEW, AUTHOR GUEST POST, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY

May 19 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT  

May 20 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

May 20 – Angel’s Book Nook – SPOTLIGHT

May 21 – Sarandipity’s – CHARACTER GUEST POST

May 21 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

May 22 – Twirling Book Princess – SPOTLIGHT

May 23 – Books1987 – SPOTLIGHT

May 24 – Deal Sharing Aunt – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

May 25 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – REVIEW

May 25 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

May 25 – Salty Inspirations – CHARACTER GUEST POST

GIVEAWAY

Enter the Giveaway: a Mildred Abbott e-book of the winner’s choice.
Just leave a comment.

Interested in my reviews? I also have a Goodreads shelf dedicated to Cozy Mysteries. Want to read my reviews for books in other genres? I’ve got you covered. There are almost two thousand reviews on Goodreads. Just check out Julie Ditton on Goodreads.