Flamed Out, the exciting conclusion The Magic Candle Shop Mystery series has just been released. I am thrilled that the author, Maggie Toussaint, has taken time to answer questions about this series and also about her pen name, Valona Jones. I am pleased to be one of the first stops on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for “Flamed Out”. This blog tour is sponsoring a GIVEAWAY with prizes of a $50 AMAZON GIFT CARD and 3 Copies of Flamed Out: A Magic Candle Shop Mystery by Valona Jones So, don’t’ forget to enter the Giveaway at the end of the post!
Interview with Maggie Toussaint
You wrote this series under the pen name of Valona Jones. You are an established author. Why did you choose to publish these books under a different name? Why did you choose to publish these books under a different name?
I was orphaned from Henery Press while writing the Seafood Caper Mysteries about a caterer. When I began the Magic Candle Shop Mystery Series my new publisher, Crooked Lane, required a pen name. I was very excited to have this publishing house’s interest, so I jumped on the pen name train. I selected Valona Jones because they are both communities in my county of Georgia. As for what inspired me to write, I always wrote long letters and loved reading. Stories transported me to faraway places. One day I got to thinking that people would be interested in stories I wrote about my home stomping grounds.
You are a retired scientist; how did you end up writing novels?
This question made me smile. As a scientist, our experiments and subsequent reports follow the “Scientific Method.” This practice of describing the problem and then testing certain variables against the problem is followed by sharing the results. That sequence struck me as a natural fit for a mystery writer. In the same way, a mystery author tells a story which centers around an issue or a suspicious death. Persons of Interest are developed through the investigation. Then you dive deep into each person of interest to determine if they “done” it. During the climax of a story, there’s a reckoning and a resolution. While the processes are similar, I was surprised how different the writing styles were. I had to unlearn everything I knew about formal writing and transition to a more character-centric tale.
You write in several genres. Why did you choose to write cozy mysteries?
I have always loved mysteries. They challenge me to solve a puzzle in a competitive manner. Even though I am best known for my cozies, my romantic suspense stories always have mysteries, as does my sci-fi series. It is second nature to me to create red herrings and devious characters.
Speaking of inspirations, what inspired the Magic Candle Shop series?
The main character of the series, Tabby, and her twin sister, Sage, came to me as I was framing out my next series after the Seafood Caper Mysteries. Often I start with a plot, but for this series I started with these two characters. I had two main themes in mind. One is that just because someone appears to be good, he or she may be the opposite. Two is that through these women’s character arcs, I show how people can grow and change as they learn from their experiences. I also gave them a somewhat negative paranormal talent, that of being able to give or take energy from others. This talent is often called a psychic vampire. Tabby starts out as the good twin and her sister has a lot of darkness in her. That combination fueled five books.
It seems like all the families in your series keep their talents secret. Obviously, no one wants the normal people to know their abilities. But why are they secret from each other?
To reveal your talent is to show your weaknesses to others. Because the rule of thumb in our ordinary world is that paranormal people are highly gifted in one talent area. By sharing your talent, others will also know what you aren’t good at.
There are a lot of secrets revealed in Flamed Out which are only hinted at in earlier books. Did you have the story arc planned out from the very beginning when you started writing Snuffed Out? Or did the answers to Tabby’s questions develop over time.
The answers are yes and yes. An author can plan all they like, but some characters won’t follow your plan. They have their own agenda. Questions I established early on included: what happened to the twin’s father and Auntie O’s ex-husband?; why did their mother risk her life for a friend?; how were the Winslow’s related to the Wayfare family?; and why did their mom and aunt hide them from the paranormal community? I made sure to wrap up all those threads in FLAMED OUT, as well as completing Tabby and Sage’s character arcs in the final book.
The first couple books started out as typical cozy paranormal mysteries, but this novel takes on a much darker turn with both the dangerous action and the character’s personal crisis. Tell us about that.
There comes a reckoning for everything. Never been a truer statement. In the final book, Quig’s talent is revealed and it takes Tabby’s breath away. That section just poured out of me. It needed to see the light of day. As for the danger that Tabby gets embroiled in, I tend to write on the darker side of cozy anyway. With this being the last book of the series, I needed the stakes to be higher to complete the series ARC. And I try not to repeat the bad things that happen to my sleuth. Just know that she is a shining light for all, like a lighthouse, and she will sail through all of the badness to reach her goal.
On your website and in other interviews you describe yourself as a Southern writer. How does being from the south influence your stories?
There is strong oral storytelling tradition in the South. I grew up in a family of storytellers and listening to them talk was darn near magical. With this background, when I came upon the mantra of “write what you know,” I realized that I told my strongest stories when I became emotionally invested in them.
Now that the Magic Candle Shop has flamed out, are there more Valona Jones stories in the pipeline?
FLAMED OUT marks the end of A Magic Candle Shop mystery and the retirement of the pen name. With 30 books published, I’m not sure that I have anymore stories that I am keenly interested in writing. Or that are worth telling!
What else do you have in the works?
I have a standalone mystery that got lost in traffic a few years ago. That happened because I wrote faster than my publisher at the time would take my books. This book will come out next year in late summer or fall. It is based on the art community in Savannah, GA, and St. Simons Island, GA. Anyway, the story is about a man who can’t accept that his wife committed suicide. He gets so riled up that his grown sons convince him to voluntarily commit himself to a mental institution. The story begins when he gets out and starts ruffling feathers. This book is really fun because I am switching to a third person point of view. Plus, this is my first cozy with a male lead.
Thanks so much for taking time to answer my questions. I can’t wait to read to read it.
About Flamed Out
Flamed Out: A Magic Candle Shop Mystery
Paranormal Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Setting – Georgia
Publisher : Muddle House Publishing
Publication date : October 14, 2025
Print length : 270 pages
ISBN-13 : 979-8992357110
ASIN : B0FLW15JCB
Supernatural intrigue, a web of lies, and deadly secrets
When a loyal customer begs Tabby Quigsly to look into her uncle’s suspicious death, Tabby can’t say no—even if the police rule it an accident. Dr. Willim Rosemont, a respected psychiatrist, took a fatal tumble down Savannah’s infamous Stone Stairs of Death, but the five people who were with him that night all claim to have seen nothing.
Tabby’s ties to the case run deep—friends, frenemies, and even her husband’s best friend are among the witnesses. Then she uncovers a chilling truth: Rosemont was part of Savannah’s hidden Paranormal Council—the very group Tabby’s been hiding from all her life.
As the August heat rises, so does the pressure. Tabby’s new marriage is reeling from revelations about her husband’s shocking powers, her psychic gifts are spiraling, and the killer is closing in.
Can she unravel the mystery before everything—including her freedom—goes up in flames?
Flamed Out offers a spellbinding conclusion to the Magic Candle Mystery series. Valona Jones has penned a paranormal mystery series filled with a whole community of people with a variety of magical powers. Most people know who else has a talent, but what the talent might be is often a secret. Tabby Winslow Quigsley may seem like be a simple candle maker, but she has several hidden paranormal talents. She also has a knack for solving mysteries. When the head of the secret paranormal council dies under suspicious circumstances, she is asked to investigate. Tabby’s mother had always kept Tabby and her twin separated from the paranormal community. But as she investigates Tabby and the reader finally learn why. She also finally learns her husband’s talent and his revelation has her reeling. This fast paced novel provides an action filled conclusion to this fantastic mystery series. This book is much darker than the others with the secrets revealed that were only hinted at before. However I loved the novel. My only regret is that there won’t be any more to look forward to.
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.https://valonajones.com and https://maggietoussaint.com
Learn More about Maggie
Visit her sites:
FACEBOOK PAGE
https://facebook.com/ValonaJonesAuthor
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE
https://amazon.com/author/valonajones/
GOODREADS PAGE
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22140872.Valona_Jones
BOOKBUB PAGE
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/valona-jones
– Purchase Links –
Amazon Nook Kobo Apple iBook
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
October 15 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
October 15 – Storybook Lady – SPOTLIGHT
October 16 – Infinite House of Books – SPOTLIGHT
October 16 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
October 17 – Books to the Ceiling – REVIEW*
October 17 – My Books and Crafts – SPOTLIGHT
October 18 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR GUEST POST
October 19 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
October 20 – Baroness Book Trove – REVIEW
October 20 – Sarandipity’s – CHARACTER GUEST POST
October 21 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT
October 21 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
October 22 – Angel’s Book Nook – SPOTLIGHT
October 22 – Wine Cellar Library – REVIEW
October 23 – Salty Inspirations – CHARACTER GUEST POST
October 23 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
October 24 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – REVIEW
October 24 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR GUEST POST
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Read my reviews of the Magic Candle Shop Mysteries and many other books at Goodreads.
GIVEAWAY!
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Thanks so much for the review and the interview!
You are welcome. I enjoyed the series and can’t wait to read your next book.