Most traditions for Valentine’s Day include chocolates, a romantic dinner, and a special card or gift. In my family, we do things differently. Every Valentine’s Day, my entire family shares a picnic lunch at Savannah’s Bonaventure Cemetery.

That’s right, we eat beside my grandparents’ double tombstone. With my aunt and her boyfriend in hiding, our group included me, Tabby Winslow, my twin sister Sage, and my boyfriend, Dr. “Quig” Quigsly. We carried chairs, a picnic basket, a blanket, mom’s ashes, and a cooler.

With all the commotion of getting here, I’d forgotten about the ghost dog. He mugged me as soon as I stepped out of Quig’s Hummer. I shrieked and dropped my bundles. The chill from his affection slowly faded from my legs, and the rest of the hike was uneventful.

Sage claimed we needed exercise so we parked farther away than usual. Needless to say, we were winded when we arrived at the Wayfare plot where Dwayne and Rosemary Waltz rested. Quig was intrigued by their epitaph of “Felled by an assassin.” The same bullet killed them both when Rosemary stepped between Dwayne and their unknown killer.

People were intrigued by her romantic gesture and the open-ended whodunnit question. To me, the bigger mystery was why they ended up in this plot. Mom had been tight-lipped about it during her life, and Auntie O wouldn’t tell us either.

But that was old news. Today was for celebrating life and family.

We placed the tin of Mom’s ashes on the double stone, recited the ancestor’s prayer, and lit a tealight candle I’d made in my Savannah Sunshine scent. After that, Sage poured water in the four compass directions. We sealed the prayer by holding hands and placing our other hands on the ground, releasing our shared energy into the sandy soil.

Quig seemed to take everything in stride, though I didn’t know what he knew of our “energetic” powers and our other paranormal talents. However, his centeredness grounded me in so many other ways that we were a good match.

While we ate, the candle began to flicker madly. I held my breath unsure of the cause.

“Surprise!” Auntie O and Frankie shouted as they emerged from behind the towering monument in the next plot.

I hugged her fiercely, and my heart brimmed with joy at this reunion. I grinned the rest of the visit. The only blemish was when Auntie O asked Quig if he knew how to make babies. Her campaign for reproduction apparently knew no bounds.

Much to my relief he said he was very familiar with the process, but we’d decided to wait before starting a family. Auntie O had the last word, though. She mentioned I was thirty, implying my eggs were near extinction.

Fortunately, pecan pie made everything better, and we had a good visit. When Quig dropped me at our apartment afterward, he reminded me of our dinner reservation. “I’ll be ready,” I said.

His grim “So will I,” felt like a threat.

Tallowed Ground, A Magic Candle Shop Mystery Book 3
Genre: Cozy Paranormal Mystery
Release: September 2024
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Links: Amazon | Kobo | Apple

When a killer props his third and latest victim against the double tombstone of Tabby and Sage Winslow’s grandparents’ grave in Savannah, Georgia, the psychic twins are stunned. Even worse, the victim is the very man they filed a restraining order against a few months ago for trashing their book and candle shop. Coincidence…or a connection? Then a clue about the murders points to Tabby’s career as a candlemaker. Now, she is the number one suspect in the killing spree.

The twins investigate all three victims, finding little that might tie the cases together besides where the bodies were found—in or near Bonaventure Cemetery, a beautiful 100-acre historic graveyard with a storied past. Then Tabby’s Medical Examiner boyfriend is mysteriously pulled from the case, with his dream job in jeopardy. The situation reaches a flashpoint when new evidence points to Tabby. With her freedom and the family business in jeopardy, Tabby and Sage match their wits and psychic abilities against the wily killer.

That is, until Tabby’s spirited inquiry lands her in the worst kind of trouble. Can Tabby clear her name before the fiend snuffs her flame…for good?

About the author
Valona Jones, aka Maggie Toussaint, writes paranormal cozies set in coastal Georgia. Her latest release, TALLOWED GROUND, book 3 in the A Magic Candle Shop Mysteries, released September 10, 2024. Under the name of Maggie Toussaint, she also publishes cozies and romantic suspense. Her pen name for a three-book science fiction ecothriller series is Rigel Carson. In total, she’s published more than 27 works of fiction. Visit her sites: valonajones.com and maggietoussaint.com.