Mystery author M. Jayne LaDow chats with me about her new spicy cozy novel, A Pilgrimage of Whispered Truths.
During Jayne’s virtual book tour, she will be giving away a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card giveaway. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit her other tour stops and enter there, too!
Bio:
M. Jayne LaDow, author of The Marchfield Series, blends her love of storytelling with years as an educator to craft mysteries full of secrets, suspense, and unexpected twists. When she’s not exploring quiet towns that hide dark truths, she can be found on the beaches of Virginia or plotting her next twist with her mischievous cats. She lives in Virginia Beach with her husband, children, and a lively collection of furry and scaly companions.
Welcome, Jayne. Please tell us about your current release.
A Pilgrimage of Whispered Truths is a spicy cozy mystery set in 1997 Virginia Beach—back when “googling” meant making weird noises at babies and solving crimes required actual legwork. My protagonist Dani stumbles into a murder investigation while her cats judge her life choices. There’s steamy romance, danger, and a nod to Chaucer’s “The Pardoner’s Tale” because apparently my English teacher brain couldn’t help itself.
What inspired you to write this book?
I actually began writing this book in 1997, but it never felt finished, and I was too chicken to try to publish it. After 33 years of teaching middle school English, it finally felt like the right time. Plus, I missed the pre-smartphone era when characters couldn’t just solve everything with a quick internet search. Murder mysteries are so much more fun when someone has to actually leave the house.
Excerpt from A Pilgrimage of Whispered Truths:
The ocean had always been her refuge. Even now, with storm clouds bruising the horizon, Dani walked the shoreline barefoot, the wind tugging strands of hair across her face. The water hissed over the sand like something whispering secrets it could no longer keep.
She tried to quiet her mind—to let the rhythm of the waves wash away the questions still circling like gulls. But the past few days wouldn’t let her rest: Carl Rendell’s fury, the burned church, Brian’s haunted silence. Each memory rose and fell with the tide, reshaping itself into something sharper.
A flash of color caught her eye—a shard of glass half-buried near her foot. She bent to pick it up. Red, warped by heat. A fragment of stained glass.
Her breath hitched.
She turned it over in her palm, the edges cutting faintly into her skin, and for a moment she imagined the flames reflected there, licking at the sky. The wind howled, cold and certain.
Whatever she’d stumbled into, it wasn’t finished with her yet.
She slipped the shard into her pocket, the salt wind stinging her eyes, and kept walking toward the dark line of the pier, where the sea met the secrets she could no longer ignore.
What exciting project are you working on next?
I’m currently writing a rom-com for my other series about two middle school teachers—Max (science) and Emma (PE)—who get forced to collaborate when budget cuts combine the science fair with Field Day. It’s got all the tension of trying to launch rockets while dodgeballs fly overhead.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
The first time I got genuinely excited about revising instead of dreading it. That’s when I knew this wasn’t just a retirement hobby—this was who I am now.
Do you write full-time?
Yes! After retiring from teaching, I now write full time I also volunteer with Creative Footnotes Substack, writing articles and editing, and I help out at a food bank
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I like to act out my dialogue to myself. My cats are my captive audience, and they are not impressed.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to go to clown school in Philadelphia, but I became a middle school teacher instead. Honestly, it’s pretty much the same thing—juggling multiple crises, keeping a straight face during chaos, and performing for audiences who’d rather be literally anywhere else.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
Thanks for letting me share my love of cozy mysteries, questionable life choices, and the eternal question: can you really trust anyone in a small beach town? Spoiler: probably not.
Links:
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Thank you so much for hosting today.
Thank you so much for hosting my book! I really appreciate your care and attention to the details.