#Spotlight Weeding Out Lies (A Texas Flower Farmer Cozy Mystery #1) by Jackie Layton

August 13, 2023 Fee Great Escapes Book Tours

Weeding Out Lies: A Texas Flower Farmer Cozy Mystery
by Jackie Layton

About Weeding Out Lies

Weeding Out Lies: A Texas Flower Farmer Cozy Mystery
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Texas
Level Best Books (July 11, 2023)
Print length ‏ : ‎ 302 pages
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0C7JT33B4

Flower farmer Emma Justice’s life is firmly rooted in Lutz, Texas where she has recently begun her new business. One morning while delivering flowers, she stumbles upon a prominent citizen. Dead. When a friend is accused of murder, Emma launches her own investigation. She’s used to separating weeds from flowers. Emma will dig for clues, weed out red herrings and cultivate a plan to find the killer.

Purchase Link – Amazon

About Jackie Layton

Jackie Layton is the author of cozy mysteries with Spunky Southern Sleuths. Her stories are set in Texas, Georgia, and South Carolina. She lives on the coast of South Carolina where she enjoys walks on the beach and golf cart rides around the marsh. Reading, gardening, and traveling are some of her favorite hobbies. She always keeps a notebook handy to write down ideas for future stories. Be careful what you say around her, because it might end up in a book.

Author Links

Author Website https://jackielaytoncozyauthor.com/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JackieLaytonAuthor
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Joyfuljel
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/jackielaytonauthor/
Twitter https://twitter.com/joyfuljel
Goodreads https://bit.ly/37slujv
Bookbub https://bit.ly/37RqGQ8

Author Guest Post

I’ve written five books in A Low Country Dog Walker Mystery series, and I live in the Low Country of South Carolina. So, I know a lot about this area, and I’ve never been questioned about the authenticity of the setting.

My new series is A Texas Flower Farmer Cozy Mystery series, and Weeding Out Lies is the first book in the series. I’ve been questioned why I chose Texas as the setting.

I’ve never lived in Texas, but in 2017, my youngest son and his wife moved to Waco for a job. I’ve visited them a few times every year, and despite the heat, I’ve come to love Texas. So, when it came time to write Weeding Out Lies, I wanted to set it in Texas.

Emma Justice is a flower farmer, and the Texas weather allows gardeners to work throughout the year. In the fall of 2022, the kids moved to a new house. The previous owners had a lot of flowers and plants, including lantanas. Lantanas everywhere. Front yard, side yard, and back yard. The ones in back draped over the sidewalk and patio. It just so happened I’d been researching plant poisons for this series. According to my research, lantana is toxic AND poisonous to toddlers. More research listed contact dermatitis and skin irritation if you touch the leaves. So even though the plants are pretty, we decided to get rid of them.

We cut back and dug up the plants near the areas where my grandson would play. And guess what? Before we were finished, I broke out in a rash. It happened just that fast. So, I made a mad dash to the shower, and I was glad we decided to get rid of the lantana. (We did leave the front yard lantana plants alone, because they are pretty.)

There are quite a few plants that can be poisonous. For instance, daffodils. While they are not normally life-threatening, every part of a daffodil is poisonous. Some people think the bulbs are wild onions and eat them. Yeah, it seems far-fetched to me, but it’s happened many times. Nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain can last for three hours after eating part of a daffodil.

Most mystery readers know foxglove and deadly nightshade can be deadly. It’s even in the name. But how about Angel’s trumpet? It sounds too nice to be dangerous. Yet, ingesting angel’s trumpet can lead to a zombie-like effect. You may feel helpless and forgetful. Hallucinations are possible as well as death.

In Weeding Out Lies, Emma Justice won’t have to worry too much about poisons. She’s focused on growing pretty and safe flowers that she can sell to people. At one point in the book, Emma’s focus shifts from growing a large variety of plants to a lot of a few plants that will look nice in flower arrangements. Haven’t we all planned for things to work out one way, then because of circumstances beyond our control, we’ve had to change course? Emma ends up changing what she grows, but she doesn’t walk away from her dream of being a flower farmer.

Another intriguing thing about central Texas is the German heritage. My dad’s family came to the United States from Germany, and I thought it’d be nice to create a small Texas town with a little nod to the German immigrants. It’s also why I named the town Lutz.

Sophie Becker owns the bakery, and she features both German and Texan pastries and other food. We grew up eating kouchens for special occasions, usually big family breakfasts. (Pronounced “koo-ken”). We also enjoyed bratwurst and German potato salad.

Emma and Sophie take food and flowers to people they want to question for their unofficial and amateur investigation. With these characters, I’ve discovered people let down their guard when offered delicious dishes of food and dahlias.

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One of my favorite Texas recipes that’s super easy is Frito Pie. Here’s the recipe I use:

Ingredients:

3 cups of Fritos

¾ cup chopped onion or green peppers

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

2 & ½ cups chili—you can used leftover homemade chili or your favorite canned chili

Sour Creem or plain yogurt for topping after it bakes

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Spread 2 cups of Fritos in a baking dish ( 8×8- or 9×9-inch) — double the recipe for a 9×13-inch dish or double because it’s going to gobbled up.

Sprinkle half the onion or green pepper and half the cheese over the Fritos.

Warm up the chili in a small saucepan. Then pour the chili over the onion and cheese.

Sprinkle the remaining Fritos, onion or pepper and cheese over the chili.

Bake for twenty minutes until heated and cheese is bubbly. Dallop sour cream or plain yogurt on top and serve. Enjoy!

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