by: C.L. Roman
Series: Green Witch and Thorn Mystery
Genre: Cozy Paranormal Mystery
Release Date: August 28, 2026
When the main sponsor of a regional potions competition is found dead in her hotel suite, the evidence is almost too neat: a rare allergy, a suspicious vial, and Lena Knox’s best friend standing over the body.
Faye didn’t do it. But someone went to a lot of trouble to make it look like she did.
Lena – green witch and reluctant amateur sleuth – isn’t about to let her best friend take the fall. Not when the killer is still in the hotel, the suspect list includes half the potions industry, and the motive turns out to be tangled up in a family secret Faye didn’t even know she had.
With her familiar, Thorn, offering opinions she didn’t ask for, and her ex-boyfriend inconveniently working the case, Lena is going to need more than potions to untangle this one.
I’m well. Thanks for having me. It’s always a pleasure to talk with fellow readers and writers.
You’re welcome. Thank you for joining me today. Congratulations on the release of Angelica Under Glass, the first book in your Green Witch and Thorn Mystery series. Can you please tell me about the series and what readers can expect from Angelica Under Glass?
Thank you so much. Angelica Under Glass is the first full novel in the Green Witch and Thorn Mystery series. The main character is Lena Knox, a potion witch who'd much rather spend her time perfecting a tincture than chasing down a killer. But she’s left with little choice when her best friend Faye becomes the prime suspect in a murder at a regional potions competition.
Lena's convinced Faye is innocent, which means she's going to have to do some investigating of her own, whether or not the local detective — who also happens to be Lena’s ex — wants her involved.
It's a cozy paranormal mystery: light on spice, heavy on magic, with a found-family core and a fast-moving whodunit that I tried hard to keep readers guessing until the end. Readers can also expect Thorn, Lena's familiar, who is easily the sharpest tongue in the book and steals nearly every scene he's in.
The series is actually a spin-off of my Knox Agency Chronicles — Lena is the younger sister of that series' lead, Char Knox — so longtime readers will spot a few familiar faces and Easter eggs, but Angelica Under Glass stands entirely on its own if this is your first time in this world.
I love that this is a spin-off and readers get to see Lena before she had a starring role. Tell me about some of the characters we’ll meet in the book and series.
First, of course, is Lena, the main character. She’s a college student, nearing completion of her degree. She wants to own her own line of potions, but the real draw for her is working with herbs and magic to create things that will really help people.
She first came into being in another series, but the feeling that there was more to her than just a minor character kept haunting me, so I decided to try a slightly different genre than I’ve done in the past.
I love a good cozy mystery, and Lena’s personality is perfect for the genre. She’s smart and kind, but also grounded and brave. Her best friend is Faye Northrup, who is just as into potion-making as Lena is, but she comes at it a little differently. Faye is kind of naïve and trusting, but has a genuinely kind heart.
Then there’s Thorn, the Maine Coon cat who showed up and stayed. Some people would call him Lena’s familiar, but I wouldn’t advise doing so where he can hear you. He prefers the term companion. He’s fiercely protective of Lena and also has a high snark factor.
Let’s talk about the world you’ve created for this book and series. What is it like to be in Hawthorne, Florida?
Hawthorne is a real town in Florida, but that is the last similarity between it and the one Lena lives in. In her Hawthorne, there are magical coffee shops, an enchanted (literally) clothing boutique, and a paranormal university. Hawthorne is a small town, but that doesn’t mean the problems are small, and you have to be careful where you walk. You never know what creature might be waiting around the corner.
Tell me about the book title. I thought Angelica would have been the name of your main character, but it’s not.
Lena probably would have loved to be named after a plant, LOL. But no, it’s an herb that plays a major role in the book. The “under glass” part, well, any potion you bottle is, in effect, under glass, right?
Do you have a favorite scene you can tell us about?
There is one scene where Lena faces down a bully. I dislike bullies in any form, but the mean girl type is one of the worst. I have some experience with people like that, so when Lena shut her down, I felt like cheering. There may have been triumphant laughter, but I’ll never tell.
Cheri, thank you so much for taking the time to answer some questions for me.
My pleasure. Thanks again for having me.
"Her name is Karla Shopfer, which sounds awfully familiar, but I can't place it. She said she wanted to meet me to determine if we have a connection. I'm assuming she means a blood tie. What do you think?"
"I think you're not wrong. And it does sound familiar." The intuition alarm ramped up a notch, but I did my best to ignore it.
Faye twisted her fingers together, her expression pensive. "She's being kind of cagey about all this. What if she doesn't like me once she meets me?"
I almost laughed, but the worry in my friend's eyes stopped me. "Then she's crazy." I gave the statement a moment to land. "Seriously, who wouldn't want to be related to you?"
Karla Shopfer. The name kept playing over in my head, and suddenly, I realized where I'd seen it. Rushing to my computer, I typed it in. "Shopfer, Shopfer…" An image popped up on the screen, and I felt my eyes widen. "Faye, look."
The screen showed a woman in her mid to late forties, her blond hair pulled into a French braid with delicate wisps framing a heart-shaped face dominated by brown eyes and a small, straight nose.
"Your hair is wavier, and your eyes are hazel, not brown. But otherwise, this could be you in twenty years or so."
Faye stared at the image. "Who is she?"
"She's the Chief Creative Officer of Shopfer-Verat Potions Ltd."
Faye gasped. "The contest sponsor?"
"The main one, yes. And if you are related to her…" How to say this without hurting her? I couldn't think of a way, so I just spit it out. "Faye, I don't think they'll let you compete."
"I think you're not wrong. And it does sound familiar." The intuition alarm ramped up a notch, but I did my best to ignore it.
Faye twisted her fingers together, her expression pensive. "She's being kind of cagey about all this. What if she doesn't like me once she meets me?"
I almost laughed, but the worry in my friend's eyes stopped me. "Then she's crazy." I gave the statement a moment to land. "Seriously, who wouldn't want to be related to you?"
Karla Shopfer. The name kept playing over in my head, and suddenly, I realized where I'd seen it. Rushing to my computer, I typed it in. "Shopfer, Shopfer…" An image popped up on the screen, and I felt my eyes widen. "Faye, look."
The screen showed a woman in her mid to late forties, her blond hair pulled into a French braid with delicate wisps framing a heart-shaped face dominated by brown eyes and a small, straight nose.
"Your hair is wavier, and your eyes are hazel, not brown. But otherwise, this could be you in twenty years or so."
Faye stared at the image. "Who is she?"
"She's the Chief Creative Officer of Shopfer-Verat Potions Ltd."
Faye gasped. "The contest sponsor?"
"The main one, yes. And if you are related to her…" How to say this without hurting her? I couldn't think of a way, so I just spit it out. "Faye, I don't think they'll let you compete."
Purchase Angelica Under Glass from:
(Affiliate Links Used)
Places to find C.L. Roman:
You can follow the Angelica Under Glass Blog Tour here.
No comments:
Post a Comment
STOP!
Comments that include links to other sites, or names including links WILL BE CONSIDERED SPAM AND DELETED.