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.

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/

Facebookhttps://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

Purchase Link – Amazon

CHARACTER GUEST POST

Character Guest Post—Emma Justice from Weeding Out Lies Book 1 on A Texas Flower Farmer Cozy Mystery Series.

Hi, I’m Emma Justice. I’m thirty-eight years old, a widow, a recent empty-nester, and a new business woman. This is my first year working as a flower farmer in Lutz, Texas. Growing and selling flowers gives me so much pleasure. Selling the stems allows me to connect with lots of people at the farmers market, and I get to spend lot of time outside.

August in Texas, and it’s hotter than hot. I almost always carry an iced water bottle with me, and I try to stay in the shade when it’s possible. I work on my flowers in the early morning and evening when it’s a smidgen cooler. If you listen to the weather reports, you know we’re experiencing a historic heatwave. Believe me, this isn’t the kind of record you want to break. During the hottest hours of the day, I do office work and marketing.

With all the heat, you might wonder if anything can bloom in Texas in August. Some plants adapt to the extreme heat. You might find rock rose, Texas lantana, Texas bluebell, firewheel, and chocolate flower blooming. Be careful with the Texas lantana. It can irritate your skin. If you must handle it, I’d advise you to wear gloves and long sleeves. If not, you’ll be itching before long. In that case, shower immediately. There are different varieties of lantana both as shrubs and herbaceous perennials. They are pretty and come in a wide range of colors. You also need to keep pets and young children away from this plant. It can be toxic to little ones as well as cats, dogs, and horses. So please be careful where you plant your lantanas.

I enjoy planting white flowers like daisies. The white flowers are the first thing you see in the morning and the last plant you see at night. Daisies are a welcome addition to most flower arrangements, and they are still blooming in my gardens.

Besides heat, mosquitos are challenging in August. There are certain plants that are known to repel mosquitos. Marigolds, lavender, catnip, lemongrass, lemon balm, and peppermint are just a few, and they are popular at the farmers market. I sell individual flower stems, for the customers who like to make their own arrangements. I also create bouquets and flower arrangements for other shoppers.

The farmers market is also a good place to look for clues in a local murder mystery. There are lots of people milling around and visiting vendors. I’ve found a discussion about flowers can sometimes transition to a conversation about the murder victim. I try to be subtle and not come right out and ask for an alibi. Sometimes it’s easier to ask a person who they think murdered the victim and why. If you’re holding pretty flowers, you don’t appear threatening. It’s amazing what I learned in my first amateur investigation.

I hope you’ll join me on my first murder investigation. You’ll get to visit many places in my little town, and I’m sure you’ll make some new friends along the way.