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Behind the Writing of Milestones, Magic & Murder

Tell us about the background for the theme, what inspired it or why you wanted to write in this setting, or with play with these tropes?

“Briarvale grew out of my long‑standing love affair with the British countryside, especially the wild, windswept magic of Cornwall and the wonderfully eccentric villages tucked into the Cotswolds. I wanted a setting that felt both familiar and enchanted, the kind of place where you could pop out for a loaf of bread and accidentally stumble into a mystery… or a spell gone slightly sideways.

I’ve always adored paranormal stories where seemingly ordinary people discover extraordinary abilities. There’s something irresistible about a “normal” woman suddenly realising she has unexpected powers, especially when she’s spent most of her life believing the magical stuff only happens to other people.

And then there’s Josie. I knew from the start that I wanted a midlife heroine, because fifty is such a powerful moment of reinvention. It’s a time when life can crack open in surprising ways — sometimes painful, sometimes liberating, often both. Josie doesn’t just reinvent herself; she’s practically shoved into a whole new existence, complete with a mysterious inheritance, a talking cat familiar, and a village full of secrets. Watching her rise to the challenge (and occasionally trip over it) is one of my favourite parts of writing the series.

In the end, the theme is simple: magic can find you at any age, and starting over doesn’t mean starting from scratch, it means discovering who you were always meant to be.”

Are any of your characters based on real people you know?

Legally? I’m required to say that any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. Off the record? Let’s just say it’s a very good idea to stay on a writer’s good side! While I’d never admit to putting a specific neighbor or ex-colleague into a story, I’ve certainly ‘borrowed’ a few annoying habits and questionable fashion choices for my victims. If you recognize yourself in my books… well, that would be telling, wouldn’t it?

Tell us about character traits that were fun or hard for you to include in the book.

The hardest trait to include? Writing a second-chance romance for characters who have ‘baggage.’ At fifty, characters don’t just fall into each other’s arms; they have histories, exes, and perhaps a bit of cynicism. Making them vulnerable enough to fall in love again, while keeping them the strong, seasoned women they are, is a beautiful but difficult challenge.

Create a playlist with 5 to 10 songs with the below in mind:

While writing Witchy at Fifty, I found myself drawn to songs that felt like emotional anchors, tracks that captured the ache of starting over, the thrill of unexpected magic, and the quiet strength of a woman rediscovering herself. Some songs made me cry (in a good way), some made me feel powerful, and some just made me want to dance around the kitchen with a mug of spicy hot chocolate.

Here’s the Spotify playlist that kept me company while Josie’s story unfolded:

• Feels Like Home – Chantal Kreviazuk
• Last One Standing – Emerson Drive
• Nothing In This World Will Ever Break My Heart Again – Nashville Cast, Hayden Panettiere
• Try – P!nk
• Crazy As Me – Belles, Blake Wood

Were there any alternate endings you considered?

Since Witchy at Fifty is a work in progress, the endings are always a little… fluid. I start with a rough idea of who the killer might be, but somewhere between chapter five and a magical baking disaster, the story takes a sharp left turn and someone else ends up guilty.

I’ve changed the culprit mid‑draft more times than I can count, usually because a side character suddenly reveals a secret I didn’t know they had, or because the original suspect was just too obvious (and Josie deserves better than an easy solve). Sometimes I even write two versions of the final reveal before deciding which one feels most satisfying — or most surprising.

So yes, alternate endings are part of the process. The village may be cozy, but the plot twists are anything but. And if I’m doing my job right, readers won’t guess the truth until Josie does, preferably with a cat familiar making snide comments in the background.

Which scene, character or plotline changed the most from first draft to published book?

By the time I reach the final draft, the murderer is often not the person I first pointed my finger at, because I usually write it too obvious. Changing the killer to a side character keeps the story fresh, keeps me on my toes, and, hopefully, keeps readers guessing right alongside Josie.

In Briarvale, even I don’t always know who did it until the very end.

Which of the side characters would you love to explore more, or turn into a main character in another series?

Florence Bindle, without a doubt.

She begins the story as the long‑suffering assistant to Eva Henshaw, the formidable Chair of the Village Council, a woman who treats Florence like a personal footstool with a filing system. But as the series unfolds, Florence keeps surprising me. Beneath the polite nodding and the “yes, Eva” exterior, she has a spine of steel, impeccable organisational instincts, and a talent for staying calm when everyone else is flapping like startled hens.

And then there was the karaoke incident. One magical mishap later, Florence stepped onto a stage and delivered a performance so confident, so unexpectedly dazzling, that even the cat familiar stopped judging for a full thirty seconds. That was the moment I realised she has main‑character potential simmering under the surface.

I can absolutely imagine Florence stumbling into her own adventure one day, perhaps after finally telling Eva where to stick her meeting agendas. She’s the kind of woman who could become the unexpected star of her own story, simply by discovering she was capable of it all along.

What special knowledge or research was required to write this book?

Writing Witchy at Fifty required a surprising mix of real‑world research and delightfully witchy imagination. Some of the things I found myself diving into included:

British village councils and local politics — because nothing fuels a cozy mystery quite like a committee meeting with too many opinions and not enough biscuits.

Criminal psychology and classic mystery structure — even in a magical world full of talking cats and enchanted mishaps, the clues still need to line up.

Everyday magical logic — the kind of “could‑this‑actually‑happen?” witchiness that makes the supernatural feel almost plausible.

And, of course, the biggest research challenge of all:
figuring out how to hide the killer in plain sight… until they suddenly weren’t the killer anymore.

What’s the strangest thing you had to do to create this story?

At one point, I found myself standing in my kitchen at midnight, whispering to a wooden spoon to see if it felt like the sort of object a newly awakened witch might accidentally enchant. I needed to know whether Josie could plausibly turn an everyday utensil into something mildly uncooperative… not dangerous, just… opinionated.

I ended up testing half the drawer: spoons, spatulas, a whisk that absolutely had main‑character energy. My Labrador slept through the entire experiment, which is probably for the best, because explaining why I was muttering at cookware would have been awkward.

What do you hope readers will take away from this story?

At its heart, Witchy at Fifty is a story about second chances, not the neat, tidy kind, but the messy, unexpected, slightly magical kind that arrive when life has knocked you sideways and you’re not sure what comes next.

I hope readers walk away feeling that reinvention is possible at any age, and that starting over doesn’t mean you’ve failed, it means you’re brave enough to step into a new chapter. I hope they see a bit of themselves in Josie’s uncertainty, her resilience, her humour, and her quiet determination to build a life that finally fits.

And above all, I hope they feel comforted. That they close the book believing that magic can find you when you least expect it, that community can grow in the most unlikely places, and that even in a village full of secrets, you’re never truly alone.

Was there something major that happened in your personal life while writing this?

In a way, the most significant thing that happened while writing Witchy at Fifty was… nothing dramatic at all. After several years of family upheaval and turmoil, I finally found myself in a period of quiet calm, the kind of stillness that lets creativity breathe again.

That gentle steadiness shaped the book more than any single event. It gave me space to explore Josie’s journey with clarity and heart, and to enjoy the process rather than wrestle with it. Writing in that calm felt like a small miracle after so much chaos.

Long may that peaceful stretch continue — for both me and my midlife witch.

Share a Recipe to go with the read:

Bella Colby’s Spicy Witch’s Hot Chocolate: A comforting cauldron‑cup for late‑night sleuthing

Backstory:

Legend has it that this recipe was first brewed by a slightly frazzled witch who’d spent one too many nights trying to work out who in the village was hexing the vicar’s begonias. She needed something warm, soothing, and just a little dangerous, a drink that whispered cozy but carried a spark strong enough to keep her awake through the final chapter.

Bella Colby adopted the recipe during one particularly stormy Welsh evening, when the wind was howling, the Labrador was snoring, and a murder plot refused to behave. One sip of this spicy concoction, and suddenly the clues lined up, the villain confessed, and the dog didn’t even wake up.

Now it’s her go‑to writing fuel, and the perfect companion for readers who like their mysteries warm, magical, and just a touch wicked.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk (or your favourite dairy‑free alternative – I love almond milk)
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp sugar (or more if your sweet tooth demands it)
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 pinch cinnamon
• 1 pinch ground cloves
• 1 splash vanilla extract
• Whipped cream or marshmallows (optional but highly encouraged)

Instructions:

• Warm the milk gently in a small saucepan — no boiling, just a cozy simmer.
• Whisk in the cocoa powder and sugar until smooth and glossy.
• Add the cayenne, cinnamon, and cloves. Stir like you’re casting a very small, very delicious spell.
• Remove from heat and add the vanilla.
• Pour into your favourite mug, top with whipped cream or marshmallows, and enjoy while solving a murder (fictional only, please).

Witchy Tip

If you want a gentler heat, whisper “behave” to the cayenne before adding it. If you want a wilder kick, don’t whisper anything at all.

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Synopsis:

Losing your home and your husband on your 50th birthday is bad. Gaining a mysterious mansion, magical powers, and a dead body? Now that’s murder.

Josie Appleton is reeling from one hex of a midlife crisis. Blindsided and broke, an unexpected inheritance from the grandmother she never met seems a lifeline. Until Josie discovers the sprawling manor comes with latent magical powers, a sassy talking cat, and… oh yeah… the greenhouse is home to a corpse.

Forced to dig deep to clear her name for a murder she didn’t commit, Josie must juggle hot flushes, unruly spells, and a detective who’s itching to slap on the cuffs. Caught between a village of eccentric locals, a spellbindingly handsome caretaker, and a killer desperate to avoid capture, she’s in more trouble than a toad in a witch’s potion party.

Can Josie conjure up her newfound magic and amateur sleuthing skills to unearth the truth before she becomes the next victim?

Milestones, Magic, and Murder is the enchanting first book in the Witchy at Fifty midlife paranormal cozy mystery series.
If you love witchy whodunits, small-town secrets, and feline familiars with serious cattitude, Milestones, Magic and Murder is your perfect brew.

Pick up a copy and start unravelling the mystery today.
Also available in German as part of the Hexe mit fünfzig series.

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