I thought it was time to bring you another festive countdown author interview. This year, it’s the turn of cosy magical mystery writer Bella Colby to tell all. If you subscribe to my newsletter or read my book reviews, you’ll already be familiar with Bella’s two cosy mystery series, Wedding Witch and Witchy at Fifty. 

Let’s get chatting.

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Bella, both of your book series, Wedding Witch and Witchy at Fifty, combine murder and magic. What inspired you to blend cosy mystery with spellcraft?

I’ve always thought murder investigations could use a little more sparkle. Cosy mysteries thrive on eccentric small towns and nosy heroines, so adding magic felt like sprinkling cinnamon on hot chocolate. It just made sense.

But at heart, my favourite trope in the whole readerverse is finding the extraordinary tucked quietly inside the everyday. I love imagining that the cat slinking along a garden wall might actually be able to give me their opinion, or that the bunting at a village fête could be enchanted. That blend of everyday charm and hidden wonder is what makes the stories feel both familiar and delightfully unexpected.

Weddings are such joyful occasions. What made you decide they’d be the perfect backdrop for murder?

The idea for Wedding Witch came straight from real life. I once worked as a wedding celebrant. Weddings are a pressure cooker of nerves, family drama, and clashing personalities, and I couldn’t help thinking how easily “I do” could turn into “who dunnit”.

Add magic, and you’ve got runaway brides, cursed bouquets, and poisoned champagne. It’s chaos with confetti. The perfect breeding ground for mystery.

Your other series, Witchy at Fifty, takes the very different angle of midlife reinvention. How did Josie Appleton come to life?

Don’t you get fed up with seeing twenty something heroines? Josie is fifty, fabulous, and finally witchy. She’s juggling hot flushes, enchanted baking, and murder investigations: proof that life doesn’t stop being interesting just because you’ve hit a milestone birthday.

And she really does have to start again: abandoned by her husband, whose business goes bankrupt and who flees to Paraguay without even a goodbye, Josie suddenly finds herself with a mysterious manor, a talking cat, and a whole lot of magic she never asked for.

Writing her reminds me that midlife isn’t an ending; it’s a deliciously messy beginning, where the extraordinary finally dares to peek out from behind the ordinary.

I’ve passed the fifty milestone myself, and I live in hope that maybe on my next birthday I’ll wake up with magic too.

Do you have a favourite magical mishap from your books?

With the ‘help’ of her feline familiar, Josie often slips a pinch of magical aid into her baking to nudge her investigations along. The trouble is that those enchanted treats rarely behave. We’ve had suspects who suddenly only speak in rhyme, villagers bursting into Christmas carols at wildly inappropriate times, and one usually timid soul who found herself belting karaoke numbers on stage like a rock star.

I love those moments where something as ordinary as a tray of mince pies becomes a stage for extraordinary chaos: the unusual hiding in plain sight inside the baking tin.

You’ve mentioned plotting while walking in the Welsh mountains. Does Bella the Labrador help or hinder?

Bella is my furry editor. She’s very strict about pacing, both mine on the trail and my characters’ on the page. She has a nose for sniffing out clues and suspects, digs up story twists, and follows narrative trails. Between us, we unearth just enough evidence to keep the mysteries moving.

What’s the most surprising or heartwarming feedback you’ve received from readers?

Cosy mystery readers are the best. One confessed she booked her first solo holiday abroad at sixty, because Josie made her believe starting again could be an adventure.

Another suggested I add a tiny dragon as a familiar who could perch on a witch’s shoulder… food for thought!

I also treasure the photos readers send of muddy dogs and mischievous cats, as if their own familiars are auditioning for a role.

But the feedback that means the most is when someone tells me my books made them laugh and cry… sometimes both in the same chapter. That’s the magic I hope for: the extraordinary hiding in plain sight within everyday emotions.

If you could cast a spell to bring one of your characters to life for a day, who would it be?

Oh, Wolfie, Skylar’s wolf familiar from the Wedding Witch series, would be my choice. No question. We’d spend the day prowling the seaside, scaring off door to door salespeople and glaring at anyone who dares cut in line at the supermarket.

Honestly, I’d love a magical protector following me around. There would be something very comforting about knowing fifty kilograms of grumpy grey wolf has your back.

Looking ahead, what’s next for your witchy worlds?

I’m excited to have several more books in the planning stages for both series. My heroines still need to find their happy ever afters. After that? Who knows? Maybe that tiny dragon will flap its way onto the shoulder of a new witch very soon.

And in the meantime, I’d like to wish all your readers a very peaceful holiday season. If they’re looking for something festive to curl up with, my latest release Christmas, Clues and Killers brings yuletide chaos, magical mince pies, and a murder that threatens to ruin the holiday cheer.

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Thanks for the chat, Bella, and merry festivities to you too. If you’d like to find out more about Bella’s books or connect with her online, here are all the links:

Bella’s website

Bella on Facebook

Bella on Instagram