What is a witch like? If you're picturing the old crones from Macbeth you aren't thinking of modern day witches. Instead modern day witches are more girl-next-door with a community that is less likely to burn them at the stake and more likely to ask them to use their extra special gifts for a little help. Murder Under Redwood Moon will introduce you to modern witches, as a young witch uses her powers to help unravel a mystery and a murder. Join us as we celebrate the launch of this book with a giveaway and an interview with the author, Sherri Dodd.
But before we get to that, here's more about her book:
Murder, Tea and Crystals Trilogy Giveaway!
At the age of eight, Arista Kelly was frantically swept up by her parents and whisked off to an isolated town in the California redwoods. Two days later, her parents were gone.
Now at the age of twenty-three, she has settled quite nicely into an eclectic lifestyle, much like her great aunt, and guardian since childhood, Bethie. She enjoys the use of herbs and crystals to help her commune with the energy and nature around her and finds pleasure in the company of her beloved pet, Royal. Usually quite satisfied with her mundane life high in the Santa Cruz Mountains, life becomes unsettling when a new recurring vision of an ominous tattoo as well as increased activity from the ghostly presence within her own cottage invade her once-harmonious existence.
But life in this mountain sanctuary takes an even darker turn when the body of Arista's former classmate is found in the nearby river. As other young young women fall prey to a suspected serial killer, Arista realizes that the terror is coming to her.
Publisher: Independently Published(March 20, 2024)
AISN: B0CTKPM863
ISBN: 1685133886
ISBN-13: 978-1685133887
Print length: 289 pages
Purchase your copy on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.org. You'll also want to add it to your GoodReads reading list.
About the Author, Sherri Dodd
Sherri was raised in southeast Texas. Walking barefoot most days and catching crawdads as they swam the creek beds, she had a love for all things free and natural. Her childhood ran rampant with talk of ghosts, demons, and backcountry folklore. This inspired her first short story for sale about a poisonous flower that shot toxins onto children as they smelled it. Her classmate bought it for all the change in his pocket. It was not long after that her mother packed the two of them up and headed to the central coast of California. She has ping-ponged throughout the area ever since.
Her first real step into writing was the non-fiction fitness book, Mom Looks Great – The Fitness Program for Moms published in 2005, and maintaining its accompanying blog. Now, transmuting
the grief of her father's passing, she has branched into Fiction, specifically the genre of Paranormal Thriller with generous dashes of Magick Realism! Her Murder, Tea & Crystals Trilogy released book one - Murder Under Redwood Moon - in March 2024. Book two - Moonset on Desert Sands - released in March 2025, and the final book in the series – Hummingbird Moonrise – became #1 New Release in Occult Supernatural on Amazon in October 2025!
Website: www.sherridodd.com
Instagram: @Sherri.Dodd.Author
--Interview by Jodi M. Webb
WOW: Tell us a little about your writing journey.
Sherri: My first book was a small, unsponsored project with no marketing budget. In 2005, after being told by many that I would not regain my figure after pregnancy, I was shocked that kickboxing and weights returned my body to its pre-natal fitness level and felt I had to share the process. I sold about two hundred books.
Fast forward almost twenty years later, my life raft from empty nest syndrome consisted of returning to the fitness industry. Since I had kept my Personal Training certification current since 2001 and, during COVID, certified in Yoga and began teaching UJAM, I figured it an easy transition. This all fizzled when I tore my meniscus, had surgery, and realized that my body had other ideas. Feeling woeful, I happened upon an online writing contest about a barn owl, entered, and decided while waiting for the outcome that my three-page essay was a mystical premise that could be a larger story. Fresh from crystal shopping that day and sipping a cup of hot Blueberry Lavender tea, I started elaborating. Three years and nine hundred pages later, the Murder, Tea, and Crystals Trilogy was complete!
WOW: A writing contest, crystals and blueberry lavender tea (which sounds delightful) steered you toward magick realism. Are there any other genres you would like to tackle?
Sherri: I’d like to write a horror novel. I am a huge horror fan and have been since our local theater let my friends and I in as fourteen-year-olds to watch R-rated slasher flicks after school. I think I could put an enticing spin on the genre without resorting to torture or gratuitous violence. While those factors appeal to many, they are not for me! I have also started a psychological thriller that may make it to press someday, but another story holds my attention for now. More on that to follow.
WOW: In your series, your characters travel to several places throughout the western US. Are these places that are special to you personally?
Sherri: A few reviewers have noted that the redwood forest in my trilogy seems to be a character in and of itself. I see why, but unless you’ve walked amongst the redwoods in one of the many California parks, you cannot even fathom the magnitude of their impression upon you.
Likewise, Sedona is mentioned in my second installment. While I haven’t lived there, my husband and I had taken a few memorable trips. The rich, red-rock monuments were so stoic and stolid against the crisp blue sky and left me stilled inside from their presence. It’s also considered a very spiritual area, so I thought it would add a new spin on the mysticism of the trilogy. I took a couple solo trips for further inspiration.
Finally, Spokane is mentioned in the latter two books. This would not be a place that many flock to despite a few accolades, including having the largest U.S. urban water fall and hosting the ’74 World’s Fair. However, while my youngest attended Gonzaga University, I really enjoyed the area and could see myself living there upon retirement. I was especially taken with the Bowl & Pitcher Park with its rushing river and suspension bridge that places you right above the spectacle. It contained an exhilarating amount of reckless energy which is why I had my antagonist live in this area.
WOW: What made you decide to write a trilogy instead of open-ended series?
Sherri: I had no idea I would write a trilogy, but by the end of book one, I loved my characters, had familial encouragement, and rolled it right into a book two with the closing scene. Book 2 ran a little long, so I decided to add one more book and, in doing so, created a couple more storylines that I could tie up in the final installment. I felt no boredom with this series at all and left one little hook in the event I ever want to return.
WOW: Your love for your characters definitely shows in your books. They're so fresh and lively. When you aren't hanging out with your characters what do you do for fun?
Sherri: Fitness has kept me mentally and physically healthy since I was an early teen. I do a lot of hiking in the rolling hills of Gilroy and the redwood forest of Santa Cruz County, and love an oceanside walk down West Cliff Drive. The latter of which is featured in Murder Under Redwood Moon as Arista and Shane attempt their first real date. I also thrive on a high-intensity UJAM or kickboxing class or simple weights in the gym. For me, I have found that exercise is the best medication for mental well-being!
WOW: You are energetic. I'm also a walker but I'm more low-intensity. What's up next with your writing career? I almost felt like another magic realism series was being hinted at in Book 3.
Sherri: While I love the magick realism and paranormal genres, I am working on a coming-of-age thriller set in the summer of ’85 – a time of the rising popularity of the Bay Area Metal scene (think Metallica, Megadeth, etc.), Satanic Panic, and two of California’s most prolific serial killers. The story is loosely based on my own experiences!
WOW: What an incredible way to switch gears. I can't wait to relive 1985 through your work.
--Blog Tour Calendar
November 24th @ The Muffin
Join us as we celebrate the launch of the first book in Sherri Dodd's Murder, Tea & Crystals trilogy: Murder Under the Redwood Moon. Read an interview with the author and enter to win the whole trilogy. Two winners!
November 25th @ All Things Writing
How does an introvert survive book promotion? Author Sherri Dodd tells us how she promoted and lived to tell the tale!
December 1st @ Word Magic
What is Magick Realism? Author Sherri Dodd shares her take on the genre of her trilogy Murder, Tea & Crystals.
December 2nd @ Cozy Home Delights
Get Ashley's take on Murder Under Redwood Moon, Sherri Dodd's paranormal murder mystery.
https://cozyhomedelight.com/reviewsDecember 3rd @ Chapter Break
Enjoy a good crime read? Mystery author Sherri Dodd shares a few of her favorites today at Chapter Break.
December 3rd @ Cozy Home Delights
Sherri Dodd, author of the Murder, Tea and Crystals trilogy, tells us about her Three Favorite Barbies.
https://cozyhomedelight.com/reviewsDecember 4th @ Knotty Needle
Judy's posting her review of Murder Under Redwood Moon by Sherri Dodd.
December 9th @ Words by Webb
Like your mysteries with a twist? Check out a paranormal mystery: Murder Under Redwood Moon.
December 10th @ Kaecey McCormick
Kaecey is getting writing tips from Sherri Dodd in today's author interview.
https://www.kaeceymccormick.com/December 12th @ Author Anthony Avina
Novelist Sherri Dodd shares the Challenges of Writing About Witchcraft & Anthony reviews the first book in her trilogy: Murder Under Redwood Moon.
December 14th @ Boots, Shoes and Fashion
Stop for an interview with Sherri Dodd, author of the Murder, Tea & Crystals trilogy.
December 17th @ A Wonderful World Of Words
Don't miss your chance to read a review of Murder Under Redwood Moon and a chance to win the entire trilogy!
December 21st @ Boys' Mom Reads
Escape the holiday craziness with a dash of magic when Karen reviews Murder Under Redwood Moon.
***** BOOK GIVEAWAY *****
TWO WINNERS! Enter to win the entire Murder, Tea & Crystals trilogy by Sherri Dodd: Murder Under Redwood Moon, Moonset on Desert Sands and Hummingbird Moonrise. Fill out the form below for a chance to win. The giveaway ends December 7th at 11:59 pm CT. We will randomly draw a winner the next day and follow up via email. Good luck!
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