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Gladstone businesses, author collaborate for book release

By Sophie Vogelmann 9 min read

GLADSTONE - A local brewery and lavender company teamed up with best-selling author J.L. Hyde on Tuesday to celebrate the release of Hyde's newest novel, drawing readers from across the country to downtown Gladstone.

The well-attended book release party, hosted by Saunders Point Brewing, marked the official release of "The Widow Nora," the second book in Hyde's Westridge Cove Mystery series and her 12th published book.

For Tuesday's event, Lavender Co., owned by Whitney Comps, created an exclusive candle called “The Widow,” inspired by "The Widow Nora." The candle features a blend of tobacco, smoked cedar, mahogany and warm vanilla.

Saunders Point Brewing, owned by Jake and Bekka Mills, also crafted a special product for the occasion: "Widow's Wheat," a black cherry and almond wheat beer brewed specifically for Hyde's book release.

Jake described the beer as "a crisp, refreshing American wheat ale featuring vibrant black cherry aroma and flavor layered over a smooth wheat malt base, with a subtle almond note that enhances the fruit and creates a hint of cherry pie in the finish."

Hyde said she was fortunate to be closely involved with both businesses as they developed their products for the release. She also worked at a brewery for a period of years while living down south, making the opportunity to return to the brewing process especially enjoyable.

"Jake was kind enough to invite me to the brewery last month and allowed me to be involved in the brewing process for Widow's Wheat, the beer made specifically for this release party. He also involved me in choosing the type of beer and flavor profile," Hyde said.

According to Jake, Tuesday's event was Saunders Point Brewing's first book release event, although the brewery has participated in several collaborations with local businesses and hosted numerous arts and crafts events.

"When we do these collabs, I like to have someone sit down with me and discuss what kind of beers they enjoy, and I will start explaining to them the recipe and how the grains and hops work together," Jake said. "Then I invite them to come and brew with us on our 1BBL pilot system, so they can see the brewing process firsthand."

Jake also said he enjoys collaborations between his business and others because of how beneficial the events can be for both parties.

"There are a lot of people who follow J.L. Hyde and will come to the brewery and get a chance for an autographed book. Those people have probably never stepped into our place, and they will get a chance to be opened up to what a unique and fun place we have," Jake added.

The creation of Lavender Co.'s candle followed a similar collaborative process.

"Whitney has involved me every step of the way, from choosing the scents to creating the labels," Hyde said. "Luckily, she's a professional, so I let her take the wheel on making those decisions, and I tend to agree with whatever she lands on."

Comps described the exclusive candle as "the perfect scent for curling up on the couch and diving deep into a witchy, murder mystery."

Comps and Hyde began developing the scent profile in July.

"(Hyde) gave me a direction of the mood and vibe she wanted for a scent to pair with the second book. I spent basically the entire month of August trying different scent combos and driving everyone in the two block radius of the Rialto Center crazy with 'Here, smell this one!' until we found the perfect combo!" Comps said.

100 of “The Widow” candles were made exclusively for Tuesday's event, and all 100 sold out. However, Comps isn't ruling out the possibility of making more down the road.

"You never know... I still get requests for the first candle, Thornwick," Comps said.

Comps, like Saunders Point Brewing, has experience collaborating with other local businesses. In addition to creating special scent profiles, Lavender Co.'s lavender has been used in syrups at Superbloom Coffee House and Saunders Point Brewing.

Hyde said Tuesday's event had been in the works since before she finished "The Widow Nora." A loyal Lavender Co. customer, Hyde was excited when Comps suggested creating a candle to accompany the new book.

The two first collaborated on a candle for Hyde's first Westridge Cove Mystery novel, "Witches of Westridge."

"(Comps) and I both greatly underestimated how many people would want to scoop one up, and she sold out of the candles for book one in less than five minutes," Hyde said. "Needless to say, she made a lot more candles this time around! I was so excited when we nailed down the fragrance for this one; it's the exact scent I would choose if I were shopping for candles myself."

Hyde also said she frequently purchases tickets to special events at Saunders Point Brewing. When Jake introduced himself to her at a beer pairing dinner and expressed interest in partnering on an event, Hyde took him up on the offer for her most recent release.

"Other than pairing with Lavender Co. on a candle for the first book, this is my first real collaborative event in the area," Hyde said. "I've done several signings at the Escanaba Library and Leigh's Garden Winery, but I wanted to do something in my hometown of Gladstone to honor the place I came from and also to show visitors how special downtown Gladstone is."

Additionally, the Gladstone Dairy Flo is offering an ice cream dish called “Nora’s Apple Crisp” made especially for Hyde’s new book. The junior polar freeze — available until the end of the Gladstone Dairy Flo’s 2026 season — features a vanilla soft serve with apple pie filling, caramel and streusel crumbs with a witch’s broom.

Tuesday’s event drew significant interest, with 285 people responding to the Facebook event listing prior to the event. Readers awaiting their chance to meet Hyde were wrapped around the building Tuesday night.

One of Hyde's loyal readers traveled all the way from Texas to attend.

Korie Kiser first connected with Hyde several years ago after Kiser and other mothers in her area formed a book club. Hyde frequently meets with book clubs, often over Zoom, to discuss her books.

Kiser and Hyde have remained in contact since.

"I literally made the decision on Sunday to fly up yesterday, so I didn't even tell (Hyde) until the very last minute because I wasn't sure I was going to make it," Kiser said. "Then I got to surprise her. I was like, 'If I'm not the farthest one (traveling in), I'm shocked.'"

Kiser said she particularly enjoys Hyde's books because of their genre and writing style.

"I love mystery and suspense, and (Hyde’s) are just clean, wholesome ones that aren't crazy gory or anything," Kiser said. "She's definitely up there in some of the top authors that I love for that type of book."

Although Hyde said she can become quite nervous before events like Tuesday's, she said the outpouring of support from the community and readers quickly puts those nerves into perspective.

"If I think too much about how supportive and wonderful this community has been to me, I'll get emotional," Hyde said. "This is why I keep my donations local and try to always say yes when organizations reach out for help; I'll spend the rest of my life trying to repay the residents of Delta County for all the love and support they've shown me."

As for Hyde's novel, she said "The Widow Nora" centers on the disappearance of three teenage girls in 1993 who were accused of witchcraft by their small Upper Peninsula hometown.

In the book's present day, the town has become a mecca for true-crime enthusiasts, drawing Halloween crowds comparable to those in Salem, Massachusetts. Two members of the missing girls' families still live in Westridge Cove and operate a small café, according to Hyde's description of the novel.

"The Widow Nora" follows the women on Halloween night 2026 as they experience a string of murders that may be connected to the original crime, Hyde said.

The idea for the book came from Hyde's own trip to Salem.

"I visited Salem for the first time, and although I loved every minute of it, I couldn't help but be struck by the fact that we were all descending on this town to celebrate Halloween and enjoy all the witch-themed tours and businesses, when in reality, these were innocent men and women who were put to death," Hyde said. "I couldn't imagine how it must feel for descendants of those victims to see everyone show up in this little town every year, so I did what I always do: I imagined what it would be like if that happened in our area."

Hyde changed the timeline in the novel from the 1600s to the 1990s because the decade is one of her favorite eras to write about. A number of her novels feature a strong 1990s influence.

Fans may also notice another departure from Hyde's previous work. The Westridge Cove Mystery series is her first to explore fantastical elements.

"There's a little bit of magic in this one, which was incredibly fun to write. It's always a little nerve-wracking when I try something outside of the norm, because I never want to disappoint my loyal readers, but luckily the early reviews have been great so I'm feeling much more relaxed and excited about release day," Hyde said prior to the event.

Hyde sold 324 copies of her books Tuesday night, with 155 of those being "The Widow Nora.”

Locally, readers can find “The Widow Nora” at Canterbury Bookstore in Escanaba, The Mill in Manistique and Bromley's Books and Snowbound Books in Marquette. Hyde also noted that The Book Nook in Menominee and Northern Nook in Newberry have supported her work and typically carry an assortment of her books.

Hyde's books are also available wherever e-books are sold.

As for future collaborations, Hyde said she enjoys supporting small businesses throughout Delta County and remains open to new opportunities.

"As long as the collaboration makes sense, I'm all ears," Hyde said.

The third and final book in the Westridge Cove series is already in the works, with a tentative release date of Feb. 5, 2027. Hyde then plans to write another standalone murder mystery, which she expects to release in fall 2027.

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Sophie Vogelmann can be reached at 906-786-2021, ext. 148, or svogelmann@dailypress.net.

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