Courtney Kelly sits down for a Q&A with dru’s book musings responding to twenty or more questions so that we can learn more about her. Are you ready? Let’s get to know Courtney.
What is your full name?
Hi. I’m Courtney Bayles Kelly. My middle name is a tribute to my mother’s side of the family. Her name was Bronte Bayles.
How old are you?
I’m thirty.
What is your profession?
I am the proud owner of a fairy garden shop in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, called Open Your Imagination. It’s located in the Cypress and Ivy Courtyard. Carmel is known for its unique courtyards. You might have seen Carmel if you’ve ever watched golf. It’s known for the Pebble Beach Golf Course. And years ago, Clint Eastwood—yes, the actor—was the mayor of Carmel. There’s a rich history to the town. Prompted by the San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906, members of the city’s cultural community decided to make Carmel their permanent home.
Do you have a significant other?
I don’t. Yet. My ex-fiancé ended our engagement the day after our engagement party. Big surprise to me. Looking back, I’m glad he did. We were never exactly right for each other.
However I do have a good male friend. His name is Brady Cash. He owns the Hideaway Café and is a fabulous cook, photographer, and all-around guy. We met back in high school and reconnected when I walked into the café and learned he was the owner. The café is across the street from my shop.
Do you have any children?
No.
Do you have any siblings?
No. But I have a best friend, Meaghan Brownie, who is like a sister to me. She runs Flair Gallery, a high-end art gallery located at the other end of the courtyard.
Are your parents nearby?
My father is. A former cop until he suffered a knee injury that ended that career, he is now a preeminent landscaper in the Carmel area. I used to work for him until I struck out on my own. My mother, sadly, passed away when I was ten.
Who is your best friend?
As I mentioned above, Meaghan Brownie. Given her last name, she has a penchant for making brownies and is always on the hunt for a new recipe. I love her to pieces.
Do you have any pets?
I do. Pixie is my Ragdoll cat. She is adorable and has the most beautiful flame markings on her forehead.
What town do you live in?
Carmel-by-the-Sea or as some call it, Carmel, California.
Do you live in a small town or a big city?
It’s a modest-sized town with a little less than four thousand residents.
Type of dwelling and do you own or rent?
I rent a darling cottage-style home from my neighbor, Holly Hopewell. When she learned I was in the market, she approached me. She taught my mother how to paint. The cottage is named Dream-by-the-Sea; some homes in Carmel have names but not all.
What is your favorite spot in your home?
I love sitting in my garden and enjoying what I’ve created. When I moved into the cottage, the gardens were overrun and suffering. With a little love and patience, I have been able to fashion the house and both the front and rear gardens into something special. The rear garden features a fountain, a number of fairy gardens, and, of course, my greenhouse where I create gardens for private customers.
Favorite meal and dessert?
I love fish, so I’d have to say my favorite is sole with a beurre blanc sauce and sauteed spinach or roasted asparagus or a crisp green salad. But I also adore heartier food like steaks and burgers. For dessert, I adore anything served with ice cream. I’m a pushover for a sundae. And I love brownies!
Do you have any hobbies?
Well, fairy gardening is my life but it is also my hobby. I’m also an amateur photographer. I prefer “macro” photography, focusing on the smallest detail, like a grasshopper balancing on the lip of a rose petal.
What is your favorite vacation spot?
Next to Carmel—there’s almost no place prettier with its gorgeous beach, the fabulous ocean, and the hiking trails—I love to visit Napa Valley for a wine tasting or drive to Lake Tahoe to drink in the mountain air. I would love to travel to Ireland someday. I have yet to go.
What music do you listen to?
I enjoy a number of styles including classical and jazz—I particularly like a saxophone solo. But I also like 70s rock music. That was my mother’s favorite music. She was a huge fan of Chicago, Fleetwood Mac, and the Who.
Do you have a favorite book?
Rebecca. I’ve devoured it a dozen times. Whenever I read that first line, it sweeps me into the story. But I will admit I also loved Bridget Jones’s Diary. I appreciated how she was able to recreate herself and find her purpose as well as her confidence with a bawdy sense of humor.
What is your idea of a really fun time?
I love hiking and taking photographs and enjoying a picnic of cheese, fruit, and salami and fresh sourdough breads. With good conversation or simply no conversation at all. If I don’t have work to do after the jaunt, I would enjoy a glass of wine. We have some fabulous wineries in Central California.
If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
Trust in the Magic or Believe You Can. Changing one’s course takes courage.
Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
I am an amateur sleuth. A year after I opened Open Your Imagination, I found a dead man lying on the outdoor patio of the shop, and the police considered me a suspect. I don’t have a malicious bone in my body. I had to clear my name. My fairy—I should tell you a tad about Fiona—she’s a righteous fairy that I met the day I opened the shop. As a girl, I’d seen a fairy, but when my mother died, I lost the ability. [My mother had the gift, too; my father doesn’t believe in all this nonsense.] When I took the chance to spread my wings and invest in my business, Fiona appeared. She has blue hair, gossamer wings, sparkly silver shoes, and she glows, and she’s no bigger than my longest finger. As a righteous fairy, she is supposed to help humans solve problems. The more she helps humans, the more quickly she will grow her adult wings. Hopefully, she will win the favor of the queen fairy who booted her out of the fairy world because Fiona was a bit of an imp. She’s learning and she’s delightful, and I don’t know what I would do without her.
In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
I run on the beach and eat breakfast and then go to work. Early. I like to tweak things in the shop to make sure that our customers enjoy their shopping excursions. On the patio, which is covered by a pyramid-style glass roof, I prepare items that I might need for private or group classes. I don’t teach customers every day, but I do often, so I need to confirm that we have enough fairy figurines and pots and plants on hand. My assistant, Joss Timberlake, who is a godsend to me, helps me ready the shop. Joss, who is in her fifties and looks a bit like an elf, left her accounting job to enjoy a new life at our shop. She is a creative thinker and grounded through and through. Often, I might make a fairy garden for a customer. Plus I tweak our website and post blogs about our work, our creations, and more. Pixie always comes to the shop with me. Fiona has a choice of sleeping at my house or nesting in the trees on the patio. She adores Pixie.
What is a typical day when you are on a case?
Hmm. A typical day still involves doing all of the above. If I need to sleuth—a word that makes me laugh, if I’m honest—I’ll put Joss in charge of everything, and then Fiona and I will either investigate or mull over ideas. As a photographer and as a believer in the magical world, I have an eye for detail, like my mother did, but like my father, I also have a discerning mind and I like to think outside the box. Let’s just say that he, like the police, would like me to keep my nose out of things, but if I see something, I say something. It’s the right thing to do.
Thank you so much for your questions. I do hope you’ll visit Open Your Imagination soon. I’ll be glad to teach you how to make a fairy garden. We have teas on the patio with music on Saturdays. That’s a good way to introduce yourself to the place. And bring your pet. Dogs and cats are welcome to enter most of the shops in Carmel. It’s a pet-friendly town. See you soon.
A Glimmer of a Clue, A Fairy Garden Mystery #2
Genre: Cozy
Release: June 2021
Purchase Link
It’s a special place brimming with good vibes, lush greenery, miniature fairy accessories, and soothing fountains; the perfect venue for book club teas and home to a cat named Pixie. But in Carmel-by-the-Sea, things aren’t all sweetness and fairy lights. . .
When Courtney’s friend Wanda gets into a ponytail-pulling wrestling match in public with a nasty local art critic, Courtney stops the fight with the help of a garden hose. But Lana Lamar has a talent for escalating things and creating tension, which she succeeds in doing by threatening a lawsuit, getting into yet another scuffle–in the midst of an elegant fundraiser, no less–and lobbing insults around like pickleballs.
Next thing Courtney knows, Lana is on the floor, stabbed with a decorative letter opener from one of Courtney’s fairy gardens, and Wanda is standing by asking “What have I done?” But the answer may not be as obvious as it seems, since Wanda is prone to sleepwalking and appears to be in a daze. Could she have risen from her nap and committed murder while unconscious? Or is the guilty party someone else Lana’s ticked off, like her long-suffering husband? To find out, Courtney will have to dig up some dirt. . .
About the author
Daryl writes the bestselling the Cookbook Nook Mysteries, the French Bistro Mysteries, and the Fairy Garden Mysteries. As Avery Aames, she wrote the Cheese Shop Mysteries. Fun Tidbit: as an actress, Daryl appeared in “Murder, She Wrote.” She has also jumped out of a perfectly good airplane and hitchhiked around Ireland by herself.
*****
Daryl has generously offered to give away a copy of A Sprinkling of Murder or A Glimmer of a Clue, either e-book or print (U.S. residents only), winner’s choice. To enter, please leave a comment below. The giveaway ends July 1, 2021. Good luck everyone!
All comments are welcomed.
I am a fan of this author and would love to win her book!
The cover is awesome!!!
Thank you for the giveaway!!!
Cyn, I’ve been so lucky to have such a talented artist! She does love magical. 🙂 ~ Daryl
Sounds like a charming setting for this series. Enjoyed the interview. The author has led an interesting life.
Sharon, that’s an understatement. Yes, my life has been certainly a different path from most. But I love it and it stirs my creativity. All my best, Daryl
Linda, so lovely to see you hear. You have been a terrific fan. 🙂 ~ Daryl
Thanks Daryl and Courtney for dropping by the blog today.
DruAnn, thank you so much for inviting Courtney to do an interview for you. You always provide such insightful questions. And thank you for always being such a positive presence in the lives of authors. With lots of love and cyber hugs. ~ Daryl
Love the cover…and the book. It’s fun and whimsical and, after reading both books in the series, I need my own fairy garden (and fairy).
Thanks for the chance.
I am just finishing up the first book and loving it! I can’t wait to read A Glimmer of A Clue. Winning a copy would be amazing. We all need a little more magic in our lives!
Heather, I’m thrilled to hear it.
Daryl, your Fairy Garden Mystery Series makes me happy! Hope it goes on for a very long time.
Judy, from your lips . . . It makes me happy to write it and spend time with Fiona. 🙂 ~ Daryl
Happy Release Day, Daryl. Love the cover…and the book. It’s fun and whimsical and, after reading both books in the series, I want a fairy garden of my own (complete with a fairy, of course. LOL).
Thanks for the chance.
I can’t wait to read it. Thank you for the chance.
Brenda, I hope you enjoy it when you do. Thanks for chiming in. ~ Daryl
Thanks for the opportunity. The cover is gorgeous. Fairy garden shop is a great idea!
This sounds wonderful. Daryl is such a good writer. Thanks for the giveaway.
Violet, thanks for the boost!!
First, I love Daryl books!! I love the cover it is absolutely beautiful! This sounds sooo good!!!
Thank you for the chance to win your great giveaway!!!!
Sherry, I love your enthusiasm. 😉
Love the Q&A!
Thanks, Mary!! Dru does such a great job.
I love all your books! Thank you for sharing your talent with us! Best wishes on your new book release.
Patti, thanks for putting a smile on my face.
I love gardening, so I know I want to read this.
Theresa, I love fellow gardeners!
This sounds like a great cozy, thank you for the chance to win a copy.
wfnren at aol dot com
Wendy, thank you for joining in the fun.
I’m waiting with baited breath for my copy to show up at my doorstep.
Nora-Adrienne, I hope you enjoy the read. Thanks for all your support.
Loved the interview. I’m enjoying this series and look forward to more adventures with these characters. Thanks for a chance to win!
Lori, I hope there will be many more. 🙂
Terrific series, so I know this one will also be enjoyable. Thanks for writing it.
Barbara, thanks fir the confidence in me.
I love this introduction to Courtney. I’ve read the first book so some of it was familiar. I can’t wait to read this book, as I really enjoyed the first.
Jeannette, I’m so glad you enjoyed the first in the series. It’s always so fun for an author to create a new world.
Congratulations! I can’t wait to delve into this series also! My TBR pile gets larger by the day! I’m not sure I’ll ever catch up! Lol!
Tracy, I’m not sure I will either! LOL
Would love a chance to win a copy of this book. Love the cover. Love the series and hope their are many more books in the series.
I’d love to have A Glimmer of a Clue and find out more about the fairies. Thanks for the chance.
Sally, I hope you’ll try the series out. I’ve had such fun writing it.
Looking forward to my more adventures. Thank you for a fairy that is impish like my daughter.
Angela, fairies can be quite impish. But they do mature, as will your daughter. 🙂
WOW…..such a beautiful, shining, glowing cover on this new book! I love 💕 it! I am a super duper huge fan of your other awesome books 📚 dear Daryl, and I am so excited to read this new book! 📕. It sounds really thrilling! Sure would love to win it! Thank you so much dear Dru Ann and dear Daryl for the chance! Hugs 🤗 💜🌈📚📕😊
Beverly, it’s so lovely to see you here. I’m thrilled that you enjoy my other books. That always makes an author smile. 🙂
Loved this interview, What a way to tease Daryl Wood Gerber’s fans.
Joanne, I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
I can’t wait to read this! I loved the first one.
legallyblonde1961@yahoo.com
Kara, thanks. You have been a staunch fan! I appreciate it. 🙂
Hi Daryl, it was nice to get a chance to hear about your books at the Hot Cozies event tonight. I enjoyed reading this interview and getting to know you a bit better. Photography is a huge hobby of mine as well, and the macro photography sure takes patience. I’m looking forward to reading your books!
Sharelle, I’m so glad to see you here and happy you attended the Hot Cozies event. And I really appreciate a good photographer. I’m an amateur hacker at best. LOL
I”ve been looking forward to this one, would love a print copy!
Teresa, so glad you came to read the interview. Nice to see you here.
**** WINNER ****
A Glimmer of a Clue is Heather Rose
Congratulations!