Being frantic is not a good thing. I move too fast, and I don’t think things through. That can be a dangerous combination and, frankly, overwhelming. Why have I been feeling swamped? Well, because I’ve got too much on my plate. Do you ever do that? Load up with chores and obligations and think, what in the heck have I gotten myself into?

Here’s what lays ahead that has me breathing high in my chest. The Summer Blooms Festival, for one. For three days, Carmel-by-the-Sea will close four blocks of Junipero. There will be vendors selling plants and flowers, and there will be live music and delicious food. Open Your Imagination, my fairy garden shop, is going to have a booth there. Joss, my indispensable right hand and a whiz with numbers, convinced me to rent a spot, believing a presence at the event will help us win over new customers. A small business like mine can always use new customers. But it’s a lot to set it up plus man the booth with only Joss and me and a part-time employee. I tell myself it will go off without a hitch, but there are moments when I don’t believe myself. After all, how many times in the past few years have things gone awry, like—

No, Courtney. Don’t go down that rabbit hole. No one is going to be murdered.

In addition to the festival prep, I have fairy figurine orders to put in, I’ll be giving multiple fairy garden classes, I’m cultivating a new plot of land at Daphne’s Flower Farm so I can grow some of the plants we use for fairy gardens, AND I will be hosting the monthly book club on the shop’s patio.

Oh, geez, I just remembered that I invited a few of my online forum chat friends to the shop today for tea. Gack!!

Breathe, Courtney!

Who are these friends? Daphne, Petunia, Genevieve, and Scarlet. We haven’t known each other long. We talk gardens and flowers, and I thought, seeing as we’re moving into the summer months, we could all share pointers on how to improve our gardens. Daphne understands soil and fertilizer and is kindness personified. Petunia is an expert flower arranger who thrives on making the world a prettier place. Genevieve, a podcaster and influencer, is business savvy and has a wicked sense of humor. Scarlet has an eye for design, and though she can be quite opinionated, I appreciate her honesty.

“What’s that, Pixie?” My darling Ragdoll is mewing loudly and swiping my leg with her tail. “Yes, sweet cat. Don’t worry. I’m going for my run on the beach.” I love the sound of the ocean, and exercise is good for my soul.

“Courtney!” Fiona cries, flying to me from the kitchen. I met my teensy fairy friend over a year ago when I opened my fairy garden shop. “Is everything okay?” She looks worried.

“Of course,” I say. “Why wouldn’t it be?” Sure, I’m hyperventilating, but that’s normal given the day ahead.

“Because . . . because . . .” She can’t catch her breath. “I’m going on the run with you.”

Fiona’s unease throws me for a loop. “Why? Is something bad about to happen?”

A Twinkle of Trouble, A Fairy Garden Mystery Book #5
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: April 2024
Format: Print, Digital, Audio
Purchase Link

Carmel-by-the-Sea garden shop owner Courtney Kelly sees things others can’t—like fairies, and hidden motives for murder . . .

Courtney is delighted when her tiny friend Fiona returns from the fairy realm, appearing at the base of a Cypress tree. When her Ragdoll cat, Pixie, emerges from her own portal—aka the cat door—the three set off for a busy day. Busier than usual, since Courtney has rented a small plot of land at the Flower Farm, where she hopes to grow her own supplies for her fairy-garden business. Plus, the annual Summer Blooms Festival is coming up, and Courtney has booked a booth . . .

But the murder of Courtney’s friend, Genevieve, casts a pall over the festival. Ever since Genevieve sold her floral business, she’d been building a career as an influencer. She was perennially opinionated—but in her new role she’d become surprisingly vicious, dissing local entrepreneurs with nasty posts and unwarranted bad reviews. That’s landed a couple of Courtney’s other friends on the suspect list—including Flower Farm owner Daphne Flores. And when a second victim is discovered, seeds of doubt about Daphne’s innocence sprout in Courtney’s mind. With only a germ of a clue, Courtney will have to overturn every rock to get the dirt on the real killer . . .

About the author
Daryl Wood Gerber is the Agatha Award-winning, nationally bestselling author of the Fairy Garden Mysteries, the French Bistro Mysteries, and the Cookbook Nook Mysteries, as well as the Cheese Shop Mysteries written under the name Avery Aames. She also writes standalone suspense novels and the Aspen Adams Novels of Suspense. Prior to her career as a novelist, she was an actress with roles in television shows including “Murder, She Wrote,” and she wrote for the popular TV sitcom “Out of this World.” Originally from the Bay Area, she now lives in Southern California where she likes to cook, garden and spend time with her frisky Goldendoodle named Sparky. Visit her online at DarylWoodGerber.com.