Have you ever not known what you wanted to do in life? I recently was laid off from my third position this year, and everyone’s telling me to take a chance and do what I really want to do. Only, I don’t know what that is. I dropped out of nursing school because I couldn’t stand the sight of blood, and retail positions are too up and down with the economy.

So I’m on my way to Thisbe Harbor, up in northern Ohio on the shores of Lake Erie, to spend the weekend with my parents, younger brother, and grandfather. The town is hosting their inaugural Smallmouth Bass Festival, and I’m hoping it’ll take my mind off my current hopeless plight. Or give me some ideas…Although I’m not sure what kind of business ideas I could get from a festival named after a smallmouth bass.

If anything, it’ll be good to be back. My brother and I grew up coming to Thisbe Harbor for several weeks each summer. Mimi and Papa lived near the beach, and it was the highlight of my every year to splash in the freshwater waves and down as much ice cream as I wanted at the local parlor. But after Mimi passed and my mother and aunt stopped talking to each other, we no longer vacationed at Thisbe Harbor.

And as we drive through town to get to the marina, I see things have changed. The ice cream parlor is closed, a lot of the downtown is boarded up. Only a small handful of tourists walk the crumbling sidewalks. Theo, my brother, says the festival is a last-ditch effort to save the town from bankruptcy. I hope they succeed, and I’d like to help if I can.

Little do I know just how much I’ll be needed. My grandfather is planning his own last-ditch effort to bring our family back together, and it’ll take everything in me to keep mom and my aunt from going for each other’s throats.

And when my aunt is accused of murdering the marina owner the day the festival begins, well, let’s just say this weekend will be one to remember. I only hope I can find the real murderer before my family goes up in smoke.

BEATRICE OPHELIA IS FLICKERING OUT
Series Name: A Lake Erie Mystery, Book 1
Genre: Humorous Cozy Mystery
Release: March 2026
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link

Beatrice Sawyer is flickering out, for what might be the last time.

After being laid off yet again, Beatrice returns with her family to her childhood summer home to unwind. And maybe figure out how to move out of her parents’ basement. The town is hosting their inaugural Smallmouth Bass Festival as a last-wick effort to attract tourists, and Beatrice hopes volunteering might shed some light on her future.

At first, things seem to be brightening. Beatrice rediscovers the candle shop her grandmother once owned, and a new dream sparks to life.

Until she stumbles upon her estranged aunt dragging away the marina owner’s body.

When her grandfather insists on his daughter’s innocence, Beatrice must shelve her newfound dream and team up with her brother and childhood best friend to clear her aunt’s name. But as they dig deeper, Beatrice wonders whether their efforts will mend their family ties-or if she’ll fail to save her aunt and have to watch her family go up in smoke.

Meet the author
Megan is a lover of tea obsessed with autumn days in her Spare Oom with a book in her lap. When she isn’t chasing her hobbit sons around the house, she’s dreaming about stories of mystery and magic. Megan, her husband, and sons live on a mini-farm in the country where they live out their homesteading dreams. Her debut novel Beatrice Ophelia is Flickering Out is a cozy mystery releasing in March 2026, and you can read the first three chapters on her website megangerig.com.