Late October is my favorite time of year—and not just because I’m a witch. In fact, as witches go, I pretty much just fumble along, just like my grandmother, great grandmother and countless Bellamy women before me, all of whom recorded their attempts at spells and potions in a book that was passed down to me. The Bellamy Book of Spells & Miscellany.

The “miscellany” part is mainly Jell-O recipes, some of which work about as well as the spells. Meaning not very well.

Fortunately, I’m actually a very good cook, because I host a lot of gatherings at my art studio, the Owl & Crescent Art Barn, which I share with an owl named Rembrandt, a cat named Luna, and a rescue pig named Mortimer.

Usually, the parties go well. Guests paint a scene I create, drink a little wine from my friend Pepper Armbruster’s family vineyard, and enjoy some snacks. Things were even going surprisingly great the night my crotchety neighbor, Evangeline Fletcher, deigned to join a gathering sponsored by the Zephyr Hollow Small Business Alliance.

But then Mortimer wandered off in a storm, returning home with a very unexpected visitor. Evangeline disappeared in the middle of the night. And, oh, by the way, a tall, handsome, dark-haired stranger I’d painted on canvas, using just my imagination, showed up in real life, claiming to be a detective.

My little coven—just me, Pepper and my other best friend, Astrid Applebee—aren’t sure we believe Lucien Turner is who he claims to be. Pepper thinks I might’ve even conjured Detective Turner to life, because I do have some special abilities when it comes to paint and canvas.

Still, that theory seems a little farfetched, given that we Bellamy women can’t even reliably cure poison ivy with a potion. (It totally backfired.) And yet, sometimes, when Rembrandt flies off, following Detective Turner into the night, I can’t help but wonder if something even stranger than murder is going on in the artsy little hamlet I call home.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to gather a few candles, some herbs from my garden and one of Rembrandt’s feathers to cast a little spell, in hopes of finding the truth about my neighbor’s death. It’s a bit of a dangerous undertaking—Luna is meowing strongly in objection—but I’ve done it safely before, and I at least want to try. Evangeline wasn’t the kindest woman, but everyone deserves justice, right? So wish me luck!

You can read more about Willow in A Brushstroke with Death, the first book in the NEW “Owl And Crescent” cozy mystery series, released October 29, 2019 and only available at Barnes & Noble until October 31, 2020.

Near the creek that runs behind her Pennsylvania house, Willow Bellamy has converted an old barn into an art school—though the place does still have some animal inhabitants, including Rembrandt, the owl who lives up in the rafters. And while it’s important for any artist to have a vision, Willow can sometimes see things others can’t, just like her mother and grandmother before her. Not that she would exactly call herself a witch . . .

When some local merchants gather in the studio for a painting party, they focus their attention on a still life with flowers and an assortment of garden tools, including antique pruning shears that disappear—at the same time despised restaurant owner Evangeline Fletcher is murdered. Willow must use all her gifts to find the killer, although it means teaming up with a handsome, mysterious detective whom Willow fears she may have accidentally conjured from a canvas. This investigation is sure to be a hoot . . .

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About the author
Bethany Blake lives in a quaint little Pennsylvania town with her husband, three daughters and a menagerie of pets. When she’s not writing mysteries, she’s part of a professional creative team, a sometimes college teacher and an explorer — of ideas, rivers, musical styles, other countries. . . whatever is available to be explored!

To learn more about Bethany, visit her website at bethanyblakeauthor.com.

All comments are welcomed.