Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™ve been fascinated by paranormal stories for years. One of the first books I truly loved was A Wrinkle in Time. I loved the Dragons of Pern, as well. As a girl, I read more stories featuring witches and magical creatures than one ought. But I also loved mysteriesā€”Nancy Drew, as well as all the Agatha Christie books. At present, Iā€™m working on my fifth Fairy Garden Mystery, and I recently completed a mystery novella featuring an elf. To round out the experience, I have personally crafted over fifty fairy gardens. Iā€™m pretty certain a fairy spirit had something to do with my obsession... or perhaps it all started when I kissed the Blarney Stone.


I wrote

A Flicker of a Doubt

By Daryl Wood Gerber,

Book cover of A Flicker of a Doubt

What is my book about?

Fairy garden store owner Courtney Kelly believes in inviting magic into oneā€™s life. But when uninvited trouble enters her shop,ā€¦

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Secondhand Spirits

Daryl Wood Gerber Why did I love this book?

I love this series.

Lily Ivory, who owns a vintage clothing shop in San Francisco, wants to fit in somewhere and conceal her ā€œwitchinessā€.

She is spiritual and stylish and has a charming sense of humor. Just when life seems normal, she stumbles onto a spooky murder.

This book ticks off all the boxes for a fun and mentally stimulating read. Lilyā€™s familiar is an adorable, witty pig. Thereā€™s a sexy myth buster who is enticing. And thereā€™s a powerful warlock who is her nemesis.

Such a fun read!

By Juliet Blackwell,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Secondhand Spirits as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Love the vintage- not the ghosts

Lily Ivory feels that she can finally fit in somewhere and conceal her "witchiness" in San Francisco. It's there that she opens her vintage clothing shop, outfitting customers both spiritually and stylistically.

Just when things seem normal, a client is murdered and children start disappearing from the Bay Area. Lily has a good idea that some bad phantoms are behind it. Can she keep her identity secret, or will her witchy ways be forced out of the closet as she attempts to stop the phantom?


Book cover of Murder in Devil's Cove

Daryl Wood Gerber Why did I love this book?

I was swept away by this story. The magic and mystery were entrancing.

Pippin and her twin brother, Grey, live on the Outer Banks island of Devilā€™s Cove. Pippin has a rare gift.

She is a bibliomancer, meaning she can ā€œreadā€ books. Can you imagine? Iā€™d love to have that ability.

In this story, Pippin needs to break the curse that has haunted her family for two thousand years. The story is original and deftly crafted with a wonderful blend of books and magic. 

By Melissa Bourbon,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Murder in Devil's Cove as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

#1 Amazon Bestseller! Perfect for fans of Ellery Adams, Carlene O'Connor, and Barbara Freethy.

ā€œ...a deftly crafted and impressively original novel by an author with a genuine flair for originality...certain to be an unusual, immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collectionsā€¦ā€ ~Midwest Book Review


After twenty years, Pippin Lane Hawthorne and her twin brother, Grey, return to their birth placeā€”the Outer Banks island of Devilā€™s Cove. But what was supposed to be a chance at a new life turns sinister when their fatherā€™s old fishing boat reveals a dark secret.

Now Pippin must embrace her fate asā€¦


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Book cover of Don't Look Down

Don't Look Down by Matthew Becker,

The thrilling follow-up to RUN, a Finalist for BestThrillers' Book of the Year.

Veronica Walshā€™s meticulously created ā€˜normalā€™ life was torn apart by the public revelations about her past.She is trying to put the pieces back together when a desperate Mikaela Alonso comes to her asking for help. Sheā€¦

Book cover of Read And Gone

Daryl Wood Gerber Why did I love this book?

I love stories set in libraries. They take me back to my first days of reading and checking out books.

Carrie Singleton is the head of programs and events at a local library and is friends with the libraryā€™s very own ghost, Evelyn. When Carrieā€™s estranged father shows up and wants Carrie to help him recover his half of a rare gem heist, sheā€™s conflicted.

When her father winds up in jail for a murderā€”she hopes he didnā€™t commitā€”sheā€™s determined to discover the truth.

This is a delightful and spirited bookā€”pun intendedā€”and, yes, in addition to a wealth of library books, there is an adorable library cat named Smokey Joe.

By Allison Brook,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Read And Gone as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Agatha Award Nominee: A cache of missing gems brings Carrie Singletonā€™s larcenous dad back into her lifeā€”and only she can clear his name

A devoted dad is as precious as diamonds, but Carrie Singleton wouldnā€™t know since her dad Jimā€™s been on the lam most of her life. In an unusual family reunion, she finds Jim breaking into her cottage in the middle of the night. The fun really starts when he begs her to help him recover his half of a twenty-million-dollar gem heist he pulled off with the local jeweler, Benton Parr. When she refuses, Jim takes offā€¦


Book cover of A Spell For Trouble

Daryl Wood Gerber Why did I love this book?

I so enjoyed this story about water witches that I included it as the book club read in my 4th book.

(Yes, in my books there are teas on Saturday afternoons at Open Your Imagination, a fairy garden shop.)

Before diving into A Spell for Trouble, I had no idea what a water witch was. Like me, the protagonist Aleksandra Daniels didnā€™t know much about them, either.

To a normal person, they might be considered mermaids, but they are much, much more! Aleksandra visits her aunt and cousins, having only heard the rumors about water witches being magical healers.

When she gets enmeshed in their world, she learns who she is at her core, and she discovers her passion.

I love when a story not only enthralls me but educates me. Truly enjoyable.

By Esme Addison,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Spell For Trouble as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Fans of Ellery Adams and Heather Blake will be charmed by this seaside cozy mystery series full of humor and heart, mermaids and magic

Aleksandra Daniels hasnā€™t set foot in the quiet seaside town of Bellamy Bay, North Carolina in over twenty years. Ever since her motherā€™s tragic death, her father has mysteriously forbidden her from visiting her aunt and cousins. But on a whim, Alex accepts an invitation to visit her estranged relatives and to help them in their family business: an herbal apothecary known for its remarkably potent teas, salves, and folk remedies.

Bellamy Bay doesnā€™t look likeā€¦


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Book cover of Pride's Children: Purgatory

Pride's Children by Alicia Butcher Ehrhardt,

Prideā€™s Children is a captivating, contemporary story about love, regret, ambition, and obsession - with a glitzy backdrop. Closer examination reveals a textured and soul-searching novel that serves as a poignant reminder that we are defined by our choices - and their consequences. The treatment of an enigmatic and life-alteringā€¦

Book cover of The Accidental Alchemist

Daryl Wood Gerber Why did I love this book?

Years ago, I met Gigi Pandian at a mystery conference. She is a gifted and spiritual woman. I adore her writing.

In this book, Zoe Faust, an alchemist, moves to the Northwest and discovers a stowaway in her luggageā€”a live gargoyle named Dorian who can cook French cuisine! Oh, man, wouldnā€™t you love to have a ā€œfamiliarā€ that cooks?

Zoe moved, hoping to put her old life behind her, but she canā€™t when she discovers her new friend Dorian is turning to stone and only she can save him. 

This story is clever beyond words. FYI, Gigi is a gargoyle expert! If you meet her, ask to see her collection of photographs.

By Gigi Pandian,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Accidental Alchemist as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Filled with magic, intrigue, and humor, this series is sure to delight fans of cozy mysteries and urban fantasy."ā€•Bookriot

A chance for a new beginning in Portland, Oregon. A stowaway from Paris. Can alchemist Zoe Faust solve the mystery of an ancient book in time to save her new friend? Don't miss the first novel in the award-winning series from USA Today bestselling author Gigi Pandian!

Unpacking her belongings in her new fixer-upper house, alchemist Zoe Faust can't help but notice she's picked up a stowaway. Dorian Robert-Houdin is a living, breathing gargoyleā€•not to mention a master of French cuisineā€•andā€¦


Explore my book šŸ˜€

A Flicker of a Doubt

By Daryl Wood Gerber,

Book cover of A Flicker of a Doubt

What is my book about?

Fairy garden store owner Courtney Kelly believes in inviting magic into oneā€™s life. But when uninvited trouble enters her shop, sheā€™ll need more than a sprinkling of her imagination to solve a murder. Luckily, her fairy sidekick Fiona lends a hand.

With a theater foundation tea and an art show planned at Violet Vickersā€™s estate, Courtney is hired to create charming fairy gardens for the event. Itā€™s not so charming when her best friendā€™s ex-boyfriend turns out to be Violetā€™s latest artistic protĆ©gĆ©. Even worse, not long after the friend locks horns with her ex, his body is found in her yard, bludgeoned with an objet dā€™murderFearing the police are missing the forest for the trees, and with some help from Fiona, Courtney hopes to make them see the light.

Book cover of Secondhand Spirits
Book cover of Murder in Devil's Cove
Book cover of Read And Gone

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Book cover of Blood From a Rose

Blood From a Rose by Sharon Skinner,

Blood From a Rose is a collection of light horror and dark fantasy with a dollop of humor that takes the reader into the dark spaces between dusk and dawn, serving up dark fantasy, paranormal and supernatural short fiction. An exploration of our shadow sides, things that go slurp inā€¦

Book cover of The Accidental Heiress

The Accidental Heiress by Mary Kendall,

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Interested in the paranormal, family secrets, and murder?

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