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Hello Readers,

I can't believe we're still seeing such suffering in our country.  Once again my heart goes out to each and every one of you.  Be strong, be as positive as possible, be smart, and be safe.  Here's a poem that hopefully will bring you a moment of joy. 

A Hint of Magic

Fairies love the sounds of chimes.

Fairies love words that rhyme.

Fairies love to tease and play.

Fairies love to dance all day.

If you see a fairy near

Listen well and you may hear

The hint of magic that she brings.

T’will truly make you heart take wing.

~ Daryl Wood Gerber

Speaking of fairies, yes, I had a new book come out recently.  A SPRINKLING OF MURDER is the first in the Fairy Garden Mysteries.  Have you picked up your copy?  

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
Indiebound
Google Play
Smashwords
Website Buy Page
Fairy Garden World
Read more

What is it about?

Fairy garden store owner Courtney Kelly believes in inviting magic into your life. But when uninvited trouble enters her shop, she’ll need more than a sprinkling of her imagination to solve a murder . . .

Since childhood, Courtney has loved fairies. After her mother died when she was ten, she lost touch with that feeling of magic. A year ago, at age twenty-nine, she rediscovered it when she left her father's landscaping business to spread her wings and start a fairy garden business and teashop in beautiful Carmel, California. At Open Your Imagination, she teaches garden design and sells everything from fairy figurines to tinkling wind chimes and trickling fountains. Now she's starting a book club tea.

But the light of the magical world she's created inside her shop is darkened one night when she discovers neighboring dog-grooming business owner Mick Watkins dead beside a fountain. To make matters worse, the police suspect Courtney of the crime. To clear her name and find the real killer, Courtney will have to wing it. But she’s about to get a little help from an unexpected new friend . . .

If you missed it in April, don't forget to check out the latest in the Cookbook Nook Mysteries.  

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
Google Play
Smashwords
Website Buy Page
Cookbook Nook World
Read more

What's it about?

The denizens of Crystal Cove are salivating over the upcoming Food Bowl Week, when local chefs offer some of their best and most imaginative creations in bite-size portions all over town. Bookstore proprietor Jenna Hart is hungry to sample as many of the delicacies as she can, but when she stumbles onto the dead body of a local food reporter and learns that her best friend’s husband is the primary suspect, she’ll have to summon the appetite for a side dish of sleuthing to prove his innocence.

Jenna knows the ambitious and aggressive reporter, who was strangled at a fitness center with her shredded restaurant reviews scattered around her, left behind a long list of potential suspects. As she begins piecing together the scant clues, she uncovers illicit ties between the victim and a local newspaper owner, a spurned would-be lover, and a host of disgruntled restaurant owners not a bit torn up by the critical reporter’s demise. And with a solution so close she can almost taste it, Jenna turns up the heat on the culprit, realizing too late that she’s the next course on the murderer’s menu . . .

What do you know?

In July, I did a number of online virtual bookstore events to tout A SPRINKLING OF MURDER because I couldn't do in-person events.  Did you watch any of them? There were some great questions.  Thanks to them hosting me, I've signed bookplates for Poisoned Pen and Murder by the Books readers/buyers.  I also drove to Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego so I could sign books in person . . . in a mask . . . with no buyers.  Talk about a new reality weirdness.  

What's new?

I did a live chat on Facebook to show "how to" make a fairy garden.  It was fast and furious and I wasn't sure if the camera was working.  Honestly, I was a bit of a giggle puss.  But it was fun.   So, on that note, I asked some of my followers on Facebook to share their fairy garden creations with me.  Darlene Carroll made the first and Sandra Zimmerman made the second.   Aren't they great?   Love the rocks and beads.  Have you created one yet?  Don't know how?  Check out any of my how-to's on my Youtube Channel.   Don't know where to find fairy figurines?  I have a downloadable PDF on my website listing many of the places I shop for fairy garden goodies.  Check it out here.  

And now for the Giveaway

I am giving away a choice of my latest two books to one winner, e-book or paperback!  Picked by random selection, the winner is . . .  (with asterisks for cryptic privacy purposes . . . )

Vivian.*ra*bury@verizon.net

Vivian, contact me at daryl@darylwoodgerber.com using the email referenced above by August 21 to claim your prize.  Congratulations and tell a friend. 

What are you reading?

I just finished Jenn McKinlay's new and lovely romantic comedy Paris is Always a Good Idea featuring a plucky woman who needs to find her smile . . . and love.   Don't miss it.   I'm also reading, with my grand nephew, Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library.  We're having a fun time talking about the story and the clever clues.  Chris Grabenstein, the author, has written a dynamite series. Great story, spunky writing.   Last but not least, I'm listening to an audiobook for Hallie Ephron's latest,  Careful What You Wish For.  Do you collect too much stuff?  You might want to consult with her heroine.  As always, Hallie has written a really good domestic suspense. 

What's to eat?

In A SPRINKLING OF MURDER there’s a character named Meaghan Brownie.  She’s best friends with Courtney. Meaghan has been baking brownies her whole life, given her name.  This is one of her favorites.  Add the semisweet chocolate chips if you like the peanut butter-chocolate combo.  If you want to be decadent, use dark chocolate chips.

Peanut Butter Brownie

(serves 9-16)

  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 1/3 cup butter, softened
  • 2/3 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips, if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 9-inch baking pan.

In a medium bowl, mix the peanut butter, softened butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla and stir well.

In a medium bowl, mix the flour with the baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture and stir until well combined.

Pour the batter in the prepared pan. You might need to use your fingers to press down the batter in order to make it even. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top, if desired.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 until a toothpick comes out clean.

*I also made this gluten-free. I substituted out the flour with a gluten-free flour mix and I added 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum and 1 tablespoon whey powder.  I made sure my vanilla extract was gluten-free, too.  Enjoy.

What’s up with Sparky?

Sparky didn't quite know what to do with me a week ago.   I took an ENTIRE weekend off.  I watched  "The Secret Garden."  I read outside and even took a twenty-minute nap.  And then I came back inside and watched another movie. A James Bond classic.  I didn't write.  I chilled.  My sweet puppy was quite content sitting by my side being a slug.  I have to admit it really did recharge my batteries.   Note to self:  Do more often.  When you don't have deadlines and book releases and . . .

That's it. That's all that is fit to print.
May your joy come from reading.
May your lives be filled with love.

Until next time…all my best,


Fairy Garden Mysteries
A Sprinkling of Murder

Cookbook Nook Mysteries
Final Sentence // Inherit the Word // Stirring the Plot //  
Fudging the Books // Grilling the Subject   
Pressing the Issue  //  Wreath between the Lines
Sifting Through Clues // Shredding the Evidence

French Bistro Mysteries

A Deadly Éclair // A SoufflĂ© of Suspicion

Aspen Adams Novels of Suspense

Desolate Shores // Fan Mail

Stand-alone Suspense

Girl on the Run // Day of Secrets

Cheese Shop Mysteries

written as Avery Aames
The Long Quiche Goodbye // Lost and Fondue //
Clobbered by Camembert // To Brie or not To Brie
Days of Wine and Roquefort // 
As Gouda as Dead // For Cheddar or Worse

Copyright © 2020 Daryl Wood Gerber, All rights reserved.
Savor the Mystery Newsletter Vol. 14 No. 11

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