Book Review -Beechwood Harbor Ghost Mysteries -Danielle Garrett

I recently came across this series from Danielle Garrett and it didn’t disappoint! It’s fun. It has fantasy. It’s cozy. And there’s mystery. What a great combination.

The series begins with the main character looking for a place to start her business, a flower shop. She’s pulled into solving a murder. Each book in the series has a dedicated mystery for the main character, Scarlet, to solve. Only the fun twist is that the victim is a ghost who usually has no idea how they died. In Danielle Garrett’s world, ghosts lose their memories of what happens before death. This leaves these poor apparitions sometimes even unaware that they have left the land of the living.

But what’s a good cozy mystery without a few friends and a love interest? Scarlet, accompanied by her three ghost besties, a cat, a gentleman from the 1800s, and a woman in her prime from the 1970s, takes on these mysteries because who else can help the ghosts? In the first book, while attempting to gather clues, she meets another member of her crew. In this meet-cute, Lucas is a bodyguard who tackles Scarlet when she’s snooping around a possible crime scene. The two quickly decide to become partners in solving the mystery. And like any good romance thread, their relationship takes a sweet turn.

Each book in the series is a standalone as far as the mystery is concerned. However, each book develops the lives of the ghosts, Scarlet’s flower business, and her relationship with Lucas. The writing is engaging, and the dialogue is witty. For romance, the books would fall under the category of sweet (closed door with mild kissing).

If you’re looking for something light and fun to read, then check out this series on Amazon. It’s available in KU, ebook, print, and Audible.

Writing Resources -Brandon Sanderson

When I meet other aspiring authors, I often get asked questions about improving one’s writing. I can share a little bit, but like anything in life, we’re always learning and growing. So, I’m always reading or listening to resources on writing.

Perhaps one of the best resources, especially for new authors, is Brandon Sanderson’s lecture series on writing. He guest lectures at an American university and has been doing so for a number of years. He recently (2025) made new recordings of his lectures. In these lectures, he breaks down topics around writing interspersed with Q and A. The topics include:

There might be one or two more lectures, but this is what’s out so far. There are some extra videos to watch as well. So you can always type Brandon Sanderson Lectures in YouTube’s search, and you’ll get even more content. Brandon Sanderson is very honest and humble in his approach. He gives a lot of good information about what to do ‘right’ when building stories. At the same time, he shares about his mistakes and what he did wrong in his books.

Another resource I’d like to offer is from the lecture series completed in 2020. He has a guest lecture come and teach on writing short stories. During the lecture, she walked the class through a short story writing exercise. Here’s the link: Writing Short Stories. I confess that I’ve never been great at writing short stories, as my ideas quickly become complex. This simple writing exercise has been very helpful. I hope you find it a usable resource as well.

A Sneak Peek: Excerpt from Chapter Two

Here’s a second peek into my latest Work-in-Progress. This scene takes place in chapter two, which introduces you to Keira’s workplace (a bakery), her colleague, Michelle, and boss, Steve. The reader and Keira get a glimpse of a beast? a shifter? or something else that’s been attacking the city. He has his eyes on Keira until something distracts him.

That’s all for now. Enjoy the small bite into this new Work in Progress.

A low growl came from behind the dumpster. I jumped.

“Hello?” I called and crept to the side of the bin. Was it a stray dog?

Dark fur disappeared behind the bin. I only spotted the shaggy tail with grey and black fur about halfway up the dumpster bin. It must be a big dog.

“Are you hungry?” We didn’t have meat in the bakery, but maybe I could give him something.

I edged around the bin. The growls stopped. I crouched, wanting to appear less threatening. A small bulge in my apron pocket reminded me of the stale croissants. I pulled one out and tossed it on the ground hoping the dog would go for it.

There was the snuffling sound of the dog scenting out the croissant. Like a dire wolf from Game of Thrones, a large shaggy beast bent down to sniff the croissant. Or maybe the animal was more like Jacob in wolf form from Twilight. Whatever. This dog was massive. The dog swallowed the baked good in one gulp.

I stumbled backward and tripped, landing on my backside. The dog’s gaze settled on me. His massive paws made no noise as he stalked toward me, and I wasn’t sure dog was the appropriate description for this beast. I scrambled to my feet. The creature was unnaturally large for a canine. If he got closer, his head would sit near my shoulder. Right in biting range of my head. I shivered.

“Easy there.” I dug into my pocket with a shaking hand that managed to yank out the second croissant. The beast’s eyes narrowed on the treat clenched between my fingers. Maybe I could toss it and make a break for the back door. I didn’t dare glance behind me to gauge the distance. I watched the animal as he watched me. How far would I have to throw the stale pastry?

A small gust of air ruffled my hair.

“Get back inside,” a warm baritone spoke behind me.

I didn’t recognize the voice and had no idea where he’d come from, but it sounded familiar. Was he supernatural and flew in?

The back door slammed open. “Keira? What the—” Michelle’s voice trailed off. “Steve!”

The creature’s eyes shifted from the croissant to something beyond my shoulder, and then without any provocation, the animal turned and ran.

The man behind me darted in front and took off after the animal. I didn’t get to see the man’s face, but he was dressed in black and had an axe strapped to his back. He had to be supernatural. The Hunt’s Man? I considered thinking of the news report I’d watched earlier. And The Wolf?

Pounding steps sounded across the pavement behind me.

New Short Story!

Every week, Reedsy posts a few short story prompts and anyone interested in writing is welcome to submit a story or write it for fun! A few weeks ago, they posted the contest: #292: Colour Your World with Kobo Writing Life. And the prompt that inspired me was: Center your story around an artist whose creations have enchanted qualities. I did not enter the contest, but the prompt did inspire this story. You can read the story using this link, A Perfect Non-Magical Performance, and through the ‘Short Stories‘ tab from the Home Page of this website.

A Bit About the Inspiration

Initially, when I thought of ‘artist’ and ‘enchanting qualities’, I imagined a painter and a painting. I love the idea of paintings coming to life, but that felt done. As a result, I mentally scrolled through various artistic expressions and considered pottery (imagine a chunk of clay trying to mold itself against the potter’s intentions). That felt a little like the Disney movie Fantasia. There is the standby of a writer (imagine the characters coming to life or the author being sucked into the story). This, too, felt too obvious.

And then I settled on a musician, who is a siren, attempting to get through an audition for a human school of music while trying to control her magic. The ideas started to percolate and they were fun. I imagined the character playing or singing and despite her anxiety over the audition, she’s more worried about her magic breaking out. There were lots of opportunities for conflict and tension, so the brainstorming began.

Now that the story was set, I just needed a song for her to play. I wanted something inspiring and personal to the artist, but also hopefully relatable to the reader. I considered

  • Never Enough (The Greatest Showman)
  • This is Me (The Greatest Showman)
  • It’s Okay (Nightbirde)
  • And the BGT (Britain’s Got Talent) 2024: Sydney Christmas’s
    • Tomorrow (Movie/Musical Annie and written by Charles Strouse),
    • Over the Rainbow (Movie/Musical Wizard of Oz. A ballad by Harold Arlen and the lyrics by Yip Harburg)
    • My Way (song written in French–Comme d’habitude–by Jacques Revaux, Gilles Thibaut, and Claude François and adapted into English by Paul Anka.)

Each song was equally inspiring, but ultimately Over the Rainbow and my main character’s journey to this moment in her life (auditioning for entrance into a school of music) was the best fit. The imagery captured in the song’s lyrics resonated with the character’s desire to leave the magical community behind and learn music from humans. As a siren, her magic works in symbiotic harmony with music, but she feels that sirens place too much focus on the magic and their music is monotonous. Her dream to cross from the magical community to the human world was easy to work with the song’s lyrics.

As a writer who brainstorms, creates a loose outline, and then discovery writes, the ending surprised even me. Spoiler Alert: she doesn’t get through the audition without her magic busting out. (Which is what I expected.) But what happens, felt true to the character’s journey. I obviously won’t tell you as I want you to enjoy the story. So if your interest is piqued, then head over to the Short Stories tab on the home page and check it out. Alternatively, you can use this link: A Perfect Non-Magical Performance.

Book Review: Blood and Buttercups -A Vampire’s Guide to Gardening by Shari Tapscott

I’m not sure how I stumbled across this book, but I’m so thankful I did. It is urban fantasy, the romance is clean, and the story line is interesting. I do confess there is a slight cliff hanger at the end that has nothing to do with the main story, but left me with my mouth hanging open and irritated to learn that book was two months away. (I read this book in January.) So I didn’t want to do the same thing to you and waited to leave a review since book 2 is coming out Friday, March 14.

The story starts with the female main character, Piper. She lives in a huge old house and cultivates the expansive yard with various kinds of flowers which she sells at a market or as a distributor. The book has a cozy feel with good supportive friends and family who are always nearby.

Unfortunately for Piper, she has a cheating boyfriend who she breaks up with right at the start of the book. She then makes some rebound choices which stimulate the majority of the story. And yes, I won’t tell you what these are as I have no desire to destroy your reading fun.

The book has a few twists and turns. I thought the plot was leading me one way and then it did a 90 degree turn and it’s, ‘oh, we’re going this way now’. Honestly, I liked the twists even if they felt a little abrupt. They kept me reading and gave the plot surprising qualities. (Like the unexpected ending.)

The main character was very likable even if you did think she was a little stupid at the beginning. You kind of wanted to say, ‘even I knew that was a dumb idea.’ But then when we’re on the rebound, who hasn’t done something stupid and questionable? So her choices make Piper relatable.

For the future books, there are a few areas I hope are explored. As the book blurb mentions, Piper is pre-vampiric, and there is a vampire governing organization she becomes a part of, but the details feel a bit lacking. There are hints that this organization is corrupt. The lack of details and corrupt governing body isn’t necessary a bad thing as this is a series, so I’m hoping with book two the author delves deeper. Also, the governing body isn’t the main point of the plot for book one, so not a huge disappointment, just curiosity on my part.

Blood and Buttercups by Shari Tapscott is a fast-paced read. So if you’re looking for something to get lost in, check out the first book. I’m sure you’ll be picking up book two the moment you finish! You can check out the book on Amazon.

A Sneak Peek: Excerpt from Chapter 1

Lately, I’ve been spending a lot of time working on a new series. If you read my newsletter, then you’ve heard hints. I don’t want to give too much away just yet, but thought I’d share an excerpt from the first chapter. It’s a moment between the main character, Keira, and her grandma. Keira has a dream of opening her own bakery but calls it a ‘one day’ dream. In this scene, Grandma challenges Keira to start taking action.

If you’re wondering if I genre jumped, the answer is no. This book is set on Vancouver Island, B.C. and is Urban Fantasy. I’m hoping to release it later this year.

That’s all for now. Enjoy the small bite into this new Work in Progress.

The elevator door slid open, and I walked down the brightly lit hallway. Grandma’s apartment was at the end. The door was already cracked open.

“Hi Grandma!” I called and kicked off my shoes.

“Keira, good to see you.” Grandma leaned in for a hug which I readily returned. She was a petite woman, but strong and active.

I held up a bag of baked treats. “These are for you. Fresh this morning.”

Grandma patted my arm. “You shouldn’t be baking on your day off but thank you.”

I followed Grandma into the kitchen and grabbed tea mugs from the cupboard. Technically, they were coffee mugs, but Grandma and I drank tea, so we’d re-named them tea mugs.

Grandma removed the tea cozy from the tea pot. “It’s a specialty tea from that tea shop down the street. It’s supposed to go good with sweets.”

I breathed in a spicy scent as Grandma filled the mugs. She then hid the teapot under the tea cozy and placed the cinnamon rolls on a plate.

“How’s work going?” Grandma asked.

I shrugged. “It’s okay, I suppose.” I started for the living room but stopped at the dining table. There was a large puzzle spread over the tabletop. “Since when did you start putting together puzzles?”

Grandma came up behind me with the plate of rolls, napkins, and small plates. “My neighbor, Alice, gave it to me. She thinks I need a hobby.”

I set the mugs down and fingered a few pieces then the box top. It was a street scene with row shops and right in the middle was a bakery. I stared at it for a moment then looked at Grandma. The elderly woman’s eyes twinkled.

“Want to work on it together?”

I pulled out a chair. “Why not.”

The pieces were scattered over the table like Grandma had just opened the box and spilled out the pieces.

“I like to start with the borders.” Grandma threw a few middle pieces in the cardboard box bottom. She pushed a few straight edge pieces to the side.

I added to the two piles.

“So work’s just okay?” Grandma fit a few pieces together.

“Yea, okay.”

“When are you going to open your bakery?”

I scowled. The gray pieces in my hand looked like the street at the bottom of the picture. They fit together nicely. “You know the answer.”

Grandma tossed a few more pieces in the box bottom. “You know, one day never comes.”

“What do you mean?”

“You say one day and in your mind you even picture that one day, but it never comes.”

There was a touch of defeat to Grandma’s voice. I squinted at the elderly woman and grabbed a few more gray border pieces and fit them together.

“Did you ever have a one day dream?” I asked.

Grandma chuckled. “We all do, dear.”

“What was yours?”

“I wanted to open my own dress shop and become a fashion designer.”

My eyebrow perked up. Grandma was talented. She had made me many outfits growing up. Despite this, it was hard to imagine her showcasing her work during fashion week. But that was probably because I knew her as Grandma not fashion designer.

Grandma slid another piece into place. “I once had a spot to showcase my work at a fashion show in Toronto. Can you believe it?”

I nodded. “Yes and no. I could see you doing it, but picturing you at fashion week with all the other designers… You’re very talented. Why didn’t you pursue it?”

“It was my one day dream. And now age makes it impossible.” Grandma held up her fingers twisted with arthritis.

“That’s sad.” I fit another piece into the street edging.

“I’m talking about you dear, not me.”

“Me? I’m working on my dream and it will happen one day.” I tested the tea. It was cool enough for a mouthful.

Grandma chuckled softly and shook her head. She fitted a few blue pieces together edging out the sky. “That’s what I thought.”

“Well, I’m not you.” I glanced up at the clock and noticed the time. “I need to go. I told Jana I’d meet her at the gym today for a workout.”

Grandma stood slowly and patted my arm as we headed to the door. “Think about what I said.”

I zipped up the front of my red hoodie. “I will, Grandma,” I said this more to please the elderly woman than with any conviction.

“Thanks for the visit. See you tomorrow?” Grandma’s brow perked up in a question.

“I’m at work tomorrow, so after my shift. I’ll text you and let you know when I’m coming.”

Grandma nodded and watched me as I headed to the elevator. The day was still warm as it was only early afternoon. I entered the urban forest and a quick gust of wind temporarily stole the warmth. I pulled up my hood.

Book Review: Blood Bound and Unbound -by Trinity Cunningham

Trinity Cunningham is a new author with two books to her name. Blood Bound is the first book in the series that came out in the fall of 2023. Unbound, the second book, came out in the fall of 2024.

Both books are high fantasy and set in a fantasy world filled with humans and an elf-like race. In this world, only a select family line has the ability to practice magic. This blood-line is known as The Guardians of the Weldafire Stone. The Weldafire Stone gives the user the ability to practice magic through a blood letting ceremony. The an elf-like race, who is long-lived, also possesses magic.

The first book, Blood Bound, follows two brother, Raiden and Dimitri. Dimitri tricks Raiden into activating the magic in their bloodline. This sets off a domino effect of magic being released throughout Kartha. In the process, Raiden is separated from his wife and son. His goal is to return to them while trying to stop a tyrant king and learn magic.

Unbound picks up the story two generations later with Raiden’s grandson Mick. He grew up away from Kartha and is a chef. Through a series of events, he ends up in Kartha searching for his grandparents and answers.

Cunningham is a great writer with promise. Her books are well crafted with clear story lines. Her greatest strength is her world building. The reader will find they can easily picture the places described in her detailed writing. The pacing of her books is moderate. When not reading these books, I found myself wondering what would happen next in the novel. Curiosity about the characters and their struggles drew me back.

At the end of Unbound, I was left curious about Mick’s love interest. There were two women who played minor roles in Mick’s life. Both women gave the impression of being a love interest for Mick. At the start of the story, there’s one woman Mick seems smitten with. He easily walks away from her to pursue a quest. This leaves the impression that there actually isn’t something between the two characters. During the quest, another woman joins him briefly and Mick seems drawn to her, but she quickly disappears. At the end of the book, Mick and the first woman are having a conversation. She is unable to pursue a relationship at this time. Mick understand but there’s a hint of a promise that he’ll wait for her. Then he meets up with woman number two and it feels like a relationship is about to start. If Cunningham writes a sequel to this series, I hope to find out who Mick ends up with in this love triangle.

Trinity Cunningham has taken her time to write well-crafted books. We can expect more great novels from her as she grows in her writing craft.

Overall, both books are worthy of being read and are available on Amazon.

This Meet That: Genre Blending in Modern Fiction

Consider a recent book you’ve read. Did it feel like a mix of genres? Perhaps there was a romance story mixed in with an adventure. Or maybe a sci-fi with a touch of western (think Firefly).

Genre blending or genre mixing is a term used a lot with fiction. It’s pretty common to see blurbs with, ‘sci-fi meets thriller’ or ‘mystery meets fantasy’. Is this a good thing or does it make fiction more confusing? As a reader, do you like the clear cut lines of crime fiction with nothing added?

There are always multiple arguments to to everything. And sure, there’s something pure about a legal drama that is only a legal drama. Or an adventure piece of fiction that is about finding the treasure. It makes the story entertaining. As a reader, you know what’s going to happen, but the fun becomes how will it happen. How will the characters get themselves out of this mess? How will the main character stay one step ahead of the villainous treasure hunters?

There’s also something to a mystery that is set in a bucolic town full of supernaturals. This might be called, ‘cozy mystery meets urban fantasy’. Or a love story mixed in with an action adventure.

So why do authors do this? Why do is it seen on movie and T.V. screens? There are many reasons, but one simple reason is, It creates a larger audience base. When genres are mixed, more people are attracted to the story. A story that is full of action will appeal to one audience group. When an author adds in romance as part of the plot, however, romance readers will suddenly show an interest. There is now a product that can target two groups in advertising. For the adventure group, the ad will focus on the action. There would also be ads showcasing the steps to finding the treasure and the challenges the character faces. There will also be ads that focus on the romance in the story for the second ad group.

Consider this from a numbers perspective. Let’s say (for ease of number) the first ad group (adventure genre) is around 100, 000. And the second group (romance genre) is around 100, 000. By blending the two genres, the book, movie, T.V. show, etc. can now focus on an audience of 200, 000.

As a writer, genre blending is a fun way of taking multiple genres and giving fans even more. It adds creativity to the writing process and adds new ideas, bends, and twists that would otherwise go undiscovered. When I wrote The English Teacher’s Magic series, I blended urban fantasy with romantic comedy. Twilight’s Princess is high fantasy with a regency romance.

Another aspect of genre blending is the ability to add new twists to the story. Readers who love a certain genre come to know and recognize the story beats. This is what the reader wants, but it can also become predictable. The result is the story or genre doesn’t feel fresh anymore. Authors want to entertain readers. Readers want to be entertained with the unexpected. Readers love the feeling of, ‘I didn’t expect that’. And authors love crafting a novels with hidden gems to delight readers. By blending genres, the story beats and plots twists will have new avenues that can freshen up a predictable story.

When I attend craft markets to sell my books, I do get the fantasy lovers. But other readers love mystery or crime or horror. This inspires me to consider a paranormal cozy mystery. Think Hallmark Murder and Mysteries meets Urban Fantasy? Does that sound like something you would be interested in reading? Think about your favorite genres. Is there a combination you’d like to see?

Charming Superhero Romance: A Review of H.L. Burke’s Latest Book

https://www.amazon.com/Rescuing-Supervillain-Superhero-Romance-Project-ebook/dp/B0DLZ4FZ8Q

Amazon

H.L. Burke will be releasing another book in her Superhero themed books. This one will be coming out on December 23rd. The author provided an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) for an honest review. I enjoyed the book so much, I decided to include it in my blog.

The story begins with the two main characters. The female, Bea, is a cat shifter. She’s had a hard life and ended up enslaved to a gang of thieves. In their most recent heist, Bea manages to escapes and finds refuge in a cat shelter. It’s a perfect place for her as she can double as both a cat and a volunteer. The male main character, Sam, is a superhero. Unfortunately, he’s dealing with work related trauma and finds solace in a cat shelter during his leave.

While Bea is a spicy cat and human, Sam is a lovable giant. Through his gentle nature he easily wins over the cats in shelter. Alternatively, Bea and a certain calico prove to be more of a challenge. It is a super cute and sweet love story, and it was delightful to experience.

This story has a nice but small cast of characters who are well developed with their unique quirks. I think my favorite scene was Bea and Sam taking care of a neonate kitten. I foster cats and kittens and believe the author did her homework in representing proper care of kittens. (The youngest kittens I’ve fostered were two days old.)

With a story like this, there were a lot of secrets the characters held from each other. The author did a great job of creating moments of confession or reveal for the characters. These secrets added to the tension and pacing of the story. The story was moderately paced but the conflict kept me reading as I found the book hard to put down.

If you’re a fan of superheroes, sweet-clean romance, and love cats, then I strongly recommend heading over to Amazon. You can check this book out on December 23rd or pre-order it today!

Naming Characters: Building Worlds with Meaningful Names

It seems like an obvious enough title. And it’s true, each character in a book does have a name that connects them to something.

In a previous post, I spoke about how I like to choose names for characters. One of biggest things I do is pick a name that has a meaning that matches how I see the character. This isn’t something I do 100% of the time, but the majority of the time. Sometimes a character comes to me with a name and I know that’s who they are.

While finding the appropriate name for characters is important, it is equally important that the names help with world building.

Think of a handful of names you know: friends, family, co-workers, classmates, etc. Now stop and consider the origin of their names. It is natural and normal that certain names do connect with languages and ethnic origins.

Consider the name John. It’s a common name for English speakers. It is common for Christians as it is a Biblical name. It also has roots in the following languages: Arabic, Celtic, Germanic, Romance, Slavic, Georgian, Lithuanian, Albanian, Maori, Armenian, and probably more. It is important to note that the way the name is spelled in these languages does vary, so John is the Anglicized (English) version. Yahya is the Arabic version while Hans is Germanic and Ivan is the Slavic from of the name.

How does this connect to naming characters in world building for novels? If the characters are from a specific region or area in the book, then their names need to hold some kind of ethnic connection. There are many approaches to this that authors take.

I write fantasy, so I’m speaking for a fantasy perspective, but the ideas can apply to other genres. If all the characters in the book are from the same region, then the easiest method would be to choose names that have the same ethnic origin.

If I’m choosing Slavic names for my characters, I would probably go with the spelling of Ivan rather than the Anglicized ‘John’ for a character in my book. Variations can be made of the name to make them unique to the fantasy world. So maybe I won’t stick with Ivan, but change a letter or add a letter. Whatever rule I apply, I do have to keep it consistent for all the characters that represent that region. For example, maybe Ivan becomes Ivaleth. For another character, the name Andrej is chosen, so the change might be Aldrej or Andrejeth or Aldrejeth. Remember to keep the name readable and easy to pronounce. Some readers might give up if there are too many unreadable and unpronounceable names in a book.

Another method for choosing names for world building, is to use words from another language. In one of my manuscripts, the names of the characters weren’t actual names but words that described the character. This made the names unique and they matched the character.

Choosing names is fun and having creativity with names adds to the enjoyment. Are you naming characters? What kind of world do you see your characters in? Is there a connection to a country or ethnic origin? Now has some fun and google some names with meaning from that language and see what you come up with.