A paranormal women’s fiction cozy mystery series

Welcome to the Moon Garden Mysteries, a magical blend of paranormal women’s fiction and cozy mystery for those who believe forty marks a new beginning, cats can talk (and you’d better listen), and when you’re guarding a fae portal, chocolate is a girl’s best friend.

Secrets by Starlight

I always knew I’d inherit Covett House. But the timing couldn’t be worse.

My divorce is still fresh. I’m not even forty. Quite. The last thing I need is pressure to step right into the life Nanna made for herself in Crescent Bay. What do I need with an 1888 Victorian mansion in a tiny northern California coastal town? I live by myself now.

But I’m not alone here. There are those half-heard whispers in the night, the reappearance of Nanna’s lost cat…and then there’s the murder.

Cherise Tillson died on the floor of the Museum of the Odd and Wondrous, the most eccentric piece of my inheritance, the day after I got to town. But why did she have my name on her person? And what was she doing in the museum at night?

To clear my name – and my way out of this small town – I need answers.

Nanna’s secrets are more than I bargained for when the cat’s antics reveal an old, ornate key. The key to a hidden garden in the woods behind Covett House, where pale blooms glow under the waxing moon. Where the creatures are strangely attentive. And a dryad waits to give me a piece of her mind.

The moon garden threatens what little is left of the life I knew.

But discovering midlife magic has made me bold. Or maybe that’s all the strong coffee I’m currently running on. Either way, I’ll make a better life with this second chance.

Uncanny Harvest

A new life in a new town. But keeping secrets is not my style.

I moved to Crescent Bay because of my cat. I inherited Thomas along with Nanna’s old Victorian house. When his antics uncovered a family secret in the woods behind Covett House, I suddenly found myself guarding a moon garden for a pair of snooty fae princesses.

To top it off, I’m keeping secrets from my best friend. Important stuff. Magical stuff. Soon they’ll know how much I’ve been hiding.

Finding a body is a twist even I couldn’t worry up.

Maribel Santos fell from the clifftop at North Beach, just before her famous boyfriend competed in a surfing event sponsored by my family’s foundation. Was Maribel’s fall an accident? Or did Crescent Bay just have its second murder this year?

Add in an Otherworld connection – and the fact the victim was somewhat related to David Clark, an old friend who’s aged so well you’d think he was fine wine – and I have to investigate. 

I don’t recognize much about my life since moving to Crescent Bay. Most of it would read like a midlife fantasy. Outside of a fairytale, who discovers a secret garden by moonlight and gets their best advice from a tree? (Er…a dryad. Grisel would be so mad if she heard me say that…)

But it’s real. The enchanted garden, the fae, and the cat who adopted me with all of his big, loud heart. Now if I can stay out of trouble for a while and enjoy it…

Midnight Mercy

A snowstorm in tiny Crescent Bay, California. But the show must go on.

Volunteering to help with the Swan Lake ballet at the historic Crown Theatre was supposed to be a distraction. It’s better than thinking deeply about what I want to do next with the strange fortune I inherited, and this big, empty house. Snow is a fun bonus.

When my cousins surprise me with a visit despite the unexpected storm, Covett House is suddenly full of life. And questions. Some of which are as simple as ‘Do you have a bathroom?’ Others are more alarming, like ‘Did you know your cat sees ghosts?’

Was the weather a warning?

Because early on opening day, I discover Gwen Canfield, the lead dancer in Swan Lake, out cold in the center of the stage. An arcane symbol marks her forehead. We can’t wake her up.

When I find the same symbol on a painting at home, I can’t deny the connection. Plus, Gwen used to date my cousin, Joel, and they’ve been reconnecting, over the loud disagreements of her over-protective mother. 

What else are the Canfields tied up in? And how can I protect our family’s secrets, when it seems I don’t even know all of them?

It’s hard to believe Covett House has more mysteries to unlock. But my cousin Darcie turns out to have skills to rival any of the ancestors that came before us.

Now if I can keep her from learning too much…

Ritual Elements

When I pictured turning forty, I never could have imagined this.

The college spring break crowd has descended on Crescent Bay. All our favorite haunts are overrun by half-clad, partying young people. But the friends celebrating my birthday with karaoke make even the spring-breakers look tame. Until ten o’clock anyway.

Everyone’s having a great time, until Forrest McCall takes over for the disgruntled bartender.

I have my own past with the arrogant young man. I kept his secrets – in order to keep my own.

Now that choice is coming back to haunt me. And my friends.

When Marty discovers Forrest’s body the very next day, I have to help clear them of suspicion. What happened after Forrest left his bartending shift? How did his body end up in the bay?

My fortieth birthday comes with a happier surprise too, thank goodness. A date. The first one to give me this sort of anxiety since my divorce last year. If I can just quit second guessing, this thing with David might stand a chance.

That turns out to be a pretty big if when my ex-husband calls out of the blue with news I do not want to hear.

Luckily, all is possible with the help of my friends. Because the moon garden depends on us being there when things get dark…and the shadows are creeping in. I’ve never faced a test like this before.

I’d better pass, because if I miss this date, I’ll be so mad…

Naomi’s story continues with The Veiled Hunter in Fall 2024