A dark secret. A note. Run.

The streets of Tarrin woke to a beautiful morn. Flowers for Fleur opened, gifting the township its colorful blooms and magical flower fragrances, convincing people the world was indeed a beautiful place. Except it was a lie. There was darkness within. A darkness that sought to rise and consume the light of two souls.

Yolande Lawrence-Harrison was three things. Smart. A synesthete. And a fake florist. She had returned from aerospace engineering to assist her chronically ill grandmother and learn the science of beauty and flower art. But the reality is, Yolande was far from beautiful. She was a psychological mess grappling with anxiety, PTSD, trust issues, deep self-loathing, and hiding a dark secret that she tried to suffocate in the depths of her tragic memories.

One day, as Yolande fussed with the fragrant pink roses in the basket of her grandmother’s bicycle at the front of the flower store, trying desperately not to give them the kiss of death, she discovered a messy, handwritten note. She fumed at the pure arrogance of the wording, and after numerous exchanges, became irritated by the persistent, annoying human being, who wouldn’t take no for an answer. When the note writer, Alexander Parker, walked into Flowers for Fleur, Yolande refused to inhale the alluring potion he offered. She could see through his projected perfect façade and wondered, if she could see through his pretense, could he see through hers?

Yolande wanted to run. From everything. But she couldn’t. Her grandmother’s life was fading, and she needed to decide whether to fight her past, ultimately exposing her inner demons, in order to save her grandmother and herself from the same fate.

From Book to Screen Awards, long-listed in the Queensland Writers Centre and Screen Queensland’s "Adaptable - from book to the screen" (2021) for consideration to be created into a TV series or movie.