I’m excited to share the anthology I’m a part of, Bewitching Desires: The Savannah Coven Anthology. Today is release day, and I can’t be more excited to watch my little book baby be launched into the world.
Check out all of the stories and their excerpts, and hopefully you’ll enjoy it as much as the twelve of us did writing it!
Bewitching Desires, The Savannah Coven Anthology
Blurb: Twelve Paranormal Stories of Love, Hate, and Desire. Bewitching Desires, The Savannah Coven Anthology, is packed full of Witches, Warlocks, Werewolves, Ghosts, and even a Reaper. All based around the great holiday of Samhain – or, as mere humans call it, Halloween. The witches of the Savannah coven are all preparing themselves for their favorite holiday, but on the night when humans and spirits collide, nothing ever goes as planned.
Journey with an angel across the country, with a reaper chasing a soul hiding in someone else’s body, to a haunted hotel, with a reluctant supreme witch who’d rather give her powers to someone else, not to mention eight other wild and intriguing encounters.
Twelve interwoven tales from bestselling and up and coming authors will have you wishing Samhain came more than once a year…
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Kissed by the Reaper
Rebekah R. Ganiere
Some loves are worth a battle with both heaven and hell to keep.
Blurb: Rose committed an unpardonable sin right before she died. As penance, she has been reaping souls for Lucifer for over twenty years. On Halloween night she finds herself in Podunk nowhere ushering souls back to hell when she runs into the mysteriously handsome Gabriel who’s not at all what he seems. After chasing him into a cornfield and battling an angel to get Gabriel’s soul, she leaves with more questions than answers.
Gabriel is an angel hiding out as a jumper. A soul that jumps from body to body to stay hidden on Earth. But when he finds himself mortally wounded there is only one person he can turn to for protection. The feisty and beautiful reaper who tried to kill him the year before.
With Gabriel recuperating in her bed, Rose is summoned by her boss to hell where he makes her a proposal. Find the jumper Gabriel and deliver his soul, and she will be set free. Fail and become Lucifer’s bride forever. It should be an easy choice. Problem is, Gabriel is the first person Rose has been able to touch without scaring to death in the last twenty years. And just his presence has begun to bring back hidden memories from her human life. In the end Rose will have to make the ultimate decision. Choosing Gabriel or choosing herself.
Rebekah R. Ganiere Bio:
Rebekah is an Award Winning Bestselling Author. Her debut novel Dead Awakenings, hit the bestseller list the first day, in January 2014. Her Fairelle Series released in May 2014 and has won several awards including the Golden Palm and is currently up for the Rone Award. Her trilogy The Society was released by Kensington in 2014 and her new series Shifter Rising is releasing in 2016 from Samhain Press.
Rebekah is currently working on six series in the Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, Sci-fi genres. She has three more books slated to release this year and another five for next year.
Rebekah is the VP of Communications of the Romance Writers of America Los Angeles Chapter as well as the Newsletter Editor of the Fantasy, Futuristic, & Paranormal Chapter. In her spare time when she isn’t writing you can find her moderating and teaching on SavvyAuthors.com or at RWA. Rebekah also cosplays with her kids and is a guest speaker and panelist at San Diego Comic Con and several other Comic Cons on the west coast as well as LTUE, Romantic Times Convention, and Authors After Dark.
Rebekah R. Ganiere – Books with a Bite
Bestselling – Award Winning Author of:
Dead Awakenings
Fairelle Series – from Fallen Angel Press
The Society Series – from Kensington
The Shifter Rising Series – from Samhain
The Otherworlder Series – from Fallen Angel Press
Now Available on
Amazon, BN, Kobo & ARE & Itunes
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Kissed by the Reaper Short Excerpt:
“Did you know there’s a black guy slumped on the floor in the last aisle?” said one.
“What?” Alarm bells went off in her head. “Crap.” The guy from the back door. She’d completely forgotten about him.
Rose rushed to the side of the counter, threw the separator up and raced down the last aisle. The bell tinkled for the front door, but she kept moving.
She found him splayed on the floor, face down. “Dammit.” She knelt by his side and rolled him over. “Hey. Hey, wake up.” She patted his cheek.
His eyes fluttered open and went from hazel to golden and then back again. “Rose.”
Her heart pounded. A Jumper. “Elijah?”
He nodded. No wonder he knew her name.
She threw his arm over her shoulder and helped him into a seated position.
“How did you find me?” She glanced around while trying to get Elijah to his feet. A Jumper, especially a hurt one wasn’t the norm for her. As a Reaper it was her job to play bounty hunter and send Jumpers to hell. They didn’t usually come asking for help. Someone was on his tail.
“I’ve known all year.” Blood dribbled down his chin.
She laced her fingers between his, got him up, and leaned him on the shelf. She needed to move him out of sight and get everyone out of the store. No! She needed to get his butt out of her store. She still bore the scar from her last visit to Lucifer’s pad a year prior when she’d let him slip through her fingers.
“Did you take the angelbreath?” she asked.
He nodded. “The whole container.”
“You gotta leave. Now. At sundown I’ll have to reap you.”
He gaze connected with hers. “I’ve missed you.”
Her gut tightened and the feeling that she knew him from somewhere rushed through her again. All year she’d tried to forget him, but it was hard to forget an angel Jumper. Especially one who looked at her the way he did.
“Ah, damn. Come on.” She half dragged, half carried him toward the front of the store. It was slow and he stumbled several times but they finally made it to the curtain separating the store from the back rooms. She glanced toward the front counter. The goths were gone. So was the merchandise. Stupid girls. They’d pay for stealing from her.
She used her hip to nudge the curtain aside and helped him through the box maze over to a large red chaise lounge. She threw him down on it. He grunted and tried to pull himself into a sitting position.
“What the hell happened to you?” She looked around and located a box of tissues. Pulling out several, she dabbed his mouth, wiping away the blood.
“Reapers.”
She stopped dabbing. “Reapers plural?”
“Three.”
“Reapers don’t work together.”
He gave her a winning smile. “I’m a special case.”
All’s Fair: Love & Warlocks
Tami Lund
Sometimes what you think you don’t want is exactly what you need.
Blurb: Adanna Granier is the reluctant Supreme Witch of the Savannah Coven, marked for the position at birth, as defined by the scrollwork permanently tattooed on her face. All she wants is to be human. But when attractive warlock Anton Burke shows up hours before the Halloween coven meeting, Adanna begins to rethink her determination to stay away from her own kind.
Anton Burke has come to Savannah for one purpose: to usurp the Supreme. Instead of doing his job, he finds himself attracted to her in a way he has never felt before. When strange occurrences start happening, Anton must decide whether to stand by Adanna – or destroy her.
Tami Lund Bio:
Tami Lund likes to live, love, and laugh, and does her best to ensure the characters in her books do the same. After they’ve overcome a few seemingly insurmountable obstacles first, of course.
Tami is multi-published, both self and with a few publishers, including Crimson Romance, Liquid Silver Books, and Soul Mates Publishing. She’s won a couple awards along the way, too. Chances are, there is a new book coming out soon. Be sure to stalk her on social media, so you know when.
All’s Fair: Love & Warlocks Short Excerpt:
“I’m visiting. Here to meet the Supreme Witch. Adanna Grandier.”
“Why?”
“I was told to seek her out. Help her adjust. I understand Vesna’s death was sudden, and that this Adanna might not be prepared to take over as Supreme Witch.”
You can say that again. Adanna self-consciously tugged at the front of her lime green tank top. “I didn’t realize she knew I felt so unprepared.”
Anton’s gray eyes flared as his gaze swept over her person, no doubt taking in the bright tank, black yoga pants, rhinestone studded flip-flops, and her black toenail polish, before coming to rest on her face. She imagined she looked more like a college student than a Supreme Witch, though she was closer to thirty than twenty, and she’d been studying for this position for damn near her entire life, whether she had wanted to or not. She lowered her head so her hair obscured her features, as was her habit. But he reached out, tentatively at first, then pushed at the dark waves, revealing proof positive she was the person he sought. She took a chance and glanced up, and was surprised by what she saw in his eyes.
Hunger.
“Beautiful.”
She touched the side of her face, where a black vine twisted along her hairline, from her temple to her cheek. The scrollwork she’d been born with had been called a lot of things by a lot of different people – witches and humans both. Beautiful had never been one of those words.
“It’s the mark of the Supreme Witch,” she muttered, hating it, as she had for most of her life. Her father had been human, and while her grandmother had trained her and prepared her to someday take over the coven, Adanna had always preferred the human side of her nature. Less responsibility. Less chance of failing. Knowing from birth that one was destined to be a ruler was a heavy burden to bear.
Her brother, Micah, hadn’t been born with the telltale markings, but he’d coveted the position for as long as she could remember. If only she could give it to him. Then they’d both be happy.
Micah’s Mess
Niki Daninger
When an envious warlock bent on taking coven rule from his sister, saves an angel, he learns there is more to life than his bruised self-worth.
Blurb: Micah is a self proclaimed selfish-ass, who wants nothing more than to take over the Savannah Coven. He doesn’t need an angel looking over his shoulder, and he doesn’t need to feel responsible for her safety. But fate intervenes. As the two travel across the southern half of The United States, they must face demons—his and hers, and discover the one thing that can save them both.
Niki Daninger Bio:
Niki grew up reading fantasy books, dreaming of elves, magic, magnificent beasts and worlds that only she could visit, but she never dreamed of being an author. That came later, after she went to Manhattan, majored in art, found her husband, moved to Pennsylvania, and had two daughters.
Inspired by her author friends, she joined NaNoWriMo. That’s when her dreams took a new turn. They became insistent. The ideas and characters that had slowly taken up residence in her mind demanded their stories be told. So she started to write—with purpose.
Micah’s Mess is Niki’s first short story, but she hopes to finish her current WIP soon, so she can share more of her dreams with those who have supported and encouraged her over the years.
Micah’s Mess Short Excerpt:
I pulled my phone out and brought up the sketch Gregor had texted. He’d assured me the ancient, leather bound volume was his and his banishment was due to nothing more than an illicit affair with the Supreme, followed by a subsequent altercation with her mate.
“The prick was jealous,” Gregor had sneered. “I took something of his, so he took something of mine.”
Did I believe him? Not entirely, but I could still hear the animosity in his voice, see the rage in his eyes. There’d been some truth to his claim.
Isa took the phone from me and studied the image. Without explanation, she began checking spines.
I stood unmoving for a long moment. Was this the same angel who’d tried, twice, to change my mind? Was she really helping me, or did she have an ulterior motive?
Deciding it was best I find the tome, I took the other side of the room and began flipping books.
After half an hour, we were still unsuccessful. I wanted to switch sides, but Isa insisted she had thoroughly checked all the books. She might be able to keep something from me, but angels couldn’t lie. She had not seen the book.
“Maybe they moved it,” she suggested. It was a valid thought. If the coven members thought Gregor was after the book, they might have hidden it somewhere else.
I leaned against the table, so much like the one in our own meeting room. It wobbled, ever so slightly. That’s when the idea came. Rose kept something hidden beneath our table. She never spoke of it, but I’d heard the whispers, the muted screams. I’d sensed its presence.
Crawling under the table, I knocked on the floor, trying to find a loose or creaky board.
“What is this?”
I looked over my shoulder. Isa was under the table with me, pointing to the underside.
“Hot damn!” It was a hidden drawer.
Sliding it open, we recovered a metal lockbox. I shook it. There was something large inside. And heavy. It could easily be a book.
“Okay, let’s see what we got.” I slid out from under the table and grabbed my pack. Digging around, I found my lockpicking kit, then set to work.
“Would they have spelled it shut?” Isa asked as she scooted next to me.
“My grandmother always said ‘sometimes the simplest solution is the best solution.’ I imagine most would sit here trying to find the right spell but… Ah.” I smiled as the lid popped open. “They’d only have wasted their time.”
Inside was a gold bound book with raised symbols and a substantial clasp holding the covers shut.
“You did it!” Isa’s eyes lit up with excitement as she leaned forward and hugged me.
I stiffened—instantly. There was no subtlety, and Isa reacted, pulling back so she could look at me.
Her pupils were dilated, and her full lips were slightly parted.
Holy Hell.
Love Spell
Jennifer Ray
When an inexperienced witch messes up her spell and the man of her dreams falls in love with her, she must figure out how to undo the mess, even if that means she’ll lose him forever.
Blurb: Keira Weathersby loves to help people with the matters of the heart and the body as a witch and pharmacist. But when her childhood rival demands her help, Keira will have to use her craft on the one man she can’t get out of her mind or heart.
Wade Hadley’s girlfriend enjoys leaving hints that she wants to get engaged. The only problem is he doesn’t want to get married right now especially when he’s unsure of his feelings.
When Keira messes up a love spell and Wade professes his love for her, she must figure out how to undo her spell, even if that means Wade will run back to his dreadful girlfriend.
Jennifer Ray Bio:
Jennifer pretends to be organized in a sea of to-do lists while chauffeuring around her two children to their endless activities.
While waiting in the car, she sips her coffee and escapes to make-believe worlds full of destiny, love, and strength.
If she has any spare time, she bakes sweet treats, dances with her children to the music in her head, and curls up on the couch with her husband watching their backlog of DVR-ed TV shows.
Since they live in the southeast, Jennifer takes the opportunity to drink sweet tea and say y’all whenever she gets a chance.
Love Spell Short Excerpt:
Keira locked the shop behind her and met Wade at the side door. She held the book up to show him she’d gotten what she needed.
He grabbed the tome from her hands. “This old book holds the power to break the spell you have over me?” He gave her a dimpled grin.
Oh goodness, she was in trouble. His kisses alone about did her in. But if he wanted to confess his love for her, he needed to do it spell free. It had to be the real thing.
Unfortunately, when she reversed this spell, it was guaranteed he would run screaming back to Ginny and all of her perfectness. Someone like Wade didn’t fall for someone like her.
“Do you want a beer?”
He stopped mid-stride and gaped at her. “You have beer?”
“Um, yes. I drink it too.” She yanked open the fridge and grabbed two bottles of beer. She used the bottom edge of her shirt and twisted a bottle open, handed it to him, and then opened one for herself.
He watched her take a swig off the bottle before he lifted it to his mouth. “You know, you could just forget about reversing the spell and leave things the way they are.” He winked.
She snorted. “I’d rather be loved for more than my beer drinking abilities.”
He shrugged.
She led him into the small dining room next to the kitchen. He brushed past her and pulled a chair out for her. She paused and looked at the chair.
“Don’t tell me you’ve never had a man pull a chair out for you? There are still gentlemen around.” He gestured toward the chair.
Sitting, she looked up at him. “I’m sure there are still gentlemen, but I don’t seem to find any.” She opened the grimoire he laid before her. The paper marking the page peeked out the bottom, and she carefully turned to the page.
Wade leaned in to look at the page too. “What language is that? Latin?”
“Yes.” She reread the translated information. There wasn’t any mention of undoing the spell or another spell that would counteract it.
“Do you know what it says?”
“Um, no. But it wasn’t necessary. I had to do the spell in Latin anyway.” She flipped back to the beginning to find the list of spells.
“You chanted a spell and had no idea what it meant?” He frowned at the book.
“I knew what the spell was for and the gist of what was said just not the exact translation.” She went back to reading the list of spells as he chugged his beer.
“Thank God I didn’t sprout a second head or something.”
The Banshee and the Barista
Danielle Donaldson
A young banshee can’t escape the death that constantly surrounds her, but she can’t seem to keep the handsome barista at arm’s length despite the shadow hanging over them.
Blurb: Jenny was thirteen years old when she accidentally killed her parents. It seems like every time she opens her mouth, people around her start dropping dead. She’s learned to live with her power, keep her mouth shut, and stay away from people. She’s learned the art of healing through touch with the help of her coven. Yet, Mac, the motor-mouth barista from the local coffee shop, wiggles into her life and shows her that her witchcraft is much stronger than she originally thought. Jenny discovers that being a Banshee doesn’t have to be a silent life of sadness.
Danielle Donaldson Bio:
Danielle Donaldson writes from Southern California where she lives with her husband and son. She is busy writing YA and Contemporary Romance novels as well as poetry and short stories. Her novels are stories of hope. The smallest candle is still fighting the shadows. Every person has their struggles, their darkness, but the cycle of life continues and the light might be around the next bend.
Catch her online on WriterDanielleDonaldson.com
The Banshee and the Barista Short Excerpt:
Mac started to speak, “What’s going–” She placed her left pointer finger over his lips without opening her eyes. His lips were so soft and they felt magenta and hot, and she wanted to rub her fingertip over them, but she tried her best to keep her hand still.
He leaned in to her touch even though his breath hitched in his throat.
She reveled in the feeling that emanated from his heart for a moment. It was like caramel on her tongue, the smell of seawater on a summer breeze through her hair, the soft purr of a kitten in her lap.
His eyes went wide and his mouth fell open. She searched his face and her body responded in a way that she had never experienced. There was a hot rush between her legs and her stomach flipped.
“What are you doing?” Mac whispered and his eyes never left hers. His deep brown eyes were tender and they crinkled at the edges as he smirked.
She pushed the energy back into him, showing him what she felt. It was all new to her. She was used to pushing healing or calming thoughts into people, trying to push the visions of death away from her but this was different. This held up a mirror to him and reflected what she experienced by touching him.
She pushed the feeling through her palm and his skin grew hot under her touch. His energy was hot cocoa next to a fire in wintertime, the smooth first taste of pumpkin pie, a bubble bath warm around her legs. For a moment, his eyes widened and he looked far away, but then his eyes closed and his head rocked backward on his neck, a soft smile on his lips. His neck was open to her and she wanted to put her lips on the arch of his muscles and kiss and suck and nibble…
She thought she might have been pushing too many of those feelings into him, because he jumped upright, holding her palm to his chest. His dark, hungry eyes met hers. She was ravenous for him.
She stepped away and pulled her hand back. You’re a professional. She’d worked hard enough to make sure that she kept her professionalism in a field where she pretty regularly got asked if she was a “happy ending” kind of massage therapist.
Mac cleared his throat and looked away, he moved the sheet over his lower body, to hide the outline of a large erection. It wasn’t uncommon for men to get erections during massages, but usually she ignored it. This was clearly different. This was because of the connection between them, the feeling he showed her.
“Uh…I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” He cleared his throat. “Uh… this doesn’t happen. I should go. I definitely should go.”
Promised Magic
Sheri Williams
Will the girl he was promised to as a child, be the one to unlock his magic?
Blurb: When Brior was a child he had an idyllic home life, living on a farm, mostly out of the general population. But when disaster strikes and his parents die, he is thrust into the foster system. All the while he’s harboring a secret. A secret that will change his life when he turns 18. When he wakes up with magical powers Brior doesn’t know what to do. Adrift in his life for a few years, it isn’t until a mysterious letter arrives that his life changes.
Promised to a child from another magical family at a young age, Brior will leave all he knows to find the girl from the letter. To find out more about his powers. With the help of the girl from the letter, he will unlock his hidden abilities, and become the man he was always meant to be.
Sheri Williams Bio:
Sheri Williams is a woman of contradictions. A Yankee living in the deep south, a wanderer who has to sit still, a geek who used to be a jock. She lives to write and read, but not as much as she lives for her family. A mother and a wife to amazing humans, as well as parent to multiple fur babies, she lives in a tiny house overpopulated. Sheri has multiple things in the works at any given time, in any given genre. She has always been a hopeless romantic and finds writing romance help keeps it alive.
Promised Magic Short Excerpt:
“Do it.” The voice was timid, almost a whisper. Brior stopped, searching through the foliage for the speaker. “I do it every time I walk through the door. The lush grass, the cold dirt, it calls to you.”
“Why do you hide?” A pivot to either side didn’t show the girl. Her voice was a song on the wind. Just like the cool earth, it called to him. “I won’t harm you.”
“I know you won’t. You are Brior. We are to be wed.” Out from under an apple tree, she glided toward him. Her feet were bare, small and slender. He let his gaze travel up the rest of her. She was exactly like her feet. Slim, petite, and pale. Her hair was amber, shiny and long. There were round brass glasses perched on the tip of her upturned nose. They stood, taking each other in, neither wishing to be the next to speak.
“And you are?” Brior couldn’t continue to stay silent.
Drifter’s Moon
Michele Mohr
A witch’s magic is put to the test when she becomes the target of a vengeful ghost at a haunted motel on Halloween.
Blurb: Savannah James is a Natural Gray, a rare type of witch that can successfully practice both white and black magic. Feeling trapped by her coven’s strict rules, she decides to fly her broomstick solo and break the news of her resignation at their big annual meeting on Halloween.
Trouble has other plans for her when she unexpectedly finds herself tracking down her con artist ex-boyfriend Levi the day before the big event to recover her priceless moonstone necklace he stole from her.
When a locater spell leads her to an off the map truck stop diner in rural Georgia, she crosses paths with lonely drifter Jesse King, a green eyed, all American country boy from her childhood.
Craving a little love and adventure in addition to the menu items at the greasy spoon, Jesse offers Savannah a ride after an her intense run in with Levi at the diner, and they end up at the creepy roadside motel, the Drifter’s Moon.
While rekindling their friendship as adults, Savannah and Jesse quickly learn things aren’t what they seem underneath the dust and outdated décor of the motel, and checking out might be harder than they think. Is Savannah’s magic strong enough to defeat a vengeful ghost and break a decades old curse to get to the coven meeting on time, or will she and Jesse become the motel’s new permanent residents?
Michele Mohr Bio:
From an early age, Michele Mohr had a passion for storytelling and would write sequels to her favorite books in crayon while sitting in her backyard at her family’s picnic table. Growing up in a haunted house ignited her passion for the paranormal and when other kids her age read fairy tales and comic books, she read Stephen King and Anne Rice. She fell in love with the craft of writing in college while pursuing an art degree and became creatively charged while living in New York City. She currently resides in Nashville, TN with her three rescue dogs and one diva cat. When she’s not writing, she’s talking about writing with fans and other authors on social media or binge watching episodes of Supernatural and The Walking Dead.
Drifter’s Moon Short Excerpt:
I eased out of my jacket, kicked my boots off, and shuffled toward the bathroom. Before I went in, I glanced over my shoulder. His gaze was still on me. I left the door open just a crack and told myself it was because I might’ve overheated from the shower steam, but I knew better. As my Granny often asked me, “Oh little Savannah, what spell are you weaving now?”
The bathroom was clean, so I got naked and turned the nozzle in anticipation of the hot stream of water but nothing came out but a dry squeak.
“Oh come on!”
I fidgeted with the other nozzles and was relieved when water came gushing out of the faucet to run a bath. I didn’t look forward to a phone call to creepy Jude to complain about not being able to bathe. I inspected the tub before I sat my bare ass in it. It passed my standards.
Shit. I had forgotten my overnight bag in Jesse’s truck. Oh well, I’ll just have him go out and get it later since I was already naked. In addition to the generic motel soap, I spotted a bottle of bubble bath on the counter by the sink. I opened it and took a sniff.
Lavender… the key ingredient in a love spell.
After I poured in a generous amount, I caught a glimpse of myself in the medicine cabinet mirror. Something was different. Was it my hair? It looked a little drabby as opposed to its usual chestnut shine, but that wasn’t it. Oh well. I turned away from my reflection and climbed into the tub. I stretched out and dunked underneath the water to let the soothing warmth envelope me. The moment was mine. Almost.
Something slid across my throat like the movement one makes with their finger when they slide it from one ear to the other signifying sudden death.
I bolted up to the surface.
Every hair on my body stood up in the icy draft that hovered around the tub. My overactive thoughts raced in the quiet of the bathroom in competition with the echoed drip of the faucet.
“Savaaaaaaannah.” A faint whisper danced in my ear. I panned around the bathroom, but I was still alone.
“Jesse?”
A few seconds later, my handsome companion stood in the doorway holding the bottle of whiskey.
“You rang?”
“Did you just call my name?”
His look of confusion told me he hadn’t. He took a deep pull off the bottle.
“No. You’re not falling asleep in here and dreaming, are you?”
He leaned against the door frame and rested his head on his arm. The movement made the bottom of his t-shirt rise over the top of his jeans to the point where I caught a glimpse of his stomach… and his happy trail. Did I mention I had a thing for happy trails?
“Maybe I’m just hearing things.”
Where the Heart Belongs
Maria Arell
Kilyn goes from being an orphan to having a large family in a matter of days, but is she ready to embrace her heritage?
Blurb: After being orphaned at a young age, Kilyn has finally settled in Savannah, Georgia, and is quite content with her life. A letter arrives and turns everything upside down and brings Felix, who Kilyn feels inexplicably attracted to. But can she trust him?
Felix was sent to keep Kilyn under a watchful eye, but can he keep his distance? He’s used to doing things on his own, but she is tempting him in ways he hadn’t thought possible. And what comes first, love or family?
Maria Arell Bio:
After being published in a Swedish fantasy/erotica anthology, Maria Arell wanted more. She’s dabbling in both short stories and full novels with fantasy and romance combined most of the time. She’s also known for writing fanfictions on the side.
Maria lives in Sweden with her husband, two kids and an unsocial cat. She works full time and writes as often as she can. This is her first English story that is not fanfiction.
Where the Heart Belongs Short Excerpt:
Kilyn read, and reread the letter in her attempt to comprehend. It revealed she was not alone in the world. On her father’s side a large family awaited. And her heritage was magical and elven. The letter was accompanied by her genealogy and a large, leather bound, black book. It cracked when she carefully opened it, and a small note fell out.
“This was your father’s.”
What is this? She couldn’t make anything of it. It was all Greek to her, close written text but mostly symbols. Her hands slid over the glyphs. Her fingers tingled, but she couldn’t understand the language. She read the letter once more.
“All I can say for now, is that you come from a long lineage of witches and elves. You have powers, Kilyn. Both from your mother’s and your father’s side.”
Kilyn shook her head, put the book and letter away, and then went into the kitchen. She needed something. She searched the pantry, her relief palpable upon locating a bottle of red. She sank down on the wooden chair and took a deep gulp. All she knew about her parents was that they were killed when she was only three, in an accident. Kilyn had miraculously survived.
This was all too big for her to wrap her head around. At the same time, her past fell into place. At least the witch part. Kilyn possessed powers. She could predict the near future, healing came easy for her, and she’d been known to influence people’s train of thought, altering it to her liking, not to mention what had happened with a boy from school. Kilyn shook her head, didn’t want to think about it.
But elf? Seriously? That was plain fantasy.
A Stolen Spell
A.E. Snow
Can Isadora save Savannah from an evil spell and her own family?
Blurb: Isadora Blackwood is a shy, reserved librarian. She’s passionate about history and preservation and happens to be the keeper of the histories for the witches of Savannah, a job she takes very seriously. Spells, stories, and memoirs lie in her care, and she’s devoted her life to the work. On Halloween, Isadora arrives at the library to find that the history of her own family, the notorious Blackwoods, and an ancient and dangerous spell have been stolen.
To complicate matters, Graham Hart, a visiting professor arrives in town, and Isadora finds herself enamored of him. With his help, Isadora goes on a wild goose chase across Savannah to find the spell and the thief. The hunt leads them to the famous Bonaventure Cemetery, an antebellum mansion, and a wild Halloween masquerade ball.
Will she be too late to save Savannah from evil and from the Blackwoods?
A.E. Snow Bio:
A.E. Snow is a writer, mother, and pet wrangler. She lives in a tiny mountain town with her husband, two children, three cats, a large dog, and a partridge in a pear tree.
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A Stolen Spell Short Excerpt:
Isadora sighed and reached for her tea. She frowned when she saw the empty mug with a dried up tea bag resting at the bottom. She glanced around before concentrating all her attention on the vessel. A fresh tea bag appeared inside and hot water streamed into the mug as though being poured from an invisible teapot.
Once the books were sorted, she returned them to their sections always aware of what her patrons were doing, especially Dr. Hart.
One by one, the other patrons returned their books to the circulation counter and left. Isadora added them to her cart and sorted by subject, something she found immensely satisfying. After a quick glance around the room, she found Dr. Hart in an armchair by the Civil War section, one of the biggest in the research library. She smoothed out her hair and her skirt and pushed her rolling cart into his section.
“Did you find everything alright?” she asked with a flutter of her eyelashes.
“Yes. No problem at all.” Graham smiled and stood. “I have to be going, should I give this to you?” He held out the book he’d been reading.
She accepted it. “Yes…thank you.” Once again, their fingers touched. This time, white sparks shot into the air. Disarmed, she dropped the book as soon as Graham let go.
They both stooped to pick it up and laughed when they both reached for it. A blush spread over Isadora’s face and neck. She pulled her long hair over her shoulder in an effort to hide some of the red splotches.
Graham cleared his throat. “Shall I meet you at the restaurant? And which restaurant?”
“Stay a Spell?” She held her breath and waited. If he knew of the finest and only strictly paranormal restaurant in Savannah, it would truly confirm what she already knew.
Graham’s brown eyes lit up. “See you at eight.” With a toothy grin, Graham left.
Isadora watched him go with a dreamy smile. She floated back to the desk still holding the book he’d given her and leaving the rolling cart abandoned. She daydreamed about dinner with Graham. In her dream, the perfect date led to dinners at home as husband and wife with their laughter and children filling up a white farmhouse.
“Get a grip Isadora,” she said surprised at herself for fantasizing about marriage and babies, not things she’d ever thought she wanted. She preferred the company of her cat, books, and tea to men most of the time. But there was something different about Graham. From the months of emails, she knew he was interested in the same things she was: paranormal events as documented by humans, cemeteries, and books.
Her gaze swept over the calendar and froze. The smile melted off her face and she groaned. “Shit,” she whispered. Samhain. She had a coven meeting in half an hour. “Shit shit shit.” She remembered a book from the vault that belonged to Rose. Rose needed it back and she’d promised to bring it.
Isadora climbed on a table and looked around for any patrons she might have missed. She was alone. Glancing down at her watch, she realized Susanna would be back any second. Still, she had to get that book. She dashed to the front door and locked it before running back down the length of the hall, the clicking of her heels echoing and filling up the quiet space.
The Heart of a Hunter
Andra Shine
Ashley, a spoilt young witch must break a love spell, defeat her enemy and learn some manners, to win the heart of her true love.
Blurb: With all her power, most things in Ashley’s life come easy, but when her aged aunts cast a true love spell on her, the spoilt young witch must learn to think of someone other than herself. When she rescues a hunted man, she doesn’t know if she will end up at the hands of her enemy, or in the arms of her true love.
Ashley must choose between lust and love, self and others, hunted and hunter. It should be like taking Halloween candy from a baby; after all, it’s only her heart at stake.
Andra Shine Bio:
Andra became a writer after a failed career as a pirate. She lives with her two children and their ninja father on the edge of the forest path to grandma’s house. She has been published under the name Andra Jenkin, in television, radio, film, cd, newspapers, theatre reviews and comics, and has traveled as a performance poet.
Words are her passion and she writes eclectically in fiction and non-fiction genres. She is published in The Douglas Adams Liff trilogy, Afterliff, Three Words, and various online literary journals. This is her first short story available to the public.
The Heart of a Hunter Short Excerpt:
The aunts sat on the bed like a pair of sweetly smiling bookends.
“I know that look you two. You’re up to something.”
They exchanged blank looks, a perfect picture of innocence, albeit a rather wrinkled one. As if the picture had been scrunched up and shoved into a pocket.
Ashley watched them with suspicion; she pointed an accusing finger.
“Don’t. I don’t know what you’re going to do, but whatever it is, just don’t.” She didn’t trust them not to meddle in her life in extreme and embarrassing ways. Ashley backed slowly out of the door a suspicious eyebrow raised at them.
To their credit, the aunts waited until she was well out of earshot before they burst out laughing again.
****
“I’ve a good mind to put a spell on that one, show her the trouble with throwing your sex magic around,” Esmeralda declared.
“Go on, then.” Agatha’s mischievous eyes lit up. “I dare you. But do it right. Make her fall in love. That’ll put a cat amongst the pigeons.”
“You know I can’t resist a good dare.” A wicked smile broke out over Esmeralda’s crinkly face, and for a moment she was more wrinkle than witch. She stood unsteadily, waved her hands in the air, more for balance than spell work. Then she turned around a few times, shouted a few garbled incantations then fell on the bed and started again. She rounded off the bizarre process with a chant, “Anusin, anusin, atetin, atetin, atelin.”
Esmeralda beamed at her sister. Agatha’s expression stole her certainty and the smile faded.
“What? Wasn’t that right?” Esmeralda asked.
“Well, not the first bit obviously, that was ridiculous. But the end was disastrous.”
“I thought the end was good.”
“You said atelin!”
“Surely not,” Esmeralda said, she frowned and studied the ceiling as if she would find her memory hidden in the chandelier.
“I heard it, atelin. Right at the end, like you meant it.”
Esmeralda sucked her breath through her teeth. “Well, true love then.”
“Yep.”
“Definitely overcooked it.”
“No doubt about that.”
“Not just any old love spell.”
“No.”
“Your actual true love spell.”
“Yes.”
“Not much I can do about that.”
“No.”
“You think she’ll be cross?”
“What? That she’s got around six hundred years on this earth and you’ve gone and called her true love to her when she’s only 23?”
“Yeah, that.”
“Shouldn’t think so. She’ll be in love won’t she? People in love are idiots. She probably won’t notice anything we do from here on in.”
Running with Magic
Sonja Fröjdendal
Sunshine is a witch who can bottle emotions, but with the ruler of demons and his son crazy for her, loving the right demon is hell.
Blurb: Sunshine is a witch who can bottle emotions and that’s not her only talent. With a long line of witches behind her, she isn’t scared that she has a hot demon following her.
She does mind that his father has taken a shine to her too, and as ruler of the night demons, has sent an army to capture her as his bride.
Even with her occult powers and a dragon as her ride, Sunshine is finding that loving the right demon is hell.
Sonja Fröjdendal Bio:
You can find Sonja on Facebook: www.facebook.com/sonjafrojdendalauthhor and on Twitter: @frjdendalsonja
Running with Magic Short Excerpt:
A hand on Sunshine’s shoulder made her jump and spill her drink. It felt like she had her heart in her throat when she turned her head to face the owner. Seeing Hamish standing behind her heighten her senses and even quickened her pulse more. A cold stream ran down her spine, freezing her stiff.
“Sunshine my dear, how nice to find you here. Is everything okay? You don’t return my calls. One might think you don’t want to talk to me.” Hamish lifted one eyebrow, cocking his head.
“If that’s what you think, then why do you keep calling?” Sunshine took a deep breath.
“Because I know that you are busy and probably don’t have time to return calls. So, knowing you would be in town for the coven meeting, I decided to pay you a visit. I figured it was the only option to get you to talk to me.”
“I have no problem talking to you. It’s the other thing I have a problem with.” Deep breathing didn’t calm her down as much as she hoped for. She couldn’t focus enough to get her powers to work, somehow she needed Hamish to let go of her shoulder.
“I can’t see why that is a problem. It’s an honor, I assure you.”
“I bet it is but I don’t aspire to that honor. I have no feelings for you so it wouldn’t be right. Take someone who really appreciate and want the privilege, someone who can make you proud.” Sunshine stood up and took one step to the side, getting him to loosen his grip.
“Going somewhere?”
“Only to the ladies room. Is that a problem?”
“Oh, no. Go ahead dear. I’ll wait here for you.”
“We don’t have anything to talk about. You got my answer and I’m not changing my mind. I’m not following you anywhere. Give up and leave me alone.” Sunshine took another deep breath. Her voice started to give away her nervousness and that would be a bad thing.
“Let’s say it like this. I’ll leave you for now and let you finish your business in town. When the coven meeting is over, I’ll send someone to pick you up for a visit to my home. If you still feel the same, you don’t have to. How does that sound?” His tone of voice made her feel patronised, like she was a small child.
“Good, let me do my thing in peace.” Sunshine made sure she didn’t make a promise she couldn’t keep.
After kissing her hand, Hamish left Stay a Spell. She was off the hook for now. She had used the ladies room as an excuse but she went in there to cool her wrists. It usually helped her calm down. Staying focused was a necessity if the solution to get him to stop ever ought to show its face.
Magical Shift
Kay Blake
Sparks fly when a young telekinetic witch is put under the protection of a rugged, but handsome stranger who is more than what meets the eye.
Blurb: Paige has always been a loner. After the death of her nana, she takes solace in her job and taking long runs in the woods. Her usual place of solitude is threatened by an unknown presence and a rather handsome mystery man who lands on her doorstep quite literally.
Falling in love with the handsome stranger wasn’t part of the plan, but that is exactly what begins to happen. When old friends and secrets start to unravel, Paige is left with trying to find a balance between what she thought she knew and what her heart says.
Kay Blake Bio:
Kay Blake was born in New York City. She is a sarcastic sweetheart who prefers being home reading a good book. She’s a newlywed and a mom to three cubs. Kay is an avid reader. Kay has written poetry, song lyrics, fan fiction, and short stories as a child. She decided to take a real stab at writing in 2014. Her guilty pleasures are horror movies, chocolate, strawberry cheesecake, Harry Potter, The Walking Dead, wrestling, and happy endings.
She blogs at www.authorkayblake.wordpess.com and with several wonderful authors/writers at http://www.writingwenches.com
She can be found on twitter @authorkayblake and Instagram @authorkayblake
Magical Shift Short Excerpt:
Me? I received my powers a year ago at midnight. At first I thought I’d lost things, my keys and my sunglasses. Then later I’d find them in different places. By the time I arrived at the Halloween coven meeting, I had realized that I was accidently moving things around. At first it seemed fun, but after a while, I grew frustrated because I didn’t know how to control the telekinesis. I’d find my hairbrush in the fridge and the flour would end up in the linen cupboard. Glasses would be broken on the hall floor. Almost a year and endless practice later I have a greater degree of control. Nana would’ve made sure I learned it all, but I think I did pretty well for someone who had to figure it out on her own. Although when I’m angry or tired, I still tend to do things more unintentionally than not.
My usual route took me around the edge of the woods; a circuit that ended back home. I could take the road on the opposite side, but that led into town. Now that Nana had passed, I had been going further in, not when the run was so peaceful and the forest so close to my house.
I paced myself as I ran past the trees. Pink’s upbeat tunes dazzled my eardrums. I reveled in the sense of freedom running gave me, even if it was only for a moment.
Nana often called me her special little girl. She said there weren’t many of us in the black culture. I came from a long line of witches and I inherited the powers I got. It skipped generations. Many of the other black witches my nana had known in her lifetime learned their occult knowledge from books and spells.
I kept up my pace until the feeling I wasn’t alone in the woods crept up on me. I took one of the headphones out and scanned my surroundings to see if I could spot something. My intuition was usually right. I turned around a few times, seeing nothing, I placed my earphones back in. Lately, I have been feeling like I was being watched. Most times the presence didn’t feel threatening, and other times it did. Maybe Nana was warning me away from the woods from beyond.
The hairs on the back of my neck pricked up and I picked up the pace. I could hear all of Nana’s past warnings in my head, but I needed my daily run like I needed coffee. It was my fix.
My senses tingled again. I spun around again this time certain that I wasn’t alone. I didn’t want to deal with the abnormal today.
I was isolated by my abnormality. Okay, yes, I had the coven. The coven, a sacred place with friendly enough witches, but they weren’t my nana. I had always been an awkward girl.
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Hope you enjoyed!
Happy reading! ~ Jen