Review
Cemmy was an interesting character to follow. She has lost a lot and is struggling, but she has a gift that could change everything. The story moved at a good pace and there were a few twists along the way. Highly recommend. 4 out of 5 stars.
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 1) What Wiccan Sabbat are you writing about, and why were you drawn to it? We are featuring Ostara, and it is enticing because it represents a time of balance, renewal, and the awakening of nature after winter. While winter is beautiful (Sian certainly thinks so), spring brings new life and an energy where you feel like you can accomplish anything. 2) Tell us about your story. Our story is set in Saxonville and follows a novice witch and her accidental oopsie of a spell. Trying to bless her new endeavors, she accidentally magicks a love connection into the blessing. Recovering from a bad breakup, the last thing she needs is the attention of a super hot alpha werewolf, but with spring and her magick in the air, that’s exactly what she’s dealing with. 3) Did you learn anything interesting while researching your story? We learnt a lot about the various kinds of herbs used for Ostara blessings and the things they are associated with. We also researched an actual house that was listed as our setting, which was fun. Sian learnt a lot about fated mates, which was a first for her. 4) If you could cast a spell (and hopefully it didn’t go wrong!), what spell would you cast? Sian would cast an abundance spell. She gives in abundance, and it would be nice to receive in abundance. Toni would concentrate on health—many people need it. 5) What are you working on next? As Rebecca Quill, we’re toying with the idea of turning this into a series. In the meantime, Sian is working on a contemporary romance (the third book in her Edgestone Parlor series as J.E. Black), and Toni is working on a NA fantasy series, which is the follow-on series to the Elemental Trilogy.  Rebecca Quill is a writing team comprising international best-selling fantasy author Toni Cox and international best-selling horror author Sian B. Claven.
Best friends, they decided that joining writing journeys was just the next step in their ever-evolving friendship. When not on the phone with each other, Toni can be found lounging around with her husband, reading juicy paranormal stories, and crocheting while Sian is being held captive by her mad dog and two psycho cats, all while she tries to build Lego.  1) What Wiccan Sabbat are you writing about and why were you drawn to it? My story happens on the Wiccan Sabbat of Lammas/Lughnasadh. The fact that it’s celebrated in my birth month (August) makes this Sabbat special to me. And, as a fan of Patricia Briggs’ Mercedes Thompson series, I have a particular fondness for Lugh. 2) Tell us about your story Although Evie Zaytsev comes from a line of healers, she’s only been able to access healing magic for a few years. In this story, she has the opportunity to develop and stretch her healing ability, but the small issue of liability insurance keeps her from realizing her dream. Evie’s primary magic is Illusion, and knowing that Lugh is a trickster god, she creates an illusion spell on Lughnasadh, that she hopes will get her past the insurance hurdle. Unfortunately, Lugh gets the last laugh with her spell. 3) Did you learn anything interesting while researching your story? In addition to being a warrior and skilled craftsman—which I knew, I learned Lugh also has healing and sorcery skills. Which I thought aligned well with my story. 4) If you could cast a spell (and hopefully it didn't go wrong!) what spell would you cast? If there was a spell granting me patience I’d cast it in a heartbeat! 5) What are you working on next? I’m working on another Evie and Neviah story, which I hope to publish this fall.  When not daydreaming about plot lines and characters Andra practices yoga, reads voraciously, and drinks too much coffee. She loves road trips and going off on wild tangents. Andra writes in multiple genres—including but not limited to—urban fantasy, steamy romance, paranormal romance, and horror.
https://www.andradill.com 1) What Wiccan Sabbat are you writing about and why were you drawn to it? I’m part of the Beltane stories, and I’m happy I got to do this one, because spring is my favourite season, but Beltane also coincides with the German Walpurgis Night, which is when all the witches gather on the Brocken for a dance – it’s a very local celebration, but great fun! There’s actually a little twist in my story. Because I’m living in New Zealand and this story will be part of my New Zealand witch adventures, Beltane is actually taking place in October, NZ spring, so be prepared for some “reversed” months 😉 2) Tell us about your story Witching with Bunnies is the story of an Earth witch located in Christchurch, who’s trying to help the city heal after a devastating earthquake (real background by the way), but struggles with trauma. She’s joined by the good-looking neighbour, a matter-of-fact geologist, and her four (!) bunny familiars, who are the real stars of the story. Fun fact, all bunnies used to be or currently are our family’s pets. I included them for a way to honour their memory. 3) Did you learn anything interesting while researching your story? There wasn’t actually much research specifically for this novel. I am a trained geologist myself, and I’ve lived through the Christchurch earthquake and am an immigrant like my protagonist. Plus the bunnies are literally ours. So, this story pulls from several bits of my life that I’m already very familiar with, plus adding some magic that I’m not so familiar with (in real life, at least). 4) If you could cast a spell (and hopefully it didn't go wrong!) what spell would you cast? Oh, I’d probably cast some house cleaning spell, so I don’t have to bother with that on top of everything else. Or maybe a spell to make me a meal plan and associated grocery list each week. That’d be nice. 5) What are you working on next? Sooo much! I’ve just completed a big series, but I’m working on another long-running urban fantasy series and will start a new one soon. But I have two projects that I’m really excited about. One is a Kickstarter for another series, and the other is finally launching my Dark Fantasy penname. I decided to focus on urban fantasy first, but I’ve written a lot of dark fantasy books over the years that I can’t wait to publish at last. Oh, and hopefully, there’ll be two more “Witching with ..:” titles to complete the elemental set (P.S.: the first one is Witching with Dolphins and they’re all independently read)  Setting out from Europe, Janna Ruth loves filling her travels with supernatural adventures. Whether befriending ghosts in Paris, monster hunting in Germany, or discovering fire spirits in Italy, there's always some magic in the real world places of her urban fantasy. Her books are packed with supernatural action, local folklore, and European flavour.
When she's not planning her next trip or travelling via her stories, she enjoys hanging upside down in aerial silks, decorating (book) cakes, and finding new arts & craft hobbies to obsess about. Janna's travels eventually led her to the other side of the world, but she remains a European at heart. She currently lives in Wellington, New Zealand with her husband, three kids, and bunnies. Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJannaRuth 1) What Wiccan Sabbat are you writing about and why were you drawn to it? I wrote about Ostara. I was born on Mabon and I’ve always been fascinated by the dichotomies between the spring and fall solstice days. 2) Tell us about your story I wanted to write a story that was a mix of pagan practices and an allegory for mental health struggles. I work in the mental health field and struggle with my own, and I’ve found that it’s helped so many others by just talking about it more. So what better way than through a story. 3) Did you learn anything interesting while researching your story? When I first started researching the town where my story is set, Hazard Kentucky, the first thing that popped up was a chicken house that’s their big tourist attraction. The other thing they’re famous for, being the home of Dukes of Hazard. 4) If you could cast a spell (and hopefully it didn't go wrong!) what spell would you cast? Right now I would love to have a spell to help me keep thoughts about work at work, and be able to focus on other things while I’m at home. I’m getting better at it, but it takes a lot of work and focus, and by the end of the day I’m usually exhausted. 5) What are you working on next? I’m just finishing up a Paranormal, Cozy, Small Town Romance about a Selkie and a Human.  Cecelia Conway is a Contemporary and Paranormal Romance author based in Wisconsin. When she’s not reading or writing, she’s probably spending time with her cats, watching racing, or riding horses.
Find out more at: www.ceceliaconway.com 1) What Wiccan Sabbat are you writing about, and why were you drawn to it? I am writing for Beltane and Lammas. I really enjoy the idea of Beltane being the opposite of Samhain, the clearing of energy in the spring heading into summer. A thinning of the veil, beautiful bonfires, and a fresh start for the early part of the year. Also, many benefits of fertility from a fresh start. I love the thoughts that go with that, and it was fun to come up with a story that brought together a lot of those concepts. Lammas is a very different holiday. It is known for baking and for starting the harvest festivals, a much quieter holiday between several more well-known holidays, and I had ideas for a darker story about someone going through changes that Lammas could represent. So both stories are very different with each Sabbat. 2) Tell us about your story. My Beltane story is more lighthearted and fun: a witch who doesn’t seem to be able to do much right, from a perfect family that just wants the love others have, and who casts a spell on Beltane to find her true love. She finds her love, a normal fellow who certainly doesn’t believe in magic, and is pulled into the magical world with her challenges. He changes, and she grows in the story, finding love and change. I had a lot of fun bringing them together in “Magical Matchmaking.” My Lammas story is about a woman running from her past, finding magic to help her move on from a challenging past, and learning about regrowth and change from one life to another during Lammas. She is reflecting on her life and what it means to become a new person. Lammas helps her during this time of great change, which is important during Lammas to help her reflect, and she has new abundance to draw from others. 3) Did you learn anything interesting while researching your story? I enjoyed learning more about Lammas and the different ways to celebrate, beyond just baking a loaf of bread, and what other symbolism could be happening during the holiday, since I didn’t know all the meaning behind Lammas. There is a lot more than just baking; there is more about community, which helped me build the story to help my main character grow and learn to lean on others during her growth, which is important during most Sabbats. 4) If you could cast a spell (and hopefully it didn’t go wrong!), what spell would you cast? Helping the community grow and release what they are holding on to during Lammas now. I didn’t know that was part of what Lammas was. I know about having more abundance for the winter, but allowing people to release their anxieties and help them move on with fewer issues would be awesome. I would love to help people with that. Help a whole community, especially right now, be less full of anxiety and stress, totally want that. 5) What are you working on next? I am working on several novels that will be published this year. I am a busy writer, but I love it so much and thank everyone for reading and supporting!  W.M. Dawson lives with her husband and tailless cats, who all think they run the house. Now that she is writing full-time, her fiction runs the gamut of horror, fantasy, urban fantasy, and romance, whatever comes to mind in her overcaffeinated brain. Raised in the southwestern part of America, she hides from the desert sun in the writing cave, avoiding being set ablaze as a redhead. She also writes under Wendy Cheairs and Sage Knight.
Social Links: https://linktr.ee/wcheairs Too many people stall when it comes to their writing because they need it to be perfect. The perfect idea, the perfect time, the perfect scene. They psych themselves out of writing at all because they are waiting for something that will never come. Perfection Doesn't Exist. And when you accept that, you will learn that there is no right time to create, there Is only now. Write and stop worrying about what it looks like. It can be fixed later. The truth of the matter is your first draft is going to suck. Everyone's does. But the next one will be a little better and the next one after that will be better again. It's a practice, a craft and you are always learning. And you learn by doing. So get writing and stop making excuses" Research is one of those writing necessities where you will either love it or hate it. Most writers love it, especially if they are writing a historical genre or sub genre, they love getting into the nitty guilty of a particular era. They love researching the clothes of that time, the etiquette, the names for certain household Items.
For other authors, research is seen as tedious. they want to let the story flow, not bog themselves down with detail. But that detail can really help sell your story. For fans of historical genres, they often know this in formation themselves, so to see an author using the wrong name for something can be jarring and pull them out of the story. No one expects you to know every single thing about a time period, but you should know enough to sell it. Not to mention, rabbit holes can be fun. You can learn all sorts of things that could even spark future ideas. Of course you don't need to use every single detail, but you never know what will come up. It can also be helpful when plotting your story. You may plan for things to go a certain way for your hero, but quickly learn it impossible because something didn't exist in that time period. When it does come to doing research, remember-
Happy writing When it comes to creating a character for your book, it is important to know them inside and out. While you will not include all this information in your story, it will help you understand their motivations and how to move the story along.
What happens to us in our childhood, for example, will have an impact on us well into adulthood. This can be abuse, trauma, abandonment, etc. It is important to understand how these things can manifest and how it could shape your character. If someone has abandonment issues for example, they may have a lot of failed relationships or they find it difficult to get close to people. Before you start writing, create a short outline for your character and the main events in their life. Remember their life doesn't start on the first page. It is also important to note that you do not need to include pages of backstory in the opening chapter - a mistake many new writers make. Trust that your readers want to know more and it is more enjoyable to have it unfold over the course of the story. You can include hints or snippets of information, but you should always be looking to move your story forward. When it comes to planning your story, take your time to get it right. Most people like to jump straight in and start writing, and while that can be fun, it is very easy to end up writing yourself into a corner.
You do not have to plot out every little detail, but you should have a basic structure in place. A beginning, middle and end that you can refer back to if you get stuck. There is nothing worse than writing a story and then finding a major plot hole that requires a lot of rewriting. Why cause yourself that much stress? Having a timeline for your story can help to pin key moments down for your characters. It can keep you on track and make sure that your character doesn't go from point A to point B in the blink of an eye, with no reasonable way of getting there. An easy way to do it is to open a new document or fresh blank page in a notebook, and make a note of where your characters start out. How does the story begin? What is your character facing and what is going to happen to them? The middle is where the characters try to solve their dilemma. They often fail, making a mistake or are unable to help themselves because they are missing something - information, an object, help etc. The ending is where they face the ‘big battle’, whether literal or metaphorical, and their story reaches a conclusion. This is followed by a short wrap up - a ‘where to now’ for the characters. You want your characters to have an arc. To go on a journey and change over the course of the book. This is a good way to check this too. If your character is exactly the same person on page 1 as the final page, then something has gone wrong. So even if you are a pantser, do make an outline for yourself, however rough. You will be glad you did. |
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About the Author:S. K. Gregory is an author, editor and blogger. She currently resides in Northern Ireland. “Description begins in the writer’s imagination, but should finish in the reader’s.” 
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