PaganSquare Blog! And Feline Friday

As some of you know, I have an ongoing column in the Witches & Pagans Magazine (next issue coming out soon, so if you don't have a subscription, run out and get one).

The magazine now has a new online blog site, called PaganSquare -- and my first blog post is up. I'm going to be blogging on the reoccurring theme of "Walking Your Talk." Go take a peek and come back here to tell me what you think. Is there anything in particular you'd like me to cover in future posts there, on ways to integrate your spiritual path with your (hectic and busy) everyday life? Inquiring minds want to know!

[You should also be able to find a link to subscribe to the magazine there, should you be interested.]

Coming soon...I have a surprise cover reveal for you. Do you want it tomorrow, or should I wait until Tuesday when the holiday weekend is over here in the US?

Here's your Friday Feline pics to get you through... And happy Blue Moon! Did you realize that there won't be another one until July of 2015?!

Angus being cute, as usual.

Magic the Cat. She's got an eye on you, so don't try to pull a fast one. (And no, technically she's NOT supposed to be on the table. And your point?)

Have a great Friday! And don't forget to tell me what you think of the blog post. I'm a little nervous people won't like it...

DARKBEAST: A Recommended Read

My friend Mindy Klasky just released her first middle-grade fantasy book under the name of Morgan Keyes. I was fortunate enough to read it in manuscript form, and it was one of the best books I've read in ages. (Don't let the "middle-grade" tag fool you; it is wonderful for younger readers, but also entertaining enough for folks like you and me. And if you're like my friend Lisa DiDio, who likes to read the same book her kids are reading, so they can discuss it, this is a perfect choice.)

Here is a copy of the review I put up on Amazon and B&N:

I grew up reading classic fantasy stories by such authors as Anne McCaffery, Andre Norton, Lloyd Alexander, and of course, Tolkien. I loved books that had strong female protagonists I could identify with, intriguing new worlds for me to get lost in, and an adventure I wanted to follow until the end (or beyond).

Author Morgan Keyes gives us all of those in her debut novel, Darkbeast. Keara is a believable, feisty, and courageous heroine, whose dedication to her companion Caw makes me root for her even when she makes mistakes. The world-building is fabulous, and reminds me of the classics of my youth, when authors created new lands I wanted to return to over and over.

This book is called a "Middle Grade" novel, and in fact I would recommend it highly to anyone looking for a good read for the younger set (it's a fast and easy read, perfect for the kid who doesn't "like" to read). But as an adult, I also found it satisfying and fun; I think it would suit anyone from 10 to 100.

If you like fantasy, you won't want to miss Darkbeast! (And if you have a favorite animal companion of your own, I'm sure they'd agree.)

Mindy/Morgan just found out today that B&N has chosen not to carry the book in its brick and mortar stores, although it will be available online and by special order. And, of course, it is on Amazon. For an author, this is a tough break, since that means that people can't just stumble across the book in a store--they have to know it exists and go looking for it. (Gives B&N a stern look.) So I'm trying to help by spreading the word. And I'd appreciate it if you would too, if you know of people you think might be interested.

 Mindy is going to guest blog here on September 21st (yay!). I'd love it if you'd run out and buy the book, then come back here (and to B&N or Amazon or Goodreads) and say how much you loved it :-)
DARKBEAST by Morgan Keyes

Some Fun For Writers

This will perk up your day :-)

Nathan Bransford Writing Process in GIFs

Seriously. You're going to laugh your *ass off.

You're welcome.

Shoestring Class YaHell Issues

YaHell is living up to its nickname and giving us some problems getting people signed into the Witchcraft on a Shoestring class that started this morning. *headdesk*

Heather is doing her best to help the folks who have contacted her, but if you are supposed to be taking the class and haven't gotten an invite, or haven't received a post about the first lesson yet (which went out about an hour ago), please contact either me at magicmysticminerva at yahoo or Heather "heathervlong at gmail.com" and we will make sure you get into the classroom ASAP.

We're also considering a move to some other venue--anyone have any suggestions?

Sorry about the problems, if you're one of the folks having them. Remember that I always post the lessons in the "Files" so you can easily download them from there, too.

Happy Monday *headdesk again*

Feline Friday

We did it! The blog is now over 40,000 page views AND I've gotten a few new followers, which is fabulous. Thanks to everyone who helped!

And a quick reminder: you only have until 6 PM EST on Sunday to sign up for Witchcraft on a Shoestring Class

Now, to the kitty pics!

Mystic is exhausted from so much lounging around. (That's a catnip pillow he's sleeping on, made by a woman at the shop I run.)

 Magic and Mystic look like they're getting a little annoyed at me always taking pictures of them. Maybe I should stop?

Mama Minerva giving look-alike Mystic a bath. She's always been the most amazing mother cat.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Anyone have exciting plans? (I'm going to be putting up tomatoes...)
 

On Sisters and Celebrations

Believe it or not, this glamorous, gorgeous woman is my kid sister, Becky. Today is her birthday, and she is 40-something still younger than me. (Pardon the fuzzy picture, I stole it from Facebook.)

I am blessed to have two sisters who are smart, funny, beautiful, warm, wise, and talented. Also, they both beat me at Words with Friends on a regular basis.

Happy birthday, Becky. I hope the coming year brings you new and wonderful gifts to unwrap. You deserve them.

We're going to be celebrating around here, too. Sometime today or tomorrow, this blog should hit 40,000 views

Holy crap. 

I am so grateful for everyone who comes and shares this space with me. You all rock.

So let's celebrate in style. Tell me which book of mine you would like to have and why (in the comments here) and one commenter will win a free book of their choice. You have until midnight EST tomorrow (Friday the 24th). YAY!

Some Happy Thoughts

Here are a few things that made me happy in the last couple of days:

A reader posted a lovely review of Witch Ever Way You Can over on Amazon.uk  [Here's the GREAT REVIEW if you're curious.] It completely made my morning. And reminded me that I don't really promote this book enough. Have you read it? If so, what did you think? And did you spread the word?

Yesterday afternoon, my editor at Llewellyn, the amazing Elysia Gallo, sent me the cover proof for the upcoming mini eBook, A Witch's Dozen. This is the one that is coming out as a companion to the new Everyday Witch Book of Rituals, due out in October. [Holy crap--October is soon!] The cover for the eBook was so cool, I can't wait to show it to you. I think you're going to love it as much as I did!

Clearly I need to start thinking about promotion for the new book. Anyone have any suggestions? (That don't involve travel or large expenditures of money...)

Speaking of promotions, for the first time I am doing a Goodreads giveaway for a new release. I wasn't sure if there would be any real interest in a witchcraft book, so I was really happy when I went to check on the contest yesterday and discovered that 321 people had already entered! *insert happy author dance here* If you want to win a free copy of the ritual book, be sure to enter. The contest runs until October 1st.

In general, I'm also happy that the sun is shining, it isn't 90 degrees out anymore and I am slowly clearing my desk of all the nonfiction obligations (articles, guest blogs, and such) so that I can back to work on the super sekrit novel project.

What's making you happy today?