At the New York Faerie Festival

Despite a cold and rainy day, tradition prevailed and I went on my yearly pilgrimage to the NY Faerie Festival -- what the organizers call "a Renaissance Faire with wings," and what I just call a lot of fun. This was the seventh year of the event, and it keeps getting better and better. (The local paper said there were thousands of attendees, even with the bad weather.)

Traditionally, my pal Ellen and I drive the hour or so to get there and meet up with our friend Robin (who lives five minutes away from the festival) and her two kids, my goddess-children Nate (7) and Sophie (8). This year Nate had to go to a birthday party, but Sophie brought her best friend, the charming and adorable Aubrey, who had never been before, and we all had a blast.

I made some new friends (and in case you're wondering what I was dressed as, it was "a very wet witch.")

Me, Robin, Sophie, and Aubrey

Ellen and two very happy girls

Robin was captures by some goblins who seem to have left their mark on her

A very tall faerie creature

A traveling magician enthralled the girls with his uncanny skills

 The girls look a little dubious about their meeting with the Faerie Queen...and rightfully so. I'll bet you thought she only existed in my books!

There were lots of amazing crafters. I mostly restrained myself, only getting a pottery beer glass, two dragon soaps, and an herbal roll-on.

All in all, it was a lovely day, despite the rain, the chill, and the accompanying mud. After all, any day spent with those you love is magical!

COVER REVEAL! Wickedly Powerful

I don't suppose anyone out there is interested in seeing the cover of the next Baba Yaga book, Wickedly Powerful. What, you are? You're sure? Okay, here is the cover of Bella's story, coming in February 2016. What do you think? [I have to confess, I just love it!]

And yes, we finally have a cat on the cover! That's Bella's Chudo-Yudo, a dragon disguised as a huge Norwegian Forest Cat (she calls him Koshka).

Thanks again to my pal Alex Bledsoe for the great quote on the cover!

Baba Yaga Book 3 -- Finished!!!! (Giveaway)

I just finished writing the first draft of the third Baba Yaga book, WICKEDLY POWERFUL. Booyah! This one was more of a struggle than usual for a number of reasons (including the serious side-tracking that came with my step-daughter Jenn's mom Jo having a massive heart attack in March) but it is finally done, done, done! I had to stop in the middle and redo the entire front end because it had Issues, but I think shaped up pretty well in the end. I sent it off to my agent Elaine Spencer at the beginning of the week, so now I just hope she agrees! (And that after I do whatever revisions she suggests, and I send if off to my editor Leis, she agrees too! Although even if she loves it, there will be more revisions.)

I got to see the cover for the book and OH MY GODS I love it! I'm just waiting for the word that it is okay to share, and then I will let you have a peek too, I promise! [I also got to see the cover for VEILED MAGIC, the non-Baba Yaga series book coming out in ebook form in November, and that one rocks too!]

Next up is the fourth book in the Baba Yaga series. The next three (in theory--I only have a contract for the next two, so we'll see) will center around The Riders, although the Baba Yagas will make appearances I'm sure. Do you want to try and stop them? No, I didn't think so!

Book four is going to be Mikhail Day's story. I'm still playing with titles (since the "Wicked" titles only work for the not-so-wicked witches). What do you think of LIGHT OF DAY? (With the following titles being something like DARK OF KNIGHT/RISING SUN or SUN RISING) Or do you prefer something that plays on the original Wickedly titles like DANGEROUSLY CHARMING? Inquiring minds want to know.

But here's the big question: Who comes next after Day? Do I write book five about Gregori Sun (the Red Rider) or about Alexei Knight (the Black Rider)? I can't decide, and I need to make up my mind once I start working on the extended outline for Day's book. (I'm doing some research and character studies right now.)

So here's the deal! Give me your answer to either or both of the questions (title/which Rider) in the comments here, and I'll pick a commenter at random to receive a signed copy of the Baba Yaga book of her or his choice.

Also, did I mention I FINISHED?!!!!!

Book Giveaway: Long Black Curl

As most of you probably already know (unless you're really new to the blog), I read A LOT. I also have a lot of friends who are authors. As you can imagine, this works out pretty well. Except for my budget and my overflowing shelves...

Like most folks, I have some authors who are "must buys." Any time they put out a book, I get it automatically. Sometimes even in (gasp) hardcover, if I can't wait the extra time for it to come out in paperback. Not all of these authors are friends, of course, although many of them are people I have stalked followed online long enough that they at least know who I am. (Snort.)

Here is a pile of what I've read in the last couple of months (not counting the books I read on the Kindle at night before bed, when my eyes are tired). Luna clearly had her favorite. When I got the book I put it down on the couch next to me and when I turned around, this is what I saw. Isn't that adorable?

Long Black Curl with a short tortie cat

Large pile of books with a curious yellow cat

You can see from the pile of books that I read a fairly eclectic selection. The bottom two are British contemporary romances, then there is one by an American author (I'm very picky about which contemporaries I read, but I do have a few favorite authors). Then there are a couple of my "must buy" folks who write fantasy/urban fantasy/paranormal romance: Maria V. Snyder, Devon Monk, and Lisa Shearin. Plus a new-to-me author I discovered at Rober-Con last year, Laura Anne Gilman. I'm currently binge reading her Paranormal investigations series.

If a book is in this pile, you can safely assume I am recommending it wildly.

And then there is Alex Bledsoe, whose book, LONG BLACK CURL, Luna is so enamored with. Alex and I go way back--we both had stories in The Pagan Anthology of Short Fiction--and although we haven't yet gotten to meet in person due to distance (he lives in Wisconsin, I live in upstate NY), we truly are friends. In fact, if you have a copy of WICKEDLY DANGEROUS, his name will probably look familiar to you. That's because he wrote one of blurbs on the back. (He called it "Paranormal romance at it's best"!)

Alex has a couple of fabulous series out. LONG BLACK CURL is the third in his "Tufa" novels. Here's the summary:

Long Black Curl: a brand-new tale in Alex Bledsoe's acclaimed urban fantasy series, where magic is hidden in plain sight and age-old rivalries simmer just beneath the surface

In all the time the Tufa have existed, only two have ever been exiled: Bo-Kate Wisby and her lover, Jefferson Powell. They were cast out, stripped of their ability to make music, and cursed to never be able to find their way back to Needsville. Their crime? A love that crossed the boundary of the two Tufa tribes, resulting in the death of several people.

Somehow, Bo-Kate has found her way back. She intends to take over both tribes, which means eliminating both Rockhouse Hicks and Mandalay Harris. Bo-Kate has a secret weapon: Byron Harley, a rockabilly singer known as the "Hillbilly Hercules" for his immense size and strength, and who has passed the last sixty years trapped in a bubble of faery time. He's ready to take revenge on any Tufa he finds.

The only one who can stop Bo-Kate is Jefferson Powell. Released from the curse and summoned back to Cloud County, even he isn't sure what will happen when they finally meet. Will he fall in love with her again? Will he join her in her quest to unite the Tufa under her rule? Or will he have to sacrifice himself to save the people who once banished him?

As always, Alex is going to send me my very own signed copy. (Woot!) But I couldn't wait to read it, so I bought one for myself...which I am now going to give away to one lucky reader! [Because it is a hardcover, and therefore heavy, I'm afraid I'm going to have to restrict this giveaway to USA only. Sorry foreign peeps.] I loved this book beyond measure. Alex is one of the best writers I know, which is really saying something. The Tufa are a fascinating mixture of fairy lore and Southern rural life, all wrapped up in magic and music. You WANT to read this series.

To enter, you can follow Alex on Twitter and/or leave a comment here. Tell me if you have a favorite author or authors, or if you have read any of Alex's books. This is a short one, so don't wait to enter.

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Magical Monday: A Prosperity Spell

I asked folks over on My Facebook Page what kind of spell they'd like for this week. Naturally, I got about sixty different answers. (Thanks, guys. BIG help.) But a number of people asked for prosperity, so I'm going to share my favorite prosperity spell with you. I have a few, but this is the first one I wrote (for my first book, Circle, Coven & Grove) and it has worked well over the years for me and others.

Prosperity magick is often done on Thursdays, using a green candle. If you want to add a stone to the mix, many of the green stones, like malachite, jade, or aventurine, are also associated with prosperity.

One of the things I always suggest when doing prosperity work is to keep an open mind. If you ask for one specific thing, like money, you might or might not get it. But if you leave room for the Universe to improvise, you might end up getting just the right thing and the right time to fill whatever need you have.

When I am going to do this spell, I often take a green votive and using the tip of my athame or a toothpick, scratch a few rune symbols (such as Uraz and Gifu) into it, along with  my initials.

God and Goddess hear my plea

Rain prosperity down on me

Bring in monies large and small

To pay my bills, one and all

Money earned and gifts for free

As I will, so mote it be

Note: If you are concerned about getting your prosperity in a way that is less than positive (a relative dying, for instance), you can always add at the end of this or any other spell: For the good of all, and according to the free will of all, so mote it be.

Weedy Wednesday: The Garden Before & After plus Free Book!

It has been a strange spring, weather-wise, and getting the garden in has been trickier than usual. (It has either been way colder than usual or way hotter than usual, and we haven't had our usual spring rains until just last week.)

But as of last weekend, everything is finally in the ground and about 70% mulched (I have to buy more straw later this week before I can finish the rest). I'm a lazy gardener, really. I tend to do a lot of work in the beginning so I don't have to do much later.

Here's what it looked like a few weeks ago:

Garlic was about the only thing growing, since it gets planted in the fall.

A tiny patch of spinach that overwintered.

Yes, that says 90 degrees F. In early May.

The peas are one of the first things to sprout.

Here's what it looks like now:

The garlic!

Spinach patch with new planting of spinach & lettuce and a tomato.

The peas, mulched with straw to keep the soil moist and keep weeds down.

Another finished bed.

Who can tell me what I planted in the bed above? I'll give you a hint: there are two varieties of one kind of vegetable on either side of something different in the middle. The first person who guesses right gets a free signed book! (Or his or her choice, even.)

Baba Yaga Novella Preview and Giveaway!

I have been hard at work at the next installments in the Baba Yaga series. I'm midway through the next novel, WICKEDLY POWERFUL, and I just finished the second novella and sent it off to my editor, Leis. It is called Wickedly Ever After, and it revisits the first Baba Yaga, Barbara Yager, taking place after the events of the first two novels, WICKEDLY DANGEROUS and WICKEDLY WONDERFUL. Basically, it asks the question: Can the not-quite wicked witch of the story get a happily ever after?

Of course, you will have to read the novella to find out the answer. (Chuckle.) But since the novella won't be out until January 2016, people have asked me to give them a sneak peek. So here you are! And in case that wasn't enough, I figured I'd do a Baba Yaga themed giveaway too. So I'm giving away a large double-sided tote bag with the covers on either side, and in the bag will be signed copies of each of the two novels, a cool wicked witch magnet, and a few other goodies.

Here's your sneak peak...enjoy! (The giveaway is at the bottom of the page.)

The irresistible sound of a child’s laughter drew Barbara Yager’s eyes out the window as she stood at the kitchen sink washing dishes. A sweet smelling blossom-scented summer breeze floated in the through the open casement carrying with it the unaccustomed joyful noise of childish giggling.

The source of the laughter became apparent as soon as Barbara looked; little Babs, her adopted daughter and pint-sized Baba Yaga in training, was lying on the bright green grass being tickled by Liam, Barbara’s new husband. Her other companion, the dragon Chudo-Yudo in his customary guise as a gigantic white pit bull, relaxed on the lawn nearby, gazing on in benevolent approval.

Barbara couldn’t believe this was her life. After all, it was a far cry from the one she’d lived until recently, a solitary roaming existence with only Chudo-Yudo for company as she traveled the United States carrying out the duties of a Baba Yaga. Not that she’d had any complaints, mind you. It had been the life she’d been raised for as one of a small number of Russian fairy tale witches whose job it was to keep the balance of the natural worlds and guard the doorway between the Human lands and the fantastical Otherworld. She’d never expected anything else.

Not until Liam came along and changed everything.

A call for help brought Barbara to Clearwater Country in rural upstate New York, where Liam dedicated himself to upholding the law as sheriff. To say that their styles had originally clashed would be an understatement; in fact, Liam had for a time suspected her of being behind the disappearances of several young children. With her gleaming royal blue classic BMW motorcycle and black leathers, Barbara hadn’t exact fit in with the local population, and her cover as a traveling herbalist at one point made her look even more suspicious.

Thankfully, they’d eventually uncovered the actual culprit and after Liam found out who and what Barbara really was, they’d worked together to rescue the children, even though that had meant a trip to the Otherworld. While they were there, they had discovered Babs, stolen as a baby and given to Liam’s insane former wife to raise as her own. The unpredictable magic of the Otherworld had caused the infant to be about six when they found her, even though it had been less than a year since she’d been stolen from her murdered parents.

The too-solemn little girl and the antisocial Baba Yaga had been drawn to each other right away, and in the end, Barbara, Babs, and Liam had formed a family, as wonderful as it was unexpected. As the not-quite wicked witch in the story, Baba Yagas rarely got to act the part of the princess. But this time, Barbara thought she’d actually get the happily ever after, as unlikely as that seemed.

All that remained was one technicality, and they were going to take care of that this very afternoon. Barbara glanced down at her hands, sunk deep into soapy water, and acknowledged that she’d probably been stalling. Not because she didn’t want to return to the Otherworld, which was something of a second home to her when she was growing up, but because nothing was ever certain there—especially when the High Queen was involved. Still, the moment couldn’t be delayed any longer, or the Queen might consider it an insult, and that could be a fatal error.

Barbara wiped her hands on a dishtowel and opened the back door that looked out over the yard. Back doors and yards were just one of the many changes she’d had to get used to after years of traveling in the shiny silver Airstream trailer she’d inherited from her mentor Baba, who had lived long enough to oversee its conversion from the original Baba Yaga’s hut on chicken legs so renowned in Russian folklore.

The old yellow farmhouse was far enough outside of the town of Dunville to give Barbara the privacy she needed, with the South River as a boundary to the back and rows of tall pines on the other three sides. A faded red barn leaned slightly to the right at the end of the driveway and the Airstream was parked behind it out of sight until it was needed. If you ignored the benign ghost that haunted the place and the witch who lived inside, it was practically the picture of normalcy.

Weird.

Still, in general Barbara liked her new life, especially the part currently walking towards her in well-worn jeans and a tight tee shirt that accented his broad shoulders and slim hips. Liam had dark blonde hair and hazel eyes that twinkled when they saw her, and the sight of him still made her heart skip a beat every single time.

 “Hey,” he said, folding his strong arms around her and giving her a quick kiss. “Where have you been? You’re missing all the fun out here.”

Barbara smiled at him. “So it seems,” she said. Liam swore that she still had a faint Russian accent, but she didn’t hear it in her own voice. “Was that actual laughter I heard coming from Babs?”

The girl in question picked herself up off the ground, brushing grass off of the brown shorts and shirt that matched her dark pixie-cut hair, and walked over followed by Chudo-Yudo. The dragon-dog had appointed himself her unofficial guardian and where one was, the other was likely to be found nearby.

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