A Visit from a Long Lost Friend

Okay--she wasn't actually lost. We knew right where she was. But it wasn't here. My friend Kathy, who inspired the fire tower watcher in Wickedly Powerful (and did an amazing job of answering questions about how the whole thing worked, so Sam was as realistic as I could make him) lived here 8-9 years ago. She was a beloved member of Blue Moon Circle, and we all pined when she left to return to Arizona to help out her daughters and grandchildren (and spend some summers up in the fire tower in Wyoming). The last trip she took out here was five years ago, which was WAY too long a time.

Recently, she came back for a two-week visit, staying with me and hanging out with me and a bunch of other Blue Moon Circle peeps. She spent a lot of time bird watching (adding 9 new birds to her lifetime list, some of whom I STILL haven't seen), and we talking (er...ranted) politics, and watched movies, and had BBQs. We even did a Lammas ritual that got some of the gang together again. It was lovely. I couldn't have asked for a nicer house guest or a better two weeks. Even if I didn't get nearly as much work done while she was here, of course. Here are a few pictures from our time together:

Meet Kathy!

She helped out in the garden, since she missed having one, and my knee still doesn't kneel.

Chris and Kathy chatting on the back deck in the evening.

BBQ at Chris's house. She made ribs in the smoker. OMG

Bobbie, Kathy, Chris, and Robin

I have no idea what was wrong with my face in this picture! Maybe I was thinking about her leaving again, since this was her last day.

I hope she doesn't wait another five years for her next visit. The guest bedroom awaits you, Kathy!

Magic Times Two Giveaway!

I'm so excited that my Duo project with Mindy Klasky is coming out in a week and a day! (Here's a LINK to preorder, you know, if you want to...)

Magic x2 is a two-book duo special featuring my first novel, WITCH EVER WAY YOU CAN and Mindy's fun light paranormal FRIGHT COURT. Yes, that's right--two complete novels for the price of one, because that's just the way we roll!

To celebrate, we're going to have a HUGE giveaway next week, but in the meanwhile, I'm giving away this prize pack of a notebook, a postcard, and a witch's broom pen. As always, no purchase is necessary, and all you have to do is use the Rafflecopter form below. Yes, you can get credit for things you've already done (like follow the blog) if you click on those options.

Magic clearly loves this giveaway!

I hope you do too!

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Dangerously Charming in TWO MONTHS!

You know how it seems like it is forever before the book you are waiting for comes out and then you turn around and it is almost time? Guess what? DANGEROUSLY CHARMING will be out in TWO MONTHS!!!!! Is it October 4th yet?

Dangerously Charming Prize Pack #2

Not quite? Well then, here's something to help tide you over.

I'm giving away a cool tote bag and a notebook (plus some bookmarks and such) to one of you lucky blog-peeps. Enter at will!

Tell me, are you excited about the Rider books? Or would you have rather had another Baba Yaga novel?

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Newsletter Fire HD Giveaway

Are you signed up to receive my newsletter? Because if you're not, I think you're going to want to be.

I don't send one out that often--maybe 4 or 5 times a year, and often they contain news you want to make sure you don't miss. Plus, this time (in a blatant ploy to get more people to sign up for the newsletter), I am doing a major giveaway in the newsletter itself. Here's a hint (and no, it isn't the cat):

Fire tablet giveaway,cat not included

Yes, that's an Amazon Fire Tablet. And yes, I'm giving one away to one lucky person, but only through the newsletter, which is coming out August 4th. (TWO MONTHS to the day before Dangerously Charming is released!) So you might want to fill out the form at the top left of this blog and sign up.

Just sayin'.

Amber & Jet Jewelry

Those of you who follow me on Facebook have probably seen these already...

A couple of weeks ago, I posted pictures of a few new pieces of jewelry I'd made, one of which was an amber and jet necklace with a silver pentacle. To my surprise, people got very excited about that one (amber and jet is a traditional witchy combination) and no fewer than five people asked to buy it within a couple of hours of my putting up the pictures. So I made a few more pieces. And they sold too. (I was only putting the pictures up to show everyone what I was doing, and had intended to put them up on Etsy eventually. Needless to say, they never made it there.) So I made a few more, and they got snapped up too. Guess what I'm going to be doing this weekend?

Of course, my friend Kathy is visiting from Arizona, and Blue Moon Circle will be celebrating Lammas, plus, you know, WRITING. But I'll probably get at least a few more done and post pictures of them on Facebook too.

This was them. Which is your favorite?

amber and jet necklace #1

amber and jet necklace with chips #2

amber and jet necklace with fancy pentacle

amber and jet with sterling silver goddess

another one! chunkier

this one has a cool glass pendant

details of the pendant

Less Than Three Months! (Dangerously Charming Giveaway)

Holy book release, Batman! I suddenly realized that DANGEROUSLY CHARMING, the first of the Rider books, is out in less than three months! *Kermit arm flail* October 4th will be here before we know it! Someone should start spreading the word, don't you think? Oh wait, that's me. And maybe you, if you want to help out. How about I make it easy for you with another fun giveaway? *nods sagely* I thought you'd like that.

Here you go:

A Dangerously Charming themed giveaway! That's a lot of cute.

This one includes a fun tote (to carry all your books to the beach in), a notebook, a postcard sized magnet (that's the one on the right) for your fridge, and a postcard and bookmark. That's a lot of Mikhail Day staring at you. Tough, isn't it...

Plus, there will be a BONUS prize...I'll be picking one random person who either pre-ordered the book or bought Wickedly Powerful or left a review for either WICKEDLY POWERFUL or WICKEDLY WONDERFUL 

That person will win one of the few ARCs (advanced reader copies) of the book I have to give away!

Advanced Reader Copies!!!! Booyah!

 As always, no purchase is necessary, and all you have to do is use the Rafflecopter form below. (If it, or the comments, don't work, try again.) Don't worry if you have already done something on the list, like followed the blog...you still get credit for that!

Thanks so much for all the enthusiasm everyone is showing for this book. Less than three months!!!

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New Books Celebration Giveaway!

As most of you know (unless you missed it), last week I announced not one, but two pieces of good news. The first was that my friend Mindy Klasky and I are going to be putting out a two-book duo of light paranormal novels together this August. (yay!) The second was that I'd just agreed to write another Llewellyn book, The Book of Cat Magic (meow!).

And just as I promised, here is a giveaway to celebrate! As always, all you have to do to enter is fill in the Rafflecopter form and do one or more of the options offered. You can still get credit for things like "Follow the blog" if you signed up for it in the past, but you only get the points for reviews and book purchases if they are new as of this contest. (Keep in mind that you can post the same review you posted on Amazon to B&N or Goodreads, and vice versa.) You can even get points for pre-ordering the upcoming Rider novel, DANGEROUSLY CHARMING, which I know you were all going to do anyway. (Right? Right?)

Here's what you might win! Your choice of either Wickedly Dangerous (or another one of the series if you already have that one) or Everyday Witchcraft, plus a cool Dangerously Charming notebook, a dragon necklace, and some magnets and bookmarks. Fun, yes?

Cat not included :-)

Of course, you could just leave a comment here and get your 3 points for that. Tell me, have you ever read any of the Llewellyn books? (And do you own any?) And are you curious about Witch Ever Way You Can, which was my first novel?

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