During the past month many things have happened. One good thing... I finished the novelette, Samhain Spirit: Charmed Evermore (Book 2)
It was both a challenging and fun endeavor. Health issues reared its ugly head, but my natural born stubbornness won out and finished in the nick of time. (Just as October ended. Whew!)
This page is purely for introduction purposes (Goodreads) and to give a bit of information about this growing series.
First, when I published Enchanted Ravensong: Charmed Evermore (Book 1) last July, I figured it would be a while before I wrote another story about Ruby Gladstone.
My muse had other ideas. ;D She stood next to my desk and pestered me while I worked on the next Touch Time & Soar story. (Pearl Luster) After several days and since there was a time crunch, I gave in.
Samhain Spirit swirled through the writing process and came to a completion without further interruptions from the muse department. (That's unusual because I'm constantly juggling muses and plot bunnies.) This story is slightly different because in the first chapter readers experience Dayton's pov. In case you haven't read book one, Dayton is Ruby's familiar. He's a beautiful black cat with a quirky personality.
In other news about this story, there's a different aspect to publishing Samhain Spirit. It isn't in Amazon KDP Select. That means I will publish to other reader outlets--Kobo and B&N. (Probably next week.) When that happens, I will share any relevant links here.
Without further chatter I'd like to share some of Dayton's First Chapter with you.
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| Dayton |
Samhain Spirit
[1] Perks of Being a Witch’s Familiar
Sometimes being a witch’s familiar has its perks. I believe
this is one of those times. The front row seat into the intricacies of witchy
magic is just plain fun, even to a self proclaimed aloof bot like me.
Everyone’s heard of curiosity got the cat.
“Dayton,” Ruby said, while putting fingers protectively
around one of her precious artifacts. “If you knock my great grandma’s
porcelain pencil holder off the desk, I swear I’ll ban you to the backyard.”
If you haven’t figured it out, Ruby’s my witch.
A tail twitch just to keep up nonchalant appearances, then
with a tilt of my head, I drawled, “Since when have I ever knocked anything off
and broken it?”
Yes, we talk. Daily. Constantly.
To prove my point, I ease my butt down in the face of that
handsome pencil holding dude and his unwitchy bride. “What you doing with that musty old book?”
“Eugh!” Ruby exclaimed while crinkling her nose. “That’s
gross. Now, I’ll have to wash the holder.
Why would you do that?”
“I was just doing what feels good. Are you going to tell me
about this old tome? It smells funky. I thought you put all of your magical
books on the tablet.”
Ruby rolled her eyes and opened the old black leather cover.
Musty pages and the odor of old-fashioned ink combined and tickled
my nose. I sneezed. “There’s one good reason to put everything in a tablet.
Even familiars can have allergies.”
“Bless you,” Ruby said, and scratched under my chin.
I leaned into her magically healing fingers. That’s another
advantage to being a familiar—regular doses of touchy-feely—when I say it’s
appropriate.
“Thanks,” I said, and backed away, careful not to knock the
pencil holder and a framed picture off the edge of the desk. “Something’s
troubling you. I can always tell. Spill.”
“Funny,” she said, “you’ve been elusive for days and now you
want to know what’s going on?”
“I had to take care of some things out there,” I said, and
tilted my head toward the window.
“Humm… New moon mating?”
“A gentleman never kisses and tells.”
“You may not tell, but I got an earful from Mrs. Shively
because she doesn’t like you tomming around her Marissy. Pure Persian? I don’t
picture you with a hoity-toity purebred.”
“Marissy likes me.”
“That may be so, but you better watch your urges around Mrs.
Shively. She wouldn’t hesitate to use the gardening shears on you.”
“She’d have to catch me first.” I pawed the aged parchment. “Back
to the book.”
“Yeah, well…” Ruby flipped several pages, but didn’t pause
and read any of them. “Samhain is coming.”
“Just like it does every year. Party time!”
Ruby glared in the midst of my jubilation.
Her green eyes have a unique magical ability. When her
emotions shift, her eye color often changes to express deep feelings.
Now, the green deepened and I knew the shift was serious
because I saw something in those emerald depths that I had never seen there
before. I froze. “All right, now I’m worried. You love Samhain. Right now you
look scared and I’ve never known you to be scared of anything. Tell me what’s
going on.”
“I already said Samhain is coming.”
I blinked. I’m rarely confused, but this is beginning to
frustrate me.
She sighed and thumped her head down on those smelly old
pages. Her voice became mottled as though lost in the magical past forgotten in
ancient parchment, but I got the gist of her words.
“Don’t you remember how it was when Becca was here?” Ruby
raised her head and shoved fingers through brilliant red hair. “I didn’t like
that! Talk about home invasion! Up close and personal?
Blegh!”
Ruby shuddered visibly and chewed her lower lip. “The veil
between the worlds is thinner during Samhain. I have to prepare because I
refuse to let another spirit jump into my body!”
“But you survived Becca just fine and she moved on.”
“Yeah, but my joints ached for a week afterward and…”
Brooding silence swelled in the air around us.
I waited, but she stared past my ears like she saw a mirage
behind me. “And what?” If I would ever understand her plight, she needed to
explain.
Ruby shook her head as though coming back to earth. “There
were bathroom issues. You wouldn’t understand.”
“Oh. Right. So, that explains your strange behavior after
Becca left. I deduce you want this very old book for some sort of spell?”
“Duh. Sometimes, Dayton,” she said, and flipped several more
pages. “I wonder if we really are on the same magical frequency.”
“We wouldn’t be having this conversation if we weren’t.”
“I suppose you’re right,” she grumbled, leaned over a page
and started reading. She paused painted fingernails over an image and its caption.
“I borrowed this book from Aunt Molly. I remember a spell about sending a
spirit into an artifact if they try to possess you. When I find that spell, I’m
going to make a new amulet. It should serve as an effective barrier to stalking
spirits.”
“What can I do to help?”
She narrowed her eyes and studied me.
A twitch skimmed along my spine and raised the tips of my fur.
Ruby’s gaze moved over me.
I tucked my tail away from view.
“A freshly plucked tail hair should help,” she said,
motioning behind me where I had hidden my fluffy pride and joy. “You know I
always add a bit of my own personal magic for tweaking.”
I swallowed a lump the size of George the garden gnome. But Ruby’s
my witch and there are perks to my position. Finally, I nod. “So be it.”
“Here’s the spell.” Ruby pulled a pen from the porcelain
holder, opened a drawer and lifted a notebook out. “I’ll let you pluck your own
hair so start licking. I’ll begin my list and meet you downstairs in the magic
lab. I think I already have some of these spell ingredients.”
“Sure thing.” House rule number six—no licking, biting or
scratching on Ruby’s desk. I’d rather exit anyway.
I moved out of her bedroom, through the hall and down the stairs. At the bottom a draft of cold air brushed my fur. I shivered, but walked through it and continued to my cat exit. The cat door flapped with a rubbery sound when I stepped outside into the crisp fall air.
* * * * * * * * *
Thanks to all Blog Readers for stopping by. Enjoy your day & happy reading!
Magically Entising: Is Your Shapeshifter Sexy today?
Mother, Daughter & Plot Bunny Tracks, Oh My! #amwriting
* * * * * * * * *
Amazon Kindle: Pearl Luster (Touch Time & Soar Mini-series) ~ Short Story
Amazon Kindle: Enchanted Ravensong: Charmed Evermore (Fantasy Novelette)
Amazon Kindle: Concentric Circles (Shayla's story)
Amazon Kindle & Print: Claire: the Lost Fae
* * * * * * * * *
Peace & Love be with you always.
Mother, Daughter & Plot Bunny Tracks, Oh My! #amwriting
* * * * * * * * *
Amazon Kindle: Pearl Luster (Touch Time & Soar Mini-series) ~ Short Story
Amazon Kindle: Enchanted Ravensong: Charmed Evermore (Fantasy Novelette)
Amazon Kindle: Concentric Circles (Shayla's story)
Amazon Kindle & Print: Claire: the Lost Fae
* * * * * * * * *
Peace & Love be with you always.
~ Aithne Jarretta
