Just a quick note from me and Princess Winnie, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving to my US friends who celebrate. Our family is certainly looking forward to sharing time together with our new kitty.
If you're in the mood for a Thanksgiving story, check out Ruby, Sister Witches of Story Cove Spellbinding Cozy Mystery Series, Book 4. It's available at all book retailers and here on my site.
Next month, Zelle gets her HEA! I struggle daily with my hair, and I put all of my angst about that into this book. LOL. Plus, I'm a sucker for second-chance romance stories and this one is so satisfying to me.
If you'd like to treat yourself to a witchy Hallmark-esque Christmas story, here is a bit of information about it. You can preorder now and have it delivered to your ereader first thing on December 6th!
A beauty witch must use her hair to rescue herself, as well as stop a thief from ruining her hometown’s Christmas.
My long, silky mane of fairytale renown is directly tied to my beauty magick. However, unlike a different long-haired princess who was trapped in a turret, I’m no damsel in distress. The only tower I'm hiding in is one of my own making. Heartbreak over a prince who left me on Christmas Eve years ago—so NOT princely—has my emotions in a tangled mess.
When a thief steals the angel topper from our town’s Christmas Wishing Tree, it’s up to me to ferret him out. As luck would have it, my unprincely-prince returns for the holidays…and he’s determined to help.
Untangling our complicated relationship may be as difficult as unknotting my heart, but that must take a backseat to catching the culprit. Can I leave my tower of safety and return the angel to the tree before Christmas morning? Or will my Christmas wish tie me—and my prince—up in a fatal end?
Happy November! October was a blur for me – we finally sold our home and moved to the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains!
The journey had many ups and downs, but we are finally in our new state and enjoying the fall leaves and small-town ambience. We're exactly where we're supposed to be. Now, to do all the projects waiting for us – painting, sorting, unpacking… The list goes on and on.
I hope you had an amazing Halloween! We attended our town's fall festival and I found the cutest miniature carrot teapot at one of the antique stores to add to my collection. I haven't found the box with the rest of my collection, but I sure love this little guy and can't wait to unpack the others and have them all on display again.
It's been a lovely adjustment to the higher altitude and I LOVE the mountain views from our neck of the woods. The pets are all adjusting marvelously, and I wonder why I worried so much about how they would like their new home. The fenced in yard is perfect for them and there are tons of trees just outside it with lots of squirrels and chipmunks running about to keep Athena entertained.
One sad note is that Godfrey went over the rainbow bridge last month. He was a rescue and had a long, sweet life once he was adopted, but his loss was super tough. Never easy to say goodbye to our babies.
On a happier note, I have a new grand-kitty named Winona. She is full of sass and is already filling our hearts with love and laughter.
Next week is the release of Ruby, Sister Witches of Story Cove, Book 4. This is one of my favorite stories in the series. Truly, I love Ruby so much, and I hope you'll love her too (if you don't already from the other books.) If all the sisters, I relate to her the most.
Here is the info about her story and the preorder links if you want to be the first to read it!
What big teeth you have…a fairytale retelling of Little Red Riding Hood with a little bit of magick, a whole lot of wolf, and a howling good mystery!
I’m the witchy version of Little Red Riding Hood, and I have the red cloak to prove it. My garment has healing powers, but neither it nor my personal magick can treat the injured wolf I find on my doorstep.
He’s the stuff of legends—a shifter who also happens to be the new town veterinarian I’ve been anxious to meet. His past, however, is as clouded as his memory.
As I teach him about his true nature and uncover his deepest secrets, a murder rocks our sleepy town. All evidence points to a forest creature with sharp claws and big teeth.
The full moon is rising, and it looks like it’s up to me to prevent further harm. Can I uncover the culprit behind the killing? Or will I end up a snack for a hungry wolf?
I'm celebrating some great news and I want to share the joy with YOU, my special readers. I'm having a flash sale THIS WEEKEND on the Confessions of a Closet Medium Series. Get the FIRST THREE complete novels for ONLY 99¢!!!!!!
When a cryptic message summons Ava back to her small Southern hometown, she returns to a few surprises — her aunt has been killed, she can see ghosts, and the cat is talking to her. Follow Ava as she navigates magic and murder in this spellbinding collection!
I'm SO excited that Tea Leaves & Troubled Spirits will be out this month!
I hope you're super ready for Ava, Logan, Tabby, and the rest of the gang. Writing these books is one of my favorite things to do because the characters are so real to me. I feel like they live next door and I can bop over anytime and see what's going on with them.
Here is an excerpt to hold you over until the big day! (P.S. If you preorder from my store, you SAVE $1!) All buy links are after the excerpt.
TEA LEAVES & TROUBLE SPIRITS EXCERPT
“This is a new low, even for me.” I huddle in the corner, tightening my jacket. I wish I’d brought a heavier one. I should have known it would be cold, but I didn’t expect the tundra.
“It’s so exciting,” my young companion says. Lia’s black corkscrews are tamed under a head wrap. She fiddles with a machine she calls a ghost box, checking lights and dials. Her fingerless gloves were made by her grandmother, and a few reflective threads in the knitted flowers attached to the tops catch the soft glow from the exit sign over the door. While it’s a balmy August night outside, we’re dressed like it’s December. In North Dakota. “I can’t believe I’m ghost hunting in a morgue!”
“We’re not hunting anything.” Not technically. I do hope we can wrap this up quickly. Nothing better than being in a hospital morgue at midnight—said no psychic medium ever. “We’re hoping the earthbound spirit who’s been terrorizing the coroner and attendants makes an appearance. That’s all. Then I can cross him to the afterlife.”
The blanket we’re sitting on is spread out as if we’re on a picnic. The girl has an assortment of items placed on it. “You believe Dr. Ernestine about the hauntings?”
“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”
Lia pulls out her phone and taps the screen. “Can I get that on record for my vlog?”
Ophelia Chen works for me as my bookkeeper, an internship that is helpful to both of us. She is fascinated with the dead, and while I can see and hear them, I wish I couldn’t. “This is not going on your vlog, Lia.”
“But you said—”
“That I need help in case the ghost shows up.” I pat my bag of tools lying at my feet. “Remember what I told you to do if he appears?”
She deflates and says in a monotone voice, “Sprinkle a line of salt around him. Light the sage bundle. Keep the holy water and iron cross ready in case he tries to reanimate a corpse.”
“And?”
“Stay out of the way.”
The poor medical examiner, Dr. Latimer, has turned gray overnight with the recent happenings in this room. I would too if a dead body sat up on the metal table while I was performing an autopsy and waved at me. Yes, according to Dr. Ernestine, who hired me for this gig, our ghost has the ability to inhabit a cadaver and make it move. Talk about a horror show. No wonder the head of the coroner’s office for a decade is considering early retirement. “If we’re successful, you can write up the basic details of the experience, okay? No names or specifics, but at least you’ll have a story.”
She recovers, looking hopeful. “Can I interview you?”
Keeping my mediumship skills under wraps is challenging, so broadcasting them to the world is definitely off the menu. “Absolutely not.”
Her shoulders sink and she casts her gaze to the floor. “The team will be so disappointed.”
Her “team” of ghost-hunting friends are a motley collection of kids who don’t fit the norm in our small southern town of Thornhollow. The four of them also make up the AV and math clubs at the high school. Lia pretended there were far more in each of her extra-curricular classes, but when Mrs. Cook, the teacher in charge of the interns, spoke with me, she filled me in on the limited and somewhat “unhealthy” dependency they have on each other. Her words, not mine. Mrs. Cook stressed that being employed by me could expand Lia’s social network, as well as her work experience.
Obviously, Mrs. Cook is unaware of my, ahem, abilities. “Your friends will be in awe of the fact you spent time in the morgue with a bunch of dead bodies.”
“True!” Snagging her handheld camcorder she’s tweaked to capture paranormal phenomena, she checks the battery. With infrared night vision, I wonder how long it took her to save up for it. “Ghosts typically manifest at night because they feed on our psychic energy while we’re sleeping, right?”
I refrain from rolling my eyes. “I’ve seen plenty of them during the day.”
“But that’s why we’re here now, because the odds are better to interact with this guy.”
“Dr. Latimer and the nightshift employees have witnessed his exploits around midnight when it happens. Stands to reason this is the optimum time to reach him.”
“Awesome.” She trades the camcorder for her headlight, snugging the adjustable straps tighter on her skull and looking like she’s about to enter a mine. She’s explained that this is for hands-free “hunting,” so she can grab her EMF device or recorder instantly. “It’s the place to be, then. A hot spot.”
Yet, we haven’t seen or heard a thing. I’m grateful it’s quiet from the standpoint that there isn’t a body waiting for an autopsy, nor any attendants to distract us. “It’s awfully cold for a hot spot.”
“And getting colder.” She points to another device that measures ambient room temperature and records video as well. “The FLIR shows we just dropped five degrees!”
Which is a sign of paranormal activity. Each of us scans the room. A series of metal doors line the wall across from us. I raise a hand to check if I feel air movement. “Did the AC kick on?”
The EMF’s lights go from green to red. Ghosts need a lot of energy to manifest, and the electromagnetic field is a by-product of that. Red is a whopping high amount. “Nope!” She’s giddy. “It must be him.”
Cinder, Sister Witches of Story Cove Spellbinding Cozy Mystery Series, Book 1, and Belle, Sister Witches of Story Cove Spellbinding Cozy Mystery Series, Book 2, are both up preorder!! Woohoo!
These stories were originally published through another publisher who only had them in KU, and I recently bought back the rights. I've recovered them, changed the series name, and reedited them. They will be available at ALL retailers, as well as here in my direct buy store.
Here's the series information:
Once upon a time in a small town called Story Cove…
Four sisters with extraordinary powers find themselves in very real, living versions of their favorite fairytales. These stories come with princes, wolves, and poisoned apples, but also murder, mystery, and—let’s not forget—magick. Enchantment abounds as they fight evil, break curses, and navigate the modern dating world, all while searching for their personal happy endings.
You can preorder Cinder and Belle now. I'm including the links to all the retailers below, and the other stories will be up for preorder as well in the coming weeks!
Cinder, Sister Witches of Story Cove Spellbinding Cozy Mystery Series, Book 1
A pair of famous glass slippers, a ball, Prince Charming…and murder!
Even in the witchy world of the Sherwood sisters, I have a rare magickal talent—I can literally step into someone's shoes and know things about them. Things I don’t want to know.
As head of the family business, The Enchanted Candle & Soap Company, it’s my job to keep us in the black. My sisters are depending on me, and we need a massive cash inflow if we’re going to stay afloat and expand into a new line of bath and body products.
When an aging actress swirls into town in desperate need of my velvety foot cream, this is my chance to get much needed publicity for our shop. I’ll even put up with Finn, the actress's all-too-handsome son, who continuously invites me to a — get this — ball! Fancy clothes and socializing? Please. I’d rather turn him into a toad.
Okay, not really. He’s far too cute for that.
When a woman ends up dead while wearing the actress’s very famous and very cursed pair of glass slippers, I discover my power is more important than ever. Everyone is a suspect, and the police are relying on me to help them investigate. Will stepping into the cursed shoes put me on the trail of a killer, or will I end up as the next victim?
Belle, Sister Witches of Story Cove Spellbinding Cozy Mystery Series, Book 2
Books, magick, and a beastly mystery will create havoc in Belle’s enchanted world! A fairytale retelling of Beauty & the Beast!
Books talk to me. Literally. It’s the best kind of magick I know.
If only book aficionado Leo Kingsley would open up to me, too.
I tell myself I only want to know him because his famous library calls to me. My witchy power yearns to discover what his collection has to tell me.
But the truth is, I find him just as fascinating. What will he tell me, if and when I get him to trust me?
Things get interesting when I discover a "normal" book. As in mute. As in not speaking to me.
Searching for clues as to why, I approach Leo, unknowingly setting off a chain of events that lead to a beast of a secret and causes wild animals to suddenly attack our town.
Can I uncover the mystery of who is controlling them and why? Will Leo trust me with his hairy conundrum? Or will bringing the book’s truth to light cost me Leo along with my heart?
Read this spellbinding cozy mystery today!
**Note: While this story is intended for grown-up audiences, this story is clean and shareable with younger readers 13 and up!
Pumpkins & Poltergeists, Confessions of a Closet Medium, Book 1 is on S*A*L*E for only 99 c e n t s!
I see dead people…and now one’s haunting me.
Aunt Willa summons me home to Thornhollow with a cryptic message about using my ‘gift’ to stop a family curse and save the town. Hours later, she’s dead and Mama swears she heard her arguing with someone before it happened.
When I arrive, my clumsiness brings about a near-death experience, and suddenly, I’m seeing and hearing ghosts everywhere. Even Aunt Willa’s cat is talking to me.
Uncovering the truth behind the family curse is hard enough, but my gift makes me a target for an angry ghost who’s trying to ruin the biggest event Thornhollow has ever seen…and she’ll stop at nothing to do it.
I’m convinced my aunt’s death was no accident, and if I don’t acknowledge the fact ghosts are real and I can commune with them, I may never discover who murdered her…or stop the deadly poltergeist now haunting me.
Series info: Avalon Fantome sees ghosts, but lordy, she wishes she didn’t! Returning to her family home in Georgia after her Aunt Willa is murdered, she must take charge of her aunt’s event planning business, live with a shape-shifting cat, cope with small town secrets, and deal with poltergeists, cursed objects, and malevolent spirits…and then there are the townsfolk who don’t want her messing in their affairs. It all adds up to magic, murder, laughter and love.
Happy Earth Day! To celebrate, I've put Vows & Vengeance, Confessions of a Closet Medium Book 4 on sale for 99¢ for a limited time. Now's your chance to get it at 80% off!
A Supernatural Southern Cozy Mystery about a Reluctant Ghost Whisperer
Spring is in the air, and so is murder! A time capsule, a cold case, and a three-hundred-year old ghost are about to turn my life upside down.
Mama and Daddy are celebrating their anniversary and renewing their vows. Our town is celebrating an anniversary too—three hundred years after the founders buried a time capsule, we’re digging it up.
Along with the items of historical interest, we get a surprise. The time capsule contains a bloody knife…and a ghost!
Then there’s the skeleton my cat Tabby unearths, hidden under the capsule. Lordy, what's next?
When an unknown entity takes the knife and uses it on one of our own, finding the culprit will tax my ghost-whispering skills, as well as put me at odds with multiple suspects. Can I find the answers to the cold case and bring the guilty party to justice? Or will the knife end up buried in my back, and the ghosts of yesterday haunt me forever?
I love a bit of Christmas in July, don’t you? We’re having a heat wave and, right now, snow sounds refreshing!
I’m wrapping up the Once Upon A Witch Mystery Series with this week's release of Hexed Hair Day. It’s both exciting and bittersweet, publishing the last story of the Sherwood sisters and the Enchanted Candle & Soap Company.
The story takes place at Christmas time, and while the shop is brimming with Zelle’s favorite decorations, and her sisters are full of holiday spirit, she’s nursing a broken heart and gritting her teeth to get through it. A thief steals the angel tree topper during the annual downtown walk, and Zelle knows it’s up to her to get the angel back. But who would do such a thing and will bringing the thief to justice ruin someone else’s Christmas?
On top of that, her ex rolls back into town, and seeing him causes Zelle’s magick to backfire. Since it’s directly tied to her hair, her long locks go crazy, alerting everyone (including him), that she’s still in love with him. Untangling her feelings, uncovering the identity of the town thief, and making sure her sisters have the best Christmas ever will take a miracle.
I hope you enjoy the mystery, the holiday spirit, and the conclusion of the Sherwood sisters series. Everyone needs a little small-town magick now and then, and I wish you a merry Christmas in July! Stay cool!
And now… a little more about Poison Apple Potion, the third story in the Once Upon A Witch fairytale mystery series…
A bad apple is about to ruin my Halloween, and my fairytale ending depends on the luck of a homeless black kitten.
A fairytale retelling of Snow White! Black cats, magick, and Halloween!
I may have been named after a fairytale, but life didn’t get the memo. Mine even came with a wicked stepmother who left a lasting impression, scarring my renowned beauty.
As luck would have it, I’ve managed to ditch her and surrounded myself with people who care about me, and the orchard my father left me is thriving. However, there may be a bad apple in the bunch that's rotten to the core.
The trouble started shortly after hiring a new farmhand to help with the Halloween season, one with secrets and a cute black kitten he claims isn’t his. The cat thinks otherwise and his intentions seem pure, but the evidence is adding up against both of them.
If my magick can’t root out a malicious poison in the apples, my sleepy hometown may pay the price for revenge. But is my fairytale ending sure to end with a dose of bad luck?
🐾 GRAB your copy today, my puuurrryyy babies! You're gonna love ALL the stories, and how can you beat the price? You can binge read this set for Halloween!
Cuddles and catnip,
Godfrey 💜🐾💜
READ THIS FREE EXCERPT!
POISON APPLE POTION, Once Upon A Witch Fairytale Retelling, Book 3
Customers are already pulling into the parking lot, eager to load up on bushels of apples, gallons of cider, and fresh turnovers. I pet Runa's head, nod at Sweet Pea, and face my new farmhand. “Stow your stuff in the barn for now. We'll figure out sleeping arrangements and pay later.”
“Yes, ma' am.” He shifts his backpack higher on his shoulder. “I'm grateful to ye.”
I tilt my chin at the approaching customers. A mother has brought her two kids, both begging to go to Fairytale Land before they pick out pumpkins for jack-o’-lanterns. An elderly couple has their own totes to fill. “Open the gates, keep everyone off Magick Mama, pick up all her apples from the ground and bring them to the press. Your first lesson starts in ten minutes.”
“Magick Mama?”
“The enchanted tree.” I point west to the hill where my oldest dwarf apple resides, her branches in their zenith overlooking the farm. The sun lights up her beautiful leaves and reflects off the fruit hanging from her. “She's the secret to our success.”
Curiosity enters his eyes. “Enchanted, huh?”
“Eek!” A cry and a crash ripple across the place. “Heavens, what is that doing here?”
Bramble, my manager and baker, has jumped off the path from the store to the house and dropped a half bushel of apples. They roll everywhere. She shakes a fist at an unseen culprit. “You’ve jinxed my day!”
The black kitten hightails past, heading for the pasture where Sweet Pea and the other rescues have wandered to.
“Snow!” Bramble cries, glancing my way.
“Best to keep your pet away from my manager,” I tell Broden. “She fears black cats.”
Confusion knits his brows. “The wee one? Not be mine, I’m afraid.”
“You sure?” We help Bramble retrieve apples. “It showed up with you.”
Broden shakes his head. “I’ve not seen her before. Thought she was yours.”
One by one, we place the fruit into the basket and Bramble frowns at our new employee. “Either way, she needs to go. No good can come from a black cat being on the premises.”
As she marches away before I can properly introduce them, I shrug at Broden’s quizzical look. “We should get to work,” I say.
