Healing Magic releases in October but you can get a sneak peak right now. Read about the town of New Mourne and the witches who live there in Neely Powell’s post. Notice the giveaway!!
If you are an author, take a peak at a couple of promo opportunities at the very bottom. If you are a reader, take a look also because in October, you can take advantage of the bargains these two promos will provide.
Creating a Witchy World
by Neely Powell
Like millions of others, we have a deep appreciation for the complexity of the world Patricia Briggs creates in her books. Werewolves, shifters, witches, vampires, and fae erupt from every corner, but the stories are seamless. And just when we think she can’t give us a more hideous monster, she does it again. We bow to Ms. Briggs’ genius, and we want to emulate her.
To build the world of the Witches of New Mourne trilogy, we started with a sprawling, squabbling family coven. You have your leaders and followers, your whiners and drama queens, your gentle souls and kind hearts. Coven members might dislike each other from time to time, but they’ll fight anything or anyone who threatens them. We may have been inspired by members of our own extended families—but don’t tell them.
We wanted to separate our three main characters from the rest of the coven. Brenna from AWAKENING MAGIC is the most powerful witch, able to command the elements, take charge or wreak havoc as needed. Fiona is a medium, blessed and burdened with the ability to talk to the dead in her story HAUNTING MAGIC. Eva Grace is an empath, the peacemaker determined to soothe the wounds of the past in HEALING MAGIC. Each witch gets a hero worthy of her—a shapeshifter, a magical warrior and one very special human. The human was the toughest character to develop!
The Connelly family witches needed a fierce enemy, and we looked to an established legend—the Woman in White. We found this ghostly fiend chronicled in cultures around the world, usually with a tragic love story. We made our Woman vengeful and wicked, with significant powers, and having imposed a deadly curse on the coven.
To up the evil quotient, we gave the Woman a demon to command.
He’s a slimy character, capable of murder, riddled with envy, and driven by the horrifying history he shares with the Woman.
Still, we wanted more foes. So we created a faerie queen, hiding her sharp teeth and cruel nature behind the glamour of normalcy. She has a tenuous grip on the fae in her realm, and she both embraces and plots against the coven. Yeah, we’re obsessed with her.
The fictional and magical town of New Mourne, Georgia, plays a huge role in all three books, and it’s populated by supernaturals and humans. There’s a werewolf pack, more shifters, Druids, rogue spirits, a kitchen witch unrelated to the coven, many fae, and rumors of a wizard living just outside town. We even incorporated some Native American magic.
One of the few beings you won’t find here is a vampire. In future books, a vampire might have a minor role, but Neely Powell is just not interested in blood suckers. It’s a personal choice thing.
When you’re a writer trying to get noticed in the wide, wild world of paranormal romance, there’s a lot that’s beyond your control. But creating magical worlds, fantastic beings, and battles between good and evil—that’s what we love.
Every day is interesting in New Mourne. Please stroll on Main Street, drive into the woods, step into our gardens, smell the flowers and hear the screams. LOL. We hope you enjoy meeting all of the neighbors.
Giveaway: free copy of AWAKENING MAGIC to run Sept. 20 – Oct. 18
Register to win a free copy of AWAKENING MAGIC by just sending us your email address. You can contact us at neely_powell@yahoo.com and put GIVEAWAY in the subject line. We look forward to hearing from you. Last day to register is October 18, the release date for HEALING MAGIC! We’ll have the drawing on October 20.
Eva Grace Connelly is a witch and a beloved healer. Rodric McGuire, paranormal expert and descendent of faerie warriors, adores the flame-haired beauty. But their future is on hold as a family curse threatens her life.
Centuries ago, the Witches of New Mourne struck a dark bargain with the Woman in White. In exchange for peace, the malevolent spirit takes a Connelly witch from each generation.
Eva Grace is convinced she can heal the ghost’s troubled spirit and end the reign of terror. But violence and family heartbreak challenge that resolve.
As Samhain approaches, the Woman and her vile demon have control. Is sacrifice the only road to peace? Can Eva Grace and Rodric uncover the secrets and lies at the heart of the curse?
An Excerpt
Rodric watched as Eva Grace fell into the raging river. A wicked and powerful energy kept him in place. Below, she was caught in the swirling waters of a huge vortex.
A deep rumble moved through the air. Laughter, Rodric realized. The demon was laughing.
“Damn you!” Rodric yelled. “You’re a coward controlled by your mistress.”
As thunder boomed, the water shot up and Eva Grace was level with Rodric. Treasures the faeries had given her gleamed at her throat, and the demon made the earth shake.
“Give those to me,” the creature roared.
The demon couldn’t just take them, she’d have to give them to him. Which meant Rodric could save her. But how?
“Help me,” he called to his ancestors. “Help us!”
A thick rope appeared in his hands. He made a loop and threw it with all his strength toward her. She fought to get the loop over her head, but the effort cost her.
The demon roared at Rodric. “Tell her to save herself. Give me what I need.”
“She’s not giving you anything,” Rodric shouted.
“Maybe to save you.” A lightning bolt struck just feet from Rodric.
Summoning all the magic in his blood, Rodric slowly began to pull Eva Grace up from the river.
Meet Neely Powell
Leigh Neely and Jan Hamilton Powell are the writing team of Neely Powell. They met working at a rock ‘n roll radio station, discovered they’d both rather be writing fiction, and have been close friends ever since. Their path to cowriting paranormal romance took some detours. Leigh’s resume chronicles a diverse career as a disk jockey, newspaper reporter, advertising copywriter, magazine writer and editor. Jan wrote 24 romance novels as Celeste Hamilton for Silhouette and Avon Books and then built a career in corporate communications and public relations. Neely Powell became a successful team when they turned their attention to shifters, weres, witches, ghosts, fae and all things supernatural. Their first novel was TRUE NATURE from The Wild Rose Press, followed by AWAKENING MAGIC and HAUNTING MAGIC. The Witches of New Mourne trilogy will conclude in October 2021 with HEALING MAGIC. Their rules for maintaining a partnership are simple: be honest, be kind, and bring Diet Coke and chocolate.
I’m experimenting with StoryOrigin, a promo app that allows you to create and participate in group promotions–and much more. So far, I love it. The free version is nice, but to really get promos in gear, it does cost a bit. That said, I’m running a couple of group promotions in October. If you do or might want to subscribe to StoryOrigin, check out these two promos.
