{"id":1566,"date":"2019-10-09T11:32:12","date_gmt":"2019-10-09T18:32:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nomadauthors.com\/blog\/?p=1566"},"modified":"2019-10-09T11:32:12","modified_gmt":"2019-10-09T18:32:12","slug":"halloween-magic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nomadauthors.com\/blog\/2019\/10\/09\/halloween-magic\/","title":{"rendered":"Just in time for the spookiest night! Halloween Magic"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Halloween<\/a>Nomad Authors welcomes one of Dee’s favorite author friends, Devin Govaere, and her two writing companions, Maggie McBay and Laurie Keck, and their\u00a0really<\/em> great book for Halloween–Halloween Magic<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. Halloween Magic<\/em><\/strong> is an anthology of three stories taking place in Forget-Me-Not, Oregon, a town where ordinary and extraordinary people live their unique lives in harmony.<\/p>\n

NA: <\/strong>Hi, Devin.\u00a0How did you come up with the idea for your book?
\nDG<\/strong>:\u00a0<\/strong>My co-authors and I love the small-town, romantic vibe that comes from watching the Hallmark Channel, but we also love quirky and interesting characters that live outside the norm. So creating a small town with paranormal residents was intriguing to us. Since Halloween is coming, we decided to each write a story using a classic Halloween theme.<\/p>\n

NA:\u00a0<\/strong>What sort of research did you do to write this book?
\nDG:\u00a0<\/strong>When deciding where to place our town, we read articles and perused pictures to determine which \u201cvibe\u201d most connected to our ideas. We all agreed and chose Oregon and then created our town on a rather isolated peninsula. My story, Just Another Scarecrow Love Story<\/strong>, is contemporary, so it didn\u2019t require research. However, my male character is a miner from the nineteenth century, so in order to get a feel for the life he might have led, I read a bit about early mining practices. The research never makes it into the story, but it gave me a sense of who he is.<\/p>\n

NA:\u00a0<\/strong>A fun fact about writing your book.
\nDG:\u00a0<\/strong>I\u2019ve always been intrigued by scarecrows. They\u2019re solitary creatures who reflect how lonely life can be at times. I wanted to write a story about a scarecrow who is much more than clothes filled with stuffing. I wanted my scarecrow to find a happily ever after.<\/p>\n

NA:\u00a0<\/strong>Do you have a day job? What was your job before you started writing full time?
\nDG:<\/strong> I am a full-time freelance editor and write between projects. I\u2019m lucky, however, to work from home, so my schedule is my own.<\/p>\n

NA:\u00a0<\/strong>What started you on the path to writing?
\nDG:\u00a0<\/strong>I tinkered with writing throughout my life, particularly during those awkward junior high years. Then I got sidelined by \u201chaving a life,\u201d which included dating as a teen and young adult and then getting married and having kids. One night I was watching TV with the kids, had an idea, got out a spiral notebook, and just started writing a story. It was much too long, and even after I edited it, it was much too long. But I loved it.<\/p>\n

NA:\u00a0<\/strong>The biggest surprise you had after becoming a writer.
\nDG:<\/strong> I\u2019d always thought I was a decent writer. My teachers had told me so, and I never had any trouble communicating. It came easily to me. However, when I started writing fiction (after being a voracious reader all my life), I realized there was so much to the craft I didn\u2019t know. Sometimes understanding concepts, such as staying within a point of view, hovered just beyond my grasp. When that finally clicked, it hit me like a sledgehammer and I wondered how I\u2019d not seen it the whole time.<\/p>\n

NA:\u00a0<\/strong>Do you outline books ahead of time or are you more of a by-the-seat-of-your-pants writer?
\nDG:\u00a0<\/strong>I only have a vague sense of where the story is going, possibly a couple of sentences of an idea. It might start with just a small exchange between characters, but once I have an understanding of who those characters will become, I just start writing and see where it goes.<\/p>\n

NA:\u00a0<\/strong>Which kind of scenes are the hardest for you to write? Action, dialogue, sex?
\nDG:\u00a0<\/strong>Sex for sure. I\u2019ve written all sorts of stories and books under my own name and various others. I love developing the characters, giving them dialogue, and choreographing their behaviors and actions, but when sex is required (which it often is, depending on the publisher), I had a habit of typing \u201cInsert Sex Scene Here\u201d just so I could move on and not lose my momentum. Consequently, even when I was finished and happy with the completed product, I wasn\u2019t done yet. That\u2019s a big reason why we\u2019ve written our Forget-Me-Not stories as clean romances with just a hint of closed-door activities. When I type \u201cthe end,\u201d I know I\u2019m truly finished.<\/p>\n

NA:\u00a0<\/strong>What are your top three favorite books of all time?
\nDG:\u00a0<\/strong>The Stand<\/em> by Stephen King, The Witching Hour<\/em> by Anne Rice, Clan of the Cave Bear<\/em> by Jean Auel. All three of these books not only entertained me but opened new worlds and possibilities to me.<\/p>\n

NA:\u00a0<\/strong>Why did you choose the shirt you have on?
\nDG:\u00a0<\/strong>It was lying at the bottom of the bed waiting for me. I have several stages of being dressed during the day. The first stage is just to get Daisy, our dachshund, outside.<\/p>\n

NA:\u00a0<\/strong>First thought when the alarm goes off in the in the morning?
\nDG:\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cWhere\u2019s Daisy?\u201d Daisy sleeps in the bed, but she likes to move around, so unless I feel her pressed against me, I don\u2019t know if she\u2019s scooted to the other side of the bed or is lying under the covers at the bottom. It only takes a moment to find her, because when the alarm goes off, she\u2019s right there.<\/p>\n

NA:\u00a0<\/strong>What errand\/chore do you despise the most?
\nDG:\u00a0<\/strong>I hate grocery shopping and putting things away. Put things in the cart, take things out of the cart to put on the conveyer, put them back into the cart to carry to the car, put them in the trunk, unload everything and pile it all onto the counter, and then wonder where I\u2019m going to put everything. It seemingly takes forever.<\/p>\n

NA:\u00a0<\/strong>What are you working on now?
\nDG:\u00a0<\/strong>My co-authors and I have just finished Halloween Thrills<\/em><\/strong>, another anthology of Halloween stories, set to be released on October 13, and we\u2019re currently writing the third anthology, Winter Tales<\/strong><\/em>, coming out on November 20.<\/p>\n

NA:\u00a0<\/strong>What sort of reader would enjoy this book?
\nDG:\u00a0<\/strong>Any reader who lives for a happily ever after, who yearns for a touch of magic in their life, and who loves stories that blend paranormal elements with humor, a bit of mystery, and healthy, loving relationships would enjoy this book. We think the combination of the three stories offers something for everyone, and we hope you enjoy them.<\/p>\n

Halloween Magic<\/h4>\n

Blurb:
\n<\/strong>Halloween Magic<\/strong><\/em>
\nForget-Me-Not, Oregon, Book 1<\/p>\n

Welcome to Forget-Me-Not, Oregon, a magical place filled with magical people. A place that\u2019s most special just around Halloween, when the boundary between worlds thins and all things are possible.<\/p>\n

\"HalloweenJust Another Scarecrow Love Story<\/strong>
\nLove Doesn\u2019t Care if You\u2019re Real\u2026<\/p>\n

Annabella Paxton, earth witch and single parent, lives on her apple orchard with her three-year-old daughter, Melanie. During the annual Halloween Scarecrow Trail event, Mellie helps to create their exhibit and names her scarecrow Carter, pretending he\u2019s real. It\u2019s all just a little girl\u2019s imagination, right?<\/p>\n

Kiss the Sun\"Halloween<\/strong>
\nShe kissed the sun but found love in the darkness.<\/p>\n

In the midst of Halloween festivities, visitor Rowan McKenna expected to find a variety of witches, ghosts, vampires, and other traditional monsters. She just didn\u2019t expect to fall in love with one.<\/p>\n

\"HalloweenHarmonious Haunt<\/strong>
\nAlone, he made music. Together, they made magic.<\/p>\n

As entertainment director for Forget-Me-Not, Fallon James receives her dream assignment\u2014meeting the one man who has entertained her with his music for most of her life. The question is, will they share a harmonious visit, or will they fall into one of life\u2019s traps, leaving a haunting like no other?<\/p>\n

Excerpt:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Prologue
\nAcross the Vast Expanse\u20141695<\/p>\n

Three long years, after a grueling journey across landscapes that defied imagination, the Conclave Elders stood at the top of a high cliff, staring at the peninsula below, a spit of land that dared to exist within the immense sea that ravaged its shores. Rings of islands lay in the distance, and rivers, both small and large, meandered through the visible land as far as the eye could see until it became a field of deep blue. How far that sea stretched they couldn\u2019t begin to know.<\/p>\n

It was the farthest they could possibly go in their quest for freedom without worrying about their physical survival. If they couldn\u2019t find safe harbor here, there would be no place for them.<\/p>\n

But this place felt right.<\/p>\n

The salt air spread a welcoming, familiar balm over their faces. The deep, musky scents of the forest at their backs filled them with a sense of home. The endless expanse of the ocean reminded them of another on the eastern side of continent, and that peninsula offered them a sanctuary, a seclusion to live their lives and create a community filled with harmony and peace and\u2026magic.<\/p>\n

The eldest of the Conclave, a warlock most powerful named Silas Deeds, leaned down and plucked a small flower from a field of blue.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know this flower. I\u2019ve seen it many places in Europe, but I learned of it in the Germanic region. They called it vergissmeinnicht<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat does it mean, Master Deeds?\u201d asked Constance Curtis.<\/p>\n

\u201cForget-Me-Not,\u201d Silas said with a smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cSuch a small thing for such large aspirations,\u201d Constance said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd yet, look how it blossoms here. It fairly covers the ground, holding fast and true to the land.\u201d He glanced at the peninsula below. \u201cWe can be like this small flower. We can hold fast and true.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are others here,\u201d Richard Summers said. \u201cWe saw so many on the journey, and the smoke we\u2019ve seen drifting through the trees and along the riverbanks indicates there are many already living here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Silas nodded. \u201cWe can share this land. We can offer friendship and peace, and with time, the people already here may grow to accept us, dare I say to truly like us? We can offer them so much in exchange for their fellowship. And if a relationship with them stays firm, we can form a community nestled within theirs. Our families will have a secure haven to grow and build and learn.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is an honorable wish for the future,\u201d Constance said. \u201cDo you think the possibility exists that we could find acceptance and fellowship here?\u201d<\/p>\n

Silas sighed. \u201cIt can be no worse than the places we\u2019ve left behind, my dear friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou speak true,\u201d Richard said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe come with open hearts, with open minds,\u201d Silas said, \u201cand it is a sorry people who fails to recognize honest and goodhearted intent.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOthers have,\u201d Richard said.<\/p>\n

Silas glanced at his friend. \u201cAnd we have left them behind.\u201d He twirled the small blossom in his fingers. \u201cForget me not\u2026 We will never forget what has happened to some of our fellows, but we will move on and forge ahead, holding their memories strong in our hearts. These small flowers give us a sign that even the weakest, even the smallest can have strength, and, my stalwart friends, our group is anything but weak. We will make our home here.\u201d<\/p>\n

And they settled onto the beautiful peninsula they called Forget-Me-Not.<\/p>\n

\"HalloweenAuthor Bios:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Devin Govaere is a freelance editor and fiction writer. She has published over a dozen novels and fourteen novellas, writing under her own name as well as several pseudonyms. She lives in North Carolina and can be contacted at dgovaere@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Maggie McBay enjoys writing paranormal stories filled with romance and suspense. She has published several novels and novellas, writing under her own name as well as several pseudonyms. Touched with a bit of wanderlust, she’s lived in several states over the years and looks forward to traveling in the near future. You can contact Maggie at maggiemcbay@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Laurie Keck lives on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. She frequently visits the beach with her two small dogs and enjoys quiet time in natural surroundings. As much as Laurie enjoys the ocean, she is equally at home amidst the forest and mountains. She loves nature and wildlife. Her passion is writing stories about true love and fantasy.<\/p>\n

Author links:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Devin<\/a>
\nMaggie<\/a>
\nLaurie<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nomad Authors welcomes one of Dee’s favorite author friends, Devin Govaere, and her two writing companions, Maggie McBay and Laurie Keck, and their\u00a0really great book for Halloween–Halloween Magic. Halloween Magic is an anthology of three stories taking place in Forget-Me-Not, Oregon, a town where ordinary and extraordinary people live their unique lives in harmony. NA: … Continue reading “Just in time for the spookiest night! Halloween Magic”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5,4,3,1],"tags":[490,845,761,848,844,847,846,849,754,119,221],"class_list":["post-1566","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-author-information","category-book-topics","category-general","category-uncategorized","tag-anthology","tag-devin-govaere","tag-ghosts","tag-halloween","tag-halloween-magic","tag-laurie-keck","tag-maggie-mcbay","tag-short-stories","tag-vampires","tag-witch","tag-witches"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9wA33-pg","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nomadauthors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1566","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nomadauthors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nomadauthors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nomadauthors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nomadauthors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1566"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nomadauthors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1566\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1578,"href":"https:\/\/www.nomadauthors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1566\/revisions\/1578"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nomadauthors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1566"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nomadauthors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1566"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nomadauthors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1566"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

Buy links:
\n<\/strong>Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n