Magical You: Winter edition

Hi my lovelies. 

I'm busy editing the next Myrtlewood Crones book and I have a few treat in store for subscribers in the coming weeks. Do let me know if there's anything in particular (Myrtlewood or magical) you're longing for and I'll see if I can fit it into my Patreon schedule.

In the meantime, I wanted to share this image with you before I post it to social media. Do you remember the magazine Rosemary picks up in the luxury spa? If you've read the Crones books you'll know that Delia finds a winter edition in Burk's office... well, I had a bit of fun and made the cover :)

What do you think? Would you subscribe?

Here's the excerpt from the Crone of Solstice Flames:

Delia pushed her way through the heavy old wooden doors of the office and gave her name to the rather icy woman behind the counter who gestured for her to wait.

Delia took one of the two leather armchairs and pretended to read a magazine while secretly she was people watching the only person in view – the receptionist with her white-blonde bob and excellent posture, who seemed to be spending a lot of time filing her nails.

Maybe I can get a job like that, Delia pondered. If I need money urgently to pay the rent…Maybe a job where I could just read all day…That would be marvellous.

Delia glanced down at the magazine she was holding and almost dropped it before flicking through excitedly.

Instead of the outdated fashion brochure she expected, she found she’d inadvertently picked up Magical You – a legitimately mystical publication, by the looks of it.

On the front was an old woman with silver hair and startling blue eyes. It seemed to relate to the feature advertised. "Winter: The Season of The Crone" sat boldly amid the other articles – "How to Befriend Your Local Pixies", "Decoration Charms to Make Your Yule Really Pop", "Festive Recipes for a Wonderful Winter Feast", and "Five Fae Beauty Tips to Have You Looking Fabulous”.

Delia’s eyes bulged in surprise. She was tempted to slip the whole artefact into her handbag. She wanted to read every one of their ridiculous sounding articles, but flipped immediately to the feature on Crones and began reading:

The winter, of course, is associated with the time of Crones. The year has come to its completion through the new life of spring, the ripening of summer, the harvest of autumn, right through to the full maturation of life, before it is reborn again. We celebrate the solstice of winter, the time in which crone magic is strongest. Around the world, crone power has been awakening. This most ancient and protective of magics connects us, not only with our ancestors, but with the wise elders among us who are charged with guiding, protecting, and leading us to a better future.

Delia scoffed. WISE was the last thing she felt about now. Though she had to admit that it was nice that she seemed to have immersed herself accidentally in a subculture that valued older people and not just in a passing fad kind of way.

She read on about crone goddesses, the Cailleach, Cerridwen, and others. There was nothing in the article that gave her much of a clue as to her own magic, or the deeper power they were trying to unlock. But what could she expect from a magazine that seemed to be largely fashion and beauty tips with a few recipes?

Still, Delia did wonder if the lawyer's office would miss it. She nudged the copy gently towards her handbag, thinking she could always return it later after she'd read the whole thing. It was far too interesting to leave behind.

Just as she began to quietly commit minor theft, there was a sound of a throat clearing. Delia looked up and almost jumped, shocked to find a tall and handsome man standing only three metres away.

Delia glanced down at the half-stolen magazine and then back up into steely eyes.

"You're most welcome to take that," he said. "Cilla only leaves them here when she's finished with them."

The woman behind the desk, obviously Cilla, rolled her eyes and then returned her attention to her nails.

"Oh, right…Ugh, Okay. Thank you. I'm sorry," said Delia. "I was just so intrigued. I would have brought it back. Probably not the best start to a meeting with a lawyer."

The man quirked his mouth into a small smile. "Believe me, lawyers deal with a lot worse. Besides, I prefer when my clients are honest – at least with me – then I know more about the risks we're taking with any legal action ahead. There's nothing worse than someone slipping up and blurting out the truth in front of a judge without telling me first."

Delia stood up and shook the hand he offered.

“Perseus Burk,” he said.

“Delia. Last name to be determined, but probably Spark," she replied. "And I'm making a note to be as honest with you as I can be."