Sneak Peek: Impractical Magic!

Hello my lovelies, here's a sneak peek of the beginning of my upcoming book Impractical Magic (Myrtlewood Mysteries book 9!)! I would love to hear any theories you have about what’s coming in Impractical Magic. What questions do you think might be answered in the story? What do you think might be in store for Rosemary, Athena and the rest of our friends in Myrtlewood? 💜

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"So good to see you. I missed you so much," Rosemary wrapped her arms around her daughter. The afternoon sun streamed through the stained glass windows surrounding the front door, catching the red and copper tones in their hair.

"It's only been a week, Mum. You're acting like you haven't seen me for a whole year," Athena replied, but she squeezed back just as tightly.

"It feels that way," said Rosemary. She stepped back, drinking in the sight of her daughter. "Look at you." A newfound grace clung to Athena's movements, a subtle reminder of her time in the fae realm. "You're looking really well. I'm so glad."

The sentient house hummed with contentment at Athena's return, the floorboards creaking softly beneath their feet as they made their way to the kitchen.

"Turns out a trip to the fae realm was just what I needed to lift my spirits," said Athena. There was a tightness in her voice that suggested there was something more to it.

"How was everything with your other family?" Rosemary asked, trying to keep her tone light despite the worry gnawing at her insides.

"Actually, fabulous," said Athena. "The queen is...odd as usual."

"It is strange how you call her 'the queen' when she's your grandmother."

"You mean when she looks younger than you?" Athena quipped, her green eyes sparkling with mischief.

Rosemary elbowed her daughter playfully. "You're right. She's a gorgeous creature."

Athena smiled. "You're gorgeous too. Even with your wrinkles."

"I'm glad to hear it," said Rosemary putting the kettle on for tea, "though I'm not sure what Burk will think of my wrinkles in the next few decades, given that he probably has exactly the same number he had a thousand years ago."

"That's what you get for shacking up with a vampire," Athena teased.

"Speaking of him…" said Rosemary, looking out towards the late morning sun in the back garden. "Let's go have a look."

They walked towards the French doors that led out to the back garden, the house seeming to guide them with a gentle shift in the air.

The trees surrounding the back lawn had started to grow fresh green baby leaves and gentle blossoms, so early for the season–a sign of the magic that permeated Myrtlewood. The herbs and shrubs by the back door released a heady mix of scents: rosemary, thyme, and daphne lingering in the air.

Burk stood barefoot on the grass, eyes closed, face tilted towards the sun. His skin shimmered like black diamonds in the warm light, an otherworldly quality that took Rosemary's breath away, even though she’d seen this sparkly vampire before. She felt both of wonder and concern as she watched him, marveling at the magic and mayhem of the Winter Solstice when he’d first gained the ability to withstand sunlight through her own attempt to save him.

"Do you think he's going to start a cult?" Athena asked, breaking the spell.

"Perhaps. Want to join?" Rosemary winked.

They both giggled, the sound causing a nearby wind chime to tinkle softly in response. "He's been doing this a lot?" Athena asked.

Rosemary shrugged. "Well, at first, after the solstice, when you were still here, he didn't dare go outside just in case it had worn off. But more recently, he got braver. He started experimenting with going near the open windows, exposing himself to more and more sunlight, even in the middle of the day. And now, well, he's been doing this every day. He seems to enjoy himself, so I suppose it's fine."

"Until he bursts into flames," Athena said dryly.

"That's what I've been worried about," Rosemary admitted, "but he's close enough to the house that he could come back in at any moment. Plus, I've got a protective charm ready, just in case." She pointed to a bucket of water near the door.

Athena chucked. "Trust you to put a protective charm in a bucket of water.”

“I thought it would be more fun that way,” said Rosemary. “And also more intuitive, you know…I always want a bucket of water to hand when I set things on fire.”

Athena shook her head, bemused. “It’s still weird to see a vampire sunbathing."

"Do you want to keep watching?" Rosemary asked.

"Maybe over a cup of tea," Athena suggested.

Rosemary gasped and looked horrified as the kettle began to whistle. "Tea! You’ve been here a full five minutes and I haven’t made any. All right. We'd better remedy that situation forthwith." She put her arm around her daughter, and together they went back to the kitchen.

Rosemary reached for their favorite teacups – hers was a deep forest green at the moment, Athena's a swirling pattern of purple and silver that seemed to shift in the light. The familiar weight and warmth of the porcelain in her hands was comforting.

They carried the tea tray to the lounge.

“Let’s sit by the windows so we can keep an eye on Mr Sparkles,” said Athena.

“Good idea,” Rosemary said. "How are Finnegan and Cedar and your dad?" Rosemary asked as she sipped the strong Earl Grey that was their regular blend.

"The boys are enjoying married bliss," said Athena. "But Dad seems a little bored, I think."

"Oh, no," said Rosemary. "A restless Dain is never good news."

"No, well, he's never been that interested in fae politics. And now that Finnegan and Cedar are settled into their new roles, I think Dad’s getting a bit antsy."

"Perhaps we should cook up some new scheme for him to pursue," Rosemary suggested. "Something to keep him occupied. He needs novelty, that one."

"You're right," said Athena, "but I can't think of anything that would keep him entertained for more than five minutes."

"Well, Imbolc is coming up soon," Rosemary said, glancing at the calendar on the wall where the upcoming celebration was circled in red. "Perhaps you could ask him to come back and be on the lookout for mischief. He could bring some fae soldiers. I'm sure something will happen. If there's anything to be said about the seasonal festivals in Myrtlewood, it's that they're full of unexpected twists."

Athena sighed. "And here you were hoping for a nice, quiet life."

Rosemary sighed. "You know, I think I've mostly hoped for a nice, quiet life because I get overwhelmed and burnt out easily. I'm not the best at relaxing, even with the lovely hammock you got me. I probably need a new project too."

"Maybe you and Dad can work on one together," Athena suggested.

"Maybe," said Rosemary. "Though I doubt we could work together without driving each other batty. But I agree with your point. Perhaps, if we occupy ourselves enough with some new challenge, the chaos that this town insists on throwing our way won't be such a big deal."

"Unless you get way in over your head.”

“Can you figure out what the stars and planets are doing so we can work with the tensions rather than against them?” Rosemary asked. “Isn't that what you're always telling me to do?"

"It's a good point," said Athena. "It might help me catch up on my schoolwork too. I'm so behind, even on Astrology class."

Rosemary felt the chill of dread. Athena was 17, which was magically “of age”. She was in her last school year, which meant that she had to become a proper adult at some point, or at least a fledgling adult.

The last few months—in fact, the whole last year—had been so intense that Rosemary hadn't wanted to broach the subject of Athena's plans too much. The future hovered over them like dark looming clouds, or perhaps more like a net ready to ensnare them into some tricky situations at any moment.

Pushing aside her worries, Rosemary took another sip of tea before speaking again. "Only a few more months of school," she said, smiling at her daughter.

"Yeah," said Athena. She replied with a smile, but she looked down at her cup, nervous.

"Worried?" Rosemary asked softly.

"Just don't know what I'm going to do," said Athena, her voice low, almost a whisper. "I'm worried I've messed up my grades, and I don't really understand the magical education system or what the options are."

"I'm sure there's somebody at school you can talk to about it," said Rosemary, reaching out to squeeze Athena's hand. "And don't worry, most people don't know what they want to do when they're 17 years old, or 18, or 21, or 40 for that matter."

"You figured it out when you were about 39, so good for you," Athena retorted.

"It's true, I have the shop," said Rosemary, "but that doesn't mean I'm not going to do anything else with my life."

"What else are you going to do?" said Athena. "Maybe you need a new project. Everything's going too smoothly for you. As much as you wouldn't want to admit it, you totally thrive on chaos.”

Rosemary smirked and gently nudged Athena with her elbow.

A thudding sound drew their attention. Two small creatures burst into the room, one scampering across the floor and the other bounding in with impossible grace for its size.

"Serpentine Fuzzball and Nugget!" said Athena.

“The familiars certainly know how to make an entrance.” Rosemary smiled, watching as the fuzzy black kitten, leapt onto the window seat beside her clearly anticipating ear scratches. Meanwhile, Nugget, the mischievous golden squirrel, scrambled up Athena’s legs to perch on her shoulder. "They've missed you."

Athena cooed and patted both of the familiars, Nugget chittering excitedly on her shoulder while Fuzzball purred loudly enough to make the cushions tremble. "I missed you too, my darlings," she said to the magical creatures. "It's good to be home, even if I don't know what I'm doing with my life."

"Well, the funny thing about life," said Rosemary, absently stroking Fuzzball's soft fur, "is that you never do completely know. And that's half the fun."

Athena rolled her eyes. "Sure it is."

Nugget, as if sensing her mood, nuzzled against her cheek, his fluffy tail tickling her ear.

"Just be gentle with yourself,” said Rosemary, her tone becoming somewhat uncomfortable. “You weren't feeling too good before you went away to the fae realm. Do you want to talk about it?"

Athena shrugged. "There’s nothing to talk about. Everything was lovely in the fae realm." As she spoke, Nugget scampered down her arm and onto the windowsill, his bright eyes fixed on something in the garden.

Rosemary patted her daughter on the shoulder. "It'll be okay, I promise you. Things will get better in time." Fuzzball padded over to Athena and butted her head against the girl's hand, as if offering comfort.

"You know what? At first, I suppose I was still high on the adrenaline from everything that happened. It was quite an intense Winter Solstice," Athena admitted, scratching Fuzzball behind the ears.

"Exactly," said Rosemary. "Then things get back to reality and that becomes less fun."

"Exactly," said Athena. "But I'll be back to school tomorrow, and it'll be nice to see my friends again and at least have an excuse to be busy. I've got so much to catch up on."

"You can throw in a little research on Imbolc while you're at it," said Rosemary. "I'm sure it'll come in handy."

Athena groaned. "More distractions. Yay!" At her words, Nugget chittered what sounded suspiciously like a laugh, drawing an amused glance from both witches.

"Oh, come on," said Rosemary. "There'll be plenty more distractions in our future." As if in agreement, Thorn Manor creaked softly, and a warm breeze wafted through the room, carrying the scent of early spring blossoms. Fuzzball's ears perked up at the sound, while Nugget's tail twitched in anticipation of new adventures to come.

Rosemary gazed out to where Burk was still basking in the sunlight. She felt a surge of love for her unconventional family and this bizarre and beautiful life they were creating together, but something told her to prepare for the unexpected. There were always more surprises in Myrtlewood.

***

You can preorder Impractical Magic here: https://mybook.to/ImpracticalMagic