Interview - Awakening Magic and Haunting Magic by Neely Powell #AudioBooks #PNR
What’s your one-line pitch or teaser for the book? Grab a reader’s attention with one line.
Magic and mayhem are at war as the The Witches of New Mourne seek to end a vengeful spirit’s centuries-long curse, protect their enchanted town from a demonic force, and save the life of one of their own.
Tell readers a little about your main character or characters?
The Witches of New Mourne Trilogy features three of the Connelly family witches. April Doty, the narrator of the Awakening Magic and Haunting Magic audiobooks, brings vivid life to the conflicts, affection and magic of the Connelly witches Brenna and Fiona and their extended family.
Brenna is the heroine of Awakening Magic, a powerful, elemental witch who uses the natural forces of water, earth, fire, and air. Brenna has resisted her role as leader of her coven’s younger witches, but her powers sharpen as the threats to her family intensify. Her sister Fiona is the heroine of Haunting Magic, and she’s a medium as well as a witch. Though Fiona has always been an obedient witch, she defies the coven leader’s orders to connect with the malevolent spirit who will soon demand the life of one witch.
Book Three of the trilogy is Healing Magic and is available in print and ebook, with plans for an audiobook later in 2022. The heroine is witch and healer Eva Grace. Kind and gentle, Eva Grace is determined to use lessons learned from her own loss and suffering to reach the mysterious Woman in White and bring closure to ancient wounds and continuing torture for their coven and town.
Where do you like to write? Do you have an office or writing nook?
We’re a writing team, and we live in different states, so we work separately but together. We plot together, during visits, on long phone calls or FaceTime. After we have a plan in place, Leigh Neely generally lays down a draft, and Jan Powell delves into fine turning. We work on Google docs, often editing together. Technology is our best friend—or worst enemy—depending on the day.
What is one of your best marketing tips for other authors?
With the massive number of books available in every genre, it’s not easy to get noticed. Reaching out to readers through blogs, social media and websites seems to be the most effective way
What websites or tools have you found that offer the best results?
Twitter has been a good tool for us, especially with the support of authors like those from The Wild Rose Press. We’ve also been pleased with the efforts of Bewitching Tours.
Any advice for aspiring writers?
Read extensively in the genre you want to write. You can read the most popular authors, but it’s the new and emerging writers that will show you what’s cutting through the crowd. Read books on writing. Sharpen your basic skills because grammar and punctuation do matter. But above all, just write. Write through weariness, through distractions, write when you’d rather not be writing. Yes, your muse must be fed from time to time, but there’s no substitute for your butt in the chair and your fingers on the keyboard. We wish we’d always followed this advice.
Awakening Magic
The Witches of New Mourne
Book One
Neely Powell
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Findaway Voices
Date of Publication: 2020
ISBN: 978-166-4926707
ASIN: BO8PPTZ2CJ
Number of pages: 332
Word Count: 65,001
Cover Artist: Debbie Taylor
Book Description:
An enchanted town. A vengeful spirit. A powerful coven under siege. For generations the Connelly witches made a great sacrifice to protect their town. In exchange, New Mourne remained a refuge for humans and supernatural beings to live in peace.
Now Brenna Burns, or another chosen female of this generation, is next in line to die—unless Brenna can find a way to end the curse of the malevolent Woman in White. With coven protections breached, Sheriff Jake Tyler joins the battle. The witch and the shapeshifter search for answers to break the curse, becoming closer every day. Passion overrules reluctance as their romance intensifies. But how can love grow when murder and violence threaten their world? The time for sacrifice draws near.
The powers of the Connelly witches may not be enough to defeat the dark magic that holds New Mourne. As the demonic influence drains the small town of its peace, the coven struggles to break its deadly bargain with the Woman in White.
Connelly
land had been stained by death But Brenna was determined to vanquish any trace
of dark magic from this sacred clearing. “You’ll not take this from me.”
She
wanted the Woman in White to appear and answer her. She wanted to challenge the
spirit’s right to inflict misery on her family yet again. The only response was
the sudden, sharp screech of an owl.
Brenna
learned as a child that barn owls didn’t hoot. Their call was shrill, almost a
scream.
“You
feel it, don’t you?” she said to the bird. “This beautiful place is soiled.”
The
owl fell silent as Brenna set up her candles at five points. With a flick of
her wrist they flamed to life. Then she shed her clothes and shoes. Skyclad,
she lifted her hands, palms up, and chanted, “Dirt from the earth, wind through
the trees, water to cleanse, salt to set free. Banish the evil, honor my plea.
As I will, so mote it be.”
She
poured salt and water in a wide circle and repeated the cleansing spell. The
calm and beauty of her family’s land pushed against the darkness. The owl
called out another warning.
Brenna
opened her eyes and locked gazes with a white tiger. Huge. Predatory. Standing
like a statue just beyond her charmed circle. His tongue flicked around his
mouth and displayed gleaming, sharp teeth.
Brenna
expelled a deep breath. “God, shifter, you scared me.”
Haunting Magic
The Witches of New Mourne
Book Two
Neely Powell
Genre: Paranormal romance
Publisher: Findaway Voices
Date of Publication: 2/15/2021
ISBN: 978-166-9617143
Number of pages: 286
Word Count: 55,000
Cover Artist: Debbie Taylor
Book Description:
Fiona Burns, a witch who sees dead people, meets Hollywood producer Bailey Powers, who sees her as the next cable star—and a fake. Even so, she’s tempted by the dynamic producer in more ways than one. But she has a big distraction—a vicious curse on her family coven. The ghosts of New Mourne warn of the return of the Woman in White, a vengeful spirit who claims the life of a Connelly witch from every generation.
During the battle, Fiona unwittingly fuels the demonic forces, and black magic brings death and heartbreak to her family. Initially a skeptic, Bailey is soon caught up in her supernatural battle with forces of evil. He’s also beginning to think Fiona can help him escape his haunting past.
With magic and mayhem at war and survival on the line, the Witches of New Mourne face a new challenge from their ancient foe. They discover that not all dark deeds are borne of the Woman but a demon who is bent on gaining the Woman’s powers for his own. Will another generation fall? Or does the curse end here?
Overgrown
weeds covered the back of the cemetery. In the deepening gloom, Fiona stumbled
over a stump. The baby’s screams filled her head. She had to help this child.
The
grave markers in the back of the cemetery were the oldest ones. Some of them
were so weathered it was impossible to read the names and dates on them.
When
they reached the back corner, Fiona knelt. All she could hear was the baby’s
cry. She dug through the weeds and scruff in front of her, ignoring the sting
of thorns on her hands.
Bailey
dug with her, and soon she touched the cool stone of a broken grave marker.
“Baby
MacCuindliss” was carved in uneven letters deep in the stone.
“This
is the Woman in White’s baby.” Fiona traced the name on the marker with tender
fingers. “Please don’t cry,” she whispered. “I’ll try to find your mother, I
promise.”
The
baby’s cry faded to a whimper. The mist blew away, leaving Fiona and Bailey
under a canopy of threatening clouds.
“MacCuindliss,”
Fiona breathed. “The Woman’s name.”
Lightning
streaked over the mountains, and the ominous stink of sulfur infused the air.
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, werewolves, witches, ghosts, fae and all things supernatural. Their first novel was TRUE NATURE from The Wild Rose Press, followed by AWAKENING MAGIC, HAUNTING MAGIC, and HEALING MAGIC.
Their rules for maintaining a partnership are simple: be honest, be kind, and bring Diet Coke and chocolate.
nice interview
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