#AtoZChallenge - Lunar Cycles

There is a very definite werewolf theme developing in my #AtoZChallenge this year. As I have said previously, I never used to be so fascinated with shapeshifters. I was always a vampire lover. I still am, but now the wolves are stealing my heart… they are so vibrant, so passionate, and so unpredictable. Today I will talk a little about the power of Lunar cycles, and how the pull of the moon has such a hold over my Redcliffe wolves and their behaviour.

Traditional folklore dictates that a werewolf will only transform once a month, when the moon is full. I am still a little hazy about where this fact originated, but I am aware that people have always been fascinated by the moon and her mysterious ways. Before we developed the ability to study planets and stars, and properly explore our universe, people could only believe what they saw from the ground. They were aware of this huge, light-giving orb that showed in the night sky, and that seemed to ebb and flow on a constant cycle of death and rebirth. Many were aware of the feelings that came when they watched the moon, and how certain things seemed to occur naturally during the phases of full, dark, waxing and waning moon. It was all connected, although nobody could explain why and how.

My Redcliffe werewolves are not all controlled by the power of the moon. They are affected by it, however. The younger, weaker wolves will only transform once a month, when the moon is full. The older, stronger wolves, including alpha Danny Mason and his lieutenant Simon Bunce, are able to transform at will, although the process leaves them exhausted afterwards. Think about it: you are forcing you human body to change shape and form completely, and that can only be done with the use of magic. At other times of the month, the werewolves will exhibit different behaviour. They are more lethargic, and more human, when the moon is dark, or in the New Moon phase. Their strength and power grows with the moon, and on the nights surrounding the Full Moon, the Redcliffe wolves will be out hunting in the forest, embracing their animal instincts, and celebrating their true nature. How does the moon affect this? We will never know.

If you are interested in seeing other participants for the #AtoZChallenge, check them out on the official website. We have everything from book stuff, to cooking, to photography, to travel, and a whole lot more. Happy April!

*Werewolf and Moon image found on Pinterest

#AtoZChallenge - Kimberley

We are less than two weeks into the #AtoZChallenge and I am getting creative with my paranormal Redcliffe theme. Today I will continue from the previous post, The Wrath of a Jealous Werewolf. Today I will talk about Kimberley.

Kimberley is the antagonist in my latest Redcliffe novel, Eye of the Tiger. Every writer knows that a good story must have ’good guys’ and ’bad guys’ who battle their way through the plot, culminating in a fight to the death where the good guy wins. Well, in my fourth Redcliffe novel, I am applying this simple formula. My characters are not so clean cut, however. I do not have good guys and bad guys. My good guys can be very bad. And vice versa.

Which leads me to Kimberley. She is a werewolf. She is a jealous werewolf, who wants to be alpha female to Danny Mason, and to rule the Redcliffe wolf pack as their queen. Kimberley is conceited, proud, brave, and she has declared Jessica Stone her enemy.  This escalates some very brutal fighting between werewolves. But, Kimberley is not all bad. She is a doctor in her human capacity. She works at the local hospital, treating patients very efficiently and thoroughly. She is respected and revered in her profession. Ah, now there is the conundrum. How can she be a bad guy? It is all a question of perception…

If you are interested in seeing other participants for the #AtoZChallenge, check them out on the official website. We have everything from book stuff, to cooking, to photography, to travel, and a whole lot more. Happy April!

*Fire and Ice wolves image found on Pinterest

#AtoZChallenge - The Wrath of a Jealous Werewolf

It might seem an odd choice for me to use the word Jealous for today’s #AtoZChallenge blog post. After all, jealousy is not a paranormal subject. It is, however, a very powerful, and often very destructive, emotion. It is even more dangerous when experienced by a supernatural creature, such as a vampire or a werewolf.

The Redcliffe werewolves are proud, powerful, and dangerous. The alpha wolves are the most volatile, which is how they came to be leaders of the pack. I am talking about the alpha wolf, Danny Mason, and his lieutenants, Simon Bunce and Sally Frost. Danny demonstrates the extent of his jealous power when he turns it on Jessica and Jack. The brothers descend into a vicious fight, and it is left to Jessica and her animal familiar to break it up. This is only one of many fights that occur, and not just between vampires and werewolves.

 The wrath of a jealous werewolf becomes most apparent as we progress through Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel) and into my current work in progress, Eye of the Tiger (A Redcliffe Novel). It turns out that the female of the species really is the deadliest. Jessica becomes further involved with Danny and his wolf pack, to the detriment of his subordinates. They do not welcome a witch among them. They believe that she is dangerous, unpredictable, and that she is leading their alpha astray with her magical wiles. Among the meek wolves, there emerge one or two that are prepared to fight for power. One is a female who fancies herself as the alpha’s mate, a position that has so far remained unfilled. And she is a force to be reckoned with…

 If you are interested in seeing other participants for the #AtoZChallenge, check them out on the official website. We have everything from book stuff, to cooking, to photography, to travel, and a whole lot more. Happy April! 

*Wolves image found on Pinterest

#AtoZChallenge - Use Your Imagination

One of the big lessons I learned when I embarked on my spiritual journey many years ago, was that to access the paranormal, or supernatural world, you must be able to use your Imagination. When I was a child I was always told by adults that I had a very vivid imagination. I saw lots of things that maybe other people did not see, but to me it was normal. As I grew older I tried to ignore my imagination, believing it to be childish and wrong. But then, when I seriously started practising in the spiritual world, I realised just how important my imagination was, and is, as a tool for divination and understanding.

This is a lesson that Jessica Stone must accept if she is to learn how to be an effective witch. Her magical power and strength has burst forth in a chaotic stormcloud of energy. She is confused, angry and irritable, because she does not know what to do with all of these intense feelings and emotions. It takes a while for her to accept her new position in the world, although she has to make some snap decisions in the face of scheming vampires and warring werewolves. She is unfortunate enough to be caught in a powerful love triangle, but the love is perhaps better explained as lust. All of this adds to the magic and confusion, and Jessica must learn to work with it, or the whole thing will consume her and leave her broken.

Jessica learns that she must allow her imagination to be free if she is to explore the full potential of her witchcraft. This is explained to her by her witch mentor, Crystal, who supervises some meditation sessions in which Jessica can access the world in which her animal familiar resides. Suri, the snow tiger, is an ethereal creature, and she is trapped within a magical world accessed only by Jessica. Using her imagination, Jessica can meditate on the world that she sees in her mind, and she can speak freely with Suri, to learn more about her power animal and how they can work together to manage the vampires and werewolves.

If you are interested in seeing other participants for the #AtoZChallenge, check them out on the official website. We have everything from book stuff, to cooking, to photography, to travel, and a whole lot more. Happy April! 

*Imagination image found on Pinterest

#AtoZChallenge - Hidden Worlds

To study the paranormal is to reveal the secrets, delights and enchantment of Hidden worlds. I am more interested in the supernatural world, that of witches, vampires and shape shifters, but I did have a fleeting interest in aliens and anomalies during the X-Files years when I was a teenager.  Hidden worlds are fascinating to me, because they conceal our deepest fears, our most dangerous fantasies, and the magic and mystery that would once have been commonplace here on Earth.

The hidden world within Redcliffe town on the south coast of Cornwall is full of adventure and danger, especially to Jessica Stone. There are two very powerful, and very proud, vampires living in the town. Both have spent time living away from Redcliffe, which perhaps explains why Jessica did not meet them when she first moved from Manchester in the north of England. And then we have the hidden world of the Redcliffe werewolf pack. The wolves’ lair is concealed beneath The Ship Inn, a public house that was reputedly a smugglers’ haunt back in the olden days.

Photo Credit Pinterest

The lair of the Redcliffe wolf pack is hidden inside a series of caves and caverns that are carved into the cliffs of Redcliffe Bay. Above these caves, you must walk up a steep incline to access Redcliffe Forest, a vast expanse of plant life and close-knit trees that are home to myriad animals, birds and insects. These animals provide fodder for the werewolf pack when they go out to hunt at night. The forest is dense enough to hide supernatural creatures from human eyes.  All this and more are hidden within our human world, just waiting to be discovered.

 If you are interested in seeing other participants for the #AtoZChallenge, check them out on the official website. We have everything from book stuff, to cooking, to photography, to travel, and a whole lot more. Happy April! 

Did you enjoy this article? Join my tribe today, and I will send you a fabulous FREE book to get you started… (be warned, my vampires do not sparkle, and my wolves will bite!) 

#AtoZChallenge - Do You Believe in Ghosts?

Well, do you? I most certainly do believe in Ghosts, and I have seen them on many occasions, both at home and on holiday. I was also a ghost hunter a few years’ ago, a hobby that I hope to resume when my children are older. I love the thrill of sitting in a dark, dusty room in an old, abandoned manor house or business premises, asking for Spirit to show themselves, and then the exhilaration when we get a response… But enough about me. Where do ghosts fit into the Redcliffe novels? I will tell you.

Right at the very beginning of Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel), our protagonist, Jessica Stone, is experiencing very strange dreams that have a feeling of being premonitions. As she meets Detective Jack Mason and begins a very passionate, and dangerous, love affair, her life spirals into chaos as the world unravels around her. Part of this includes the emergence of her mother, who died in a car accident when Jessica was five years old. Her mother first visits Jessica in her dreams, and then gathers her strength and shows herself as a ghost.

Photo Credit Flickr

Now, Jessica did not believe in ghosts before all of this happened. She was always a fairly practical woman, living in the real world. Of course, the ‘real world’ is never quite what we think. It differs for everyone depending on their life experiences and situations. Jessica’s mother was a witch, and she would have raised her daughter in the Craft if she had lived. She finds a way to communicate when Jessica’s natural magical ability is roused by her connection to the vampire and werewolf. Lillian tries to help her daughter during their brief conversations, but the ghost is weak and often fades out halfway through. Perhaps she will grow stronger as Jessica becomes more comfortable in her new life. Time will tell.

 If you are interested in seeing other participants for the #AtoZChallenge, check them out on the official website. We have everything from book stuff, to cooking, to photography, to travel, and a whole lot more. Happy April! 

Did you enjoy this article? Join my tribe today, and I will send you a fabulous FREE book to get you started… (be warned, my vampires do not sparkle, and my wolves will bite!) 

#AtoZChallenge - Every Witch has a Familiar

As we progress through the Redcliffe novels and learn about Jessica Stone’s hidden heritage as a witch, we begin to learn more about her new position in the world, and what it means as she fights to maintain a relationship with her vampire lover. It is a very passionate embrace with Jack one night that brings forward Jessica’s animal Familiar, Suri, an ancient and magical snow tiger.

Traditionally, animal familiars are believed to be in the spirit of the domestic black cat, but I believe this may be a very old literary invention, although I cannot be sure. Anyway, I had always believed that a witch’s familiar was a physical, living animal. I now know that is far from the truth. A familiar can also be a spirit animal, a ghost-like creature that is intelligent and powerful, and that lives in an ethereal other world accessed directly by the witch. Perhaps they take the physical form of their animal kin on occasion, and perhaps this will happen with Suri at some point, but I am still getting to know Jessica’s animal familiar, and she is an unpredictable and proud creature.

 Jessica finds it hard to believe that a being as powerful as Suri could have remained hidden and undiscovered for nearly thirty years, but perhaps she will find the answers as we continue reading about her adventures. Certainly, book 4 in the series, my current work in progress, Eye of the Tiger (A Redcliffe Novel), is all about the snow tiger and her power games with Jessica’s boyfriend and his brother. Suri is excited to be free after such a long imprisonment. She is full of energy, and she wants to cause mischief in the Redcliffe wolf pack.

 If you are interested in seeing other participants for the #AtoZChallenge, check them out on the official website. We have everything from book stuff, to cooking, to photography, to travel, and a whole lot more. Happy April! 

*Witch and her familiar image found on Pinterest