Magic in Paranormal
Fiction
By Jacqueline Paige
Fiction stories with magic aren’t new, especially in the past few years
with wizards everywhere. When I decided to write a fiction series with magic in
it I didn’t want to do the typical good magic vs. bad magic nor did I want to
do wizards with their wands and staffs, instead I took the idea of
non-fictional beliefs and practices and weaved them into a paranormal fiction
story.
The magic my characters use come spiritual beliefs, the earth and
elements, crystals, herbs and in some cases ancestors that are able to lend a
little something extra from the afterlife.
Here are a few examples of what my characters can do:
An Excerpt from Book I in the
Magic Seasons – From Beltane Magic:
The eight stood
in a circle around the small fire pit. Outside the shelter, the rain poured so
hard it was like a steady, deafening sound. Cora stepped closer to the fire and
stared into it. She glanced up and nodded to Leena. Taking Dade’s hand, she
whispered, “Let’s hope some ancestors are available tonight.”
Dade lifted her hand and kissed it before
he let go. “I’ll make sure they are.” He picked up the shaker sitting in front
of him and gently began to shake it from side to side. His lips moved in a
silent chant, and he closed his eyes.
Owen watched as Leena and Steven both
turned their backs to the circle and faced the pouring rain. Raising their
hands, they lowered their heads in concentration. If he hadn’t seen it with his
own eyes, he’d never have believed someone telling him.
As their heads
came up, the wind seemed to continuously circle the shelter and block out the
pouring rain. He could no longer see or hear the heavy downpour.
Not knowing what
to expect next, he looked back at the others. Chris, Kasey, and Rachel were standing
with their hands clasped and staring into the fire as the flames rose higher.
The flames were almost white now, and he blinked to make sure it wasn’t just
his eyes.
Dade’s motion
with the rattle became faster and louder as he moved to stand beside Cora. Her
head was thrown back and her eyes closed, and she seemed to be shaking with the
rhythm of the rattle. Her eyes flew open, and she stopped shaking to look into
the fire. He could see the sweat beading down her face, and her hands trembled.
The look on her face told him she was afraid, but she said nothing. She reached
empty hands toward the fire, and the flames flew higher. Not knowing what else
to do, Owen went to stand behind her in case he was needed at some point.
She stepped back and cried out in fear. He
caught up her shoulders and held her tight as Dade instructed him to do.
Glancing over her shoulder and into the fire he saw, he wasn’t sure what,
images but they blurred together and he couldn’t understand them.
Cora cried out
again and sagged back against him. He caught her tight against his waist and
held her to his chest. His own chest began to burn. He didn’t know what was
going on, but he felt compelled to stop it. “Stop now!” He said roughly.
They have more magic to use, here is an excerpt from book II – The Solstice Heat
Chris
came out of his library to see the three men sitting in his living room. He paused and looked around. “Did I forget about a meeting?” Where were the women? “Where is everyone else?”
Dade
leaned forward and rested his elbows on his legs. “We were instructed they were coming here
after work and they have been locked in your little magic broom closet for the
last hour.”
Chris
raised his eyebrows. “Doing?”
Owen
lifted his hands. “Won’t say.”
Steven
slumped down, wishing for a nap.
“They’re not too pleased being driven to and from work.”
“I
see.” Chris turned and started down the
hall. “Let’s see what they’re up to.”
The men got up and
followed him.
He tried the
doorknob to find it locked. “Kase, unlock
the door.”
“Soon.”
She called to him through the door.
He
stood there glaring at the door. They’d
locked him out of his own room in his own home!
We’ll see about this. He stepped
back and slapped and invisible command at the door.
Sparks flew off it
and the door remained closed. “What
the…”
Dade
grinned. “Quite the little witch you
have there Larkin.”
Steven
whistled out a breath. “Just how much
trouble can they get into with all your stuff in there?”
Chris
still scowled at the door while he answered.
“A lot!” He tapped the door with
his hand. “Kassandra unlock the
door.”
A gentle breeze
blew over all four of them.
“That
would be a polite no.” Dade said
quietly.
“Like
hell, I’ll be locked out of my own temple room.” Chris hissed. Stepping back he stared at the door, the
handle shook. When he thought it was
going to open it started to pour rain on the four of them. He waved a hand to stop it and looked at the
men beside him. Dade’s long hair was
soaked and the expression on his face was similar to how he himself was feeling
about the whole thing.
“And
that would be a mind your own business.” Owen said sticking his hands in his
pockets.
Chris
looked at Steven. “You have any ideas?”
Steven
shook his head trying to get the water to stop dripping in his face then took a
step away from the door. “Oh no. I’m
plenty happy enough to wait until it opens on it’s own. You might like lighting striking you but I’m
not too open to trying that.”
Chris
shook his head. “Are you all afraid of
them?”
Dade
nodded. “I’ve seen what each one can do
alone – especially your little innocent there my friend; the four of them
together scare the hell out of me.”
Chris
sighed and looked back at the door.
“Kasey?”
“Yes
Christopher?” Her voice came through the
door again.
“You’re
making me angry and I don’t want to do something I’ve promised you I
wouldn’t.”
A wind breeze
ruffled his hair. “I know you won’t
Chris. Now go away I’m trying to
concentrate here.”
His jaw
dropped. Sighing he looked at the
others. “Beer?” They nodded and followed
him down the hallway.
“Seems you’re a bit
afraid of their wrath too councilor.” Dade mumbled behind him.
“Shut up.” Chris growled and walked into the kitchen.
And sometimes they consider magic forces they shouldn’t. This is from
Book III – Harvest Dreams
What could she possibly be doing that held this kind of force? He knew the answer as soon as he finished the
thought; she was making some soul penance in exchange for Ricky’s health. A gust of anguish shoved against him as he
forced his legs to keep going towards the bedroom.
Stopping momentarily to try and
take a deep breath as the air crushed against his lungs and threatened to
overtake him. Nothing was stopping him
from reaching Rachel. Nothing!
He clenched his jaw and raised his hands against the
swirling power. Picturing her inside;
needing him gave him more than enough strength to shove it back from him. A picture on the wall rocked with the force
and crashed to the floor. He stepped
over it and glared at the door that held her from his vision. “Rachel!”
He knew she probably couldn’t hear
him, knew because years before when the emotions of losing patients threatened
to ruin him, he had tried to make a bargain to keep someone from passing. The price was too high in the end and he’d
stopped. Part of him knew she wouldn’t
stop, she would succeed and he couldn’t live with that.
Shoving his power towards the door,
he managed to rock it. He didn’t know if
he had enough strength to get through it.
Fear swamped him and it held him there, unmoving for moments more than
he should have let it. As he raised his
head again and felt a rush of steady power flow over him and without turning
knew that Chris had arrived. Objects
flew past him and the noise of the rushing wind howled around him. Chris was not only here, but he was pissing
off the force that Rachel had brought there.
“You have to do it!”
Over the noise, he was barely able
to hear Chris yelling only a few feet behind him. Steven hesitantly turned his head away from
the door and looked over at Chris kneeling on the floor with his hand held out
towards him. His hair was blowing as he held onto the railing with his other
hand straining to hold his position at the top of the stairs.
“It won’t let me any closer,
Steven! You can get through it.” Each word Chris said sounded as if he were
in pain.
It took a few seconds for him to
understand but he finally realized what Chris was saying. Because it was Rachel doing it, Steven was
somehow protected, but it would eat Chris alive if he pushed any further. He nodded and looked back at the door. A resolve passed over him; he was not giving
up Rachel!
Raising both hands towards the
door, he placed one foot behind to brace himself against the incredible force
the energies had. Clenching his jaw, he
allowed the fear and anger run through him, gathering strength he was going to
need. He felt his own hands shake with
an energy that should have frightened him; ignoring it, he focused on the
doorknob and watched as it began to shake.
Another rush of power hit him as he
felt Chris trying to help him again. The
doorknob snapped and dropped to the floor.
Taking a deep breath he rushed forward and smashed his side against the
door. It opened, pushing against him so
he had to fight to move past it and enter the room. The forces from the spell being cast were
suffocating him; he took shallow breaths trying to find enough oxygen.
Moving from the door, it slammed
shut, sending him flying against the wall.
In the center of the room Rachel knelt, her eyes closed in
concentration, her lips moving in a silent chant. She held her hands over a black dish on the
floor; he paused on her for a few more seconds and then looked at the items in
front of her. He had been right, the
symbols on the floor, the incense, and the other tools lying in there all
pointed towards what he’d feared.
She knelt there, oblivious to the
danger around her as objects in the room swirled around her, closer than he was
comfortable with.
Gasping, he caught his breath once
more and fought to think of a way to break what she had begun. A dark smoke swirled around her and he wasn’t
going to stand there and see if it was getting closer as he suspected it was.
“Rach . . .” A blast of wind hit
him and knocked his breath out of him. Wind.
He straightened slowly and scowled at the dark mist circling the woman
he loved. He was not going to stand
there and watch her bind her life force with something like that for anyone,
himself included. Fighting to move closer he raised both hands away from his
body and focused on the air in the room.
He controlled air and wasn’t going to allow some lurking spirit tell him
otherwise. Sweat soaked his brow as he
stared at the objects moving around the room.
It had slowed, but wasn’t going to stop completely.
“Rachel! This is not the answer!” He shouted over the racket.
I’d love to share more, but it’s more fun to find out yourself.
Step into a world of magic and passions…the Magic Seasons.
Harvest Dreams
Book III in the Magic Seasons series
By Jacqueline Paige
Armed with magic and a plan ...
Buy link: Class Act Books
Jacqueline Paige link
Step into a world of magic and passions....
Take a dash of spice, heat it
Add a flash of magic and watch the sparks fly
Toss in a killer that's targeting women
Add a handful of witches from all paths to stir it all together...
Armed with magic and a plan for the Lammas festival as a group they are determined to stop the killer from harming anyone again.
With a plan of his own, Steven decides to persuade Rachel that they’re meant to be together.
Rachel is a woman that lives carefree with a buoyant recklessness. She loves being a flirt and has spent many years indulging that side of her personality. Her energy draws others; her character is to protect all those that cannot protect themselves. When she’s not riding on life, she is helping children less fortunate then herself.
Steven is man that gives more than his energy usually allows. He is a highly respected pediatrician that always goes that extra step to ensure all in his care are receiving his utmost attention. He often sacrifices sleep to spend time with his friends, and he can’t seem to help affably chasing the skirt of the one woman that breaks his easy going charm and makes him forget he’s supposed to be the jovial.
He hides his strength in body and magic, never letting others know that he is more than the carefree man with everything he needs.
Armed with magic and a plan for the Lammas festival as a group they are determined to stop the killer from harming anyone again. With a plan of his own, Steven decides he’s done waiting for Rachel to see that they’re meant to be together and takes things into his own hands.
2 comments:
Thanks for having me here today!
I just found out the link posted has been changed with the new website my publisher has.
Here's the new one http://www.classactbooks.com/covers.asp?Category=Author&txtSearch=Jacqueline%20Paige
Great excerpts!
I will be checking these out.
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