Can you tell readers a little bit about yourself and what
inspired to write in this particular genre?
Neely Powell is the pseudonym for
co-writers Leigh Neely and Jan Hamilton Powell. Long-time friends, they’re the
authors of “The Witches of New Mourne” a paranormal series about a family
coven, a centuries’ old curse and an enchanted town.
AWAKENING MAGIC is available from The
Wild Rose Press, and now HAUNTING MAGIC continues the story.
Their first paranormal novel, TRUE
NATURE, is also available from The Wild Rose Press.
Writing as Celeste Hamilton, Jan
published 24 bestselling romance novels for Silhouette and Avon Books. Her day
job is in corporate communications in Tennessee. Leigh has a long resume as an
editor and freelance writer, and is managing editor of a regional magazine
group in Florida.
Both of us love reading about the
paranormal and have had a couple of experiences. We tried writing together
years ago, but nothing clicked until we launched into the paranormal. It just
works for us.
What inspired you to write this book?
We
started with a small town filled with secrets and lies and a coven of witches
sworn to protect it but cursed by a vengeful spirit. When we started filling in
the background, we discovered the magical Mourne mountains in Ireland. We knew
our witches originated there, and so the story grew.
Please tell us about your latest release.
HAUNTING
MAGIC continues the story started in AWAKENING MAGIC. The Connelly family coven
is cursed by the mysterious Woman in White, a malevolent being who has taken a
young witch from every generation for hundreds of years. In return, the magical
town of New Mourne, Georgia, is allowed to continue as a haven for supernaturals.
The witches who are now the likely sacrifices have sworn to break the curse.
Fiona is their youngest. In addition to her magical abilities, she sees dead
people and hosts a popular ghosthunting webcast. It’s spotted by a reality show
producer, Bailey Powers, who is skeptical of all mediums. He was burned by a
few fakes during a painful period in his past. But he falls for Fiona and has
to accept what he never believed could be true – magic does exist. Soon he’s
caught up in her family’s supernatural battle with forces of evil. He must
stand by her side when she faces death. Will this generation fall to the Woman
in White? Or does the curse end here?
Do you have a special formula for creating characters'
names? Do you try to match a name with a certain meaning to attributes of the
character or do you search for names popular in certain time periods or
regions?
We
try to match them with attributes of the character. Fiona, the heroine of
HAUNTING MAGIC, means white and fair. Fiona is a both a witch and a medium, a
good girl who has spent most of her life trying to make everyone else happy.
Was one of your characters more challenging to write than
another?
Bailey
Powers, the hero of HAUNTING MAGIC, was difficult. He’s human, a skeptic when
it comes to the paranormal. He’s also carrying a lot of baggage. He doesn’t
know what to make of our magical town, our coven or the various other creatures
he meets. His not having magical abilities forced us to work harder to find
what made him special to Fiona.
Is there a character that you enjoyed writing more than any
of the others?
Willow,
the leader of the fae, has so many facets to her personality. She’s sometimes a
gracious old Southern woman. At other times, she bares her sharp, pointy teeth
and scares the holy you-know-what out of people. And then she’s a beautiful,
ageless faerie queen. She is so much fun to write.
Do you have a formula for developing characters? Like do you
create a character sketch or list of attributes before you start writing or do
you just let the character develop as you write?
We
always start with a character sketch, but sometimes characters take you in a different
direction. We’re not afraid to follow them. Bailey changed a lot from our
initial concept.
What is your favorite scene from the book? Could you share a
little bit of it, without spoilers of course?
This scene follows the mysterious death of a herd of cattle
on a dairy farm. The dead cows are lying in a field when a flock of birds fall
out of the sky, forcing our characters to take shelter and watch the bloody
feast.
“What in the hell kind
of birds are those?” Bailey asked.
“Vultures,” Fiona murmured.
“But I’ve never seen them act this way.”
Ryan stepped to her
side. “Not long ago a flock picked a woman’s body clean in less than an hour.
They’re attracted by the freshly dead cattle.”
“This isn’t normal,” one
of the other neighbors said. “I’ve lived here my whole life and never saw so
many vultures at once.”
“It’s like Thanksgiving at my Nana’s house,”
Ryan said. “They eat a while, and then they fight a while.” He lifted his
camera and headed back to the door. “I have to record this.”
Despite cries of
warning, Bailey and Fiona went out onto the back porch behind Ryan. The three
of them stopped short of stepping into the yard.
Near the closest dead cow, just beyond the
open gate, black birds sat in a tight circle with their wings hunched against their
bodies as they tore into the fresh meat. A couple of birds broke away, tussled,
and then returned to the meal. The scene repeated across the field.
After nearly thirty minutes, all the
vultures rose as if ordered by a commander. They climbed to the sky and flew
away.
Did you find anything really interesting while researching
this or another book?
There
was a second Ice Age in Ireland that devastated the country long before the
potato famine. We used this as the reason why our coven of witches emigrated
from Ireland to America.
Can you tell readers a little bit about the world building
in the book/series? How does this world differ from our normal world?
One
thing we love is creating the abnormal to function in the normal world. In New
Mourne, Georgia, humans live in harmony with shifters, witches, weres, fae,
trolls and Druids – to name just a few. We’ve created a diverse cast of
characters, including a Southern Baptist
minister and a doctor who is the grandson of a shaman. But to be honest, we’re not
sure this is any different than the real world of secrets and lies. Real
monsters live in plain sight most of the time.
With the book being part of a series, are there any
character or story arcs, that readers jumping in somewhere other than the first
book, need to be aware of? Can these books be read as stand alones?
There’s
definitely a story arc involving the curse on the coven, but we’ve taken care
to explain the details so that someone could read each book and follow the
story. What we hope, of course, is that no one can read just one book.
Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? How do you deal with
it?
Powell
– all the time
Neely
– not often. Somehow, I find a way to keep Powell going. She suffers a lot.
When did you consider yourself a writer?
Both
of us started writing stories in grammar school. It’s what we’ve always been.
What are your guilty pleasures in life?
Chocolate,
Diet Coke. Chocolate.
Other than writing, what are some of your interests, hobbies
or passions in life?
Powell
– college football (Tennessee Volunteers).
Neely
– my grandchildren.
What was the last amazing book you read?
Neely
– The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater
Powell
– Silence Fallen by Patricia Briggs
Where is your favorite place to read? Do you have a cozy
corner or special reading spot?
No,
both of us read anywhere we can.
What can readers expect next from you?
Big
things, we hope. We’re finishing the third book of this series and thinking
about the fourth. It will feature a dragon.
Would you like to leave readers with a little teaser or
excerpt from the book?
Overgrown weeds covered the back of
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.
Haunting Magic
The Witches of New Mourne
Book 2
Neely Powell
Genre: dark paranormal/suspense
Date of Publication: 10/27/17
ISBN: 978-1-5092-1669-7 Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-5092-1670-3 Digital
ASIN: B075M1FVHJ
Number of pages: 296
Word Count: 70,045
Cover Artist: Debbie Taylor
Magic and mayhem bring a witch and a Hollywood producer together…will an ancient curse tear them apart?
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?
Haunting
Magic Excerpt:
Overgrown weeds
covered the back of 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.
About the Author:
Neely Powell is the pseudonym for co-writers Leigh Neely and Jan Hamilton Powell. Long-time friends, they’re the authors of “The Witches of New Mourne” a paranormal series about a family coven, a centuries’ old curse and an enchanted town.
AWAKENING MAGIC is available from The Wild Rose Press, and now HAUNTING MAGIC continues the story.
Their first paranormal novel, TRUE NATURE, is also available from The Wild Rose Press.
Writing as Celeste Hamilton, Jan published 24 bestselling romance novels for Silhouette and Avon Books. Her day job is in corporate communications in Tennessee. Leigh has a long resume as an editor and freelance writer, and is managing editor of a regional magazine group in Florida.
Website: www.neelypowellauthor.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/NeelyPowellAuthor
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/leigh2132
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