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elemental witch. She dreams of opening a gallery in her small town of Arbor,
but Eva’s embrace of her own power and sexuality offends the pious
sensibilities of the devout Arbor citizenry.
Most Moral” sets out on a witch hunt to ruin her and drive her out of town.
They attack her in the pews, in the press, and in person. But instead of
weakening her, the relentless barrage fuels the fire within her.
Eva, so is her desire. While her neighbors plot against her, Eva falls in
love—first with the mesmerizing heir of the Morgan Manor estate, and later with
a beautiful Wiccan. Eva relies on both of them, along with a cast of magical
cohorts, to help her combat the witch hunt. But when magical retribution goes
too far, Arbor’s salvation rests in the hands of a witch.
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before man documented such things. A spark of magic is present in every wish,
at every birth and deathbed. It manifests itself in first kisses and first
loves. It animates and inspires us. It abounds in the change of seasons, in the
most remote forests and congested steel cities. Magic dwells within the rock of
the mountains, and inhabits the waters of every stream and river and ocean. It
exists both in the wondrous and mundane of every day. It is neither good nor
evil. Magic bears no moral compass. The intention of the practitioner who
wields it determines its use, for good or ill. And no one can escape magic’s
most essential rule: what one projects into the universe will return threefold.
none, do what ye will.”
“Harm none, but take no shit.”
and I learned my lessons the hard way.
to keep from fidgeting and sighed at the twinge of pain where my nails left
half-moon imprints in my palms.
Sabbath?” I asked, maintaining eye contact with the crotchety loan officer
across the desk.
she the inclination, and I could tell she reveled in this power over me. My
emerald stare seemed to unnerve her for a slim second, but she set her spine
rigid. Her suspicious gaze rolled over me, and she twisted her wrinkled lips
into a scowl.
inevitable, Ms. Clarion. I’ll be brief. You know as well as I that this little
scheme will never get off the ground. Arbor is a quiet, wholesome community,
not well suited for your kind of… business venture.” She scrunched up her nose
as if the notion itself smelled foul. “However, I am nothing if not
by-the-book. I reviewed your application, and after considering every factor, I
must decline your request. Your excessive student loans, exorbitant
debt-to-income ratio, and lack-luster credit history disqualify you for a
mortgage loan.”
isn’t happening. This can’t be happening. Panic spiked my veins, and sweat
beaded along my forehead.
“Woefully inadequate.”
shooting to my feet.
nothing I can do for you.” But she wasn’t sorry. Her smug expression made that
clear. She enjoyed withholding the means of my success.
decision shouldn’t have shocked me, but it did, and it hurt. “So, that’s it?”
anyone from Arbor would allow someone like me so public a platform. I might
sully the well-crafted image of the town they so carefully portray to the
world.
dreamed of owning a place to sell my artwork and designs, somewhere to perform.
It would be a gathering spot for the creative, the different, the weird. I’d
been saving for years.
dreams in a single five-minute meeting? No fucking way. I’ll figure something
out.
as I emerged from the Arbor Savings & Loan. Squinting, I sat on the bank’s
steps to fish my sunglasses out of my bag. Once my vision adjusted, I took in
the view along Parson Street, downtown Arbor’s main drag. It bustled with a
Sunday afternoon’s lazy vigor. The Rockwellian cafés and shops teemed with the
post–church-service crowd. Clusters of believers mingled and gossiped and
bragged, decked out in their finest prim and proper attire. Arrogance and
privilege marked their manners. Without a droplet of sweat on a single brow,
the parishioners seemed somehow immune to the sun’s crushing heat. The air hung
stagnant and oppressive in the conservative hamlet, nestled as it was into the
base of Gothics Peak.
high above. I looked into the crystalline summer sky at a red-tailed hawk
swooping in circles, his wings spread wide. I’d know that bird anywhere. Rocky
had been my faithful familiar for almost nine years, since I’d entered high
school. Besides his no-nonsense sagacity, Rocky granted me the ability to
fly—when he was in close enough proximity for me to feed off his magic. He was
the second familiar with whom I’d been blessed. Shasta came to me when I was
eight, right after my mother died. Shasta never ventured into town, though. An
abnormally large black bear walking amongst the masses wouldn’t go over well.
judge.” Rocky’s sharp, stately voice echoed within my mind.
same fashion.
never had any intention of aiding you, and you know it. I’ll never understand
why you bother with the fools in this town. Your talents would shine down in
the city. That’s where you need to be.”
goddess-mother. Big difference.”
just want to get home and forget this entire morning.”
plan on riding the wind with me, you face a delay.”
dose of aggravation, thank you very much. I’m done.”
who’s planted in your path?”
and where I’d parked my truck, was a gaggle I referred to as Arbor’s Most
Moral. Mayor Doreen Crandall sat at a bistro table outside of Ebenezer’s Café.
Beside her lounged Reverend Cudlow—pastor of the First Ecclesiastical Church of
Arbor, the town’s only house of worship—and his haughty wife Gladys.
dawdle. Shasta’s got her fur in a bunch.”
the wind and headed back to our cottage.
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Meet the Author
I’ve always been a lover of words – reading them, writing them, singing them. And I’m known as a talker – especially about politics, usually at an abnormally loud volume. I was the kid who always got into trouble for staying up too late to read, and that habit has followed me into adulthood. Edgar Allen Poe, Anne Rice, J.K. Rowling, and Jane Austen are my greatest literary influences. Family is important to me, and I cherish the large Italian Catholic family that raised me. I’ve been married over 18 years. I’m a momma of two incredible boys. I have a small home in New Jersey, and enjoy listening to my husband’s music, camping, kayaking, and getting lost in the woods. I’m a coffee and wine drinker, and I believe chocolate can cure most ills.
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Lesfic and Lipstick 