I’m excited to be here on the Tule blog today to tell you about Highland Dark Magic, book two in my Witch and Demon Hunter series. For those who don’t know me, I’m Leigh Ann Edwards. I write fantasy romance series often with historical elements and sometimes time travel. I’m thrilled to be working on my fifth series with Tule Publishing and grateful to be part of the wonderful Tule family. 

Living in Alberta, Canada, I’m so glad spring has finally arrived. Our dogs are happy that we can be outside more now that most of our snow has melted. Do I dare say that? I might jinx it and wake up to a blanket of white snow. I can’t believe it’s nearly the end of April. Time goes by incredibly fast and the older I become the faster that seems to happen. 

My paternal grandmother, Mary Edwards, who was sixty when I was born, was one of the kindest people I’ve ever known. She was a lovely, gentle soul. When I was about ten I must have been complaining about how slow time went by and Grandma firmly (for her) warned me not to wish time away. Back then it felt like time crawled especially when I was looking forward to something special like Christmas, my birthday, summer holidays, or even returning to school in the fall.  

Grandma Edwards was also a much-loved teacher and she patiently explained that when a person grows older time goes by faster. She said one day, inevitably I would want it to slow down. Of course, I couldn’t understand that then. Not when it took forrrreverrr anxiously awaiting something I wanted. But even things I disliked–– like math class–– just dragged! I remember looking at the clock and thinking it really must have stopped. 

I’m now only a few years younger than Grandma would have been then and I’ve come to realize there was a wealth of wisdom in her cautionary words. I’ve definitely reached the age where I’d like time to slow down. 

I also recall our grade nine English/Language Arts teacher insisting we listen over and over to a song that reflected the same concept Grandma tried to teach me––that the passage of time is perceived differently as we age. He was evidently trying to enlighten a classroom of mostly bored, uninterested teenagers about how quickly life goes by. That song obviously made an impression because I still remember it word for word. Or maybe it’s because we listened to it a hundred times! There are a couple of especially profound lines about being held on the carousel of time, and how it won’t be long till you’ll want to drag your feet to slow it down. I’m hoping I won’t be risking any royalty issues since I’ve changed the words a little. 

I promise there’s a point to me discussing time. Like all the books in this series, time travel plays an important part in Highland Dark Magic. Can you imagine going back in time and meeting your parents or grandparents as children or teenagers when you’re their age? Or stranger still–– when you’re older than them? That happens in this book. 

I’m having so much fun writing this series and creating the story arcs for my main characters, Fiona–– a witch, and Lorcan –– a half-demon and their constantly-evolving relationship after they were forced to become work partners in book one, Dark Irish Demon. I enjoy their banter and their powerful attraction even though their personalities are remarkably different. 

As operatives for LAMB, a paranormal agency, they locate and assess magical beings. Most missions include time travel. They’re able to journey to any decade or century but can go back just a few moments as well. Talk about déjà vu!

In Highland Dark Magic, there are compelling and emotional storylines, mysteries, plot twists, interesting secondary characters, and an extremely unlikeable antagonist. 

Through unexpected circumstances, Fiona and Lorcan meet Arianna and Darius Wyndham, a couple from my Witches of Time series. They’re also Fiona’s maternal grandparents. Fiona is in her early fifties while Darius and Arianna are much younger. As newlyweds, their daughter, Fiona’s mother, hasn’t even been born yet. Combining characters from different centuries makes for some amusing scenes. 

I feel fortunate to have done some hands on research for this story. I’ve been to Scotland twice. It’s a beautiful, scenic country; the landscape reminds me of Canada. I enjoyed talking to the friendly, patriotic people with their diverse Scottish accents. I’ve always been a history buff and holidays never seem long enough with so many historic places to see. 

I loved the capital city of Edinburgh. The medieval architecture is very unique. Their Christmas market was fantastic and their warm mulled wine was so tasty. Edinburgh Castle is home to the Stone of Destiny and the Scottish Crown Jewels. Unfortunately, we’d walked so much on our holiday that by the time we went to the iconic castle, I had several blisters and didn’t enjoy the tour as much as I might have. I was mostly looking for a place to sit down. Good shoes are a must especially when walking on cobblestone streets. 

I loved touring the stunning Highlands and seeing Loch Ness, even though I didn’t spot Nessie. Stirling Castle and the Wallace Monument were really interesting. As was Culloden Battlefield but it was also soberingly eerie. Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series has increased Scottish tourism exponentially. Her books are available at the Culloden Battlefield Visitor Centre and other tourist sites. 

Highland romance novels are always very popular. Tule’s own, Gerri Russell has some great stories set in historical Highland Scotland. If you haven’t read her books, I’d highly recommend checking them out.

Several significant scenes in this book take place in Scotland. I wouldn’t consider Highland Dark Magic to be a Scottish romance, per se but there’s certainly a lot of sexual tension. I’d describe the story as a thrilling paranormal adventure. There are highlander ghosts, mythical creatures, actual historical figures, accusations of witchcraft, imprisonment, an unusual method of escape, a dark magical spell, and some nearly heart-stopping moments when it seems this time our characters are well and truly doomed.  

I had my own personal romantic Scottish experience when I married my husband, Mark, who’s originally from England, in Gretna Green Scotland. Our wedding took place on a brilliant sunny afternoon in June 2013. We were told we were very lucky for it tends to rain a lot. It rained that evening and we were assured that was a good sign. 

We rented a grand horse-drawn carriage. The horse’s name was Roger yet I can’t recall the name of the driver. (What can I say? I’m an animal lover.) We had an intimate ceremony––just Mark and me, the magistrate, a harpist, a piper, the photographer, and Mark’s father and step-mum there as witnesses. 

Our wedding was held in a beautiful, old, brick building, once a church, now exclusively used for the many weddings held there daily. It was richly decorated with candle sconces and several bouquets of flowers. The harpist played a Celtic love-song as I walked down the aisle and the Scottish piper in full dress, piped us out afterward. It was truly like a wedding from a romance novel. 

Gretna Green is located just over the Scottish/English border. Steeped in history, it’s known as the elopement capital of Europe. Unlike most countries where those wanting to be wed are required to be eighteen or have their parents’ permission to be married, in Scotland you still only have to be sixteen. There are no strict regulations about being there for a required amount of time previous to the wedding either––which was the case in Ireland and England. 

In past centuries, with so many couples running off to Scotland to be married, at one time any Scottish person could legally marry them. Because he could almost always be found in his shop, often a blacksmith performed the weddings. Marriage ceremonies still take place in one blacksmith shop in Gretna Green and the name Anvil Hall–– our venue–– is a throw-back to the important role blacksmiths played in weddings. 

There was even a massive anvil used during our ceremony. The female magistrate,  smashed the hammer on the anvil to declare us wed. Our wrists were also tied together like the old custom of handfasting. Including those historical traditions on our special day meant so much. After returning to Canada we held a celebratory dinner with family and friends. Our wedding cake was decorated with a Scottish thistle, the floral emblem of Scotland. We still have the cake topper.

When I started this post I wasn’t sure I’d find enough to talk about without giving away too much of the story. I should have known better––when I begin writing I get carried away. I’ll be back in June when book three, Dark Knight’s Kiss will be released. Until then have a lovely spring. Remember to take time to enjoy every moment.

Magical wishes,
Leigh Ann 

About the Author.

Leigh Ann Edwards’ fascination with history, romance, magic, fantasy, time-travel and Ireland sparked her interest in creating the Irish Witch Series and her growing collection of published novels. Growing up in a very small Manitoban village on the Canadian prairies left a lot of time to create stories and let her imagination soar.

An author for nearly thirty years, Leigh Ann has almost completed writing her fourth series with Tule Publishing and will soon begin a fifth. Besides writing, Leigh Ann loves spending time with her four grandchildren, reading, traveling, doing intuitive readings and reiki. Leigh Ann and her husband, their two cats, one large dog and their Boston Terrier puppy, live near Edmonton Alberta, Canada.

Hello everyone. For those who don’t know me, I’m Leigh Ann Edwards. Besides being an author, I’m married to a sweet English expat who’s been in Canada for sixteen years. I’m mother to two beautiful daughters, and grandmother of four wonderful grandchildren. I love animals and traveling. I’m a reiki master and also do angel and tarot card readings. We live in a small town northeast of Edmonton Alberta, with our four spoiled pets. 

I’ve written historical fantasy series for Tule since 2016. I’m pleased to be back on the Tule blog today and thrilled to celebrate the release of Fate’s Final Season during Tule’s 10th anniversary month. 

Isn’t this a beautiful cover? I’m really happy with every cover in this series. Christian, at Covers by Christian, is unbelievably talented. Don’t Broccan and Rhianwyn make a great couple?

Fate’s Final Season is the fifth and last book in my Maidens of the Mystical Stones series. ARC reader reviews have been fantastic. I’m grateful to the Tule team, my editors, and loyal readers for all their support.

Every book in a series is important, but since mine aren’t typically stand alone, the first and last in a continuing series are crucial. Book one has to grab and hook the reader. The following installments must hold their interest, but the final book is often the one that stays with readers. Therefore, authors aim to ensure readers are given a satisfactory ending. That said, it’s true you can’t please everyone and to quote a line from this book, “not everybody’s idea of happily ever after is the same.”

I also leave a few little mysteries to allow for a possible spinoff series. I’m delighted that readers have already been asking if there’ll be a sequel series featuring the Welsh Dafyddson brothers and their dragon curse. 

Fate’s Final Season is set in a fictional village near Stonehenge in medieval Wessex before the individual kingdoms formed England. However, the story also takes Rhianwyn, the main heroine, on a dangerous adventure in Wales. 

Although my four heroines, Rhianwyn, Selena, Elspeth, and Lilliana’s story takes place during the medieval era, some issues they encounter and life-lessons learned, are timeless. The healer, harlot, castle servant, and princess, soon discover walking a mile in someone else’s shoes (literally) is more difficult than they could’ve imagined. 

Writing this series was extremely thought-provoking. It touches on the harsh realities women of all stations faced during historical times––having no rights, they’re often the victims of oppression and abuse––sadly with little or no hope for change.

That sounds dark and serious, but along with the heavier storylines, there’s humor, magic, strong heroines, chivalrous swoon-worthy heroes, great secondary characters, enduring friendships, true love, steamy love scenes, knights, dragons and other mythical creatures, beautiful scenery, and several plot twists. Readers have said they laughed out loud and ugly cried. Knowing that our books have evoked emotion in our readers is perhaps the greatest compliment to any author. 

Whether reading or writing, a series ending is always hard for me. Writing the last few chapters, I become quite emotional. True, authors might torture or cause chaos and conflict for their characters (what’s a story without conflict?) But you also become deeply attached to them. They’re your babies, after all. Authors often spend more time with their imagined characters than people in the real world. 

Writing the conclusion of a series of books with the same characters is like having to say goodbye to dear friends knowing it’s unlikely you’ll see them again. (Unless there’s a sequel.) My series also have several characters, therefore ensuring you provide an ending for each of them is somewhat daunting. 

This is maybe a perfect time to discuss my present personal challenges. 

Last time I was on this blog, I’d purchased airline tickets and was looking forward to attending Tule’s July author retreat. Unfortunately, my California trip didn’t happen. Insert heavy sigh! My husband had ongoing back issues. (Carpentry work for 40+ years isn’t kind to a body.) However, when he became ill, I had to cancel my trip. I was naturally worried about him and of course disappointed. But I admit, selfishly, I was also a little upset… thinking why did it have to be now?

I haven’t traveled in over six years. My month long writing holiday in a 200 year old cottage in Ireland in 2020 had been cancelled. (COVID cancelled everyone’s travel plans then.)

With my husband sick, I simply couldn’t leave. Taking care of two active dogs and two cats can seem a lot even when you’re well. Especially our year old Boston Terrier who’s extremely attached to me. When he hides under the trees in our back yard, good luck to anyone but me in getting him out. I think we might need doggy behavioral advice. But I digress…

Initially my husband’s diagnosis was kidney stones which I’d been told are very painful. Although I only witnessed that second hand, renal cholic looks absolutely excruciating. Hubby finally had to have the lithotripsy procedure done––where kidney stones are broken up by ultrasound shock waves so they can be passed through the body. 

Thankfully it worked, but his appetite didn’t return and he continued to feel unwell. His blood tests results are still all over the place––some levels much too high, others low. Doctors suspect something autoimmune as my husband’s been experiencing full body weakness, fatigue, painful muscles and joints. Meds are helping; he’s been able to return to work, but they’re only a temporary fix until the cause can be determined. (No. It wasn’t COVID as many people have suggested.)

We’ve recently had another serious, upsetting health issue come up in our family. Someone very near and dear to me requires complicated surgery. Needless to say, me not being able to travel this summer has been all but forgotten.

Funny how something that seemed so relevant becomes trivial when facing something more alarming. It changes a person’s outlook and makes you extra thankful when you and yours are blessed with good health. 

The theme of remembering to count your blessings occurs throughout the Maidens of the Mystical Stones series. The four female friends fell into the destructive habit of comparing and envying each other which causes heartache for them and our hero, Sir Broccan.

It reminds me of one of my favorite poems, “Desiderata”, by Max Ehrmann. It contains a wealth of wisdom. During the seventies a popular song included the Desiderata poem. I used to have it memorized. If you’re interested, check it out on YouTube. (You Are a Child of the Universe.) I thought about including the link here, but wasn’t sure about copyright infringements. 

This first photo is of a lovely gift my two daughters gave me. We found it in a little tea shop on my fiftieth birthday when my sister surprised me by flying out to see me. The four of us spent the most special day together. The other photo is a wall hanging with the beginning of the Desiderata. My kitty obviously loves it, too. 

This line is relevant to my series but solid advice for everyone: 

If you compare yourself to others you may become vain and bitter, for always there will be greater or lesser persons than yourself. 

Here’s another important passage I try to follow when I have self-doubts or life becomes hard: 

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees or the stars, you have a right to be here… and whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. 

I’m super excited to be writing another five book series for Tule. It’s titled Witch and Demon Hunter. As usual, it’s fantasy/paranormal. However, at my suggestion, it’s a bit of a diversion from my previous works. It’s a mystery, time-travel adventure series where the two main characters (who aren’t romantically involved) investigate magical beings and supernatural occurrences. 

Ever a hopeless romantic, I keep trying to pull romance into their story. Roxanne, my amazing editor, wisely reminds me this isn’t primarily a romance series. 

Those who’ve read my Witches of Time series briefly met Fiona and Lorcan–– the witch and demon hunter. I’m enjoying further developing these two interesting characters and now writing, Book two, Highland Dark Magic. 

Book one, Dark Irish Demon is presently with the copyeditor, and scheduled to release February 29/24. Yep…Leap Year. I’m a huge believer that dates are highly significant. What are the chances? Leap Year does only happen every four years, so how special is that!? 

I look forward to being back in February to talk about Dark Irish Demon and the Witch and Demon Hunter series. Until then have a wonderful autumn, a joyous holiday season, and a happy, healthy beginning to 2024. 

Magical wishes, 

Leigh Ann

About the Author.

Leigh Ann Edwards’ fascination with history, romance, magic, fantasy, time-travel and Ireland sparked her interest in creating the Irish Witch Series and her growing collection of published novels. Growing up in a very small Manitoban village on the Canadian prairies left a lot of time to create stories and let her imagination soar.

An author for nearly thirty years, Leigh Ann has almost completed writing her fourth series with Tule Publishing and will soon begin a fifth. Besides writing, Leigh Ann loves spending time with her four grandchildren, reading, traveling, doing intuitive readings and reiki. Leigh Ann and her husband, their two cats, one large dog and their Boston Terrier puppy, live near Edmonton Alberta, Canada.

I’m thrilled to be back on the Tule blog today to talk a little about, Summer’s Celestial Plea, book four in my Maidens of the Mystical Stones series. I truly love every cover in this series, but this one’s my favorite. The colors are beautiful, the night sky over Stonehenge looks absolutely magical, and the owl is an enchanting part of this story. I’m extremely thankful to Tule for so many things–– including always finding the most talented cover designers. 

I’m often asked what inspires my writing or one particular book or series. Sometimes there’s no clear answer. However, for this series, I can definitely say how the creative idea began. Firstly, when checking into my genealogy a few years ago, I discovered the ancestors in the Edwards branch of my family tree were from a small village not far from Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England. That made my imagination soar. I thought a story could definitely grow from that tiny seed of information. 

In the Maidens series, I created the fictional town of Hengebury and King Thaddeus’s kingdom. There was never a king by that name. However, during medieval times there were several kingdoms throughout what is now the British Isles. 

As with every series I’ve written that’s set in the past, I’ve learned a lot of history through the required research. It was interesting to read about medieval Wessex––prior to the many kingdoms uniting to form England. I learned more about Stonehenge, too. There are several standing stone circles throughout the UK and Ireland, but Stonehenge is undoubtedly the most recognizable. During the medieval period the formation was referred to as the sunstones. 

As far as the concept of the four women switching places–– that came from a few different sources. I really enjoyed the book, The Prince and the Pauper, where two very different boys trade lives. I also liked Freaky Friday, the film where a mother and daughter switch bodies only to discover the other doesn’t have it nearly as easy as they originally believed. 

People often compare themselves to their friends or peers and sometimes envy them. The grass might seem greener, but they don’t always know what’s actually happening in other people’s lives––until they take a turn in those lives. 

In this series, four markedly different young women––a healer (Rhianwyn), a harlot (Selena), a castle servant (Elspeth), and a princess (Lilliana), become unlikely friends. As the years pass they envy each other and dread their own futures–– all wishing they could trade places. While inside the stone circle, a mystical old crone suddenly appears offering them the chance to magically spend a season in each of the four women’s lives. As you might expect there are varied reactions to the unbelievable opportunity. The other three women are willing and eager, while Rhianwyn is more skeptical. 

This far into a continued series it’s difficult to elaborate about the story without creating spoilers. Therefore, I won’t go into too much detail except to say in Summer’s Celestial Plea, the women will experience their third transformation. Although they all thought they knew their friends quite well, they’ve already learned many secrets about each other. They’re beginning to deeply regret entering into the magical pact. 

Broccan, the hero in the story, has become more confused but is determined to discover what might be causing his wife, Rhianwyn, and the other women to behave so uncharacteristically.

This was one of the most interesting but also the most thought-provoking and challenging series for me to write. I needed to make sure readers were clear who each of the women were when they inhabited the other bodies. I relied on body language, sayings, and habits. I had to ensure the women were different enough that they’d be distinguishable. My editors, Roxanne, Helena, and Marlene were amazingly helpful with this and caught more than a few errors.

As with any series where the individual books aren’t stand alone, the story gains momentum with each installment. I’m excited for readers to learn more and I hope they enjoy the plot twists and character arcs. Thus far people are loving the story and reviews have been great. I’ve had several readers reach out to let me know they’re invested in Rhianwyn and Broccan’s heartwarming albeit very complicated love story. 

I haven’t traveled anywhere since before Covid, but this July I’ll be attending the upcoming author retreat celebrating Tule’s 10th anniversary. I can’t wait to meet the Tule team in person, some of the people I’ve been working with for several years. It will be great to get together with other Tule authors, too. 

I’ll also be looking forward to being on this blog again in September for the final installment in the Maidens of the Mystical Stones series, Fate’s Final Season. Until then, magical wishes for a wonderful, safe, happy, and memorable summer.

Leigh Ann Edwards’ fascination with history, romance, magic, fantasy, time-travel and Ireland sparked her interest in creating the Irish Witch Series and her growing collection of published novels. Growing up in a very small Manitoban village on the Canadian prairies left a lot of time to create stories and let her imagination soar.

An author for nearly thirty years, Leigh Ann has almost completed writing her fourth series with Tule Publishing and will soon begin a fifth. Besides writing, Leigh Ann loves spending time with her four grandchildren, reading, traveling, doing intuitive readings and reiki. Leigh Ann and her husband, their two cats, one large dog and their Boston Terrier puppy, live near Edmonton Alberta, Canada.