1. Tell us about your witch and the powers she has. Samantha Hawthorne is an Elemental Witch. In the world of The Eldritch Files (Eldritch meaning odd or spooky), Witches are direct descendants from Gaia, and her daughter Diana. Often witches are called God Mother's Children. Every Witch has some sort of power. The most common abilities are referred to as Dianic Gifts, powers of Telekinesis, Clairvoyance, Telepathy and Psychometry. These Witches are usually relegated to the title of Dianic and act as support. Witches who possess a relationship to an Elemental usually possess a Dianic Gift of some kind. And they're referred to typing per their dominant Elemental. For example, Dharma Parande's Elemental is Water, an Undine, so she'd designated a Water Witch. It is possible for Witches to carry relationship with more than one Elemental, but they are rarer. But the rarest Witch of all is the one who possesses a relationship to all four elements, Earth, Air, Water and Fire. Samantha is one of these rarities. Just as her mother was. The trait is usually inherited. Elemental Witches have power over all of the elements with the help of their Elementals and they appear to their Witch and other Witches as small incarnations of the elements. Water - Undine - Female, Fire - Salamander - male, Earth - Gnome - Female and Air - Sylph - Male. The combination of all four elements makes for the most powerful of witches. 2. Where did you get the inspiration for your character? I love Urban Fantasy books / movies / tv shows about Witches. Stevie Nicks was and is one of my biggest heroes and inspirations when it comes to power and talent and surviving. I also found myself drawn to books with good witches, not these one dimensional Hollywood puppets who’re just there to make the hero / heroine look good. Why can’t Witches be normal people? So when I was given the advice to write down all those things I love to read about (thanks Annie Bellet!) in a book I wrote down everything I ever enjoyed about Witches in fiction and movies and poof! Samantha was born! 3. If you had a magical ability - what would it be and why? Och...geez. That's like opening a bag of candy in front of a sugar junkie and saying pick ONE. Uhm, I'd say I'd have to choose something like teleportation. Not just teleporting me, but other things as well. As for why, I think as my daughter grows up, I worry about her going out on her own. So when she settles into her own life, when ever she calls me and needs me, I could be there with a snap of my fingers. 4. Who is your favorite TV or movie witch? Mmmm, that’s more of a combination from the past and the more near past. Gillian Holroyd from Bell, Book and Candle and Sally Owens from Practical Magic. 5. If you had a familiar what would it be (you can choose any animal) and what would you call him/her? Cat. Pyewacket. Hands down. And if he could turn into a tall, handsome Englishman, all the better! Bio: Born in Pensacola, Florida, Phaedra is the eldest of four children. She began writing in notebooks with her best friend in middle school. After leaving college for a job in the Graphic Arts industry, Phaedra continued her love of writing in her spare time and was lucky enough at a writer's conference to meet Dean Wesley Smith, who later became her writing mentor, along with his wife, the bestselling mystery/fantasy/romance/science fiction writer, Kristine Kathryn Rusch. Phaedra lives in Atlanta, Georgia. When not writing, she and her daughter spend their time playing games, letter-boxing, or watching anime. http://www.phaedraweldon.com/
USA Today bestselling author Mindy Klasky learned to read when her parents shoved a book in her hands and told her she could travel anywhere through stories. As a writer, Mindy has traveled through various genres, including hot contemporary romance. In her spare time, Mindy knits, quilts, and tries to tame her to-be-read shelf. 1. Tell us about your witch and the powers she has. Jane Madison is a librarian who just happens to stumble upon a trove of magic books (and her familiar, who is bound in a statue of a black cat), in the basement of a cottage behind the library where she works. Jane quickly discovers that she can work spells (including a rather, um, unfortunate love spell), focus her powers through crystals and herbs, and read runes. She also discovers that she’s guarded by an astral warder, David Montrose, who greatly complicates her life! Jane’s collection of rare books inspires awe and envy among the traditional witches who live nearby. Therefore, Jane is often forced to defend her magic – and her familiar – from those other women. 2. Where did you get the inspiration for your character? I worked as a librarian for nearly a decade, and there were several times I would have given a year or two of my salary for a magic wand to solve some of the … challenges that arose! (Jane’s life in Washington DC is also based on my student days in that city; she often visits favorite restaurants and tourist destinations of mine.) Of course, my black cat is nowhere near as helpful as Jane’s cat is! 3. If you had a magical ability - what would it be and why? I’d love the ability to stop time. That would give me a chance to do more than twenty-four hours of work (or, more importantly, play!) in a day. It would also let me think things through before I put my foot in my mouth J 4. Who is your favorite TV or movie witch? I’ve always enjoyed the witches in Practical Magic. I love the ways the sisters complement each other, even as they work together to break the curse that has bound them. 5. If you had a familiar what would it be (you can choose any animal) and what would you call him/her? Of course, a black cat is the traditional familiar (and Jane seems quite happy with hers!) It seems to me, though, that a familiar with more dexterity would be truly useful. Therefore, I think I’d have to ask for a monkey familiar. In fact, I write about a capuchin monkey familiar later in the Jane Madison series. His name is Majom – and that’s good enough for me!  Power of 3 Healing Spell
This spells uses the strength of the number 3 to help speed healing of an illness. It's best used when someone is ill, rather than injured. You can use this spell for yourself (if you are well enough to really focus on it) or for someone else. Your spell supplies are:
Light each candle and focus on the person who is sick. Think about them being healthy and free of their symptoms. Picture them strongly in your mind as the candles burn. Repeat the following three times: Magick mend and candle burn, Illness leave and health return Leave the candles to burn for 3 hours, then snuff them out. Your subject should soon start to improve, but you can add some extra power to your spell if you do the entire ritual for 3 nights in a row rather than just once. Source: http://www.free-witchcraft-spells.com/healing-spells.html  A little bit of fun now. What is your witchy name? Feel free to comment below or choose your own.
1. Tell us about your witch and the powers she has. Larrah the Blind is in my story, “Urgent Care,” in the anthology Witches, Stitches, and Bitches. The theme of the call was those three words, and it perfectly suited Larrah. She’s a witch doctor, not a witch-doctor but a witch and a doctor, though without an actual license or any formal training. Her magical areas of specialty are to do with pain, healing, and the body. 2. Where did you get the inspiration for your character? A video game. Larrah’s original incarnation was in the superhero MMORPG City of Villains, in which her class was ‘corruptor,’ with the ability to heal but also cause damage. Through her roleplaying adventures with other characters, she took on such a life of her own that she easily made the transition to fiction. Theo, who appears in my story, was also in the game as the character of another writer friend who let me borrow him. 3. If you had a magical ability - what would it be and why? I’ve always been partial to projecting telepathy and mental illusions. Being able to influence the mind, conjure images, evoke emotions, communicate, and share information. In the absence of magical abilities or psychic powers, well, writing’s about the closest I can get, so, I make do with that. 4. Who is your favorite TV or movie witch? If evil faeries count, then, I’ve got to go with Disney’s Maleficent, the original and one-true, the animated one. When I was a kid, all my friends wanted to be princesses, but I wanted to be Maleficent when I grew up. 5. If you had a familiar what would it be (you can choose any animal) and what would you call him/her? Cat, of course! Though I do already have four, so, I might be biased. Of my current bunch, Jackie is the cleverest and would make a good familiar; her sister Nommers is much too grouchy. Cats and witches are just pure iconic, gotta love the classics. Larrah in “Urgent Care” has her Grimalkin, and in another story (“By This Candle’s Light,” in Legends of Sleepy Hollow), an ancestress of hers has a feline familiar called Singewhisker. Bio: Christine Morgan spent many years working the overnight shift in a psychiatric facility, which played havoc with her sleep schedule but allowed her a lot of writing time. A lifelong reader, she also reviews, beta-reads, occasionally edits and dabbles in self-publishing. Her other interests include gaming, history, superheroes, crafts, cheesy disaster movies and training to be a crazy cat lady. She can be found online at https://www.facebook.com/christinemorganauthorand https://christinemariemorgan.wordpress.com/ Fairy tale witches are mostly evil creatures, ugly, although not always, and responsible for the hero's potential downfall. They cast their spells to make the hero fall into a deep sleep or to try and lure them into their lair.
Baba Yaga - from Slavic folklore, this witch flies around in a mortar and pestle and lives in a hut that stands on chicken legs. In some stories she is supposed to have iron teeth which she gnashes together. The Evil Queen - although not called a witch, she uses magic to try and take down Snow White by disguising herself as an old woman and offering the girl a poison apple. Ursuala - The sea witch made a deal with Ariel, offering her legs in return for her voice. She tries to stop Ariel from getting the prince to fall in love with her. In the original tale- she succeeds. Maleficent- technically a fairy, she does use magic to send Sleeping Beauty into a deep sleep that can only be reversed with true love's kiss. Very few stories depict witches as good characters although this has changed in the past few years. A remake of Maleficent told a more sympathetic story. The image of the old hag is being replaced by younger women who fight against evil. Perhaps future fairy tales will be more sympathetic to witches, but there's no denying that the originals will stay with us.
S. K. Gregory is the author of six novels currently. Her first series was Daemon Persuasion, the sequel Daemon Madness has just been released. Her latest novel Aurelia Graves: Shadow of Death, is a WIP but she hopes to release it in the next few months. When she isn't writing, she offers free reviews to authors. 1. Tell us about your witch and the powers she has. My witch is called Aurelia Graves and she has the power to raise the dead. She doesn’t know about her powers at first and accidentally raises a zombie. 2. Where did you get the inspiration for your character? I was writing a short story and came up with the name, then I thought it would be funny if she could raise the dead with a name like Graves. It went from there. 3. If you had a magical ability - what would it be and why? The power to heal people because that would be great in an emergency. 4. Who is your favorite TV or movie witch? Tough one. It is a toss-up between Phoebe Halliwell and Freya Beauchamp. 5. If you had a familiar what would it be (you can choose any animal) and what would you call him/her? I think it would be a wolf called Shade. That would be cool. www.skgregory.com
Kat Gracey is an author from the UK who writes about Witches and Werewolves. Her first book in her witch series was released in May 2015. Witch Moon features Anna Fay, a half witch who is forced by her coven to marry a werewolf. The problem is Anna starts to fall for him and must choose a side. To view the book on Amazon please click on the button below. 1. Tell us about your witch and the powers she has. Anna Fay has always been on her own. Her parents died when she was little and because of her heritage she is an outcast. Being in a coven is all she wants and she will do anything to stay. Her coven leader takes full advantage of this and makes her marry a werewolf so she can spy on his family for them. She can cast spells, but it drains her, which is unfortunate because she is addicted to magic. 2. Where did you get the inspiration for your character? I liked the idea of a witch who wasn't all powerful, but she is addicted to magic and has to use it. 3. If you had a magical ability - what would it be and why? Shooting lightening from my hands would be really cool. No one would mess with me then 4. Who is your favorite TV or movie witch? If it was a good witch then Phoebe Halliwell and if it was a bad witch it would be Nancy from The Craft 5. If you had a familiar what would it be (you can choose any animal) and what would you call him/her? Definitely a cat and I think I would call the cat Midnight. www.witchesandwerewolves.co.uk  A coven is a group of witches who cast spells together. A traditional coven requires thirteen witches, but can be as little as three or four.
The coven is usually led by a high priest and/or priestess. By working in a group, the members can increase their power and perform bigger spells as well as worship the God and Goddess and celebrating Sabbats. (Pagan holiday) Some covens or witches will participate sky-clad (naked) or wear special ceremonial robes. Some witches prefer to work in solitude, while others prefer a coven. If you choose to join a coven, always be careful of who you are meeting up with. If you have group of friends with similar interests then it would be a good idea to form a coven with them. More information can be found online.  1. Tell us about your witch and the powers she has. First of all, thank you so much for having me here today! My main character, Lara O’Connell, is what is termed a natural witch in her world. This means that her powers are very internally based and concentrated in nature—no flashy spells in her arsenal. Generally, she uses her powers in her gardening and landscaping business (helps to be able to keep just about any plant alive in the terrible Chicago winters!), but in Witch Sense, she is forced to use her ability to sense magic to help the local Alpha werewolf to find a killer. 2. Where did you get the inspiration for your character? Inspiration comes from all around, and I’m sure that Lara and her world came from many different sources. But I was definitely inspired to make her a very talented gardener after living in the Chicago area and trying to keep plants alive. Of course…I have trouble keeping plants alive anywhere. ;) 3. If you had a magical ability - what would it be and why? I love the show Charmed, and always thought Pru’s powers of telekinesis would be so fun. That I would mainly use it to grab things so I don’t have to get up from the couch is totally beside the point. 4. Who is your favorite TV or movie witch? I’m a huge fan of witches so it’s tough to pick, but if I had to go with one, I’d have to choose Willow from Buffy. Relating to her is easy for me (I was always such a nerd), and she had an awesome arc throughout the show—from ordinary bookish girl to witch to bad guy and back to hero. Yup, she’s gotta be my fav. :) 5. If you had a familiar what would it be (you can choose any animal) and what would you call him/her? A cat, for sure. I love dogs, but I’m definitely a cat person. And I’d probably call her something like Snuggles, just to pester her. I’m just sure she’d have the kind of attitude that would inspire pestering—that’s just the kind of familiar I’d attract. Bio: Author of Urban Fantasy. Adorer of cheesecake. Owned by two cats. Website: http://alexiskade.com/ |
 
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About the Author:S. K. Gregory is an author, editor and blogger. She currently resides in Northern Ireland. “Description begins in the writer’s imagination, but should finish in the reader’s.” 
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