"charmingly witchy adult fantasy" ~Booklife Reviews

Fans of cozy fantasies and compelling adult women protagonists who find purpose—and fabulousness—in nature, magic, and new connections will adore the laid-back, lavender-scented vibes as Olivia goes from destitute loneliness to settling into the charming village of Rowanswood, whose scones, teas, crockery, beasts, magic, and ritual all are described with inviting relish. Olivia’s journey to Cronehood is nuanced, her struggles endearingly human as she finds her path toward letting go of her old life to embrace the new.

Blog

What is a Crone? Meaning, Mythology and the power of the crone archetype.

What Is a Crone?

What does the word crone really mean? Far from the cruel stereotype of fairy tales, the Crone archetype represents wisdom, transformation, and the power that comes with experience. In the world of Rowanswood, the Crone is not a figure of ridicule but a woman of authority, insight, and magical responsibility.

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The Enchanted Village of Rowanswood

For me, Rowanswood isn’t just scenery, it’s a character. Every shopfront, every stone wall, has a story to tell. Villages like this draw us in because they feel safe and cozy, yet they whisper of magic just out of sight.

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Midlife Magic. Why Later-in-Life Heroines Matter.

It’s Never Too Late for Magic

For many of us, midlife can feel like a crossroads. Our children have grown, our career has often plateaued, relationships change – sometimes dramatically. But as Olivia discovers, those moments of upheaval can be the very soil where transformation takes root.

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How I Use AI as an Author—and Where I Draw the Line

An indie author explains how she uses AI for brainstorming, research, editing, marketing and publishing while keeping creative control. This practical, nuanced guide covers KDP, Draft2Digital and IngramSpark policies, copyright concerns, AI-generated images, fact-checking and the boundaries that keep the human author responsible for the finished work.

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AI Training: What Every Author Needs to Know about Book Piracy

A great hullabaloo arose in Author World over an article recently published by The Atlantic. It blows open the extent to which companies like Meta are using pirated books to train their AI models. LibGen is the pirated books data base and it now houses millions of books

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The Chic Crone – The Story Behind the Story

We’re only a week away from the release of The Chic Crone, a paranormal romance with a midlife adventure! It’s been a marathon over the past month. My middle grade books have all been traditionally published but this one I’m indie publishing. And it’s a whole new cauldron of spells!

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A cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows floating on top. It sits on a table in front of a fire. It's snowing outside.

The Best Hot Chocolate, a recipe from Hiss

“Did you know that the secret to the best hot chocolate is to basically just use melted chocolate? With maybe a dash of heavy cream.”

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Johannes Gutenberg Great +++ Grandfather of Publishing

Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of the movable type printing press made our modern Western societies possible. Before 1440, fewer than 30% of adults were literate and the written word was produced by the few for the few. Ideas, information and knowledge were tightly controlled by the ruling elitethe church and the nobility.

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Hiss – A Middle Grade adventure

I’m back after a busy summer! I finished my third middle grade novel. Hiss is a middle grade adventure novel, release date – May 2025! I finished a fabulous (but very intense) writing course with Reedsy, How to Write a Novel. I highly recommend it!

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What part of the word 'No' don't you understand?

How to Say No

I’m deep into edits for my third middle grade novel (release sate May 1, 2025) and working on finalizing the first draft of a new adult paranormal series. When writing my previous two books, I learned that the secret to success

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