Candace Colt's Blog: Keep showing up and shining out!, page 2

WISKER WISDOM CATERVIEW WITH CREALDE!

Whisker Wisdom Caterview with Crealde! I’m launching this series with Crealde, a 19-pound pure white male feline with a real ‘catitude.’

If you’ve read the stories, you appreciate how difficult it was to get him to sit for this interview.

After all, it was my idea, not his. If you know cats well, you know they don’t do anything they don’t want to do.

He can be a bit aloof to say it nicely depending on his mood. Graciously, he agreed to our chat. But, under one condition. The interview must be all about him. We struck a good deal, especially when I reminded him he was the first in the Caterview series.

Crealde’s human is Echo Stargazer, an eccentric psychic mind reader. They live on the second floor of their Pepto Bismol pink home in Nocturne Falls, Georgia. Echo’s fascinating Carpe Diem shop is on the first floor, full of potions, oils, costumes, gems, books, and assorted magical knick-knackery. In her private quarters, Echo gives psychic readings.

I met Crealde in the garden behind his and Echo’s home, where he was seated like a palace prince waiting for me to curtsy. As I ran my fingers through his beautifully long pearl-white fur, I swear his purr revved like a B-52 airplane engine. Realizing how cat-like he was acting, he quickly snapped back into character.

ME: Crealde, good to see you. We haven’t had a chance to catch up for several years. How’s it been going for you?

CREALDE: (He gave a long, squeaky, wide-mouthed yawn and a noticeable shrug.) Things are good. The litter box stays clean. I go in and out as I please. I’m fed well.

ME: I would agree with that last point.

C: (Crealde raised a paw in warning and let out a ‘meorowoww’ that shook the pen out of my hand.) Ah ah ah. No innuendos about my size.

ME: I didn’t mean to come across as fat-shaming you. But you do have a bit of a reputation.

C: Don’t go there, lady!

ME: (With a wink to you, reader, a character once compared his size to a child’s ottoman.) I understand you still live upstairs over the Carpe Diem. Did Echo ever return?

C: I do. She did.

ME: Can you elaborate? Did she tell you much about her extended trip?

C: Not much to tell. She ran off with her Tai Chi instructor and then came back.

ME: So our readers don’t get the wrong impression, she didn’t exactly run off with him, Crealde. Echo, whose age is a matter of dispute and is at least in her late eighties, practices Tai Chi weekly with Master Cheng and has done so for years. One day, with no warning, she left a note saying she’d traveled back to China—that is, back to China three hundred years ago with Master Cheng. She made one brief return visit and another for her granddaughters’ weddings, but I never heard if she returned for good.

C: If ‘for good’ means ‘forever,’ I tend to doubt it. She is back for now. Business is going well. Her psychic reading schedule is packed. It’s too full if you want my opinion. Always someone tramping in and out. It’s hard to get a good day’s sleep.

ME: It’s been said that you have three waking faces. Sleepy. Angry. Skeptical. Is that a fair assessment?

C: (He cocked his head to the side and thought a moment, then I swear he gave me the slant eye.) Fair, indeed. But I’d add another: bored.

ME: Most residents in Nocturne Falls are magical. The rest are regulars who are only aware of the magic. But you don’t have a gift. Does that bother you?

C: (He dipped his head, adding a disgusted headshake.) Hello, human writer! Are we not talking right now? Besides, cats are innately magical. I understand humans—all kinds of humans—just fine. Probably better than they know themselves. I choose not to talk to them. Consider yourself lucky.

ME: Fair points. And I appreciate you’re honoring me with this conversation. Are there any magicals you really can’t stand?

C: I am not fond of anything that shifts into a critter with claws or talons that would consider me their dinner. The exception is the Ford family. They are all falcon shifters, but to my knowledge, they’ve never snacked on a cat or dog. I like them.

ME: Good thing since the Ford brothers married Echo’s granddaughters. How are they doing, by the way?

C: You’ve asked about someone else twice now. The deal, remember? (Crealde made another noisy yawn.)

ME: I’m sorry. You’re right. I’m sure you have a tight afternoon schedule. Is there anything else I should mention to our readers before we end? 

C: (He made a long, languid front and back stretch.) Nope.

Crealde trotted away, his backside to me, and his tail lifted straight up. Evidence to me that this was the ‘end.’ He stopped halfway and flashed a glance over his shoulder.

C: This went well, don’t you think?

ME: Yes, very well.

I invite you to read the Falcon Shifter series. Visit my Candace Colt Website to find out where to buy them. Visit Nocturne Falls Universe to learn more about Kristen Painter’s series.

If you think Crealde had terms and conditions, wait till you meet Wishes next time!

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Crealde is the first Caterview!

Crealde is the first Caterview! He’s a 19-pound pure white male feline with one blue and one green eye who appears in my Nocturne Falls Universe falcon shifter books.

If you’ve read the stories, you appreciate how difficult it was to get him to sit for this interview. After all, it was my idea, not his. If you know cats well, you know they don’t do anything they don’t want to do.

He can be a bit aloof to say it nicely depending on his mood. Graciously, he agreed to our chat. But, under one condition. The interview must be all about him. We struck a good deal, especially when I reminded him he was the first in the Caterview series.

Crealde’s human is Echo Stargazer, an eccentric psychic mind reader. They live on the second floor of their Pepto Bismol pink home in Nocturne Falls, Georgia. Echo’s fascinating Carpe Diem shop is on the first floor, full of potions, oils, costumes, gems, books, and assorted magical knick-knackery. In her private quarters, Echo gives psychic readings.

I met Crealde in the garden behind his and Echo’s home, where he was seated like a palace prince waiting for me to curtsy. As I ran my fingers through his beautifully long pearl-white fur, I swear his purr revved like a B-52 airplane engine. Realizing how cat-like he was acting, he quickly snapped back into character.

ME: Crealde, good to see you. We haven’t had a chance to catch up for several years. How’s it been going for you?

CREALDE: (He gave a long, squeaky, wide-mouthed yawn and a noticeable shrug.) Things are good. The litter box stays clean. I go in and out as I please. I’m fed well.

ME: I would agree with that last point.

C: (Crealde raised a paw in warning and let out a ‘ meorowoww ’ that shook the pen out of my hand.) Ah ah ah. No innuendos about my size.

ME: I didn’t mean to come across as fat-shaming you. But you do have a bit of a reputation.

C: Don’t go there, lady!

ME: (With a wink to you, reader, a character once compared his size to a child’s ottoman.) I understand you still live upstairs over the Carpe Diem. Did Echo ever return?

C: I do. She did.

ME: Can you elaborate? Did she tell you much about her extended trip?

C: Not much to tell. She ran off with her Tai Chi instructor and then came back.

ME: So our readers don’t get the wrong impression, she didn’t exactly run off with him, Crealde. Echo, whose age is a matter of dispute and is at least in her late eighties, practices Tai Chi weekly with Master Cheng and has done so for years. One day, with no warning, she left a note saying she’d traveled back to China—that is, back to China three hundred years ago with Master Cheng. She made one brief return visit and another for her granddaughters’ weddings, but I never heard if she returned for good.

C: If ‘for good’ means ‘forever,’ I tend to doubt it. She is back for now. Business is going well. Her psychic reading schedule is packed. It’s too full if you want my opinion. Always someone tramping in and out. It’s hard to get a good day’s sleep.

ME: It’s been said that you have three waking faces. Sleepy. Angry. Skeptical. Is that a fair assessment?

C: (He cocked his head to the side and thought a moment, then I swear he gave me the slant eye.) Fair, indeed. But I’d add another: bored.

ME: Most residents in Nocturne Falls are magical. The rest are regulars who are only aware of the magic. But you don’t have a gift. Does that bother you?

C: (He dipped his head, adding a disgusted headshake.) Hello, human writer! Are we not talking right now? Besides, cats are innately magical. I understand humans—all kinds of humans—just fine. Probably better than they know themselves. I choose not to talk to them. Consider yourself lucky.

ME: Fair points. And I appreciate you’re honoring me with this conversation. Are there any magicals you really can’t stand?

C: I am not fond of anything that shifts into a critter with claws or talons that would consider me their dinner. The exception is the Ford family. They are all falcon shifters, but to my knowledge, they’ve never snacked on a cat or dog. I like them.

ME: Good thing since the Ford brothers married Echo’s granddaughters. How are they doing, by the way?

C: You’ve asked about someone else twice now. The deal, remember? (Crealde made another noisy yawn.)

ME: I’m sorry. You’re right. I’m sure you have a tight afternoon schedule. Is there anything else I should mention to our readers before we end? 

C: (He made a long, languid front and back stretch.) Nope.

Crealde trotted away, his backside to me, and his tail lifted straight up. Evidence to me that this was the ‘end.’ He stopped halfway and flashed a glance over his shoulder.

C: This went well, don’t you think?

ME: Yes, very well.

I invite you to read the Falcon Shifter series. Visit my Candace Colt Website to find out where to buy them. Visit Nocturne Falls Universe to learn more about Kristen Painter’s series.

If you think Crealde had terms and conditions, wait till you meet the next guy!

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The First Witch In Space Spin-off!

How in the world (or beyond this world) did I come up with the “Witch in Space” spin-off of the Baga Shores Romance Series?

It all started when…

I was invited to write a sci-fi story for PETS IN SPACE 7, a limited-edition charity anthology benefiting HERO DOGS.  This unique annual anthology features the best sci-fi authors out there, and being invited to participate was an honor. And it challenged me to up my game!

Because…

The qualifier was that the story must be science fiction. I’d never even dipped a toe into writing sci-fi, although I love reading them. And I’m a massive fan of older and modern sci-fi movies. And I dropped many hints in this story. So far, nobody’s picked up on them. Will you be the first?

I love all my Baga Shores characters, but one stand-out is Rhea Tanner, the quirky witch you met (or if you haven’t met yet, you should!) in BEWITCHING ANDIE.  Rhea’s in her late forties, dresses like a free spirit, hates shoes, and wears her salt-and-pepper gray hair in dreadlocks.  

Oh, and she floats in and out of her family’s life on a whim.

I should add that ‘floating’ means appearing and disappearing. Sometimes it’s subtle. Sometimes, it’s with great flourish. You see, her superpower is mystical transportation through meditation. Fine and dandy until it goes haywire. And it does frequently.

With Alika by her side, Rhea has followed her wanderlust spirit to see firsthand the world’s past and present wonders.

She’s transported to Norway to view the northern lights and slept under the Milky Way on a cliff in New Mexico. She witnessed the summer solstice through the stones at Stonehenge. And she’s traveled back 5000 years to watch the Egyptians build the pyramids.

That escapade was nearly her last one. If it hadn’t been for her feline familiar, Alika, who once again got her out of an impossible jam, Rhea was about to be sealed in a dead pharaoh’s tomb.

Now that her grown-up kids are on their own, in RHEA’S CONUNDRUM, she attempts one last session before settling down to help her daughter raise her precocious seven-year-old, an emerging wizard. But when Rhea opened her eyes, she discovered she was not in Baga Shores, Florida. She’s not even on Earth. She and her snarky familiar are in the cargo hold of a junk-picker alien spaceship.

That’s when the story took off!

You may have heard about authors who stand to the side and let the characters tell the story. That usually happens to me. But Rhea’s story flew onto the page. I barely had any say-so about what would happen next.

Do you think that could have been part of Rhea’s magic?

This story is one of four in the Witch In Space spin-off series. Rhea and Alika are just getting started!

Goodreads Reviews for RHEA’S CONUNDRUM in PETS IN SPACE 7:

“I was so excited to dive into this anthology after how fun the previous one was. Although I enjoyed reading each novella, “Rhea’s Conundrum: A Witch in Space” by Candace Colt was my favorite. Where can I find my own Captain C’tloc?”

“Rhea’s Conundrum: A Witch in Space” by Candace Colt. This one was my favorite because Rhea is a witch of a certain age who learns that love has not passed her by, and that she is not yet ready (if, admittedly, she ever will be) to settle down and help raise her grandchildren. Her conundrum is a devastating one, as the necklace that powered her journey to C’tloc’s spaceship can either take her back to her home or power his spaceship so that he can get back home, but not both. If she leaves, he’ll die. If she stays, by the time she manages to get back to Earth her family will probably be long dead. She can only live one life, and she has to make a bittersweet choice between loves – with the help of her very snarky cat. This one was a heartbreaker.”

“Rhea Tanner is a witch who has the ability to travel in the past and present. What she doesn’t realize is that she can also travel into space. When she finds herself on C’tloc’s spaceship she struggles to cope with her sense of adventure, her growing feelings for C’tloc, and her grief at leaving her family behind. I enjoyed this story of two older characters finding love again. Rhea and C’tloc had an interesting adventure and fast-paced romance.” 

Grab your copy of RHEA’S CONUNDRUM the first Witch In Space spin-off!

Available now as a stand-alone book on:

Apple Books/ Kobo/ Barnes & Noble NOOK/ Amazon/Smashwords

And ask your friendly librarian to order it for you!

The post The First Witch In Space Spin-off! appeared first on .

Challenge Accepted!

How in the world (or beyond this world) did I come up with the Baga Shores Romance “Witch in Space” spin-off series?

RHEA'S CONUNDRUM: A Baga Shores Romance

I was invited to write a sci-fi story for PETS IN SPACE 7, a limited-edition charity anthology benefiting HERO DOGS. This unique annual anthology features the best sci-fi authors out there, and being invited to participate was an honor. And it challenged me to up my game!

The qualifier was that the story must be science fiction. I’d never even dipped a toe into writing sci-fi, although I love reading them. And I’m a massive fan of older and modern sci-fi movies. And I dropped many hints in this story. So far, nobody’s picked up on them.

I love all my Baga Shores characters, but one stand-out is Rhea Tanner, the quirky witch you met (or if you haven’t met yet, you should!) in BEWITCHING ANDIE. Rhea’s in her late forties, dresses like a free spirit, hates shoes, and wears her salt-and-pepper gray hair in dreadlocks.

Oh, and she floats in and out of her family’s life on a whim.

I should add that ‘floating’ means appearing and disappearing. Sometimes it’s subtle. Sometimes, it’s with great flourish. You see, her superpower is mystical transportation through meditation. Fine and dandy until it goes haywire. And it does frequently.

With Alika by her side, Rhea has followed her wanderlust spirit to see firsthand the world's past and present wonders.

She’s transported to Norway to view the northern lights and slept under the Milky Way on a cliff in New Mexico. She witnessed the summer solstice through the stones at Stonehenge. And she’s traveled back 5000 years to watch the Egyptians build the pyramids.

That escapade was nearly her last one. If it hadn’t been for her feline familiar, Alika, who once again got her out of an impossible jam, Rhea was about to be sealed in a dead pharaoh’s tomb.

Now that her grown-up kids are on their own, in RHEA’S CONUNDRUM, she attempts one last session before settling down to help her daughter raise her precocious seven-year-old, an emerging wizard. But when Rhea opened her eyes, she discovered she was not in Baga Shores, Florida. She’s not even on Earth. She and her snarky familiar are in the cargo hold of a junk-picker alien spaceship.

That’s when the story took off!

You may have heard about authors who stand to the side and let the characters tell the story. That usually happens to me. But Rhea’s story flew onto the page. I barely had any say-so about what would happen next.

What others have said...


“I was so excited to dive into this anthology after how fun the previous one was. Although I enjoyed reading each novella, “Rhea’s Conundrum: A Witch in Space” by Candace Colt was my favorite. Where can I find my own Captain C'tloc?”

“Rhea’s Conundrum: A Witch in Space” by Candace Colt. This one was my favorite because Rhea is a witch of a certain age who learns that love has not passed her by, and that she is not yet ready (if, admittedly, she ever will be) to settle down and help raise her grandchildren. Her conundrum is a devastating one, as the necklace that powered her journey to C’tloc’s spaceship can either take her back to her home or power his spaceship so that he can get back home, but not both. If she leaves, he’ll die. If she stays, by the time she manages to get back to Earth her family will probably be long dead. She can only live one life, and she has to make a bittersweet choice between loves – with the help of her very snarky cat. This one was a heartbreaker.”

“Rhea Tanner is a witch who has the ability to travel in the past and present. What she doesn’t realize is that she can also travel into space. When she finds herself on C’tloc’s spaceship she struggles to cope with her sense of adventure, her growing feelings for C’tloc, and her grief at leaving her family behind. I enjoyed this story of two older characters finding love again. Rhea and C’tloc had an interesting adventure and fast-paced romance.”


Add Rhea's Conundrum to your list!

Available now as a stand-alone book on:
Apple Books/Kobo/Barnes&Noble/Smashwords/Amazon, and many library systems.

Venturing into Humorous Sci Fi

Why did I start writing humorous sci-fi?

Because I love reading them. Don't worry about me leaving sweet paranormal behind. Instead, I'm mashing up these genres!

I've been a sci-fi movie fan since the days of black-and-white movies—especially those made in the 1950s.

People were recovering from bleak times in the decade right after WWII ended. Unspeakable wartime atrocities and the prospect of a catastrophic nuclear age shook the US culture to the core.

People escaped into a good mystery or science fiction novel, and of course, romance stories. But sci-fi movies evolved beyond cliffhanger shorts at the movie theater.

Now, they were full-fledged movies. If you examine these 50s themes, you get a snapshot of what the world craved and, at the same time, feared.

Two of my all-time favorites have a permanent place in my DVR.

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). The space man's message was clear. Behave yourself, Earthlings, or you will be destroyed.

The horror sci-fi Them (1954). Nuclear testing in the desert caused ants to grow into roving, human-eating monsters.

Of course, there are others, and I could go on and on. But you get the idea.

Let's cycle back to my new sci-fi stories.

I created Baga Shores, a town where half the residents are magical. One of them, Rhea Tanner, is a quirky witch with the superpower of traveling back in time. Fortunately, she has a familiar, Alika, who gets her out of all the trouble that causes.

One fine day, she takes her superpower a little too far (literally) and ends up on an alien space junk collector's ship. The first thing she wants is to get home. The last thing she wants is to fall in love with the alien captain with the Morgan Freeman voice.

That story is RHEA'S CONUNDRUM, available on December 19 from all vendors.

In the meanwhile, she and her hunky alien make a surprise trip back to Baga Shores in "Home for Christmas," in FESTIVE FATES, a limited edition holiday anthology eBook available now on Amazon.

More witch-in-space books are coming in 2024, and more stories about the earth-bound Baga Shores community.

Please sign up for my newsletter on CandaceColt.com and follow me here on Goodreads to keep up with what's next!

Everything you ever wanted to know about Candace!

Well, perhaps not everything!

Recently, I was featured in Julia Bodwell’s Author Spotlight Blog. Julia is the Proprietor of The Gilded Page—a wonderful Indie bookstore in Tarpon Springs, Florida!

I thought you might enjoy excerpts from the interview!

A little bit about me:

Before becoming a full-time author of sweet paranormal romance, I had careers in health care, as a K-college educator, and later as a library administrator. Along the way, I met wonderful people who made a positive impact on my life and, in turn, inspired my stories, but in a magical way!

Why did I choose to write in the sweet paranormal romance genre?

While I love reading all types of fiction, I’ve always been drawn to paranormal romance stories that take me out of the commonplace world. In the beginning, I tried writing traditional romance. But my characters had other ideas! The best thing I ever did as an author was to get out of my own way and let the characters tell their stories how they wanted them written.

Ray Bradbury said it best. “First, find out what your hero/heroine wants, then just follow them!”   

What’s so special about my characters?

Many are ordinary people living in extraordinary worlds. But most are anything but ordinary! They have charming and lovable sides. But they also have their flaws, issues, and backstories. And most of my characters have a special gift. It’s quite a list: witches, wizards, time-travelers, ghosts, mediums, psychics, shifters, and fae. I have a snarky know-it-all cat in almost every book who’s also magical. Often, the story starts when non-magical and magical humans discover they’ve fallen in love.

How did I become an indie author?

After years of writing for small publishers, I decided to leap full indie! That decision was scary and exhilarating at the same time. In 2022, I launched my first indie series, Baga Shores Romance. So far, the series includes Bewitching Andie, Charming Sabrina, and Enchanting Robbi. My new book is Convincing Emily, free when you sign up for my newsletter on my website, CandaceColt.com.

Baga Shores is a fictional quaint coastal town on Florida’s West Coast. About half the residents are Ordinary with no magical gifts. The rest are anything but Ordinary!

Coming soon is a new limited series, A Witch In Space. Rhea Tanner, a quirky witch with less-than-perfect meditation skills, ends up on a spaceship. The first thing she wants is to get home. The last thing she wants is to fall broom over kettle in love with the alien captain.

My favorite question from Julia was this: “If you were transported to the setting of the book you’re currently reading or writing, where would you be?”

Right where I am! My Baga Shores series is set in a small coastal town on the Gulf of Mexico, a short hop from Tampa, and is based on the small town where I live. The only difference is that Baga Shores is populated with magical people. Sadly, my town isn’t—or is it?

Are there any “Easter eggs” secrets/truths in my books that only a few people will find?

I hope readers see beyond the fictional settings and tropes and discover that everyone is worthy of a “HEA” no matter who or what they are, where they come from, or how life’s treated them.

What scenes do I find hard to write and why?

The ending! I know how I want the story to end and usually have that in mind throughout. The hard part is ensuring a satisfying emotional impact for the reader. I usually rewrite the ending three or four times to get it where it needs to be.

What’s something about me — personality traits, habits, background, etc.— useful in my writing?

I’ve always been a people watcher. Humans are so interesting, and making up stories about them is fun. Let’s pretend I see a woman sitting alone on a park bench during a busy farmer’s market day. The next thing I know, I’ve made her into the heroine in my next book. Maybe she’s just tired or waiting for someone. But in my story, she’s just arrived from the seventeenth century and has no idea where or why she’s there. The guy running the vegetable stand feels sorry for her and offers her a peach. Their gazes meet, and whammo! A story!

Is there anything else you want to know about me or my stories?

Let’s continue the conversation on FB Candace Colt, Author. Follow me on Instagram, “X,” Bookbub, and Goodreads.

The post Everything you ever wanted to know about Candace! appeared first on Candace Colt.

Romance Beyond the Veil

Paranormal Love Stories: Romance Beyond the Veil

My fascination with otherworldly love stories began when I heard my first fairy tale! In a child’s innocence, it’s natural for witches, wizards, and all sorts of specially gifted characters to exist in harmony with regular everyday people.

I never lost that feeling!

Something about a paranormal love story has always grabbed me, but I’m specifically drawn to those with engaging characters that could be your next-door neighbor. Or your kids or grandkids.

My characters know they are different from others. Often, they don’t appreciate these differences or may even try to hide them. But in the end, they realize that who they are is enough, and they are all they need to be.

And they mean the world to someone else, even if, at the beginning of the story, they don’t see it.

That’s why my sweet romance beyond the veil stories are unique.

Authors and screenwriters who’ve influenced my writing blend romance with other genres, such as science fiction, fantasy, or magic. But there’s enough realism in their and my stories to make you think…um, maybe this could happen!

Diana Gabaldon tops the list, whose Outlander series has a massive reader following that can’t get enough of the time-traveling romance between Jamie and Claire. See my hand waving here?

I loved writing my time-traveling story for Cat’s Paw Cove, where the main characters return to the 1700s to save a young boy from the gallows.

In one of my Nocturne Falls Universe stories, a pilot from WWII returns to reclaim his reputation. The ending to that story made me cry, and I “wrote” the book, for heaven’s sake!

Have you seen these: The Ghost and Mrs. Muir or Bell, Book, and Candle? The movies are all about waiting for the skeptical Ordinaries to come around to accept the extraordinary world.

I love Ghosts, currently running on CBS. You have to empathize with poor Jay. But he’s done a great job adjusting to life in a mansion inhabited by ALL the spirits of those who died on the property…even back in the Viking age!

Remember “Bewitched”? Sam tried hard not to use her magic, but sometimes it was the only way.

Promise me you’ll catch one of these movies or shows and let me know what you think!

The fun of writing my stories begins when Ordinaries start seeing beyond the veil!

Trust me, I’ve tried creating “regular” stories, but once a gifted character jumps in, that’s it. They demand to be heard and hijack the story. I can’t stop them and, frankly, don’t want to. I’m simply the scribe.

This is precisely what happened in my new indie sweet romance series set in Baga Shores, a small coastal town on Florida’s west coast.

I started writing about Ordinary humans in an Ordinary world.

Suddenly, the main characters reveal their true nature. They are witches, wizards, psychics, and shifters.

They start out solving day-to-day problems like any other human.

When that fails, they have to rely on their gifts.

In the first book, BEWITCHING ANDIE, Andie McCraig discovers that magic doesn’t always work how you want!

And she should know.

She’s a single mom and a witch!  Unfortunately, she isn’t a very good one. When her young son courts danger by flaunting his emerging Draiocht wizard gift, she has no choice but to return home to Baga Shores.

As soon as she arrives, her grandmother, Mimi Tanner, arranges for a mentor for the boy.

But the last thing Brett Austin wants is a protégé. He renounced his gift long ago and has no intentions of being a mentor, much less a role model, to a powerful young Draiocht with a mother who couldn’t cast a proper spell if her life depended on it!

A frightening prediction changes Brett’s mind. As danger swirls around the enchanting small town of Baga Shores, Brett soon realizes he and Andie must work together to protect her son.

Here’s the catch: Can Brett let go of the past long enough to help Andie, or will he fail again—this time losing everything important to him?

My passion is intertwining realism with the supernatural. If you’re like me and love a good paranormal love story, I invite you to join me on this journey.

Be sure and sign up for my NL here on www.CandaceColt.com to begin exploring my world of sweet romance with a magical twist!

The Baga Shores Series begins here! (candacecolt.com)

~Candace~

The post Romance Beyond the Veil appeared first on Candace Colt.

Romance Beyond the Veil

My fascination with otherworldly love stories began when I heard my first fairy tale! In a child’s innocence, it’s natural for witches, wizards, and all sorts of specially gifted characters to exist in harmony with regular everyday people.

I never lost that feeling!

Something about a paranormal love story has always grabbed me, but I’m specifically drawn to those with engaging characters that could be your next-door neighbor. Or your kids or grandkids.

My characters know they are different from others. Often, they don’t appreciate these differences or may even try to hide them. But in the end, they realize that who they are is enough, and they are all they need to be.

And they mean the world to someone else, even if, at the beginning of the story, they don’t see it.

That’s why my sweet romance stories are unique.

Authors and screenwriters who’ve influenced my writing blend romance with other genres, such as science fiction, fantasy, or magic. But there’s enough realism in their and my stories to make you think…um, maybe this could happen!

Diana Gabaldon tops the list, whose Outlander series has a massive reader following that can't get enough of the time-traveling romance between Jamie and Claire. See my hand waving here?

I loved writing my time-traveling story for Cat’s Paw Cove, where the main characters return to the 1700s to save a young boy from the gallows.

In one of my Nocturne Falls Universe stories, a pilot from WWII returns to reclaim his reputation. The ending to that story made me cry, and I “wrote” the book, for heaven’s sake!

Have you seen these: The Ghost and Mrs. Muir or Bell, Book, and Candle? The movies are all about waiting for the skeptical Ordinaries to come around to accept the extraordinary world.

I love Ghosts, currently running on CBS. You have to empathize with poor Jay. But he’s done a great job adjusting to life in a mansion inhabited by ALL the spirits of those who died on the property…even back in the Viking age! And he can't see a single one of them!

Remember “Bewitched”? Sam tried hard not to use her magic, but sometimes it was the only way.

Promise me you’ll catch one of these movies or shows and let me know what you think!

The fun of writing my stories begins when Ordinaries start seeing beyond the veil!

Trust me, I’ve tried creating “regular” stories, but once a gifted character jumps in, that’s it. They demand to be heard and hijack the story. I can’t stop them and, frankly, don’t want to. I’m simply the scribe.

This is precisely what happened in my new indie sweet romance series set in Baga Shores, a small coastal town on Florida's west coast.
I started writing about Ordinary humans in an Ordinary world.

Suddenly, the main characters reveal their true nature. They are witches, wizards, psychics, and shifters.

They start out solving day-to-day problems like any other human. When that fails, they have to rely on their gifts.

In the first book, BEWITCHING ANDIE, Andie McCraig discovers that magic doesn’t always work how you want!

And she should know.

She’s a single mom and a witch! Unfortunately, she isn’t a very good one. When her young son courts danger by flaunting his emerging Draiocht wizard gift, she has no choice but to return home to Baga Shores.

As soon as she arrives, her grandmother, Mimi Tanner, arranges for a mentor for the boy.
But the last thing Brett Austin wants is a protégé. He renounced his gift long ago and has no intentions of being a mentor, much less a role model, to a powerful young Draiocht with a mother who couldn’t cast a proper spell if her life depended on it!

A frightening prediction changes Brett’s mind.

As danger swirls around the enchanting small town of Baga Shores, Brett soon realizes he and Andie must work together to protect her son.

Here’s the catch: Can Brett let go of the past long enough to help Andie, or will he fail again—this time losing everything important to him?

My passion is intertwining realism with the supernatural. If you're like me and love a good paranormal love story, I invite you to join me on this journey.

Check out my website at CandaceColt.com to start exploring my world of sweet romance with a magical twist!

~Candace~

Book releases are a huge rush!

You can't imagine how an author feels when their book goes "live."

A lot of blood, sweat, tears, and edits go into the final product, as well as the hope that the reader will love it as much as the writer.

As it was when ENCHANTING ROBBI was released on April 27.

I'm a plotter-pantser writer. I start with a plot and storyline, but once I get out of the characters' way, they tell their own story.

Case in point, Robbi Britton in ENCHANTING ROBBI. I thought I knew how she would move through the story, but it wasn't even close to what she wanted. It goes back to the fact that all her life, people had no idea just how deep her emotions ran and how very clever she was.

But her grandmother always believed in her and knew she'd become a superstar. Of course, Grams knew all this. She's a psychic!

Robbi just had to start believing in herself and not downplay her gifts. What are these gifts?

She's a wizard from an ancient Draiocht tradition. Oh, and she's also a fish whisperer.

A pretty good combination for a marine biologist, don't you think?

I can't wait for you to read it. Join me in my Candace Colt Readers' Salon on FB to talk more!

Give BEWITCHING ANDIE some love!

BEWITCHING ANDIE was nominated for the
2022 Paranormal Romance Guild Reviewer’s Choice Award
in the ROMANCE/PARANORMAL/FANTASY/WITCHES &
WIZARDS category.

I was honored by their excellent book review, but being nominated for the annual reward is amazing!

Read more about BEWITCHING ANDIE, book one in the Baga Shores Series!

You can give BEWITCHING ANDIE some love with your vote. You can put Andie’s second chance at love story into the winner’s circle!

The last day to vote is February 12, 2023. I know Andie would love you back!

VOTE FOR ANDIE HERE!

Sign up if you haven’t already (and I highly recommend this group for all you PNR readers).

Then vote for Andie.
It’s that simple.

Andie and I thank you so much for your time!

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