Guest Post: Ruth A. Casie on Mistletoe and Magick in the Timeless Keepsakes anthology

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Guest Post: Ruth A. Casie on Mistletoe and Magick in the Timeless Keepsakes anthology

With Thanksgiving over we’re running head long into the Christmas holidays. Like many, I love this time of the year. It’s a time for family, friends and traditions.

I have a group of friends Lita Harris, Emma Kaye, Nicole S. Patrick, and Julie Rowe that I absolutely adore. We are at different stages in writing and in our lives but we love romance. We love to write romance. An idea surfaced at the Romantic Times Convention in Kansas City. The ultimate project. We would write and publish a book together. Each of us would write a holiday short story and together we would self-publish them in an anthology before the end of the year.

We decided to use a common theme to tie the stories together, a Christmas ornament or keepsake. The central point of my story, Mistletoe and Magick, is the sacred mistletoe and a druid grand master’s quest to find his soul mate.

Mistletoe was held in great regard by the Druids. They believed that tea made from the plant made any animal fertile and was an antidote for poison. During the Winter Solstice, the Chief Druid would cut the sacred plant from the oak using a golden knife. To prevent the sacred plant from touching the ground, a bad omen to be sure, women stood under the tree holding out great sheets to catch the plants. The Chief Druid would divide the branches into sprigs and give them to the people who hung them over their doorways as protection against evil. The Chief Druid designated one of the young initiates to go round with branches of the mistletoe and announce the beginning of the New Year. The old custom survives today. Mistletoe is given a special place of honor in the decorations we display in our homes at Christmas.

Our tradition of kissing under the mistletoe may originate in ancient Norse mythology. According to the myth, the goddess Frigg had a son, Baldr. When he was born she made all plant unable to hurt him. She overlooked mistletoe. The mischievous god, Loki, tricked another god to make a spear of mistletoe and kill Baldr. The god bring Baldr back to life and Frigg declares that mistletoe would only bring love rather than death to the world.

With a little poetic license, I used the sacred mistletoe folklore as a basis for my short story. My Druid Grand Master, Maximillian, must tell the Ancestors in the Otherworld that the sacred plant has died before he could find his soul mate. Or has it?

Mistletoe and Magick

After a year of searching, Maximilian, the druid Grand Master, finds the sacred mistletoe destined for his soul mate shriveled and dead. He must journey to the Otherworld and tell the Ancestors of his failure.

Ellyn of Brodgar is an exceptional healer. But each healing kiss depletes her energy and brings her closer to death. Ellyn needs to find her own healing power before it’s too late.

Max and Ellyn are tossed into the Otherworld and have until the third sunset to appeal to the Ancestors or be lost forever. Together they find love, and as the last rays of the third sunset slip away, both are willing to sacrifice their hopes, dreams, and lives for the other. Do they have what it takes to escape the Otherworld and begin their life together?

Author Bio

Ruth A. Casie is a seasoned professional with over twenty-five years of writing experience but not necessarily writing romances. No, she’s been writing communication and marketing documents for a large corporation. Over the past years, encouraged by her friends and family, she gave way to her inner muse, let her creative juices flow, and began writing a series of historical fantasies. She lives in Teaneck, New Jersey, with her husband. They have three grown children and two grand-children.

Discover strong men and empowered women as they face unexpected challenges. Watch their stories unfold as they encounter magic, danger, and passion. Join them as they race across the pages to places where love and time know no bounds. Ruth hopes they become your favorite adventures.

Book Title: Timeless Keepsakes

A Collection of Christmas Stories

Short Story Title: Mistletoe and Magick