The Witches of New York: A Novel (Ami McKay's Witches Book 1)

by Ami McKay

Religious folk could be so deliciously predictable. He could set his watch by their hypocrisy. (And he did.)

Fortune favors the prepared mind. Beauty seeks attention. Intelligence commands it.

“Luck,” of course, according to her aunt, “is what happens when preparation and opportunity collide.”

The time between first and second sleep is neither slumber nor waking. Too much dark and your mind will stay at rest, too much light and your dreams will surely flee. Use this time wisely—for writing spells, summoning spirits, and, most important, remembering your dreams. Queens have been crowned, schemes hatched, fortunes gained, demons defeated, lovers found—all from visions born in the stillness of the night. In dreams, our souls are given the eyes of Fate. Dreams must be encouraged by all possible means. —The Grimoire of Eleanor St. Clair

Of course the act of drinking tea was, in and of itself, quite troublesome, as it had been known to lead to all sorts of sins: idleness, gossip, political activity, subversive thinking.

The Known World is filled with mystical messages. Signs, portents, and foretellings come in many guises: smoke on the wind, sparks from a fire, ripples on the water, lines in the sand. If you wish to master magic, pay attention. If you wish to master love, do the same.

Madame St. Clair had always put great faith in the happenstances that occurred while making, serving, and drinking tea: two spoons placed on the same saucer means a wedding will soon follow; two women pouring from the same pot means one will soon carry a child; tea spilled from the spout of a carried pot means a secret will soon be revealed; tea stirred while in the pot will surely stir up a quarrel.

Isn’t that always the way, Mrs. Fisher had thought, man’s fears causing him to do things that lead to far greater sins.

he liked (no, he needed) to feel that the things he did and said and thought served to subtract from the overall chaos of the world. There was enough nonsense to go around these days without him adding to it.

Still, if Quinn Brody had learned anything during the War Between the States, it was that men’s minds, even those of the strongest, brightest, and most even-tempered, could come unhinged when faced with unspeakable horrors.

May my mind be free from worry, my eyes clear of tears. May my heart be filled with calm instead of fear. In times of darkest turmoil, may the light of hope shine bright, Fueled by the knowledge that all will soon be right.

If you wish to upset the law that all crows are black, you mustn’t seek to show that no crows are; it is enough if you prove one single crow to be white. —WILLIAM JAMES

“People like the feeling they get when they think they’ve stumbled upon something miraculous. It’s a proven fact.”

Oh, how she hated herself for feeling jealous! Was jealousy also destined to go hand in hand with love? She didn’t want any part of either.

“If you’re not going to shoot me, then I really must be on my way,” she said. “I’m expected elsewhere.”