A while back, I started a series of Youtube videos in which I read excerpts from my novels The Bed and Jaguar Sky. Those are the only two novels I've published so far, but people kept clamoring for more, so I decided to start doing readings from some of my favorite books. It turns out, a lot of my favorites are books that are officially meant for a younger audience. But hey, I don't discriminate - a good story is a good story. So first, I turned to one of my longtime favorite

I'm so very thankful that so many people have enjoyed my novel The Bed. But I thought the cover could use a little sprucing up. So I put on my graphic designer hat. After a fair amount of sweating and cursing (and one very clever bit of help from my daughter, who is better at this sort of thing than I am) I've created a spiffy new cover for the book. Ta-da! LOL I hope you like it. I think it captures the vibe of the book much better than the (slightly boring) original cover d

One of the fun things I get to do as a writer is chat with other writers about what we do and how we do it. DJ is one of those special people who went from being an online acquaintance to a dear friend in real life. And she's also a talented writer and master herbalist. She writes both fiction (urban fantasy) and non-fiction (really useful books about herbs in both medicine and magic). Full disclosure: I'm also DJ's editor, but I recommend her books because they're awesome, n

I've spent the past year-plus revising and updating The Wiccan Wellness Book for the new second edition that comes out (eep!) in just a few days. In addition to all new illustrations, the second edition also has a spiffy new cover. I'm very pleased with it and I hope you like it, too. So... drumroll, please... Though the official publication date is this coming Friday, September 28, The Wiccan Wellness Book is already available via Amazon.com (print and Kindle) and Smashwords

I spend a lot of my time writing and editing. Those are activities that require a fair amount of concentration. I have my own home office with a door that closes, and that helps. But until my schedule changed last month, I didn't realize just how much ambient noise was affecting my ability to get my work done. We live on the back end of a tiny neighborhood, and we're lucky to have a little patch of woods on our property - our Wild Acre, so to speak. Until about a year ago, ou

I've spent the summer researching, revising and updating The Wiccan Wellness Book for the second edition (release date 28 September). It will have an all-new cover, which I'll share with you as soon as it's ready. But I decided the interior illustrations needed some freshening up, too. Here are a few of the new ones I've drawn. This one goes with the chapter about natural methods of healthcare, including herbalism: Here are some dandelions for the chapter about Green Partners

I've had a lot of projects going this year but one of the biggest has been revising and updating The Wiccan Wellness Book. This was the second book I published, way back in 2003, and a lot has happened in the meantime. Last year's big "reboot project" was the second edition of Ancient Spellcraft, which was quite an adventure. Now I'm working on a second second edition! LOL I've spent several months researching and updating the health and wellness information in the book so yo

One of the most common questions people ask me is what inspired me to write the Minoan books, create the Minoan Tarot, and so on. The simple answer is necessity. The more complicated answer is here: A Modern Minoan Pagan Author: Why I do what I do In the name of the bee, And of the butterfly, And of the breeze, amen. #tarot #writing #art #paganism #spirituality #crete #minoan

On social media, I mean. Though I will say, many of my social media friendships have blossomed into real-life friendships, something that I really adore about the Internet's ability to bring people together. You can find me online in all these different places: Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Youtube LinkedIn I also publish a monthly e-mail newsletter, Threads of Magic, with news about what I'm up to as well as a Q&A section where I answer questions readers have asked. A

I regularly get e-mails and Facebook messages asking about everything from Modern Minoan Paganism to shamanism to art and writing. I usually answer these questions privately because that's how they were posed to me. But sometimes I think there are other people out there who would love to know the answers to those questions. So I've decided to add a Q & A section to my monthly newsletter. If you have a question about anything I do, from spiritual practices to writing methods

Over the years I've contributed to quite a few anthologies. I love being part of a community that comes together over a given subject, sharing our different experiences and perspectives. Then one day I felt compelled to head up an anthology project myself. The subject? Deathwalking. This shamanic practice is also called psychopomping. It involves helping the soul of the deceased find its way after death and move on in peace and safety. This was an essential part of the shaman

I've been writing the Minoan Path blog over at Witches & Pagans/PaganSquare for three and a half years now. As another year ends, I decided to have a look back and see which of my blog posts were the most popular. I was surprised to discover which ones people have read the most. Definitely not what I expected. Looking Back along the Minoan Path To join the conversation about Modern Minoan Paganism and ancient Minoan civilization, head on over to our welcoming community at Ari

Congratulations to Jenna D. and Morwhenna M. who have won copies of the new 2nd edition of Ancient Spellcraft in my Samhain giveaway! They have already been notified of their prizes. I hope the two of you enjoy the book! For those who didn't win, you can find out more about the book (including where to buy your own copy) here. The first edition of Ancient Spellcraft was the first book I published, way back in 2001. I've learned a thing or two since then, and so have archaeolo

Just in time for Halloween/Samhain, I'm giving away TWO copies of the newly-released second edition of Ancient Spellcraft. TO ENTER, simply sign up for my mailing list on my website. The subscription form is at the bottom of the main web page. If you're already on the list, please message me with the name and e-mail address you used to sign up and I'll include you in the giveaway. This giveaway is open worldwide, so everyone can enter. But due to the prohibitive cost of inter

I signed my first publishing contract 16 years ago and the time has flown by since then! I've written all kinds of books in that time: non-fiction, a couple of novels, I've contributed to anthologies and even created a coloring book. So when the first edition of Ancient Spellcraft went out of print and people bought up the last few copies of my private stock, I thought it was time to revise and update it. I've learned a few things in the 16 years since I wrote it, and our kno

Awestruck is the first word that comes to mind when describing my reaction to this graphic novel. Tom and Nimue Brown have created quite a masterpiece here, an imaginative gothic tale full of dark magic and suspense with just the right touch of dry humor. The artwork is compelling, as much a "character" in the story as the actual characters themselves; I'd love to step right through the page and onto the island of Hopeless, Maine with all its strange eyeballs and tentacles wr

I've been fascinated by the figure of Merlin for years and have read every book about him that I could get my hands on, but it wasn't until I read Pagan Portals Merlin: Once and Future Wizard by Elen Sentier that I felt like I really knew him. This isn't the usual Merlin book: There are no long diatribes about medieval writers or Iron Age British History (believe me, there's enough of that out there already). Instead, the author takes the reader along on a magical journey of

I wasn't sure what to expect when I first picked up this book and began to read, but I ended up enjoying it more than I expected. The author's main thrust is the re-identification of the huge number of doubled or twinned female figurines and images that span centuries of ancient art and are found all over the world. These "double goddess" images have long labeled as part of a "fertility cult," that dismissive label archaeologists slap on so many pieces of ancient spirituality

A while back, I had the pleasure of reading a friend's first novel, what I would call a different kind of dragon tale: Dragon's Treasure by Maya Starling. If you're like me, you get tired of reading the same story over and over again, with just the names and maybe the setting changed. Well, this one is different, for sure. A princess who can bloody well rescue herself. A prince you'd rather not meet alone in the dark woods if you can help it. A dragon who isn't the bad guy, a

I recently had the pleasure of chatting with talented author (and friend) Wendy Steele, who has written several series of magical, pagan-y books. Her latest work, The Naked Witch, will be released tomorrow. The Naked Witch is part of a new genre called Witch Lit, stories that showcase magic and humor in the lives of strong and interesting female characters. Here's what Wendy had to say: Tell us a little about yourself and your writing. I’ve always come home from days out and