Happy National Tartan Day!

 

Cameron Tartan,
Crown Copyright, Scottish Register of Tartans

April 6 is National Tartan Day in North America. But I wanted to include fans in the UK with a special Kindle Countdown Sale. After all, the Two Realms series takes place in medieval England and Scotland, and Fairy.

UK lovers of fantasy, shape-shifters, Arthurian legends, fairies, and strong heroines can find The Beltane Escape Kindle Countdown HERE until April 9, 2022. 

But National Tartan Day is celebrated in North America. So in recognition of my Scottish heritage, I featured (above) the ancient Clan Cameron tartan (my mother's clan).

The Scots are great storytellers. My mother was a wonderful writer. As a child, I loved to sit behind her as she tapped away on her typewriter, spinning a new novel or crafting her African memoir. What a satisfying sound when she pulled a finished page from her ancient Corona. 

Here's to Scots everywhere, and to magical lands and legends. And if you'd like to binge on a series inspired by the Motherland, I invite you to explore The Beltane Escape, The Amber Elixir, and The Viking Mist.

Make your mum proud!

Happy reading, 

                                                                     Ariella

Copyright 2022 by Ariella Moon

The Paranormal Cave Guardians of Iona

                                                    Travel The Two Realms: Iona, Scotland

Part Two

The chilly June morning promised rain as my daughter and I joined a few of our fellow travellers and our guide Scot to the landing where the sailboat Birthe Marie and Captain Mark awaited us. While sailing around Iona, we pulled into a quiet cove, disturbing a colony of seals resting on a narrow island. A few disappeared into the water as we approached. A delightful young seal kept a consistent distance from us as it swam in a half-circle around the boat, popping up here and there to check on us.

Captain Mark of the
Birthe Marie

 

After tea and shortbread thins to warm us, we reversed course. Now heading against the wind, Captain Mark switched from sail to motor to propel us through the choppy blue-gray, green-tinged waves.
Eyeing the coast, a sinister sight skipped my pulse. Where two rocky hills almost met, stood the blackest of black caves. The downward point of a giant boulder wedged between the two hills stabbed the cave opening. Malevolent eyes set in a circular, seemingly disembodied face, stared at us from the cave’s dark maw. 
Not a human face. Not an animal face. Something else.
What is it? I wondered, my knuckles whitening as I tightened my grip on the ship rail.

I had to find a way to include this frightening sight in The Viking Mist. Here is a brief excerpt from the published novel:

Barely visible in the mist-dimmed light, and hunched in the depression between two rocky peaks, nestled the blackest of black caves. ’Tis as I remember, Disa thought when she spied the long, narrow boulder wedged into the cave’s roof; its distinctive downward point, as pale and sharp as a dragon’s fang, impaled the darkness just inside the hollow’s inky maw.

Beneath the stone tooth, two glowing amber eyes popped open, piercing the impenetrable gloom.

Disa stiffened and held her breath.

The disembodied orbs scanned the calm sea within the island ring. Then, as if sensing her human presence, the predatory eyes narrowed and searched beyond the inner waters, halting to fasten their malevolent gaze upon her.

In the fixedness of that stare, the monster and years faded, and as though bewitched, Disa saw instead the half mad glare of the Norse slaver and the smear of blood across the man’s knuckles when he grabbed her wrist and little Bree’s arm. Fear stole the strength from Disa’s limbs, and the oars clattered at her feet as a silent scream rose from her core.

                         AMAZON KINDLE                 KOBO

As we continued back to Iona, Captain Mark steered us into another quiet cove, where we encountered a giant boulder wedged between two cliffs. To the right of the gap, a naturally formed basalt staircase named "the Fairy Stairs," rises to nowhere. Magic is all around us!

In next Tuesday's Travel The Two Realms, we will explore Scotland's Loch Ness. Meanwhile, you can visit The Two Realms on my Pinterest board.

Until next week, stay kind and magical.

Copyright March 2022 by Ariella Moon

The Fairy Cat of Iona

 Travel the Two Realms: Iona, Scotland

Part One

Many see only the human realm.To them the second realm, inhabited by fairies and mythical beasts, goddesses and gods, sorceresses and wizards, is invisible. But if you steady your gaze on liminal spaces at just the right time, you'll discover the Two Realms coexist. One such place is Iona.

Iona, a small Scottish island in the Inner Hebrides, inspired I-shona (the sacred isle) in The Viking Mist. I confess, Iona's overwhelming association with Saint Columba and Celtic Christianity placed it low on my Must See list during my second research trip to Scotland. But how could I ignore a small island that was the also the target of Viking raids and the final resting place of Scottish and Viking kings?

Scot AnSgeulaiche
www.ansgeulaiche.co.uk

Modern-day bard Scot AnSgeulaiche led our Celtic Spirit Journey. Scot and a few others from our small group were ahead of me the day we hiked to Iona's fairy mound. A cat crossed the path as one woman asked, "Do you think we will see any fairies?"

Scot pointed to the cat. "There's one."

Right. Being allergic to cats, I paid scant attention to the tabby. My daughter, however, stopped to pet the cat.

After we spent some time on the grassy fairy mound, the sun grew low in the sky, signaling the onset of dusk (gloaming), a liminal "between" time. The air chilled. Descending the mound,  we again encountered the cat, which appeared to have been waiting for us. The fairy mound must have gifted me with the Sight, because now I noticed the cat's eyes were abnormally large and round, not at all as they had initially appeared. The cat's bright eyes now swirled with colors, magic, and mischief. Seeing my shock, the fairy feline grinned.

The encounter fostered within me a new understanding of the Fairy realm. It also gave birth to a new Two Realms character, Muirgen, a shape-shifting fairy cat. You will first meet Muirgen in The Viking Mist.

The coves and caves near Iona proved equally surprising and magical. I will tell you about them in next Tuesday's Travel The Two Realms, when a sailing adventure led to a scary paranormal discovery.

Until then, be kind and magical.

Copyright March 2022 Ariella Moon

We Have A Giveaway Winner!

 Thanks to everyone who entered The Viking Mist Giveaway!

Congratulations to the winner, Clemencio!

Clemencio, I have emailed you regarding your prize.

Please check your inbox.

I look forward to sending you your gift.

Happy reading, everyone!

#thevikingmist 

March's Dark Moon: New Beginnings and an Exciting New Book!

 

New Moons mark new beginnings, making the March 2nd dark moon the ideal time to launch The Viking Mist. Besides, I could not resist the magical correspondences linked to this Pisces New Moon—casting a glamour, shape-shifting, and water magic—all vital elements in The Viking Mist, sequel to The Beltane Escape and The Amber Elixir, a Two Realms Arthurian companion novella .

At its core, The Viking Mist, is a time bending tale about fate, second chances, and healing old wounds. Halfling Talfryn has five days to navigate the world of lethal Cold Iron, locate the human mother he has never known, and recover a stolen elixir that could mask a murderer — a quest he cannot survive without Fenella’s aid. Will the Thaness of Thorburn honor their alliance, knowing the venture will jeopardize her freedom and second chance at love? 

In this sequel to The Beltane Escape and The Amber Elixir, secrets abound, fates interweave, friendships fray, and no one is safe.

The Viking Mist Available Now

This ebook was so anxious to sail, it arrived a day early on AMAZON and Rakuten Kobo

Cover Reveal Day!

The Wait is Over! 

I can finally reveal the gorgeous cover

Amanda Matthews designed for

The Viking Mist

Book 2, The Two Realms Trilogy

On Sale March 2nd!

Now is a great time to catch up on the Two Realms series.

The Beltane Escape, Book 1, The Two Realms Trilogy

Available in Paperback and for a limited time on Kindle Unlimited.

Amazon  Barnes & Noble   iTunes

"Ms. Moon creates a magical world and a 

complex cast of characters that leap right off the page!" 

~ InD'Tale Magazine, Crowned Heart for Excellence review.

A noble more powerful than the king kidnaps Fenella, Thaness of Thorburn, to gain control of her strongholds. But he fears she is tainted with magic - power the Lady of the Lake needs to free herself from Merlin's spell. Fenella, lured back in time, has nine days to cross a dangerous world of magic, unshackle herself from a sorceress, and return to captivity before her kidnapper destroys all she holds dear. 

The Amber Elixir, Book 1.5, A Two Realms Companion Novella 

"Ariella writes fantastic fantasy...

This was a page turner, I didn't want to put the book down!"

~Amazon Five Star Review

What if the Lady of the Lake was new on the job and pressured by opposing forces - Merlin and Morgan le Fay? The Amber Elixir plunges readers into a world of magic, forbidden romance, and intrigue, where fairies shape-shift, the new Lady of the Lake must prove her worthiness to win back a lost love, and Morgan le Fay seeks a spell that could alter the balance of power in the Two Realms.

Amazon   Barnes & Noble

New Zoom Writing Lab on Point of View!

"POINT OF VIEW AND DEEP POINT OF VIEW"

 

by Ariella Moon

 Presented by the Palm Springs Writer's Guild

January 15, 2021   1:00 PM - 3:00 PM  (Pacific Time)

https://palmspringswritersguild.org/event-4071218

Whose head are we in?

Point of View (POV) is the lens through which your story is recorded. In this writing lab, we’ll discuss the main types of POV and their limitations and benefits. We will also examine using multiple points of view, and how to keep your reader oriented. You will discover which POV is best suited for your author’s voice. 

For Deep POV, a technique that can boost your writing to the next level, we will dive beneath a character's surface traits to explore what factors inform her/his perception and world view. You’ll discover how to use dialogue, inner monologues, style-shifting, and other techniques to reveal Deep POV. 

Mastering POV and Deep POV will enhance your story and increase reader engagement!

To register or read more: https://palmspringswritersguild.org/event-4071218