Moth

Image from Pixabay

As I walked up the hill, the gum trees loomed tall and dark on the roadside, casting weird shadows in the light from the full moon. Suddenly something caught the corner of my eye and I swept my flashlight in wide arcs around me, wondering if the moonlight was playing tricks on me. It did that sometimes, made me imagine things that weren’t there.

Caught in the beam was a large, furry moth. As it flew closer to my face I swiped at it, feeling its soft body flutter against the palm of my hand. I stifled a scream. I should be used to them by now; I often saw them around the graveyard, moving clumsily through the air, and wondered if they bred in the gum trees. They were bigger than any moths I had ever seen, their wings dull shades of brown, with two iridescent blue circles, one on each wing. Sometimes I would find their dead bodies on the gravestones and I would sweep them up and deposit them in the cemetery bin, while saying a little prayer for the lives short-lived.

From Where the Moths Dance

Image from Pixabay

 

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Character Profile: Midnight Max

Home:
Gum Tree Hill Cemetery in the small township of Quindlan.
Midnight Max has lived in the graveyard all his life. He knows every gravestone and every tree. He takes shelter from the bad weather in the caretaker’s shed, and he knows the best places to hide when strangers come up the hill in their loud cars and invade his territory. He lives his life by the moon phases and the seasons, taking comfort in all that is familiar.

Friends:
His friends are the crows that live in the gum trees, and Jessie, the girl who moved into the old caretaker’s cottage down the hill. Jessie spends a lot of time in the graveyard talking to herself, and sometimes she brings him a saucer of milk or a tasty morsel to eat. At first he was wary of her, but now he trusts her and senses that, like him, she just wants a quiet place to hang out, away from the rest of the world.

Personality traits:
He is a loner and a hunter, and he loves to explore, although he never ventures far outside the perimeter of the graveyard. Fiercely protective of his territory, he is more than capable of defending himself if need be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Herbs That Protect

Through the centuries there have been many herbs steeped in myth and magic. Certain herbs were considered to have strong protective properties and people would grow them outside their houses, hang bunches or wreaths around doorways and in their homes, sprinkle them in the corners of rooms, or carry them on their person in sachets to protect them from evil spirits, ghosts, witchcraft, or black magic.

In the Middle Ages, vervain was used as an ingredient in a holy salve to protect against demons and disease, while nettles provided protection against sorcery.

Vervain

Stinging nettle

In past times, many people believed that certain herbs, such as bay, elder, rue and basil could provide protection against witchcraft. Nicholas Culpeper, a well-known English botanist, herbalist, and physician in the 17th century, wrote that the bay tree ‘resisteth witchcraft very potently,’ and ‘neither witch nor devil, thunder nor lightening, will hurt a man in the place where a bay-tree is.’

Bay

Elder was planted outside the door to protect the home against evil and black magic, while fallen branches were brought inside and hung over doorways to protect the home.

Elder

Basil is a herb that is steeped in folklore. Used for purification and protection, it was said to have grown around Christ’s tomb after the resurrection. Some Greek Orthodox churches use it to prepare their holy water, and put pots of basil below their altars.

Basil leaves or an infusion of basil were sprinkled around the floors to prevent evil from entering the home.

Basil

Rosemary is also used for purification and protection and can be grown at the doorway of a house to protect those within.

 

Rosemary

St. John’s Wort was considered a magical plant that provided protection from evil spirits and ghosts. Branches of the shrub or stems of the herb were hung in homes to protect the occupants.

St. John’s Wort

Foxgloves, also called fairy’s gloves and witches’ thimbles, were grown in the garden to protect the home and property from evil spirits.

Foxgloves

Other herbs used to protect against evil include angelica, sage, wormwood, yarrow, horehound, eucalyptus, lavender, white clover, and hyssop.

Angelica

Yarrow

Sage

Anise Hyssop

White clover

Lavender

Herbs used for banishing ghosts and evil spirits include mallow, belladonna, henbane, and nettle.

Mallow

Belladonna

 

 Vervain, stinging nettle, elder, St. John’s Wort, angelica, yarrow, mallow and belladonna images are from Pixabay.
All other images are my own.

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Character Profile: Violet Parslow

 

 

 

 

 

Age:
16

Family:
Lives with her parents in the township of Quindlan. Her Aunt Tamilda is a Wiccan High Priestess.

Personality traits:
Violet is very much an individual, with a purple streak down her hair, multiple piercings, and a dress style consisting of miniskirts in shades of purples and blues and emerald greens, worn over black leggings, and accompanied by Doc Marten boots.
She loves everything to do with magic – crystals, herbs, candles, spells, and she wears a silver pentacle around her neck.
She embraces nature and sees the magic in everything around her.

 

 

 

 

 

Best friends:
Jessie and Brodie

School:
Attends Quindlan High, but is not very academic. She would rather be out experiencing life.

Favourite colour:
Bohemian colours of deep purple, emerald green, turquoise, and ruby red.

Favourite food:
Chocolate peppermint muffins.
She enjoys cooking, and loves to add herbs from her potted plants to her recipes—rosemary shortbread, mushrooms stuffed with basil and thyme, nettle quiche, lavender ice-cream, angelica and blueberry cake, lemon balm tart, rose petal jelly, violet cheesecake.

Favourite activities:

Herb crafts, candle making, tarot reading, learning about Wicca and magic from her Aunt Tamilda.

Favourite music:
Celtic music

Favourite TV shows:
Witches of East End, The Secret Circle, Charmed

Favourite flower:
Moonflower (also known as Angel’s Trumpet)—a plant with fragrant, white, trumpet-shape blooms that unfurl in the evening and stay open until the sun rises. Highly poisonous.

 

 

 

 

Candle and moonflower images are from Pixabay. All other images are my own.

Art Journal Page

This page in my art journal was inspired by my novel Where the Moths Dance.

The full moon bathes Gum Tree Hill Cemetery in a violet glow, casting silvery shadows across the stone angels. The wind whispers through the towering gum trees that encircle the graveyard, offering protection to all they encompass. Midnight Max, the cemetery cat, prowls stealthily between the graves, keeping a close vigil over his domain, while a solitary crow watches silently from its perch atop a gravestone. Overhead, attracted to the moonglow, moths perform a clumsy dance through the night.

While the dead rest, the graveyard is alive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Banana Cranberry Cake

This is Jessie’s favourite cake!

 

125g butter
1 cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
2 eggs
3 small bananas, or 2 large bananas, mashed
½ cup cranberries
1½ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ cup milk

Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Stir in the mashed bananas.
Fold in the sifted flour and baking powder, alternating with the milk.
Fold in the cranberries.
Pour mixture into a greased or paper lined 20 cm round cake tin.
Bake at 160º C for 1 hour or until cooked. Leave to cool, then ice.

Chocolate Icing

1 cup icing sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 tablespoons butter, softened
grated zest of 1 orange
1 teaspoon orange juice

Sift together icing sugar and cocoa. Add other ingredients and mix together until it is a smooth, spreadable consistency.

Character Profile: Jessie Hale

 

 

 

 

 

Age:
16

Home: 
The caretaker’s cottage at the bottom of Gum Tree Hill Cemetery, in the small town of Quindlan.

Personality traits:
A night owl, she feels at home beneath a veil of darkness, surrounded by the dead, with the moon and Midnight Max for company.
Enjoys spending time alone, but is fiercely loyal to her family and friends.
Can be stubborn and strong-willed, especially when fighting for something she believes in.
Will stand up to her fears and face them head-on.
Curious and questioning.
Open-minded, she is willing to give anything a go, and to believe the impossible.

Best friends:
Violet and Brodie.

School:
Quindlan High

Favourite colour:
Purple

Favourite food:
Pizza, anything spicy, and banana cake.

Favourite activities:
Reading, listening to music, hanging out in the graveyard, talking to the dead.

 

 

 

Favourite band:
Evanescence

Favourite TV show:
Ghost Whisperer

Favourite flower:
The blood-red rambling rose that entwines the iron gates at the entrance to the graveyard.

 

 

 

Greatest fear:
The wispy gray strands of fog that linger in the graveyard long after the morning mist over Quindlan has dispersed.

The Power of Crystals

For centuries people have been aware of the healing power of crystals and the energy they emit. Each crystal has its own distinct characteristics and properties, working through the resonance and vibration of their crystalline structure to heal and bring balance.

But as well as their power to heal, some crystals have the ability to protect from negative energies, and also from electromagnetic radiation. I keep a piece of amazonite beside my computer to absorb electromagnetic emanations. Other crystals that can protect against electromagnetic smog include smoky quartz, black tourmaline, amethyst, fluorite, amber, lepidolite, jasper, malachite, and aventurine.

In ancient times charms, amulets, and talismans made from crystals were carried or worn for spiritual protection or protection against negative energies. Amber was commonly used for protection by the ancient Romans, while jet was used in olden times to protect from entities of darkness.

Crystals that are known for their strong protective properties include amethyst, clear quartz and smoky quartz, black tourmaline, amber, jet, black obsidian, black onyx, black tourmaline, tiger’s eye, citrine, and garnet.

In my novel, Where the Moths Dance, Jessie carries a crystal protection pouch to protect herself against the evil entity that has invaded the graveyard where she lives. The pouch includes four crystals – clear quartz, amethyst, jet, and obsidian.

 

Clear quartz is good for grounding and for psychic protection. It protects against negative energy and transforms it to positive energy. It is a good cleanser and defender.

 

Amethyst is a highly protective stone. It guards against psychic attack and has strong healing and cleansing powers. It provides spiritual protection and purification and can clear one’s environment of negative energies.

 

 

Jet draws out and absorbs negative energies, protecting from forces of darkness and violence.

 

 

Obsidian provides powerful protective energies. It repels negativity and is said to enhance communication with spirits. It is a good stone for basic psychic defence.

 

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Book Tour: Where the Moths Dance

I am excited to announce that Enchanted Book Promotions has organised a virtual book tour for my young adult, paranormal novel, Where the Moths Dance. The tour runs for the month of August and includes book excerpts, author interviews, book reviews, and a giveaway for a signed paperback copy of the book. I’ve posted the tour schedule below and hope that you will check out these great book blogs!

August 1^st: Starter Day Party @ I Heart Reading

August 1^st: Book Excerpt @   Sylv Jenkins’ Blog

August 2^nd: Promo Post @ I’m an Eclectic Reader

August 3^rd: Book Excerpt @ Ashley’s Paranormal Book Blog

August 5^th: Promo Post @ The Reading Guru

August 7^th: Author Interview @ Majanka’s Blog

August 9^th: Promo Post @ Rose Shadow Ink

August 11^th: Book Review @ Forever Book Lover

August 13^th: Book Excerpt @ Realm Tramper

August 15^th: Promo Post @ Editor Charlene’s Blog

August 16^th: Book Excerpt @ Hollow Readers

August 17^th: Author Interview @ Cassidy Crimson’s Blog

August 18^th: Book Review @ Endazzled Reading

August 19^th: Promo Post @ The Book Daily

August 21^st: Book Review @ I Heart Reading

August 23^rd: Book Excerpt @ Books Direct

August 24^th: Book Review @ Books, Books and More Books

August 25^th: Author Interview @ The Single Librarian

August 26^th: Book Excerpt @ Fantasy Book Lane

August 28^th: Promo Post @ Bookaholic Ramblings

August 30^th: Book Review @ Paranormal Romance and Authors That Rock

September 1^st: Book Review and Book Excerpt @ Dalene’s Book Reviews

Stone Angels

As the car engine grew louder, the sound of raised voices echoed across the graveyard and I realized it was too late to make it over to the gum trees. So, grabbing my iPod, I headed for the grave of Charlotte Pyke, who had passed away in 1876. Although the weathered stone angel on top of her headstone had lost one of its wings long ago, the stone statue was the tallest in the graveyard and I figured it would be plenty tall enough to keep me hidden from view. Sinking down onto the cold concrete, I turned up the collar of my coat and prayed that my black hair and dark clothes would help me blend into the night.

From Where the Moths Dance

There is something about angel headstones that draw me to them when wandering around old graveyards.

In the nineteenth century, when elaborate headstones became popular, beautiful angels were carved by skilled, local stonemasons. By the late nineteenth century, however, headstones were being mass-produced and, sadly, the services of the local stonemasons were no longer required.

With their heads bowed, these stone angels portray a strong sense of loss and sorrow,

While angels looking skyward are seen to be guiding the deceased to heaven.

The most elaborately carved angels that we see are very old, covered with moss and cobwebs, some with broken wings

It is amazing how these carved pieces of gray stone can evoke such strong feelings, especially when they mark the burial place of a young child.

 

 

 

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