magic

Feb 2024 17

Rogue Festival 2024

2024 Articles, Arts & Entertainment, Lorie Lewis Ham, Rogue Festival

by Lorie Lewis Ham

The wonderful arts festival known as the Rogue Festival, which takes place in the Tower District of Fresno, is nearly upon us again! This year it will be running from March 1-9. While the general idea of the Festival remains the same each year, there are always subtle differences, so we took a moment to chat with the always witty Jaguar Bennett to find out what this year’s Rogue has in store for us! Hopefully, we will get him to tell us about his show this year as well!

Oct 2023 28

Mardi Gras and Magic By Jen Pitts: Review/Giveaway/Halloween Guest Post

2023 Articles, Cynthia Chow, Mysteryrat's Maze

by Cynthia Chow
& Jen Pitts

It’s been 40 years since Althea Fontenot was last in New Orleans, when she was only six years old and her mother Fern moved them away to Seattle with vows never to return. Ironically, Fern is the very reason Althea is back in New Orleans, as after her mother’s death Althea is charged with returning Fern’s ashes to her birthplace in the French Quarter.

Jul 2023 29

A Pair of Bookish Mysteries: Witch Upon a Star By Angela M. Sanders & A Cryptic Clue By Victoria Gilbert

2023 Articles, Cynthia Chow, Mysteryrat's Maze, Sandra Murphy

by Cynthia Chow
& Sandra Murphy

This week we have reviews of a pair of book related mysteries-Witch Upon a Star: A Witch Way Librarian Mystery by Angela M. Sanders and A Cryptic Clue by Victoria Gilbert. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of both books and links to purchase them at the end of each review--you may not be able to see the Amazon links if you have ad blocker on.

Mar 2023 10

Rogue Festival Reviews: Blood Harmony/Tim Mannix, Magician

2023 Articles, Music, Rogue Festival, Terrance V. Mc Arthur

by Terrance McArthur

Blood Harmony—A performance by The Murray Girls, who create amazing vocal combinations that enhance everything from folk murder ballads to Sixties pop.

Feb 2023 18

Sword of Darkness By Keri Arthur: Review/Giveaway

2023 Articles, Fantasy & Fangs, Lorie Lewis Ham, Mysteryrat's Maze

by Lorie Lewis Ham

I am a huge fan of Keri Arthur’s writing—her books always make my favorite books of the year list! When she started a new series called the Relic Hunters in 2022, I was excited to see what new things she had in store and I wasn’t disappointed. The first book was called Crown of Shadows. Sword of Darkness is the second book in the series. The series features a pixie named Bethany Aodhán.

Sep 2022 24

Steeped to Death By Gretchen Rue: Review/Giveaway/Interview

2022 Articles, Fantasy & Fangs, Kathleen Costa, Mysteryrat's Maze

by Kathleen Costa

Auntie Eudora Black was a tea connoisseur having traveled the world sampling blends from the every day to the exotic. After one such adventure, she returned to Raven Creek, Washington, and found her favorite used bookshop was closing. She jumped at the chance to rescue it, and after turning the large supply closet into a tearoom, The Earl’s Study opened.

May 2022 7

When the Crow’s Away By Auralee Wallace: Review/Giveaway

2022 Articles, Cynthia Chow, Fantasy & Fangs, Mysteryrat's Maze

by Cynthia Chow

For over four-hundred years the Warren family of witches have helped their town of Evenfall, Connecticut, but Brynn Warren lost her ability to communicate with ghosts after the devastating death of her beloved husband. The tragedy of an appropriately named widow-maker heart attack was compounded by the loss of her powers, but she was able to regain them by solving a murder that occurred in her family’s B&B. It looks like that was just the start of her appeal for ghosts seeking justice, as the spirit of the late and now cranky Mort Sweete has just landed in front of her.

Nov 2021 13

The Witch’s Child By Susan Van Kirk: Review/Giveaway/Interview

2021 Articles, Kathleen Costa, Mysteryrat's Maze

by Kathleen Costa

Fifty-something Grace Kimball retired after twenty-five years as a teacher at Endurance High School, and her friends Deb O’Hara, Jill Cunningham, and TJ Sweeney all had their own idea about what her second act should be. An offer to write a bi-weekly book review column for the local newspaper seemed a perfect fit for a former English teacher, but the job, however, led her to a mystery that caused her to confront her own tragedy.

Oct 2021 27

All Our Yesterdays

2021 Articles, Mysteryrat's Maze

by Susan Van Kirk

“She never saw her death coming.” This was the dramatic beginning sentence of my mystery, Three May Keep a Secret. It came out in 2014, the first of a series of four novels and a novella. The sentence referred to an unforgettable event in the past life of retired teacher, Grace Kimball, the protagonist of my Endurance Mysteries. For over three decades, that event haunted Grace, floating through her dreams, gliding through her memory, stirring up her fears, never-ending.