Can you believe July is almost over? It feels like summer has been flying by, with enough heat and humidity to keep my portable air conditioners working hard. Got lots of personal celebrations coming up this week—my husband's birthday is around the corner, along with our 14th anniversary! 🎊

Yep, I still like the guy. Surprising isn't it? 😜

In today's newsletter, you'll find your first sneak peek at Gift of Water, the 4th novel in my Elemental Bloodlines series. Yes, the story is finally coming along, although I'll admit I'm cutting it close since it's coming out on all retailers on August 20th. Will I be able to do Jasmin's love story justice with another 16-18 chapters left to write???? 😬

We'll find out in a couple weeks. For now, let's dive into Jasmin's world as she's reeling from an unexpected attack from one of her own family members. Then keep reading for a rather humorous meme I came across recently on Twitter, a giveaway, and a couple extra books by my fellow indie authors.

Gift of Water—Sneak Peek #1

Insomnia latched its claws onto me the night my uncle assaulted my friend Amira at the local beer garden. My mind replayed the scenario, hindsight rebuking me for not doing something, anything to prevent his attack. I had closed out his tab and that of his eerie comrade—an elder whose mollifying voice made my toes curl with dread—just minutes before they ambushed my friend. In the restroom. And jabbed a syringe designed for bloodletting into her neck.

You could have said something to Rolf or Nico, asked them to keep an eye on those two. It’s your fault Amira got hurt. Why didn’t you notice they hadn’t left after they paid? You should have perceived their magic converging where only employees are allowed to go. What’s wrong with you? A witch should be skilled enough to protect her friends from danger.

With a frustrated sigh, I rolled from my back onto my side, curling my arms around my legs and burying my face into my pillow. I tried not to catch sight of the numbers glowing on my digital clock, but they glared at me, unavoidable beacons. 3:52. For almost three hours, I had lain here on my bed, my brain refusing to shut off. Thank goodness Nico gave me the evening shift at Kramhof. My body rebelled against the mere idea of waking up early.

The urge to retrieve my phone and dive into a new book gnawed at me, but it would be hard to concentrate on such distractions now. I kept envisioning Amira weak and shivering in the restroom at Kramhof, her blood’s secrets stolen by a pair of Teuton males. Would she even want to join our community after this? How could I make this right? My uncle would shrug me off if I confronted him.

Screw it. I’m starting a new book. Groaning, I lifted my face from my pillow and reached for my phone just as it buzzed with an incoming text. Jerking to attention, I snatched it from its charger and brought up the message. It was from Rolf. You still up?

My shoulders relaxed and a small smile softened my lips. Unfortunately, I typed back.

See you at the glade. He worded his response as a statement, not a question. Of course we would meet at the glade, after my uncle barged into our Alpine village and upended our peaceful lives. That was the one place Rolf and I could speak in private. A place we claimed for ourselves as teenagers on our afternoon hikes. Only Amira knew the location of our glade, but she would not appear there tonight. Not in spirit form.

Elemental magic could permit Teutons to separate their spirits from their bodies so they could wander the forests unseen and undetected by outsiders. Lady Ilsa, my hometown’s beloved crone, taught me how to breach the spiritual realm when I was just a child. Since I claimed the element of water, that sort of magic required me to forsake my bed for the bathroom down the hall.

After acknowledging Rolf’s invitation, I struck out for the bathroom, closing the door and climbing into the bathtub without bothering to switch on the light. I had no need to watch myself summon my water from my blood in order to send my spirit into the ether. It looked and felt the same every time, a refreshing current that consumed my physical body like a mighty river, spreading from the tips of my limbs upward to my torso, plunging my essence into elemental oblivion. Such a rush. Such a relief.

As my water coalesced into a surging shield of protection over my body, my spirit emerged beside the bathtub, floating centimeters above the tile floor. The nightlight’s faint glimmer revealed my elemental robes in a silvery dark blue, like moonlight upon a mountain lake. Appropriate. The peace of the spiritual realm eased the last of my tension as I slid my eyelids shut and shaped my intent to alter reality around me. Farewell, bathroom. Hello, woodland glade.

A copse of birches and poplars manifested around me, a myriad of stars casting their distant fires upon the grasses, ferns, and wildflowers that occupied our glade. An unnamed mountain brook trickled softly through the trees to my left, my robes modifying their hues to match the nearest water source. That happened whenever I took my spiritual form, my magic drawing inspiration from nature’s boundless resources.

Rolf looked up at me from where he sat amid the ferns, tracing his sparking hands through a batch of violet Alpine asters. Couldn’t sleep? Empathy thrummed in his mental voice, his raised eyebrows a familiar expression.

Nope. I drifted toward him and plunked my spirit onto a smooth stone to the left of where he sat. What about you? You and Nico never came back after you took Amira to Lady Ilsa’s. She’s okay, right?

I sank my ghostly fingers into a clump of dandelions beside my left hip, sliding my free hand through my robes while I awaited his report. My element’s presence soothed me, though it did not reach out to mingle with Rolf’s energy. My disappointment in myself resurfaced as I recalled hearing my uncle and his buddy grumbling about Amira’s fiancée in Teutonic dialect. I should have known their words would lead to trouble.

Rolf held his peace for so long that I shot him a look, worry tightening my magic around me in a vise. Amira’s not exactly okay, but she’s got skilled witches looking after her, he admitted, his focus on the flowers between us. She texted me just before midnight. Lady Ilsa wants me to conjure an energy shield around her family’s property.

My eyes widened. To keep my uncle out? He’s a priest. I’m sure he knows how to break through an energy shield.

Rolf’s elemental energy buzzed around his spirit, his pale face radiant with light as his eyebrows came together. I was thinking the same thing. Running his right hand through his glistening hair—which prompted it to give off sparks—he met and held my gaze. We talked it over for hours, after my father and I left Lady Ilsa’s cottage. All four of us sat down and discussed how best to protect everyone in Wildertal. My mother and I will probably raise a combined shield around Kramhof and tune it to repel people with malicious intent.

I winced at his terminology, an image of my aunt and cousins arising in my mind. My Onkel Gerhard had done something terrible to one of my good friends, but I never imagined the Kram family erecting a magical barrier to block him from the only restaurant in town. What does my uncle want with Amira and Doro, with any of us? I infused my mental voice with all of the uncertainty I felt, rubbing my own hands through the waving tides comprising my hair.

It’s something to do with the Teutonic asylum, according to what my father said. He chased them in his spirit form while they were driving back to Prutz and scattered Amira’s blood to the wind so they couldn’t read more of her secrets. But the elder—his name is Neiswender—drank some of it. He and your uncle seem to think Amira and Doro know some juicy gossip about the asylum.

I blinked at Rolf, my arms dropping to my sides while I fought to make sense of what he had learned. The Teutonic asylum? The name ‘Neiswender’ seems familiar. I’m pretty sure he’s a psychiatrist there, probably the one my uncle hired to watch over my Tante Petra.

My spirit quailed at the thought of that terrible place, a fortress along the German border where mentally ill Teutons with destructive elements were locked away to protect themselves and the world at large. While I acknowledged the need for specialized care for Teutons whose magic might erupt at random and endanger our community, it never sat well with me to picture my aunt shut inside a dismal stronghold, permanently separated from her element. The currents of translucent water adorning my robes churned in agitation. It was unnatural to separate a witch from her magic.

Your Onkel Gerhard is the one who thinks you need a husband, isn’t he? Rolf’s change of subject caught me off guard. A pile of frustrations fell into my lap, tainting the serenity of the spiritual realm. I raised my head from where I hunched atop the stone and glared at my companion.

What does that have to do with him attacking Amira? My entire family thinks I’m already a spinster at twenty-three. My brother’s perfect, of course, since he settled down with Lori. But what’s taking me so long? Why didn’t I just stay with you and breed Kram babies? Grow old and run a cozy motel with a guy who puts mayonnaise on everything!

I rose into the air to float toward the brook, ordering myself to stanch my torrent of irritated thoughts. Jasmin. My name pealed gently from Rolf’s mind, an attempt at appeasement. But I was not prepared for that now, even though neither of us harbored romantic interest in each other. We had tried right after we finished high school. Two tedious years of hikes and dates in hopes something would ignite.

And nothing. He even tasted like mayonnaise, and I hated mayonnaise. That was not something I was willing to kiss for the rest of my life, no matter how much my parents wanted grandchildren.

Sometimes I just feel like my life is going nowhere, I muttered, dipping my feet into the brook and wordlessly asking its waters to reassure me. Stuck in a tiny village with my parents pressuring me marry and work in the construction office. A place where time stands still, no chance to grow alongside others.

I gazed through the branches above me toward the stars, the early summer dawn having erased most of them from view, even for my elemental eyes. My water detected Rolf’s energy approaching, his aura replete with understanding. I hear you. My mother sometimes gives me a hard time since I didn’t win you over. But she knows I’m content to run Kramhof myself, with or without a wife.

Rolf’s spirit hovered above the brook, his glinting eyes catching hold of mine, his element shimmering against the forest’s shaded background. Despite his attempt at nonchalance, I suspected he felt a bit unmoored himself. It was not easy to navigate our community without a partner. Not when the elders groaned about our dwindling numbers.

My point about your uncle, though, was that he has some weird obsession with the Teutonic asylum, Rolf went on. Shutting your aunt away in there. Being best buddies with Neiswender. Prying into Amira’s relationship with Doro, thinking they know something about what goes on in that place.

Onkel Gerhard wants me to get married because he thinks I’ll go insane without a Truhtein guarding my heart. He’s been trying to convince my father of that for years, that I’ll eventually take after Tante Petra. I shook my head and rose toward the treetops, beckoning my childhood friend to follow. Come on, let’s take a hike. No point in dwelling on stupid priests terrified of unbound witches.

Rolf gave a mental snort and glided beside me as I turned south, the lights of Wildertal glimmering in the distance. Our hometown was a vibrant village in spite of its small population, a destination for travelers wishing to hike, bike, and ski on the mountains surrounding our valley. The pale green Wilderbach stream curled through town in its western course toward the Inn River and the highway to larger cities like Landeck and Innsbruck. Sometimes I yearned to follow that highway, to leave this village that wound around my chest like a python, slowly crushing my dreams before I could discover them.

If you want to pretend we’re giving it another shot in hopes of keeping your uncle off your back, I’m up for it, Rolf proposed as I changed course toward the Rupp farm, not wishing to reenter civilization just yet. Pretty sure we can put up a believable front. Jasmin and Rolf, together again.

Amusement rolled off my friend’s elemental robes, assuring me he had no desire to reopen a door that led nowhere. But his offer touched me, our friendship as solid as it always had been. Tracing my gaze along the western peaks, I shot him a grin and answered, I don’t think I’d be good at fake dating. I’m no actress. My father doesn’t take Onkel Gerhard seriously, anyway.

Fake dating would require fake kissing. No mayonnaise for me.

***

Poor Jasmin's got a lot of weirdness to sort through. An uncle who wants to meddle in her love life and that of her good friend Amira...in an effort to uncover juicy secrets about the Teutonic asylum? An ex casting an energy shield to keep her uncle at bay, and parents who want her to just settle down and raise magical children. Where do you think this is going to end up?

We'll all find out in just a couple weeks! Reserve your copy of Gift of Water right now to be the first to know all the details.

https://books2read.com/ebgiftofwater

Funky Meme

So I'll admit to mindlessly scrolling social media a bit more than I should, since my brain craves new-to-me information. Of course most of what I find in places like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram is useless drivel, but sometimes I come across some diamonds in the rough. Like this meme.

I'm wondering whether this works when you're camping in the woods and you hear some unknown animal sniffing around your tent? 🤔

🔮 Witchy Giveaway 🔮

C.L. Cannon's running a fun giveaway involving some awesome prizes for all the witches in your life. I can personally recommend that Witches Brew mug, since I have one in my kitchen! Best part about this giveaway is that you just have to follow various indie authors on social media in order to enter. No newsletter subscriptions needed. 💖 Enter at the button below or by clicking on the graphic above, and prepare to be swept away into a witchy wonderland.

✨ Witchy Giveaway ✨

Other Books You Might Like

I've got 2 books for you to check out today—one for vampire lovers and one for dragon aficionados. If you don't mind snagging books from Smashwords, both of these books are currently FREE in the Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale. Or you can get them from your favorite retailer for less than a dollar. It's your choice, but don't wait if you're looking for a deal!

Junior property lawyer Alisha didn't expect to run into her one-night-stand at work and discover she's her new colleague.

Dragon shifter Kendra has no interest in finding her mate but fate keeps putting Alisha in her path.

When they're forced to work together on a case, tension grows between the two women as the stakes get higher. Can Kendra and Alisha look past their ambitions and find common ground or will their rivalry break them apart?

✨ All Retailers ✨

I’ve always wanted to escape my ordinary existence.

Then an invitation to attend a Halloween party in the Heavenly Mansion arrives.

Now, I'm trapped in a mansion with three gorgeous men who want to do everything to please me.

They claim I’m the reincarnation of their sire, and they want me to become their Vampire Queen. My mind cautions me about playing their seductive games.

My body disagrees and wants to savor every moment we spend together.

With lovers like them, how can I refuse their promises of eternal love if it means they might die without me?

✨ All Retailers ✨

That's all I've got for you this week, because like I said at the beginning of this email, I'm running out of time to get the rest of Jasmin's love story down on paper. Or into my Microsoft Word document. And then turn it into an ePub so you can read it on your Kindle, Kobo, iPad, tablet, or smartphone. It's a whole process over here in Indie Author Land. 😉

Wish me luck with my writing, and try your best to stay cool (or warm). Have a wonderfully weird week, and I'll catch you next Wednesday.

Talk to you soon,

C.L. Carhart

Pre-order Gift of Water:

https://clcarhart.com/products/gift-of-water-ebook

Get Gift of Air for free:

https://bf.clcarhart.com/6w57qgfhc9

Get Dukes of Magic for free:

https://dl.bookfunnel.com/7yzvslyqb9

Enter the Witchy Ways giveaway:

https://clcannon.net/2023/06/26/witchyways/