Who am I? Which spiritual sister am I? I have never had a sister, sigh, but now I have Colleen, Debby, Adele Marie, myself, and Annette. Isn’t that wonderful? We are the Spiritual Sisters.
I’ve always had a fascination with the alternative, a curiosity about the paranormal, an interest in the zodiac and the like. For a time I worked as an alternative therapist specialising in Aromatherapy and Reflexology. I even did a short course in Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT.) It fascinated me, but in truth, I didn’t have a lot of clients. I hadn’t discovered the power of blogging or social media yet. Perhaps, if I had it might have been a different story.
During my time as a therapist, I became quite intuitive and I developed an interest in crystals, auras, and chakras. My first crystal purchase was a malachite.
I believe the malachite marked the beginning of my transformation!
In this new feature – Spiritual Sisters – which was originally posted on our collaborative blog The Sisters of The Fey, I hope to explore crystals and their properties, the paranormal, and perhaps drop in a few zodiac posts too (I have a particular interest in the Chinese zodiac.) I’ve partially written an MG story set in Edinburgh about a girl and a dragon at Chinese New Year, which I hope to publish in the future. I also hope to share with you my magical connection posts about the wonder of nature, trees and spirit animals.
For the moment I would also like to share with you a focus on protective stones as I believe there is an unexplained presence in our house. There have been some very strange happenings that the female members of our household have noticed. My husband seems to be oblivious!
Including:
A disturbing strange vision we saw in the garden.
A force (a powerful air draft) pressing against the front door when I leave or enter the house. This is even apparent on a still day with no wind.
When I am alone in the house I tend to hear loud noises such as doors slamming, or objects falling which can be very creepy. My daughters and other visitors to our house have noticed this too.
My daughter saw a strange ghostly image crouching on the stairs leading to the attic and heard whisperings.
There have been unexplained fingerprints on the windows and more disturbing, two bird wingspan marks an equal distance from each other on the back patio doors. I took this photo of one of the sides. Ok, I added some Instagram effects to show you how it made me feel…
The other day at work I noticed this black shadowed bird-like apparition on a tree… which a friend of mine said is a BOOBRIE – ‘a shape-shifting bird from the mythology and folklore of the Scottish Highlands’. I’m not sure if this is the case as I work far away from the Scottish Highlands and there are no lochs nearby, but…
Red Jade is one of many intriguing crystals in my debut novel. Of course, the crystals in my novel are extraordinary gems, magical crystals conjured up by my imagination! They represent the light, or potential happiness of the protagonists within, whereas shadows represent darkness, deception and sadness. The Curse of Time is a novel of light and dark, so be prepared for both if you decide to pick up a copy. I do not shy away from difficult topics as reviewers on Goodreads have highlighted in their comments:
‘The story bravely tackles issues of mental health and self-harm, but in such a sensitive way that it can only help improve understanding.’ Book Review – Author Richard Dee.
‘There is a multi-layered mystery to be unravelled, spiced with supernatural hints and mixed with some very current issues such as family dysfunction and self-harming.’ Book Review – Blogger Samantha Murdoch.
Here is a short excerpt highlighting the light in the form of the red jade crystal.
‘There are so many delightful ones. How do I decide which one to choose?’ I turned in a circle trying to take in the dazzling gems as they spun before me.
‘Many of the stones have healing properties, but you must follow your instinct and find one you know is right for you. The defenders of the Cottage will guide you.’
Again, I wanted to ask about the defenders of the cottage but left the words unsaid, and they remained stuck in my throat. A jumble of incoherent sentences tumbled around in my thoughts.
Unsure of how to proceed, I followed Leanne’s advice, running my fingers up and down the crystal wall, caressing the gems. I felt a warmth generating from the crystals as my hand brushed over them. I stifled a giggle when they tickled my fingertips. Eventually, a crystal responded to my touch by easing itself from the wall to find a new home in my palm.
Mesmerised by the experience, I realised that above all else, the feeling of the stone on the wall had guided me to choose it. I sensed that the gem belonged; it spoke silent words of encouragement as if it claimed me. I relished the feeling of power that emanated from the crystal as it radiated a warming light that caressed my skin, hugging me like a dear old friend.
‘Wonderful choice my dear. The Red Jade is a lucky crystal. It is the most passionate and stimulating of the Jade stones. It will urge you to go beyond your comfort zone, to be courageous.’ Leanne beamed a bright smile and stared deep into my eyes as if she would find an answer to some unanswered question there. With an abundance of confidence in her voice, she continued. ‘There are those amongst us, corrupt souls who will try to follow you into the cottage. So, you must take care. The cottage will rise up to greet you but you must not encourage others to enter, or terrible things might befall them, so beware.’ With those words of warning ringing in my ears, Leanne turned back to tending her birds, dismissing me without a final goodbye.
I knew this was my cue to depart, so I moved toward the door. Placing a foot outside, I felt the beginnings of an earth tremor beneath my feet. I jumped as far as I could, dreading that I might fall to my death in the crack that appeared. There was no way I could have leapt so far and yet somehow, I had. The magic that bound me to the cottage lifted me high in the air and ensured my safety. In a blink of my eye, the cottage drew back, claimed by the depths far below. Nothing remained of the old ramshackle building apart from a few loose pebbles scattered on the ground where the cottage had stood only moments before.
Unique Selling Point: Unique, Imaginative, ‘Charming, enchanting and richly layered this is purely delightful.’
“This delightful book will appeal to teens and young adults who love stories filled with magical crystals, dark family curses, and mysteries waiting to be solved around every corner. Each chapter leads you on a journey of discovery where Amelina earns the right to use three wizard stones to reset the balance of time and finally break the curse that holds her family hostage. A captivating tale!” – Colleen M. Chesebro (Editor)
I have some wonderful news, I have updated the kindle copy of The Curse of Time Book 1 Bloodstone with some new features – my logo, author photo, two amazing full colour images of Esme and The Creature plus a few minor changes and enhancements too.
xxx Yeah!!! I work hard to ensure that my readers are happy. xxx
The kindle is new and improved!
Below in the slideshow you can see my wonderful logo which is now a feature in the kindle copy. The logo was designed by Allie Potts: https://alliepottswrites.com/
It is a black dragon and a white unicorn doing a Kyrosmagica dance, twirling around. I absolutely love it. Allie very kindly created different colours for me and a black and white shadowed one too! Love them all.
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The wonderful images of two of my characters – The Creature, and Esme created by talented artist Carolina Russo https://yesterdayafter.com now feature in the kindle too.
To celebrate I’ve decided to lower the price of the kindle for a limited time period only.
You can buy a kindle copy of The Curse of Time Book 1 Bloodstone at a really amazing price – 1.99 pence on Amazon UK. What a bargain!
For less than the price of a coffee you can get a little piece of my soul! But rush, this soul offer is for a limited time period only!!!
All I ask in return is perhaps you might consider reviewing The Curse of Time for me on Amazon, Goodreads and the like. Currently I have nine reviews on Amazon, and eleven on Goodreads. So don’t be shy, I won’t say no to a few more!
My latest five-star review on Goodreads by Gemma Bray, Neverland Blog Tour Host:
I am truly addicted to this book! Marjorie is such a talented author and really does reel you into the book and the life of Amelina. At first, I was a little unsure about the book with it being different from my normal genres and a little slow. After a while though, you do get addicted and just can not put it down! Amelina is a really good character, super lovable and you want to keep reading to see where things take her.
You are quickly whisked off into a world filled with supernatural happenings, people in mirrors and crystals. Lots of crystals! There is an element of change evident in Amelina as the book progresses, showing her development as a person who is capable of having a huge effect on those around her, as she learns of the powers she has had bestowed upon her. On the other end of the spectrum, Ryder is a really dislikeable character.
I suppose he needed to be like this, as you’re really not meant to like him! He definitely influences Amelina negatively, her friends and family also question him, making him for a well-written character within the story. The last couple of chapters were crazy and left me on the edge of my seat wanting more from them. This book does focus on things from the norm, the whole secret and wanting to know about these crystals.
Normally I hate finishing books, as the impressive story is over, but I have the luxury of Book 2 for this series, which I hope I can get my hands on it soon! Overall, this is a book brimming with supernatural happenings, a mysterious cottage and a family problem that needs solving. I definitely recommend this to anyone who loves a good mystery as it will reel you in.
I received a lovely gift from my dear blogging friend, Samantha Murdoch
It was a lovely letter, a bunch of crystals (amethyst, rose quartz, red jasper, obsidian, carnelian, jade and of course a Bloodstone, as Sam said in her letter, ‘ the piece as featured on the spine of your novel,’ plus two cute cat napkins! Such a wonderful gift.
So, of course what better way to thank her than to write a Tanka!
For gather I shall use collect, and kind for soft.
Couldn’t ask for a better friend, Samantha is such a diamond. 🙂
To join in with Colleen’s weekly Tanka Tuesday do follow the link:
My paperback release blog tour continues this week with a fabulous tour organised by Jennifer Marston. Please do support the tour and enter the Rafflecopter giveaway to win a cash prize by visiting the blogs mentioned above in the Tour Schedule. Today, Sunday 22nd April is the last day to enter!!!!
“This world building was where M.J Mallon excelled. It allowed her to be wonderfully creative, which in turn meant that I was sucked into the world of The Curse of Time.”
“This is a book brimming with supernatural happenings, a mysterious cottage and a family problem that needs solving. I definitely recommend this to anyone who loves a good mystery as it will reel you in”
I am an author who has been blogging for many moons at my lovely blog home Kyrosmagica: https://mjmallon.com. My interests include writing, photography, poetry, and alternative therapies. I write Fantasy YA/Paranormal novels, Horror/Ghost Short stories and micro poetry – haiku and tanka. I love to read and have written over 100 reviews: https://mjmallon.com/2015/09/28/a-z-of-my-book-reviews/
My alter ego is MJ – Mary Jane from Spiderman. I love superheroes! I was born on the 17th of November in Lion City: Singapore, (a passionate Scorpio, with the Chinese Zodiac sign a lucky rabbit,) second child and only daughter to my proud parents Paula and Ronald. I grew up in a mountainous court in the Peak District in Hong Kong with my elder brother Donald. My parents dragged me away from my exotic childhood and my much loved dog Topsy to the frozen wastelands of Scotland. In bonnie Edinburgh I mastered Scottish country dancing, and a whole new Och Aye lingo.
As a teenager I travelled to many far-flung destinations to visit my abacus wielding wayfarer dad. It’s rumoured that I now live in the Venice of Cambridge, with my six foot hunk of a Rock God husband, and my two enchanted daughters. After such an upbringing my author’s mind has taken total leave of its senses! When I’m not writing, I eat exotic delicacies while belly dancing, or surf to the far reaches of the moon. To chill out, I practise Tai Chi. If the mood takes me I snorkel with mermaids, or sign up for idyllic holidays with the Chinese Unicorn, whose magnificent voice sings like a thousand wind chimes.
Books by M J Mallon:
The Curse of Time – Book 1 – Bloodstone
Blurb:
Fifteen-year-old Amelina Scott lives in Cambridge with her dysfunctional family, a mysterious black cat, and an unusual girl who’s imprisoned within the mirrors located in her house. When an unexpected message arrives inviting her to visit the Crystal Cottage, she sets off on a forbidden pathway where she encounters Ryder, a charismatic, but perplexing stranger.
With the help of a magical paint set, and some crystal wizard stones she discovers the truth about a shocking curse that has destroyed her family’s happiness.
NEWS!!! THE CURSE OF TIME HAS BEEN ACQUIRED BY PUBLISHER – NEXT CHAPTER PUBLISHING. MORE DETAILS SOON.
ORIGINAL Title DETAILS:
The Curse of Time Book 1 – Bloodstone Kindle Publication date: 27th August 2017 Genre: YA/Paranormal Fantasy Pages: 237 ASIN: B074CDJPY9 Buy Book (Original Title,) updated republished version coming soon:myBook.to/TheCurseofTime
“This delightful book will appeal to teens and young adults who love stories filled with magical crystals, dark family curses, and mysteries waiting to be solved around every corner. Each chapter leads you on a journey of discovery where Amelina earns the right to use three wizard stones to reset the balance of time and finally break the curse that holds her family hostage. A captivating tale!” – Colleen M. Chesebro (Editor)
The Curse of Time – Book 1 – Bloodstone
Blurb:
Fifteen-year-old Amelina Scott lives in Cambridge with her dysfunctional family, a mysterious black cat, and an unusual girl who’s imprisoned within the mirrors located in her house. When an unexpected message arrives inviting her to visit the Crystal Cottage, she sets off on a forbidden pathway where she encounters Ryder, a charismatic, but perplexing stranger.
With the help of a magical paint set, and some crystal wizard stones she discovers the truth about a shocking curse that has destroyed her family’s happiness.
My poetry, prose and photography collection released on February 16th.
Mr. Sagittarius is available in kindle, full colour paperback and free in Amazon Kindle Unlimited.
Blurb:
Who Is Mr. Sagittarius?
And what is his connection to twin brothers, Harold and William?
When Harold dies he leaves a simple memorial request
Will his sister Annette honour it?
Or, will the magic of the garden ensure that she does.
A magical story expressed via poetry and prose with photographic images.
I am a participating author in Dan Alatorre’s anthology: Nightmareland with my story Scrabble Boy.
From the creators of the #1 bestseller The Box Under The Bed horror anthology and its #1 bestseller sequel Dark Visions, comes Nightmareland
A best-selling horror anthology with 23 stories from 14 authors.
I am a participating author in Plaisted Publishing House’s Ghostly Anthology 2019 with my short story Dexter’s Creepy Caverns.
Please note, it is showing as 99p on Amazon, which take a little longer for it to recognise its free elsewhere.
I’m contributing two poems to Plaisted Publishing House Ghostly Writers short story collection. Ghostly Romance Anthology Volume 1 is now FREE on Amazon:
I also contributed to Plaisted Publishing House Ghostly Writes Anthology 2018 with my story Ghostly Goodbye.
Ghostly Goodbye by M J Mallon
Ghostly Goodbye is a paranormal love story about a young woman called Iris who can’t get over her husband’s death. She is mourning him so much that she feels dead inside. Her husband Ed sends her a ghostly message from beyond the grave via an old forgotten garment in her wardrobe. She responds by dragging herself from her tomb-like bed and he draws back the curtain of death to visit her in a most unusual way.
Reviews needed! Please support us.
Available on Amazon, Apple, Nook, Kobo, Scribd, 24S, Playster, Indigo, Angus & Robertson, Mondadori Store: Universal Buying Link
Samantha Murdoch kindly allowed me to use the following images in my publicity and on the spine of my paperback of The Curse of Time Book 1 Bloodstone.
The Bloodstone
and images of her cat Lily (who is very like the black cat Shadow in my book, The Curse of Time.
Carolina Russo has created two wonderful portraits of my characters which feature in my paperback. Below is the full colour version, the paperback images are in black and white.
1. I wish I could be wonder woman or MJ from Spiderman
2. I adore crystals, alternative therapies, the unusual and the strange. I’m a qualified Aromatherapist, Reflexologist, (I no longer work as a therapist instead I devote my spare time to reading, writing, blogging and reviewing.)
3. Some say that I am a white witch…my blogging friends confer and have included me in the Sisters of The Fey, a writerly collaboration.
4. My husband can’t remember asking me to marry him and neither can I. He suspects I cast a spell on him!
5. I have travelled to many foreign destinations, including: Papua New Guinea, Fiji, the Caribbean, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Rome, Venice, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium and Portugal. I would love the funds to travel some more!
6. I currently work as a receptionist for a private sixth form in Cambridge. In quiet moments I observe peoples’ mannerisms, listen to snippets of gossip and dream up new story ideas.
7. I love food! Asian food and anything spicy, yum…My mother is Malaysian and my father is Scottish so I grew up with a very varied diet.
8. My motto is to do what you love! Stay true to your heart’s desires, remain young at heart, and inspire others to do so, even if the odds are stacked against you like black-hearted shadows.
9. I studied Communication Studies at University, (marketing, media studies, public relations, etc.) My degree is coming in mighty handy now.
10. I love cats but don’t own one (my husband and daughter are allergic,) so I adopted a virtual black cat called Lily who looks like my black cat character Shadow in my book: https://mjmallon.com/2017/05/17/shadow-welcomes-lily-the-cat-to-kyrosmagica/
11. I have so many writing projects and so little time! I am a writing butterfly so this pains me greatly!
12. I am an original! I have been to every single Bloggers Bash until now. http://sachablack.co.uk/annual-bloggers-bash/
13. I have met the inventor of The Corpus Christi Chronophage clock – Dr John C Taylor, OBE who kindly gave me permission to use his images in my book. http://www.johnctaylor.com/the-chronophage/
14. I enjoy interviewing my fictional characters on my blog. Currently you can meet
Shadow: https://mjmallon.com/2017/05/11/my-interview-with-shadow-a-black-cat-character-with-a-past/
Amelina: https://mjmallon.com/2017/08/20/mj-interviews-amelina-the-curse-of-time-bloodstone-sundayblogshare/
Since I have been writing and blogging there have been so many cases of serendipity, discovering like-minded souls who share similar interests. My lovely friend Colleen Chesebro, fellow writer, chief sister, (blog originator,) at The Sisters of the Fey, loves crystals, fairies and all things magical. Colleen helped me enormously with my manuscript The Curse of Time. She went way beyond a beta read and I am so indebted to her for her kindness, helping me achieve my dream to publish my first book.
Carolina Russo who blogs at Yesterday After (my illustrator,) also has a crystal connection! She makes crystal jewellery and has created two wonderful pieces of art to illustrate my book, which I will be sharing in a special feature on my next blog post on my main blog – https://mjmallon.com so keep an eye out for that!
And the lovely Samantha Murdoch, who loves cats and crystals kindly emailed me lots of photos of her beautiful black cat Lily to promote my cat character Shadow, as well as an image of the Bloodstone which graces the spine of the paperback.
My friend Wendy Anne Darling had a magical challenge too, to transform Dr John C Taylor’s brilliant images of the Corpus Christi Clock into a magnificent book cover. She did a fantastic job. Do pop over to Wendy’s blog, and check out her book design service.
Oh, and did I mention that Dr John C Taylor, OBE, inventor of the Corpus Christi Chronopage clock is a keen geologist, loves crystals and of course clocks too…
Such is the power of serendipity! Would you believe it?
I truly believe that The Curse of Time and all these wonderful connections were meant to be.
Have you ever had a similar experience, when everything came together in such a magical and mysterious way?
The prompt words this week are destination, and guide. I chose to use the synonyms haven and guiding spirit. I created the above Tanka which leads to a short, but oh so relevant excerpt…
An excerpt from my YA/Paranormal Fantasy the Curse of Time – Book 1 – Bloodstone.
A hazy image materialised into a multitude of glistening sparks which transformed into a vibrantly glowing object. I heard the pounding hearts from each of us becoming louder and more distinct as we gazed at the object. The sparks coalesced, no longer separate entities they’d joined to form a spirit or a ghostly apparition. The specter sparkled like a million candle lights, speaking to each of us, in a wisp of a voice that drifted like the wind.
The spirit addressed me, knowing I possessed the gift to understand the crystals. ‘You have called me forth to open your heart to the truth. You must accept who you are and not be afraid. Embrace your true self. Encourage others to do the same. Then you will be a truly magical person, able to rekindle your family’s happiness. Beware those who want what you possess.’
The spirit turned and pointed at Joselyn. ‘Joselyn, you must move on from your past and accept the challenges of the future. Don’t be fearful. Your confidence will grow the more you follow your dreams.’
The phantom floated above us on invisible currents and pointed at Ilaria. ‘Ilaria, you have no more to fear from the children who taunted you. Your laughter protects you from their wickedness. Heed my words and use your skill wisely.’
Jade was last, and the spirit hovered near her face. ‘Jade, you possess the skill and craft of working with animals. You must cherish and nurture it. Be faithful to your friends, and most of all, beware of those who may lead you astray.’
When the spirit finished speaking, the ghostly form drifted toward the candles and hovered above them. Slowly, the flames were extinguished one after the other, and we found ourselves sitting in total darkness. The phantom had vanished. No one spoke. We were shocked into a stunned silence. Ilaria switched on the light, and with one glance, we all knew things between us would never be the same again. That night signalled the beginning of our own personal voyages toward self-discovery.
Today, I have some wonderful news for you, my kindle book is on promotional offer. The kindle countdown deal starts today. So hurry, get the best price reduction today!!!
“This delightful book will appeal to teens and young adults who love stories filled with magical crystals, dark family curses, and mysteries waiting to be solved around every corner. Each chapter leads you on a journey of discovery where Amelina earns the right to use three wizard stones to reset the balance of time and finally break the curse that holds her family hostage. A captivating tale!” – Colleen M. Chesebro (Editor)
And my first 5 star review on Amazon!!!!
This special offer is to celebrate my wedding anniversary this week. Hubby and I were married on the 26th of September many moons ago!
Here are some old photos of us in our prime!
A bit blurry I know, but they were taken a long time ago. It was our first skiing holiday together in Verbier, Switzerland. My husband is a keen skiier and is always happiest if he is about to launch himself at full throttle down a ski slope. I’d rather pat a horse! I didn’t have much luck with skiiing, but I am determined, I persevered and went for years. I stopped skiing after I fell off the edge of a pathway and had to be rescued by my ski instructor. But my husband still goes every year and loves it.
I so admire those who ski and participate in adventurous pursuits. I love the majesty and beauty of the mountains and I must confess I find a man in ski gear mighty handsome !
To order your kindle copy of The Curse of Time click the links below to be directed to Amazon. Go on I dare you!!!!
Here’s my story for Charli’s Flash Fiction Challenge at Carrot Ranch.com.
September 21, 2017 prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a ostory about what it is to gather a harvest. You can use the phrase or show what it means without using the words. Go where the prompt leads.
Respond by September 26, 2017, to be included in the compilation (published September 27). Rules are here. All writers are welcome!
Harvest of Hope
Mimi knelt on the soil, her bare knees were muddy, her eyes wet with tears. Before her was one tiny shoot. Nothing moved no creature, no human, alone she remained. The earthquake had done its worst. Her hands encircled the milk bottle of water, half full. She placed healing stones around the shoot in a circle. Her precious crystals, calming rose quartz, cradle of humankind to heal mother earth, flint to stabilise, amethyst for hopelessness and red jasper for isolation. She cried, her tears mingling with the water, the shoot twitched, and the promise of a new harvest began.
