Is there more to witchcraft than having special tools? Will Sophie ever find out?
I love to add fun and funny little details to my fantasy novel scenes. They give it that extra “something” I think, that separates the exciting from the dull. But every so often, you can overwhelm the reader with too much detail. This drags the pace down, so it has to go. Here’s one such scene from my new book, The Adventures of Stanley Delacourt: Book I of Hartlandia. It’s between one of the protagonists, Sophie, and the witch owner of a magical shop.
Meredith’s Magic Shop
Sophie looked down at a set of magical cooking utensils. The card next to them explained that if used properly, the tools would create delicious meals with little effort on the cook’s part.
Meredith noticed her interest. “Are you a kitchen witch?” she asked. “This set’s on sale—fifty percent off.”
Sophie fingered her ragged purse while examining the price. There was no way she could afford even half of the half-off deal. And having meals made by your own dishes would be so nice.
“No, I’m not,” she sighed, turning away. “I’m not any kind of witch, actually.”
“Well, the set will work even if you’re not,” Meredith said. She didn’t seem disappointed that Sophie wasn’t magical. In fact, a playful smile rested on Meredith’s lips. Almost as if she didn’t believe the girl.
“What’s a ‘kitchen witch,’ by the way?” Sophie frowned. She didn’t remember hearing the term before.
“One who practices by hearth and home, dealing with the practical side of magic,” Meredith replied.
Hmmm, thought Sophie. The practical side of magic. Maybe there was something she could give nasty customers to make them stop coming to her own shop.
“We also have some garlic here, for protection,” Meredith said. She touched a set of white, flaky bulbs. “Often kept in the pockets, or even worn as a necklace.”
Sophie wrinkled her nose. It would be nice to have extra protection—just in case. But she was an apothecary, after all. She had to work with enough stinky herbs as it was. No point in carrying them around with her too.
Find out more!
Is it possible to do magic without the aid of special tools? Could Sophie have something inside her even more valuable than these items? Find out in The Adventures of Stanley Delacourt: Book I of Hartlandia! It’s available NOW at Amazon, Kobo, Smashwords, and Barnesandnoble.com. You can also read the first chapter of the MG fantasy here for free!
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Do you think witches need particular objects to work their magic? Or is magic something that comes from the inside? Let me know in the comments!
(Top image by kinwart)