The Chronicles of Granny Witch (Book 1)
Paranormal Romance, Historical Fantasy, Magical Realism, Visionary Fiction
Date Published: December 27, 2020
Once upon a winter’s night, a lost cowboy finds himself in Purgatory Bend. Patrick Doolin is plagued by a wound that won’t heal, but winter is the season of miracles. As Patrick wanders through Wyoming, he meets Fawna Darling, the mysterious granny witch, who channels the folk magic of her ancestors.
With nowhere to go and a secret Patrick doesn’t yet understand, he seeks shelter with Fawna in the snowswept prairie. Forbidden to fall in love, they form an eternal bond in the dreamscape, but when the bluebirds sing of summer and threaten their empire of dreams, they are faced with an impossible decision. Will Patrick stay in the land of the living, or will he cross over the prairie?
Summer is the season of surprises, and Fawna’s childhood sweetheart, Dezi Ketchum, longs to win her heart too. When winter melts across the gold-slick prairie, Fawna searches for answers under the rose moon. Caught between fire and water and flesh and fantasy, she follows her heart and ventures into uncharted territory.
Praise for Snow Dust and Boneshine
"A warm and spellbinding tale...Soleil's writing flows like a stream, relaxing and exotic. Mixed with folk magic, simpler times and beliefs, this is a wonderful escape." ~ Tome Tender
"Soleil's writing is riveting...It's much more than a fantasy - it's a story of love and faith." ~ Literary Titan
"Curl up under your blanket, grab a cup of tea, and let yourself wander between magic and reality in Purgatory Bend...Snow Dust and Boneshine is one of the sweetest, selfless, heartbreaking but also heartwarming love stories I have ever read...The characters, the atmosphere, and the imagery are done so beautifully. Every description made me sink my teeth into the story just a little bit more." ~ Snez at Book Lifey & A Quintillion Reads Book Club
“Snow Dust and Boneshine was incredible…There’s romance, intrigue and lots of magic. It’s very well written, so much so, I could feel the cold and bitter wind as I read about it. The characters are beautifully written, and I could see it playing out as a movie as I read. I highly recommend picking this one up. 5 stars all the way.” ~ Angela Scavone, Author of Celebrity Status
“This story was magical and fascinating with an element of surprise. It was well-researched and beautifully thought out to bring us so many amazing details. If witches and love stories set in a small town with a sprinkle of magic interests you, I would urge you to read this.” ~ Kriti Dalmia at This Reader Girl
Excerpt:
Prologue: Angel
Creek
Wolf Moon, 1854
Patrick
Doolin hid behind a sunbaked boulder, his bare ribs sticking to the sagebrush.
He grabbed the wet, mushy hole in his belly, his heart pounding, his ears
ringing raw. Around the bend, there were howling beasts in the canyon, sniffing
his blood trail. Trapped in the crossfire, he closed his eyes and pretended it
was all a bad dream. He cloaked himself in a cloud of dust and prayed for
invisibility. Patrick didn’t know whether to beg for his life or submit to
death’s sting, but instinctively, his body forced him to gasp for air.
From
the moment he boarded the ship last summer, he regretted leaving Ireland. He
missed the sheep-strewn pastures and the soggy sea cliffs. He missed the
rolling fog and the taste of coddle by firelight. By the grace of God, Patrick
survived the great hunger, and despite its brutal aftermath, he still yearned
for his motherland, for fairy trees and cloud cover. It was better to be hungry
at home than stuffed to the gills with strangers.
Patrick’s
father suffered the most during the great hunger, so when a fever ravaged him
last February, he was too weak to recover. Although Patrick bowed his head and
prayed every morning, his father was skin and bones by Easter. Worst of all,
his father’s spirit was troubled by Patrick’s black-hearted brother, Liam, so
Patrick made a deathbed promise to his father. He vowed to look after Liam come
hell or high water.
As
soon as their father rattled his last breath, Liam set his sights on
California. After the wake, the Doolin brothers boarded a ship to Philadelphia.
From there, they made the long trek to Dakota territory. It took them three
months to reach their uncle’s homestead, and by the time they arrived, old man
winter was already there. The Doolin brothers agreed to work for their uncle until
the following summer and then make their way to California, but after
Christmas, Liam didn’t want to wait any longer.
Patrick
knew they were late to the gold rush. Their uncle showed them the newspapers
and implored them to stay in Dakota. He said it was treacherous to travel in
the dead of winter, but there was no reasoning with Liam, so the Doolin
brothers saddled up and battled the pelting ice and blowing snow. They slept
under giant fir trees, their fingers and toes tingling with frostbite. They hadn’t
been on the trail for long when Liam started a gunfight with a goliath of a
cowboy, then disappeared into thin air.
Now,
Patrick was all by himself, stranded somewhere between Dakota and Wyoming.
Utterly disoriented, he clutched his belly in agony and stumbled through the
wilderness. He meditated on the pine trees as they swirled into a blur of
whistling green. Patrick saw trains and ships in the shadows. He saw the sea
cliffs of Ireland in his dreams. When he couldn’t take another step, he
collapsed on the edge of Angel Creek, his wounded body glinting red with
sunburn, his sticky blood mingling with the cold stream.
As
he faded in and out of mortality, he saw a young woman with hair as black as a
raven. A pack of wolves surrounded her and swaddled her porcelain skin with
their ashen fur. Patrick couldn’t get a good look at her face, but he caught a
glimpse of her scarlet lips. She was nothing more than a stranger to him, but
he took comfort in watching her dance through the shimmering snowfields. As he
stood there in the frozen prairie, held captive by the bone-chilling wind, he
felt strangely warm as though a hearth was glowing inside him.
The
next morning, an old cowboy named Charlie was fishing for salmon when he came
across Patrick’s body floating belly-up in the creek. Charlie took Patrick for
dead, but as he got closer, he witnessed pulse and breath. Charlie rubbed his
eyes in disbelief. He figured there was a reason this poor man was still alive,
so he slung Patrick over his shoulder and lugged him for half a mile, dabbing
his sweaty face with a red bandana. When he got back to his wagon, he plopped
Patrick down next to the salmon and gave him a ride to Purgatory Bend.
About the Author
Grendolyn Peach Soleil was born in the Appalachian Mountains on a full moon. She is an old soul and a folk magic fiend. Grendolyn loves twisted fairy tales, all things vintage, tales of true love, and creature features. Some of her fancies include pumpkins, black cats, mermaids, tea parties, cowboys, dahlias, and sunsets. She is a member of the Visionary Fiction Alliance and The Independent Author Network. Grendolyn is the author of Limbo Jubilee, The Mermaids Melt at Dawn, and Snow Dust and Boneshine: The Chronicles of Granny Witch (Book 1).
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