“Lord and Lady?” Shar asks softly, almost whispering, although we already know they must be.
“Indeed we are,” the woman says; her voice the sweetest I’ve ever heard.
“Is everything OK?” Shar asks them.
The Lord half smiles before speaking calmly. “We’re glad Hannashurie helped, but now Pandora’s Box, as you call it, is wide open.”
“The world isn’t ready for this yet,” the Lady says. “We forbid it.”
“We will reverse time and ensure that this disaster does not happen,” the Lord says.
“Will we remember this?” I ask.
The Lady speaks. “No, that’s not necessary. We will roll things back to when you first arrived at the memorial.”
“But there won’t be any demons this time?” January asks.
“There will not. The memorial will go smoothly and it will be as though none of this ever happened,” the Lord says.
I’m about to ask if they can get Jenna out of Emma but everything gets so bright that I can’t even see two feet in front of me then...
EPILOGUE
EMMA
Kat’s memorial was beautiful and surprising. We expected it to be like a wake or funeral, which is why we all wore black, but as soon as George opened the front door we discovered that most of the guests were dressed in casual attire. At least half of them were wearing t-shirts and jeans. OK, so some of them were wearing black t-shirts and black jeans, but, still, that’s not getting dressed up, which we’d all done. Jim and Pete wore suits and us girls all wore fancy black dresses.
Seeing how many people were dressed casually, Jim and Pete took off their ties and unbuttoned the top of their shirts soon after arriving. I tried to talk Jim out of doing so because he looked so handsome in his suit, but you know how guys don’t get dressed up when they don’t have to – at least not high school dudes – so there was no changing his mind.
Being in George’s house was much like being in his shop, as there were hundreds of books about Wicca along with other witchcraft items – like beaucoup crystals – on one bookcase after another. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that he has hundreds of more witchcraft books in his house than he does at the shop. Not to mention a kitchen full of herbs, flowers, seeds, etc, as one might use for spells, tea or making medicine. Or even just spicing up dinner.
The walls that weren’t covered by bookcases were mostly covered by witchcraft-themed artwork like a black and white painting of what appeared to be half Goddess and half wolf and a photo of a coven dancing naked in a circle, which may or may not have been his coven. I would’ve felt too awkward asking. I didn’t spot Kat or George in the photo, though.
Alors, the best thing about the memorial was finding Kat in her bedroom. She was there, plain as day, as though she’d never died! That was probably the biggest surprise of my life. And the best one, hands down. I couldn’t believe it. I had goosebumps all over me and they tickled. For a second, my jaw dropped, but then this sudden feeling of euphoria made me giggle and Kat laughed. She explained that she was able to be there because the veil between this world and the supernatural was thin with Samhain (Halloween) fast approaching.
Kat and I had a nice chat and she insisted I take her four Book of Shadows notebooks, which she said doubled as her journals so I guess she used hers like I use mine. She also had bookshelves bursting with various books. A lot of them were witchcraft books, including some very specific ones like All About Love Spells, The Gray Area and Midnight Candle Magick. There were books about other things, too. Novels and such. She even had a dozen or so books in French. I should’ve known she knew French when she yelled “Arrêtez!” that day we stopped time or froze things in the staircase from hell at J’s, but for some reason it hadn’t occurred to me.
Kat and I were able to hug when we said bonjour et au revoir and it felt like I was embracing someone who’s alive and kicking. I probably shouldn’t have been surprised because that spirit I shoved to the other side for January could touch things. En tout cas (in any case), her body felt warm and everything. Just before we stopped hugging, I was tempted to kiss her. And I did! It just happened, like my instincts took over. And it was a good thing, too, because she kissed me back. Let me tell you, she sure knows how to kiss and her breath smells like peaches, which is exactly how her lips tasted. Peaches with a hint of strawberries. I don’t know if it’s because she’s older and likely more experienced than I am, or if it was because she’s supernatural now or what, but it was the most incredible kiss I’ve ever had. After we’d been making out for a pretty long time I whispered, “Is the veil thin enough for you to do other stuff?” Malheureusement, she said no, that she shouldn’t even be touching me, much less making out. I guess it’s against the rules – or at least highly discouraged – on the other side. But, yes, I can cross kissing a hot spirit off my bucket list now.
Kat was initially opposed to the idea of coming outside to the memorial with me, but I grabbed her hand and tugged her all the way down the stairs and through the house to the backyard where everyone was gathering to listen to eulogies. To say that people were happy to see her would be a gross understatement. People were thrilled. You’d think the Virgin Mary was appearing to them, they were in such a state of awe. I suppose that’s a normal reaction when one sees a spirit, but I’m sure it was even more surprising because they were there to remember her, not hang out with her. None of them were as excited to see her as me though. Well, I’m sure George was, being her bestie.
Suffice to say it was the only memorial I’ve ever been to where the deceased was present in that way. It almost became like a roast with everyone scrapping their eulogies in favor of telling amusing stories about their experiences with Kat. A few times she was embarrassed, but for the most part she was eating it up. The high priestess jokingly wondered aloud if the veil was thin enough that Kat could get drunk so Kat grabbed a glass of wine and chugged it. Then she explained that she’s had a constant buzz ever since she died, that it’s the high life over there. At least where she ended up, which was in the Summerland. Although she said it could be that she simply feels that way because she wants to, being that the Summerland is different for each individual. She said it’s like everyone owns their own house and can do whatever they want with it and it doesn’t bother anybody. You can listen to loud music and the neighbors don’t even hear it. Not unless they want to. She said in many ways it’s like life over here. (Just, you know, parfait). They even have cafes in the Summerland. Thinking about that now, I wonder how that works? Because who would work there? Would working at a café be anyone’s idea of paradise? I guess I’ll find out someday. [But I’m here to raise hell on earth in the meantime.] Wait – what the fuck am I thinking?
Q&A WITH THE AUTHOR
Q: Some things set in motion in Book of Shadows 4 don’t actually happen. For example, the girls don’t do the spell for Shar’s sister Arja. Why aren’t all of these things resolved?
A: Book 4 was originally going to be even longer and contain all of the events that will now happen in Book of Shadows 5, which will begin the day after the memorial. So, you’ll see Emma working for the school paper and Shar with the swim team, etc. But I can’t promise you that the girls will do the spell for Arja.
Q: With the Lord and Lady rolling everything back and making everyone forget about the demon invasion, does that mean that nobody will ever remember the things they learned about each other from the demon?
A: It was the Lord and Lady’s decision to roll back time and make everyone forget the demon invasion. Since the Lord and Lady are the highest, most powerful beings ever to exist, you’d better believe that everything that happened before the roll back has been totally wiped from everyone’s minds, never to be remembered.
Q: So, nobody will know that Emma is possessed?
A: True. Even Emma will be back to wondering what’s going on with herself, unaware that some of “her” thoughts are not actually her own. However, the possession will
take a stronger hold on her and she’ll finally figure it out.
Q: Since Tim/Jim is a magick vampire who’s been stealing Emma’s magick without her consent, did the Lord and Lady make him disappear along with the demons?
A: Compared to demons, Tim is small potatoes. And you have to remember that the girls all possess black magick now, especially Emma, who not only has more black magick but is possessed. If the Lord and Lady were going to bother to make Tim disappear then they would’ve made the girls – or at least Emma – disappear, too. So, be glad they didn’t!
Q: Just to be clear, does this mean Tim will be alive in Book of Shadows 5?
A: Yes, it does. Everything was reversed, which means Tim was never killed. And nobody knows his secret.
Q: What can we expect from Book of Shadows 5?
A: All of these things you’re asking me about will be resolved. The characters are in store for a lot of surprises as well. For example, someone’s long lost family member shows up and trouble follows, derailing this character’s entire life. And I don’t think I’m spoiling anything in saying that there will be at least one exorcism, which may or may not be successful.
Missing any previous volumes of Book of Shadows?
Volume One: Casting:
(This volume is free and always will be.)
Amazon
Volume Two: Rising:
Amazon
Volume Three: Hunting:
Amazon
If you’re inclined to leave reviews on Amazon, it would be tremendously appreciated if you could review my books. The more reviews an author has, the more people will check out their books. And they help you rise up in Amazon’s algorithms, which can also help you reach more new readers. Basically, reviews are the lifeblood of indie authors like me. So, if you want me to be able to continue writing books, why not help me spread the word?
If you do leave a review, be sure to e-mail me and let me know so I’ll be sure to see it: [email protected] And if you have any questions or thoughts that you don’t want to put in a review, you’re more than welcome to e-mail me, too.
To review the above books on Amazon, simply click on the links above, scroll to the bottom of the book’s page, and you’ll find the space where you can leave reviews. Even one sentence would be much appreciated.
Visit Michael Beaulieu’s official siteand subscribe to his newsletter for lots of great things like ARC copies, free short stories, cover reveals, contests, special offers from my friends and much, much more.
BOOK OF SHADOWS – THE SOUNDTRACK
I’m always listening to music when I write. Always. I don’t think I could write without it. I need music more than most writers need their coffee.
When I’m writing a book, I try to listen to music that fits the mood of what I’m writing. Even better, I try to find songs where the lyrical content reflects what I’m working on.
While I was working on Book of Shadows 4, I decided to make a Spotify playlist of songs that I’d listened to when writing the books. I called it Book of Shadows – The Soundtrack.
You can listen to it here: https://open.spotify.com/user/12133221248/playlist/23i86YfJkx61qCkODoeyJR?si=HYS0WTlWRGePcC9cmeVkGQ
With this playlist, I tried to arrange the songs so that those pertaining to Volume One were first, those about Volume Two were second and so on.
Artists include Karen Elson, Juliana Hatfield, John Maus, Kerli, Adore Delano, David Bowie, Mandy Moore, Garbage, Bat for Lashes, Jenny Lewis and many, many more!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Veteran entertainment journalist Michael Beaulieu’s debut novel Reckoning Daze was a #1 bestseller on both of Amazon’s satire charts. Like the book’s protagonist, it was written when Michael was an anorexic with PTSD, living in Los Angeles himself. More recently, Michael has published the four volumes of his popular young adult, urban fantasy series Book of Shadows. It’s the story of three 16-year-old girls who form a coven after finding the lead character’s late great-grandmother’s spell book, also known as a book of shadows. Michael again drew from personal experience in writing Book of Shadows, being that he’s a Wiccan residing in the book’s Massachusetts setting. Unlike most fantasy books, many of the spells in Book of Shadows are inspired by modern day witchcraft, which makes the books that much more believable. Aside from writing books, Michael regularly interviews rock stars and other authors for his pop culture site Love is Pop, www.loveispop.com.
Currently, Michael is polishing his long-lost first novel, Becoming Madonna, for release by the end of 2018. The book, which was written in 1998, is a satire about a politically incorrect, soap opera star, Laurie St-Germain, who aspires to be a pop star and film actress like her idol, Madonna. Michael also intends to release his memoir Fear & Self-Loathing in Los Angeles in the near future. The book was based on Michael’s journal entries from his first year residing in California and finds him in a peculiar relationship that brought out his worst self-hate, plunging him back into anorexia, which he’d recovered from years prior. Still, at its core, it’s a love story and could’ve just as easily been called Pinky Swear.
If you’d like to be among the first to hear about Michael’s books, writing progress and much more, head over to his website and subscribe to his newsletter www.michaelbeaulieu.com.
In Memoriam Page 44