Spotlight & Giveaway: A Little Highland Magic by Gerri Russell

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Gerri Russell to HJ!

Hi Gerri and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, A Little Highland Magic!

To start off, can you please tell us a little bit about this book?:

A Little Highland Magic is the fifth book in the Guardians of the Isles series and focuses on Aria MacLeod, a half-fae sister of the MacLeods, who recently came to the human realm to live with her human family. She had lived for years in Fairyland and never felt as though she belonged there. Now that she is in the human realm, she wonders if she fits in there either, for she is not like the other women of the clan as a warrior and with limited magical abilities.

To make amends for wrongdoing in her past and to help her clan accept her more fully, Aria is determined to go back to Fairyland, and risk being trapped there once more, so that she can return a babe stolen from the MacLeods by the fairies nine years ago. But in order to succeed, she will need to take with her the precious artifact, the Fairy Flag, given to the MacLeods by the fairies centuries before. She must also join forces with Graeme Duff whose ancestors have protected the Clan MacLeod and whose duty it is to protect the Fairy Flag above all else.

As Graeme and Aria work together to formulate a plan to save Keiran, friendship, and attraction blossom between them. Giving in to her feelings for Graeme, the fairy king senses Aria is no longer in Fairyland and sends seven curses upon her and those who helped her escape–the MacLeods.

Aria must break the binding curses to save the MacLeod clan and to rescue not just Keiran, but also her mother and sister from Fairyland. So begins the dangerous odyssey to breach the barrier between the human and the fairy worlds. The closer Aria and Graeme come to discovering how to retrieve Keiran, Pearl, and Gille from Fairyland, the closer they come to losing each other and their lives. Aria and Graeme must learn to trust one another and the passion they share—or risk the destruction of everything and everyone they know and love.
 

Please share your favorite lines or quote(s) from this book:

Because we, as romance readers, know that love can work miracles, these are my favorite lines from the book:

She would not allow her memories of her past to affect her decisions about her future. Oberon might be powerful, but she was finding a strength all her own, and the source was not flowing water or magic, it was love. The most powerful force ever created.

What inspired this book?

I love using myths and legends in my writing. And the myth of changelings or children stolen from their cradles as babies can be found in the folklore of the Celts and Scottish people. There are many stories about the MacLeod clan’s ties to the fairies and Fairyland, so I determined it was very possible they might have experienced the loss of a child to the fairies, and that as a close-knit family, they would do just about anything to get that child back.

How did you ‘get to know’ your main characters? Did they ever surprise you?

One of the wonderful things about writing connected books in a series is that you have multiple books to get to know your characters. Graeme, Captain of the MacLeod guard, has been a part of the series since book one. He is as strong as any of the MacLeods he protects, but he isn’t part of the core family even though they treat him like a brother. I really wanted Graeme to find his perfect partner before the series was finished, and if she could be a true MacLeod, all the better.

Aria entered the series in book two but played a major role in books three and four. After meeting Aria, and guiding her through all her struggles, I truly wanted her to find her happily ever after as well. It seemed only natural that two strong characters such as Graeme and Aria were perfectly suited for each other.

While writing Aria, I was a little surprised by how much guilt she carried about how her presence at Dunvegan Castle played into the death of Janet MacLeod, the mother of many of the other characters in the series. Janet plays a role in each book as a ghost who remains caught between the human and spirit realms so that she can protect her family. A lot more of Janet’s backstory was explained in A Little Highland Magic. There are still two more books in the series to discover whether Janet MacLeod will get her happily ever after or not.

As for “getting to know” the characters, they reveal themselves to me through the writing process, and in every book of the series they all want the opportunity to grow and change.

What was your favorite scene to write?

I really enjoyed writing the scene where Aria loses the tight control she has over her emotions with Graeme. Her attraction to him overcomes her rigidity and when her feelings come to the forefront, disaster strikes.

Aria’s cheeks warmed, and for a moment she considered moving away, back to her seat. She was attracted to Graeme, but not free to act on her emotions. Besides, she had a reputation around the castle as a fearless warrior. Would the men see her as something less than that if they saw her enjoying herself in the dance?
Graeme smiled at her and looped his arm through hers, turning her around and around as the dance demanded. A bubble of laughter came from deep inside her. It had been so long since she had allowed herself a few moments of pleasure. With the next turn, Aria decided she did not care what the men thought, or about other attachments made for her when she was a child. She was happier in that moment than she ever remembered being and she wanted to extend that feeling as long as was possible.
The room spun by in a whirl of colours. She closed her eyes and let joy flood her spirit. Opening her eyes again, she allowed the rhythm of the music to move through her and into Graeme. They were dancing so close she could feel the heat of his body against her own. What was it about Graeme that allowed him to break through the barriers she had erected to keep others out?
At the next pass of their bodies, she looked up into his eyes and smiled. He truly was the most handsome man she’d ever known, and that was saying something when compared with the beauty and perfection of the men in Fairyland.
And just when she thought she couldn’t be happier, a lash of pain seared her heart. She went rigid, her feet stalling. A sob of anguish cut through the music as Graeme pulled her towards the side of the chamber.
“Aria! What is wrong?” Concern etched the lines around his eyes and mouth.
She tried to speak but the pain was too intense. Instead, a desperate sob escaped her.
Graeme drew her against his chest, trying to comfort her, but the pain intensified, sending agonising streaks of fire through her limbs. The music faded as her world collapsed into just the excruciating pain radiating through her body and the feel of Graeme’s warmth against her chest. “He . . . found . . . me.”
“Who found you?”
“Oberon,” she gasped. She had let down her guard and had revealed her emotions for Graeme, allowing Oberon to sense where she was in the human realm. In that moment of joy, she’d forgotten that her defences were not just to shield her heart, but to keep her soul safe from the fairy king. With a sinking sensation that dropped into her stomach like a shard of ice, Aria knew she was no match for the king of the fairies.
Oberon had warned her that he would pursue her unto death if she ever left Fairyland. She’d been living on borrowed time over the past several months, almost forgetting what fate awaited her if the fairy king ever discovered she was missing and where she had gone.
Tonight, just when she had truly begun to live her new life with her human family, her luck had run out.

What was the most difficult scene to write?

It is always hard when you must put your characters in impossible situations, then try to figure out how to make right what you just did to them. This was one of those scenes in Fairyland where Aria is negotiating with the fairy king for the release of Keiran, her mother, and sister. She offers to give Oberon not just her powers, but also her mother and sister’s. Don’t worry, it all works out in the end, after all this is a romance. 🙂

As the noise settled down, Oberon turned to Aria, Gille, and Pearl. “I have given you what you want, now it is time for you to do the same.” He held the scissors out to Aria.
Without hesitation, she took the scissors, gathered the length of her hair in her hands, snipped off the bottom four inches, then handed the bundle to Oberon. The snow-white hair glistened in Oberon’s palm, then turned to sparkling dust that he sprinkled over himself. The sparkles danced on Oberon’s skin, then disappeared inside of him. With a triumphant smile, Oberon tipped his head back and breathed deeply as he incorporated Aria’s magic into himself.
His face seemed less sallow, his eyes less dull as the magic transformed the once-dying man. He repeated the same procedure with both Gille and Pearl’s hair, until the fairy king looked years younger, his skin returned to a healthy ivory, and his body was once again firm and vigorous. A malicious smile came to his lips as he snapped his fingers and instantly the pebbles in their shoes appeared in his hand. He closed his fist and the pebbles disappeared. “Now you may leave as I promised you could.”
Aria gasped then narrowed her gaze at the renewed king before her. “How will we return to the human realm if you have taken our only way home?”
Oberon shrugged. “I take what I want from my subjects. As for sending you home . . . that was not part of our agreement. Only that I release you all.”
Aria fisted her hands at her sides as her stomach twisted. Why had she ever trusted this man? He had only ever brought her pain and grief. With her next breath she drew an arrow from her quiver and set it to her bow before Oberon could react. She pulled the string back as she aimed for the wretched fairy’s heart, but then paused as another sight distracted her.
Her hands that had only moments ago been young and vital, now twisted and aged before her eyes. Her body stooped and her legs trembled beneath her. She turned to look at her mother and Gille, and gasped at the sight of them withering as she was, ageing with every breath. The centuries they had lived were leaving their mark on their bodies. And Aria knew with a sinking sensation that in a few more seconds they would all be dead.

Would you say this book showcases your writing style or is it a departure for you?

All my books contain a hint of magic and fantasy, but A Little Highland Magic is the first time I have ever written full on “Romantasy”-both Romance and Fantasy combined. I really enjoyed creating the Shadow realm, the Spirit realm, and Fairyland for readers in this book. I hope they enjoy following Aria and Graeme as they navigate those worlds to earn their happily ever after.
 

What do you want people to take away from reading this book?

One of the themes in A Little Highland Magic is that you are not alone and there is always hope for a better tomorrow. Aria and Graeme, who were both outsiders even in their own clan, were able to find strength and courage in unexpected sources. I hope readers will feel the same way and see hope as a source of strength that helps all of us never give up on our dreams or aspirations.
 

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned?

I am currently writing book six in the Guardians Series, Enchanted by the Highlander, which follows Keiran as he returns to his family after many years in Fairyland. It will be a May 23rd, 2024 release.
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: Winner will receive one ebook copy of A LITTLE HIGHLAND MAGIC plus one additional ebook of the winner’s choice from Tule Publishing

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: If you could have any magical powers you desired, what would they be, and why?

 
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Excerpt from A Little Highland Magic:

Prologue
Dunvegan Castle, Isle of Skye, Scotland

Friday, January 1st, 1734

“Desperate situations call for desperate actions,” the fairy Pearl whispered to her daughter, Aria, as they emerged from the cave Pearl had used twice before to breach the veil between the human and fairy realms. Cautiously, she surveyed the area, and startled at the changes that had occurred during her absence. She and Aria had been here four years ago but had been refused help. Today, Pearl hoped for a different outcome, or she would have risked Oberon’s wrath for nothing. Aria deserved a chance at a better life.

As though sensing her distress, Aria curled her hand around her mother’s. “I’d forgotten what a glorious place the human realm is.” Aria pulled Pearl forward into a fern grove near the cave’s entrance that had not been there four years ago. The trees were taller, the landscape more refined. But the golden castle in the distance and the loch behind it looked the same: timeless and strong. Pearl’s fear was replaced with hope as she moved with her daughter down the path, over a wooden bridge, and up to the castle’s gates.

Dunvegan Castle and the clan inside were no strangers to Pearl, even though four centuries had passed since she’d last lived among the MacLeods. Her human husband and son had long since died, but their kin remained. She and Aria had risked too much to turn back now. One way or another, Pearl would find a way to leave her half-human, half-fairy daughter with the MacLeods so that she might thrive instead of suffering daily abuse from the other fairies in Fairyland.

Pearl drew a steadying breath as she stood before the massive gates, waiting for the guard to approach. She forced her lips to smile when he stood before them. “We have come to see Lady Janet MacLeod.” Lady Janet had heard Pearl and Aria’s story four years ago and had allowed them access to the laird, requesting that Aria be able to stay at Dunvegan and be raised amongst the laird’s own children.

“What nature of business do ye have with Lady Janet?” the guard asked with a furrowed brow.

“We are relatives and seek her assistance.” It was something close to the truth. “I am Pearl MacLeod, and this is Aria MacLeod.” Pearl tipped her head in her daughter’s direction.

The guard’s gaze shifted to Aria’s long white hair and ethereal features that were only slightly marred by the purple bruise on her left cheek. A physical remnant of the abuse Aria often suffered from the other fairies. The mental toll was much harder for Pearl to determine, but that last attack was what had brought them here. Aria needed to be with her father’s kind. Though the girl was only half human, Pearl’s experiences among humankind told her Aria would be better off amongst them.

The guard’s furrow deepened. “She doesn’t look like a MacLeod.”

Aria’s features were more suited to fairy kind, but she had her father’s eyes: blue as the skies on a midsummer’s day. Pearl straightened, ready to draw on her fairy magic if necessary to convince the guard to open the gate. “Nevertheless, she is. Will you allow us passage, or should we alert Lady Janet we are here ourselves?”

In the distance, a familiar dark-haired woman appeared in the doorway of the castle. She crossed the courtyard and stopped before the guard. “Is there trouble here, Edmond?”

“These women say they are relatives. They wish tae speak tae ye.”

Lady Janet’s features brightened as she recognised them from their previous visit. Pearl’s looks were unchanged, but Aria had grown into an adult over the last four years. “Let them in.” The woman signalled to the gatekeeper to open the portcullis.

“But milady . . . The laird said—”

The dark-haired woman’s features hardened. “You let me worry about the laird. Raise the gates.”

When the portcullis rose, Pearl and Aria stepped through. The woman pulled them both forward into an embrace. “’Tis happy I am to see you again, but things are no better with the laird this time than the last. His thinking is not quite right . . .”

“We had to come.” Pearl stepped out of the embrace and gestured towards Aria. “After our last attempt to leave Aria in the human realm, Oberon and the other fairies have intensified their abuse of my daughter. They are jealous of the fact that I was allowed to marry Iain Cair MacLeod, bear him a son, and then became pregnant with his daughter before being called back to Fairyland.”

Lady Janet’s features filled with sympathy as she turned to Aria. “I’m so sorry for all you have suffered, but I fear you would be no better off with the MacLeods. My husband has changed from the man I once married after he suffered a head wound in battle. It takes everything inside me to keep him from harming our own children, especially our newest infant, Keiran.”

Pearl was not about to give up. “Could you place Aria with a family in Dunvegan village, please? Anywhere is safer than Fairyland.” Pearl’s voice broke with emotion.

Lady Janet’s gaze turned to Aria and lingered on her bruised face. “If you stay in the human world, you will have to work. Are you prepared for that, Aria?”

Aria straightened. “I am not afraid of hard work.”

Lady Janet nodded. “Will you be staying with her, Pearl?”

“Nay. I must return before Oberon notices that I am gone. It is the only way to keep Aria’s absence a secret from Oberon for now.”

“Very well,” Lady Janet said. “Come with me. I must find a place for you to hide from the laird until I can either pass you off as a newly hired servant or find a place for you in the village. It will give you both a chance to say your goodbyes.”

The three of them hurried back to the open doorway and into the castle. They made it up the wide staircase and were headed towards the bedchambers on the first floor when Norman MacLeod emerged from the great hall with his men, swords drawn.

Lady Janet grabbed both women by the sleeves and turned around, only to have other men race up the staircase and block their retreat.

“Where do you think you are going, my dearest wife?”

Lady Janet’s face paled but she straightened and met the laird’s angry gaze. “These women have come to us for help. It is our Christian duty to help those in need.”

The laird’s eyes narrowed. “These women have been here before and I refused them. How could I ever forget hair as white as snow and as red as the fires of hell?” The laird’s voice grew more intense. “They are fairies, and I told you to send them away four years ago. I’ve not changed my mind in that time, and I do not like having my word undermined by my own wife.”

Pearl’s heart hammered as she sensed both she and Aria as well as Lady Janet were in serious trouble from this man. In four years, his eyes had taken on the same wild glaze that rabid animals possessed.

“Seize these women,” the laird ordered.

Pearl’s mind was racing as she reached for Aria and wrapped her arms around her daughter. She had to think of a way she could use her magic to aid the situation. She controlled sea water in the human realm. A rogue wave from the loch below would never make its way into the castle and disarm these men, but maybe she could create enough of a distraction that they could escape with Lady Janet. Drawing on her powers with a flick of her hand, she summoned a wave. A thunderous sound echoed all around them until a giant wave crashed against the stones of Dunvegan, sending a rumbling sound through the castle. The portraits in the hallway reverberated against the stone wall, momentarily surprising the men.

Pearl used their distraction to push through the men and head down the stairs, her daughter in tow. A heartbeat later the men recovered and started after them, capturing their arms, and yanking them back up the few stairs they had gained.

“Take these women to the dungeon,” the laird ordered, his eyes wild in his ruddy face.

Pearl stared at the man in horror. The walls seemed to be closing in on her as she struggled to make sense of what was happening. The hope she had held in her heart for Aria’s happiness had been replaced by a cold, clawing fear. “Nay, release us and we will return to where we came.”

“It’s too late for that. The first time you came here I asked you never to return. Now I will see that you never do.”

“The MacLeods have always been friends of the fairies.” Pearl’s voice trembled.

“Not this MacLeod, or any other in the future if I have any say in the matter. The gravity of this situation demands that justice be served.” The laird turned away from Pearl and Aria to address his wife. “You disobeyed me, and for that you will be punished.” He paused, scrutinising her face and then the faces of his men for any signs of distaste or disbelief. Satisfied with what he saw, he nodded. “Lock Lady Janet in her chamber. I will deal with her shortly. Then see these women are thrown in the dungeon. Let the pit consume them and all their fairy magic.”

Pearl no longer knew if she were awake or asleep or how many days had passed since she and Aria had been thrown in the pit. The darkness was only broken by slivers of light seeping through the cracks in the wood. The putrid stench of decay filled their lungs. The only sounds that could be heard were the soft echo of their breathing and the skitter of the rodents who somehow managed to survive.

Her mind was a haze as she reached towards Aria at her side. Pearl had been tossed in first and Aria landed on her, softening her fall. Pearl had a gash on her arm with a bone that pierced through. The fall had not killed her, but now she wished that it had. In this world, fairies could die just like humans. Death would have been kinder than the pain and thirst she now experienced.

Neither she nor Aria had spoken during the past two days, if judging the smells coming from the kitchen nearby were an indication of the passing of time. When last they had tried talking, it had required such effort that the words were only slurs of sound as if they had overindulged in the wine that flowed freely in the fairy court.

Soft sounds came from her daughter’s lips. Had Aria found some relief in sleep that Pearl could not? At the thought, Pearl tried to smile, but her parched lips remained downturned, her facial muscles too weak to muster any expression.

As she stared into the darkness, she heard voices in the distance. Then, suddenly a blaze of light came from above, temporarily blinding her. As her eyes began to adjust to the light, she could make out a human silhouette. Both fear and hope ignited every nerve in her exhausted body.

“Take the rope,” a feminine voice called from above.

Lady Janet? The sound of the familiar tones jolted Pearl upright. It was then she saw the rope dangling before her.

“Aria,” Pearl croaked.

Beside her Aria stirred, shielding her eyes against the light.

“Take the rope,” Lady Janet called once more. “Hurry, I beg you.”

Pearl reached up and took the rope to hand it to Aria. “You . . . first.”

Aria shook her head. “Let me help you. My arm is not broken and I’m not as weak as you are.” She took the end of the rope and tied it around Pearl’s waist, tugging on it to make sure it was tight. “She’s ready,” Aria called up.

Pearl felt her body being lifted towards the light, towards freedom. When she reached the top, she rolled over the edge then slumped to the floor, waiting for the two men helping Lady Janet to untie her and drop the rope for Aria’s release. While they worked on bringing Aria out of the pit, Lady Janet brought her water. Pearl sat up and took a sip, which tasted sweet as it slid down her throat, reviving her.

“You need to see a healer, but we have no time for that. My efforts will have to suffice.” Lady Janet yanked Pearl’s arm, setting the bones, then wrapped a thick bandage around the wound before tying it off.

A noise sounded nearby. Pearl turned towards it, her senses so heightened she seemed to hear every movement of the men who aided Aria now, the whisper of the wind outside the castle, the mice still scurrying below in the pit. The next sound was a soft footfall as Lady Janet returned from offering Aria the reviving mixture. “Can you stand?”

Pearl nodded as she tried to straighten. The very act of standing seemed to take all her energy as she nearly collapsed to the floor once more. But the two men who had hauled them out of the pit rushed forward and, with one on either side, they placed her arms around their shoulders, taking all her weight.

“We must go.” Lady Janet signalled for the men to follow her. The four of them hurried past the wine cellar, the kitchen, and into what Pearl’s disorientated mind could only imagine was a space between the castle walls. It seemed like they went on forever until they finally came out of the walls and quickly darted down a set of stairs and out of the castle. Two horses waited there. The men hoisted Pearl upon the back of a brown mare while Aria seated herself on the second horse.

“What about you, Lady Janet?” Pearl forced the words out of her still-raw throat.

“I cannot leave my children. I will suffer whatever consequences that I must for freeing the two of you. But I had to set you free. Now go. The gates are open.” She waved them forward. “May good fortune help you forget what you have suffered amongst the MacLeods.”

Aria urged her horse towards the gates and Pearl’s mare followed. At the gate, Aria looked back at Dunvegan, her eyes blazing. That look said Aria wouldn’t forget what happened here anytime soon.

Beyond the gates, the sun was low in the sky, and tinged with pink and gold. Pearl frowned as they left the castle behind. Her hopes for a life for Aria at Dunvegan were a distant memory, as was Fairyland. “Head north. We will find shelter and rest.”

“Nay, Mother.” Aria’s voice was firm. “You are injured and weak and might not survive if we stay here. We are returning to Fairyland where your magic will heal you.”

“Nay!” Pearl protested weakly.

Aria reached over and snagged the reins from Pearl’s hands, leading them back towards the cave from which they had entered the human realm.

Their return to Fairyland might take months. “The passageway between our two worlds only opens during special times of the year or with extraordinary means. We will not be able to return to Fairyland soon or easily.”

Determination settled in Aria’s features. “I intend to make such a racket that Oberon will hear us and draw us back.”

“Nay. We will be punished.”

“At least we will be alive.”

Pearl’s eyes would have filled with tears had she had the resources to produce them. Instead, the ache in her throat increased, forcing her to swallow hard. She and Aria would return to Fairyland only to become prisoners there. They had barely escaped the fairy king’s wrath four years ago. This time, Oberon would take more drastic measures to trap them in the fairy world forever.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

To have a future, she must face her past…

Half human, half fairy, Aria traveled to the human realm seeking safety with her family, the powerful MacLeods, where she is welcomed and accepted as a warrior. But her happiness will be short-lived if they discover her inadvertent role in their beloved mother’s death and the kidnapping of their infant brother, Kieran, by the cruel fairy king. Still, Aria plans to right the wrong by rescuing Kieren, but traveling to the fairy realm is dangerous and potentially a betrayal, for she must use the legendary Fairy Flag and its one last miracle to barter Kieran’s release.

Graeme Duff and his ancestors have served as flag bearer and protectors of Clan MacLeod for centuries. It’s his duty to guard the Fairy Flag, and when the beautiful, fierce, and intriguing Aria proposes using the flag to negotiate Kieran’s freedom, Graeme suspects treachery. He determines to accompany her, vowing to ignore the passion she evokes.

Can two independent warriors learn to trust? Or are they risking the destruction of everything they know and love?

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Meet the Author:

Gerri Russell is the award-winning author of historical and contemporary novels including the Brotherhood of the Scottish Templars series and Flirting with Felicity. A two-time recipient of the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart Award and winner of the American Title II competition sponsored by RT Book Reviews magazine, she is best known for her adventurous and emotionally intense novels set in the thirteenth- and fourteenth-century Scottish Highlands. Before Gerri followed her passion for writing romance novels, she worked as a broadcast journalist, a newspaper reporter, a magazine columnist, a technical writer and editor, and an instructional designer. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and four mischievous black cats.
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