Author Spotlight: Leigh Ann Edwards is Back with a New Book!

We have a winner! Congratulations to Patty Fontenot Duplechin! You are Leigh Ann’s giveaway winner. Thanks to you and everyone who stopped by! 

If you’re into fantasy and magic and you haven’t discovered Leigh Ann Edwards’s stories yet, you must!

Leigh Ann Edwards’ fascination with history, romance, magic, time-travel and Ireland sparked her interest in creating the Irish Witch Series and her expanding collection of published novels. Growing up in a Manitoban village on the Canadian prairies left lots of time to create stories and let her imagination soar! An author for thirty years, Leigh Ann has almost completed writing her fourth series with Tule Publishing and started a fifth. Besides writing, she loves spending time with her four grandchildren, reading, traveling, doing intuitive readings and reiki. Leigh Ann and her husband, their two cats, one large dog and Boston Terrier puppy, live in a small town near Edmonton Alberta, Canada.

I was so excited for a chance to sit down for a quick chat about her latest novel, Spring’s Mystical Promise, Book 3 in her Maidens of the Mystical Stones series with Tule Publishing.

As always, I’m really happy to be here, Nan. Thanks for being so welcoming and helping other authors promote their stories.

Spring’s Mystical Promise is book 3 in your Maidens of the Mystical Stones series––does one of the characters in this book have a special place in your heart? If so, why?

Because we follow the main heroine, Rhianwyn the healer, through each of the soul transferences, she’s my favorite. We’re mostly in her or Broccan’s point of view, therefore we see and feel how deeply the pact affects her, so she’s extra special to me.

I admire, Elspeth, the castle servant, too. She’s the character who offers comedic relief when the story becomes more serious. In this book we finally learn Elspeth’s backstory and why she uses humor to mask some really troubling things in her life that none of her friends knew about. My heart definitely hurt for her.

What is the key theme or message in this Maidens book that’s different from the first two?

This is connected to the previous answer. I believe the theme is that we can never really be aware of what other people might have gone through–– no matter how well we think we know someone. Some secrets are too difficult to tell. The message is to always be kind and empathetic because we don’t know what others are facing.

Q. What are three words you’d use to describe Rhianwyn Mulryan? And three words to describe Broccan Mulryan?

A. Rhianwyn is beautiful, caring, and strong-willed. Broccan is gorgeous, determined, and passionate.

Was it hard to place Rhianwyn in Elspeth’s body? What kind of writing challenges did the switch present?

For this series I tried to create four really different women in appearance, personality, and characteristics. Elspeth is the roughest around the edges. She’s taller and physically stronger than the others, walks faster, has been known to punch people who tick her off. She speaks her mind to a fault, swears a lot, is promiscuous, and says some pretty inappropriate things. She’s also bisexual.

Rhianwyn is more reserved, not prudish because she’s a healer, but she’s much more private about her personal life. She did have some fun being Elspeth because people expected her to be outrageous.

It was a challenge for the characters to behave like the woman whose body their soul inhabited. It was a challenge for me to ensure the reader always knew who was who. So far I’ve been commended by editors and readers for keeping it clear. Whew! Making it seem that Rhianwyn was attracted to women when she wasn’t, was also a challenge. One scene was particularly daunting.

I know there’s two more books in the Maidens series, but what’s next for you? Do you have a new series coming up?

I’m thrilled to say I have more books coming––a five book series with Tule Publishing–– a sequel/spinoff from my Irish Witch and Witches of Time series. It’s another set of supernatural stories. No surprise there. But it will be a little different–– less romance, more mystery, adventure, and time travel. Plus, instead of a continued series where the story expands with each book, in this series each book will be standalone. The Tule team and I still haven’t decided on books or series titles. For now we’re calling it the witch/demon hunter series. The first book is scheduled to release in January 2024.

The premise––two people, absolute polar opposites are being forced to become partners at LAMB, the agency they work for. (LAMB is an acronym for locating and assessing magical beings.) Fiona is a 50ish, pretty, feisty, a martial arts expert, an accomplished archer, and a magical witch who can create time portals. Lorcan, 33, is a super-hot, sexy, extremely cocky man who’s half demon with several supernatural powers. He’s a weaponry expert and has the natural ability to time travel. They also have family connections and a less-than-ideal history.

I’m having fun with these two, but struggling a little with no romance between the main characters. I’m nearly finished book one. Deadline is tomorrow. Yikes!

On a different note, what are you reading right now?

A. I have so many books that I can’t wait to get to. Presently, I’m enjoying Karen Foley’s Kiss Me Under the Irish Sky. I admit I seldom read contemporary romance without a supernatural/magical element or an Irish connection, unless they’re an author I really like or they’re set in a location I love––like Ireland, the British Isles, New England, or River’s Edge.

If you could describe yourself in three words, what would they be?

A. I’d say I’m gentle, creative, and empathetic.

Q: And just for fun, what’s for dinner tonight? Anything you’d rather be eating?

A: My husband’s working late so we’re having something simple. BLTs and a garden salad. I’d definitely rather be eating seafood fettuccini alfredo and drinking white wine…preferably in an Italian restaurant. (Italy is on my bucket list.) Or maybe a Guinness with a lobster dinner in Ireland, Maine or Shediac New Brunswick (the lobster capital of Canada.) I must’ve lived on the coast in a past life. I love the ocean and seafood.

Thanks again, Nan. On a separate note, I can’t wait to begin reading Home to River’s Edge and your whole Weaver’s series.

Giveaway! Up for grabs, Leigh Ann has an autographed copy of either Spring’s Mystical Promise, or if you’d prefer to start at the beginning of the Maidens of the Magical Stones series, you can choose a signed copy of Autumn’s Magical Pact. For a chance to win a signed book, just tell her below if you had the chance to live someone else’s life for a year, would you do it? We’ll draw a winner on Saturday morning. 

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Spring’s Mystical Promise

Can she keep their magical promise without putting everything at risk?

As the frost melts and spring flowers bloom, Rhianwyn Mulryan, stuck in a binding magical pact, begins her season as Elspeth, a castle servant. After an endless winter as the frightened harlot Selena, Rhianwyn enjoys the strength of Elspeth’s tall, robust body. Never did she imagine, however, the secret horrors of her headstrong friend’s marriage to the brute Godric. Life with the sheriff’s abusive son makes Rhianwyn yearn even more for her true love, Broccan.

Broccan Mulryan, Lord of Brockwell Manor and joint knight commander, was once blissfully happy with his bride. But now Rhianwyn’s moods are baffling and unpredictable. After a winter of withdrawn frigidity, she’s suddenly forward and insatiable. Perhaps worse, he’s become unaccountably protective of Rhianwyn’s friend Elspeth…and his knightly instinct feels a lot like desire.

But as his connection to Rhianwyn wanes and his feelings for Elspeth grow, Broccan begins to suspect something unnatural has affected his wife and her friends. Could dark magic be destroying their love? Or is he losing his precious wife to something even worse?