Tuesday, October 3, 2023

SPOOKTACULAR FEATURE: MELANIE'S AWAKENING (CELIA BRESLIN) added bonus: CELIA's BANSHEE TALE




Celia’s Banshee Tale



Celia’s Bewitching Halloween Tale


For those of you in the blogosphere who already know me, you may have seen this spooky tale I love to share every Halloween, and I hope you enjoy revisiting it. For the newbies in the crowd, hello and welcome to this classic story from my family’s trove of Fae lore!

I grew up listening to my Irish grandmother’s stories about the Fae, including her encounter with a Banshee in her family’s cellar when she was a teenager. Of her many stories, this is my favorite…

Bumped by the Banshee
by Celia Breslin 

I lived in a large two-story house with my parents, younger sister, and grandmother. It was a cold, winter evening, nothing special or out of the ordinary. My family dined together, then my sister and I cleaned up while our parents and grandmother drank tea.

We joined them at the dining table to do our homework, but my grandmother said she was tired and went upstairs to bed. My parents followed shortly after that, but my father paused on the landing.

“Maeve, it’s going to be a cold night. Fetch us some coal, please.”

I abandoned my homework, grabbed the empty coal bucket from the kitchen, and went down into the cellar. I filled my bucket and returned to the stairs. I had one foot on the first step when the temperature in the cellar, already cold, dropped dramatically. Chills ran down my back. Behind me, someone moaned.

But how could that be? I was alone...

Terror rooted me to the spot. The keening grew louder. I dropped my bucket and covered my ears. A cold wind bumped against my back. I stumbled forward as the shrieking wind rushed over me and up the stairs.

But how could that be? The cellar had no windows...

Above me, the cellar door slammed shut. The sound broke me from my stupor. I screamed and ran up the stairs and out of the cellar, through the kitchen and dining room, and up the stairs to my room. My parents and sister found me under my bed, shaking like a puppy lost in a snowstorm.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” They asked me, while pulling me from my hiding place.

“I heard the Banshee wail.”

We stared at each other in silence, all of us reaching the same conclusion moments later.

We hurried to my grandmother’s room.

She was dead.

Copyright 2023, Celia Breslin. All rights reserved.


Melanie’s Awakening
Heartland Fae
Book Two
Celia Breslin

Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Celia Breslin
Date of Publication: April 2023
ISBN: 9798223505884
ASIN: B0C37NKFYB
Number of pages: 124
Word Count: 30K
Cover Artist: Brantwijn Serrah

Tagline: They’re lovers from different worlds…and a Dark Fae is determined to keep them apart.

Book Description: 

When Melanie Blackstone is offered her bestie’s home in Illinois for the summer, she jumps at the chance. She has a jerky ex to forget and a fantasy-horror screenplay to finish for her agent back in California. But writing time is soon sidelined by strange lights dancing in the air and an even stranger dark figure lurking in the yard.

As a favor, Fae warrior Dealan agrees to look in on the female staying in his friends’ home. However, he didn’t expect her to be able to See him. Few humans possess the Sight, yet this one does. Even more surprising—the friendly and inquisitive woman seems to like him and want his company. A first for the solitary assassin.

But Dealan isn’t the only Fae fascinated by Melanie. A Dark Fae sets his sights on her as well…


Amazon US        Amazon CA      Amazon UK


Angus&Robertson     Apple      BN


Kobo      Scribd      Smashwords     Vivlio



Dealan scowled, cursing under his breath as he strode toward the house. The female must be daft. Her ruckus could wake the dead, and that was the last thing he wanted to deal with at the moment. This living, breathing human was a sufficient problem without adding temperamental ghosts to the mix.

Near the back porch, his keen Fae hearing picked up the rattling of doors, the clicking of window locks, and the scraping of curtains tugged along metal rods. Room by room illumination ceased. Darkness wouldn’t protect her from his kind, however, should they wish her ill. He harrumphed. Which they didn’t.

At the foot of the deck stairs he paused, reminding himself why he’d agreed to watch over this skittish lass in the first place. His best friend Angus was a right pushy bastard, and sadly, Dealan had never been able to refuse his friend’s damn requests. Factor in kindhearted Eva O’Reilly, his chum’s mate and longtime friend of the flower fairies, and it was nigh impossible to deny either of them any little thing.

Or, one noisy, possibly unhinged, woman-sized being named Melanie Blackstone.

“She’s a funny one, isn’t she, Warrior?” Rosina’s airy voice chimed from behind him.

Giggling ensued when he merely grunted in reply, then the leader of the flower fairies appeared before him in a swirl of pink sparkles. “Let’s go inside to see what else she does.”

“I’ll enter,” he corrected her. “Alone.”

“Aw, you’re no fun,” Rosina pouted, crossing her slender arms and cocking a hip.

“And always much too serious,” Valeria and Poppy tittered in unison, fluttering past his head to join their leader. Their wings whirred, showering sparks over his form, their magic brightening the evening gloom with pulsating pink and orange light. The pleasing sight did little to improve his mood.

“She saw us, Warrior, did you see?” Poppy squeaked.

Valeria’s head bobbled quick. “And took our picture, too.” She struck a pose and preened.

“Aye, I noticed, Little Ones.” The human seemed to see him, too, right before she shrieked like a Banshee then fell on her arse inside the sunporch. Strange, since they were cloaked in their natural invisibility and usually needed to lower the mantle to reveal themselves to those who couldn’t See. And according to Eva, her friend didn’t possess the Sight. Although, Eva had mentioned her friend wrote fantastical stories, and creative minds were typically open minds, so—

Valeria and Poppy darted to the door.

“Stay out here,” he commanded, as they peered into the solarium.

“Ohhhh, she left pizza,” Valeria squealed. “Let’s cover it in sugar and eat it.”

“And put honey in the wine! Drink it down,” added Poppy.

Rosina laughed. “Good plan.”

Dealan grimaced at the notion. “Negative. You are to remain outside.”

“Boooooooo,” they sang in unison, all three glaring his way.

A shrill scream erupted from the house. Shite. Dealan summoned his sword out of habit and leaped forward, landing before the fairies and waving them away from the screened back door. 



About the Author:

Celia lives in California with her family. She writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance, and has a particular fondness for werewolves, vampires, angels, and the Fae. When not writing, you’ll find Celia exercising, reading a good book, hanging with her family, or indulging her addiction to fantasy TV shows and movies.







Newsletter:  http://eepurl.com/bxqwRL 





a Rafflecopter giveaway



1 comment:

  1. Hi Janine, Thanks for hosting Melanie, Dealan, and the flower fairies on your blog! Happy Halloween month! :-)

    ReplyDelete