Tag Archives: strong women

Jun2

Destiny of Angels is on promotion! My first book fayre of 2019 in Llandovery!

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Download Destiny of Angels today for 99p/99c!

Today I’m at the Literature & Book Fayre at Lazzmatazz 2019 in Llandovery, Wales! If you’re in the area, it would be lovely to meet you. I’m signing books today, and reading at 1.30pm, but there are a host of other authors there, as well as a craft fayre.

If you can’t make it, why not download Destiny of Angels today and enjoy a magical read this weekend. Here’s an extract for your enjoyment…

With the circle around her, Lilith by her side and the Angels protecting her, Angel stood at the portal to the Path once more, displaying her conscious mind, asking for healing for this is what she sought. The air in the circle thickened around her, warm and syrupy and tasting of tin. The power increased and she saw in the darkness beyond the altar the beginning of everything, as out of the nothing came light, energy, earth, water, air and fire and from this chaotic mix, the Earth was formed and, like a wheel turning, momentum increased and from the Earth, creatures grew and died and new ones took their place and Angel saw it and knew this physical life but, she’d noticed something. Before it all began, there’d been something else. She’d felt it, seen it, no, she just knew it had existed, a tiny glimpse, a faint whisper, a mere pinprick of the Before.

            The Hebrew letter hung in the air and she cried out, “Samekh!”

            Angel floated through the Universe as flame and dust spiralled and spun and all the planets and stars began to form and settle into their orbit against the blue velvet darkness.

            She climbed upon a silver white stallion, its wild mane and tail streaming as they rode across the sky. They sped through reeds and bulrushes, splashing mud on Angel’s feet and they galloped through showers of meteors like an arrow, flying with purpose across the sky. As she gripped the warm, strong body of the horse between her thighs, the stars and constellations showed themselves to Angel and she felt pure emotion in her heart, emotion without thought, the Force before the Form, the root substance of manifestation, that which she’d been seeking.

            Angel rode on over the Welsh mountains and through the valleys, sprinkling moon dust on each pagan circle and magical gathering she saw, as the people met and embraced their Nature. Upon the horse there was no time so back she rode to the Celtic villages and on she galloped to the Dwellers in the Mountains, after The Flood.

            She pulled up the mighty stallion before a sign she did not recognize and was greeted at the Temple by the Angel Raphael, the healer, who bid her enter.

            Golden light bounced off the walls as she alighted from her steed and, when she next laid eyes on him, he was a centaur. Tall and proud, the handsome blond beast bowed to Angel and she took the brown zircon from her throat and bound it to an arrow. The Arrow passed to the Centaur and with his bow he let it fly and Angel knew it was the Arrow for the Swiftness of Willed Force.

Download Destiny of Angels today for just 99p/99c https://www.amazon.co.uk/Destiny-Angels-Lilith-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B007OX5J8O

and for my friends across the pond https://www.amazon.com/Destiny-Angels-Lilith-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B007OX5J8O

 

 

May31

Destiny of Angels is on promotion! Why read Destiny of Angels?

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Destiny of Angels is on promotion at just 99p/99c!

Destiny of Angels is the first book in the Lilith Trilogy, and my first published novel. A reader summed it up perfectly in their review…

‘a revenge/ redemption story with a spiritual twist, where the mundane and the mystical intertwine.’

Destiny of Angels isn’t a fantasy novel. The modern characters are real, as are the rituals and Angel Parson’s magic, where she follows the paths of the witches Qabalah. Destiny of Angels is Witchlit; modern, contemporary magical writing, with a heroine-centred narrative focussing on the trials and tribulations of the protagonist, Angel Parsons.

While writing the novel, I imagined Salma Hayek playing the lead role of Angel; a beautiful, strong yet vulnerable and feminine young woman.

Here’s an extract for your enjoyment…

Seven figures stood in the circle, identical in pure white shifts and new flat leather sandals. Each wore a moonstone on a leather thong about their necks bar one, who wore a citrine flecked with azure, as the sweet scent of jasmine and exhilarating ginseng invaded their senses. A single voice and then the joined chorus protected their work and raised the power.

            Seven figures stood on fine white sand, the depth of night around them dappled by a host of glittering stars. A crescent moon appeared and they hailed and greeted the goddess Levanah.

She descended to the horizon where she spoke to them. “Welcome worthy travellers to the sphere of Yesod, the Treasure House of Images. Here, everything that is to manifest on earth must first emerge and gain strength. Every dream, every wish and desire must first become an image and be given form here with me. I am the Force before the Form, the Divine Source of all being, who succours humankind and takes care of its needs.”

            Levanah paused, smiling down, her pure white hair glistening with stars as it enfolded her naked body and her eyes, the bluest cerulean, twinkling like planets. “As individuals, you’ve been brought together and lead to this point. You’ve been strengthened and tutored within a family unit, relying on each other for nurture and support. From this point on, whilst travelling the astral planes beyond this realm, you return to your individual status. Guidance and learning will be different for each one of you. Within you exists a special image, now in your unconscious but soon to be made conscious. Be aware of your dreams and you will know. No longer will you view the earth as you once saw it, all things separate and disconnected from each other. You’ll see not just the Form but the Force that inspired it and, as you strive on the plane of Malkuth to make sense of these wonders in the face of criticism, disbelief and unkindness remember, you have seen Yesod.”

            Dark and murky water crashed and flowed all around and above the circle, smashing and mixing and wallowing in a mass of uncertainty. Above the thunderous waves they heard anguished  moans, screams and cries and they held each other’s hands tighter, seeking comfort from the touch. Levanah rose out of the chaos aboard her crescent train. Silver and glistening in the midst of the darkness, whispering her purity over the bedlam, she calmed and cleansed the waters and they quietened and stilled.

            Angel lay in the centre, on the hub, as the wheel began to turn and she rose up into the sky, past the earth and the universe, on into space. There she lay with all that is around her. She saw planets and stars and, as she watched, silver threads began to join one to another and then, each and every one to her and as each thread attached, she felt a tingle or a buzz and on and on, the threads crossed and joined and soon, space was dark no more, as every planet and star she could see and all the dark matter between were connected.

If you’re looking for a magical read, a ‘no punches held back’ kind of book about relationships and the human struggle to make sense of the world we live in, you’ll enjoy Destiny of Angels.

Destiny of Angels has a host of characters, including Angel’s friends…

Laugh at  Angel’s partner Aidan, slim, blond, chiselled, a landscape gardener and former stripper, as he attempts to form a friendship without sex with the orange tanned, surgically enhanced Tiffany.

Cry as Eli, a big, triathlon competing hunk, tries to dissuade Clare, who is consumed by jealousy and hate, away from her life of prostitution.

Enjoy the struggles of Sophia, a slim, smart, sassy young woman who runs her own company, carrying on the philanthropic work of her granddad, as she shows Justin, a confident, cocky, player, an honest, less egotistic way of life and Maddy, a petite, doll-like young woman who runs her own events company, who attempts to steer Vincent, cool, hard and unfeeling, away from money as his driving force.

Smile as Zac, a broad, dark, quiet man who runs his own fitness centre befriends the sad, overweight Danielle and turns her world upside down and Jed, a rugby playing Adonis, who runs a security firm and helps Aidan expand his business into vertical gardens, gives Rob, a sad, lonely, overweight single dad, a second chance to be a success and he flies with it.

Open your mind to the possibilities of magic, levels of consciousness, angels, demons and parallel universes as Angel is guided by Lilith, the dark goddess, in her quest for closure on the past.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Destiny-Angels-Lilith-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B007OX5J8O/

and for my friends across the pond https://www.amazon.com/Destiny-Angels-Lilith-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B007OX5J8O

 

 

 

Mar8

The magic of writing, dancing and healing – International Women’s Day 8th March 2019

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I am author, wise woman and goddess. I write, I dance, I teach, I heal, I inspire.

In March last year I published my first Witchlit novel, The Naked Witch, contemporary fiction, magical realism, where the magical and the mundane co-exist. Since then, I’ve published two more, The Orphan Witch and The Flowerpot Witch, gritty and believable stories with magic sprinkled through them, offering the reader a new perspective on reality. There are layers to my novels, making them enjoyable to all readers, hopefully teaching and inspiring too, dispelling the myths about modern day witches.

I discovered belly dance at the age of forty, having been told I was a fairy elephant and too fat to dance as a child. Fifteen years on, I’ve been teaching for eleven years, encouraging women to shake off their inhibitions and dance for themselves. I learned Egyptian belly dance first and taught that, before being bitten by the tribal bug, and completing my training in American Tribal Style® Belly dance. I began Tribal Unity Wales in March 2014. We take our dance into the community, not to perform but to share, offering other women the opportunity and the freedom to dance irrespective of age, size, shape or ability.

I’m reiki and aromatherapy massage trained, so mixed with my latest facilitator training in Kate Holland’s Awakened Bellydance ™, and my magical practice, I heal in my classes and workshops and through my writing.

I’m a riverbank witch, a hedge witch, living my life with the Wheel of the Year, honouring the Sabbats and loving and respecting all that lives on our amazing planet.

Embracing my crone phase, I am wise woman, not necessarily right, but reflective and contemplative where once I jumped in feet first. Looking back, I learn from my mistakes, let go of old stories and embrace new beginnings and exciting ideas.

 

The goddess is in me and in every woman. She is the tiny voice that tells you how beautiful and perfect you are. Trust in her helps us remember, because we all know, but it is just that this reality encourages us to forget who we are and where we came from. Hers is the voice that has inspired women to stand up for equality, for equal pay and equal rights, throughout history. The more we trust in her, and ourselves, the possibilities are infinite. Listen. She is here.

 

 

 

 

 

Oct22

Book Review – Pushing Madness by Hart St Martin

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I’ve been reading this series for the past three years, following Lisen and her family, eagerly anticipating the next book. Here’s my review of the final book…

A fitting finale

This is the final book in the Lisen of Solsta series, and what a finale!

Once again, Lisen and Korin are separated, duty coming before their personal relationship, as they endeavour to prevent Garla and Thristas going to war. Sixteen years previously, a young, naive eighteen year old Lisen fought her first battle in these lands and she now prepares for another, though she hopes she can prevent it from ever happening.

The lives and fortunes of the main characters over the past sixteen years are recalled, tying up loose ends for the reader, while the story moves on to its ending. There’s suspense right from the beginning, though I have to confess to skipping a little in my eagerness to reach the climax of the story of the House of Ilazer.

The final chapters resonate with magic, power and courage. No spoilers, but a memorable and visually dramatic conclusion is a fitting finale for this enjoyable series.

 

The Lisen of Solsta series is imaginative, exciting fantasy fiction. Here’s my review from 2015, of the first book Fractured, to give you a taster…

From a Californian beach, Lisen Holt is transported to a different world, one she knows but does not yet remember. In the haven of Solsta, with the help of Hermit Eloise, the facts of her birth and childhood are drizzled into her consciousness. Her Destiny is laid before her, requiring her acceptance and this is the underlying theme running through Fractured. This is the beginning of Lisen’s journey from carefree Californian teenager, living with Mom and Dad to talented hermit and necropath and the heir to the throne of Garla.

I really enjoyed this book! Once into her writing, St Martin writes a great story. In a very short time I cared about Lisen and was interested to see how the story would unfold. With the story beginning from Lisen’s point of view, I was caught out and had to back track a couple of times when the point of view changed, but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment and read easily from then on.

I loved the characters of Ariel and Lorain and can’t wait to find out how their relationship progresses! There are instances when the same story is told twice from two different points of view which, for my taste, was not necessary and one would have sufficed. I started to skim a bit where Lisen visited the same thoughts, as I was eager for the story to continue so maybe there was a little too much repetition of similar ideas.

This book is about a real young women, faced with a real situation. I felt for her as she battled with weapons training on the journey to Halorin and loved Jozan for supporting her. Her reticence using gifts she has not thoroughly explored is genuine as is her determination to help others, not considering the cost to herself. The final scenes of the book are testament to the mental and physical pressures she has been under as she attempts to come to terms with a new, strange life.

I have no hesitation awarding 4* and look forward to reading the next book in the series.

 

You can find both books via the author’s pages here https://www.amazon.co.uk/D.-Hart-St.-Martin/e/B0099S9GWW/ref

and https://www.amazon.com/D.-Hart-St.-Martin/e/B0099S9GWW/ref

 

To pop back for more reviews, interviews, writerly musings, dance, plant based recipes and magic. Bright blessings xx

 

 

 

 

Jun20

Strong women of the past

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You’ve met The Wonderful Wendy Woo Witch Lit Team! Without prompting from me, honest, they mentioned my determination and focus, giving me cause to contemplate where it came from…

My Dad loved delving into our family’s history. I’ve his ancient copy of Debrett’s Peerage (circa 1903), complete with markers, where he’d found prominent, important people who were part of our family. Among others we were related to banking families, Barclays, Hoares and Gurneys, and one of those Gurneys married into another banking family and became Elizabeth Fry.

Elizabeth Fry was a pioneer. She was a major driving force behind new legislation targeting the inhumane treatment of prisoners. Queen Victoria supported her, giving her an audience on more than one occasion. Elizabeth visited prisoners facing transportation, as well as women and children in Newgate prison and brought their plight into the public eye.

Her book Prisons in Scotland and the North of England, tells how she stayed overnight in prison, offering nobility the opportunity to do so for themselves, to witness first hand the appalling conditions suffered by the convicted. Her untiring determination to make a difference led to the founding of the Association for the Reformation of the Female Prisoners in Newgate. This association provided materials for women so that they could learn to sew and knit and once they were out of prison. could then earn money for themselves.

Elizabeth used her position and worked with other Quakers in a bid to abolish the slave trade and the school she opened for nurses was the inspiration for Florence Nightingale, who took a team of Fry’s nurses with her to the Crimean War.

In this year when we celebrate the centenary of the 1918 Representation of the People Act that gave some women over the age of thirty the right to vote, maybe we need to look back further, to the women, mothers and grandmothers who, in turn, inspired the Suffragettes.

Let us celebrate the awesomeness of women through the ages and be certain and determined that, as women of 2018, we stand up for and bring into the public eye, the causes that we believe and care about.

 

 

Jun13

Pagan Tribal Gathering – The power of women

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Last weekend I was invited to teach American Tribal Style® Bellydance at a brand new Pagan Tribal Gathering in Upton, Nuneaton. I spent three nights in a field with a brand new tribe.

Organised by Pia Morgan and a team of fabulous, dedicated helpers, I enjoyed a relaxed, friendly weekend in tune with the Earth Mother, taking part in ceremonies and rituals and learning new skills. There was no pressure to join in, only respect requested for those who wished to. There were crafters, traders, artists and wise folk, sharing their work and beliefs, and selling their wares. Together, three hundred people birthed a new tribe and laughed, danced, drummed and danced some more.

New enterprises are never easy to get right, yet one woman’s dream was brought to fruition by the belief and endeavours of others and the blessings bestowed by the Goddess.

And that’s why I write Witchlit. Women are awesome and, guided by the Goddess, unstoppable. Who doesn’t want to read about strong women? If Witchlit is a new reading genre to you, think Helen Fielding, Sophie Kinsella and Candace Bushnell stories with witches.

Witch Lit is contemporary, magical realism, where the magical and the mundane co-exist. The stories are gritty and believable while magic is sprinkled through the stories, offering the reader a new perspective on reality.

You can find all my books on my author pages https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wendy-Steele/e/B007VZ1P06/ref

https://www.amazon.com/Wendy-Steele/e/B007VZ1P06/ref

and for FREE Witchlit short stories and extracts, subscribe to my YouTube channel Phoenix and the Dragon https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw3ee9CuNdek9ZC1Im8I_iA?view_as=subscriber

Join the Witchlit revolution and demand more fiction about real witches. Follow on Twitter @WitchLit1 !

New moon blessings to you all xx

 

Aug11

A life less sensible

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Sensible has two definitions in the dictionary:

1. done or chosen in accordance with wisdom or prudence; likely to be of benefit.
2. (of an object) practical and functional rather than decorative.
My mother was a practical, prudent woman but whether by nature or because of living through WWII and the following eight years of rationing, I will never know. Either way, her parenting was of a very strict, sensible nature and I learned how to manage money from her. Living a ‘sensible’ life, however, did not sit well with me.
My first marriage was to a ‘sensible’ young man, training to be an accountant with his own car and with aspirations to own his own home….I was beaten on my honeymoon.
My second marriage was to a less ‘sensible’ man, who made me laugh and was kind and generous. We were friends first and it was the arrival of our first child that pushed us to do the ‘sensible’ thing and buy a home together. We got on well but, like many friends, we had different ideas about many things. His new job in the City boosted his aspirations to make money and though I tried to be the executive wife (I even bought the blazer!) after twelve years together, this relationship ended.
Now I was torn….I needed to be ‘sensible’ as three young lives depended on me being their rock and supporting them and yet, having been married the first time at nineteen years old, I longed for the pressure to be lifted. Meeting my present partner gave me times of bliss, laughter and naughtiness which helped me maintain my ‘sensible’ parent status, seeing the children through school.
Turning fifty was a landmark moment, a time a lot of women dread but for me, with a new, exciting adventure in Wales to look forward to and my children through school and University, for the first time in my life, I felt carefree. Antonyms of sensible include foolish and stupid but for me, carefree means not automatically taking the prudent option but sometimes just ‘going for it’!
This last weekend I partied in a yurt in a field on Friday night, dancing of course, before performing at the Cardigan Bellydance Festival on the Saturday.
On Sunday, I taught morning and afternoon workshops. On Monday, I barrowed logs, made up two boxes of kindling, cooked, baked, washed and cleared up after the weekend. None of this was ‘sensible’ but I loved every second! Today, Tuesday, I’m spending the day writing as my body gave me a nudge to say it needed a rest.
Organising a building site requires me to be sensible with resources and time and organising the household, the same but for the rest of the time, I enjoy a less sensible life….paddling in the sea on Christmas day, getting my first tattoes Wales 2014 020

Eight pointed star, one of the symbols of Ishtar

Eight pointed star, one of the symbols of Ishtar

Dancing with my friends in the sunshine…..11053065_1610337169224773_4219450298485072431_ntaking time to dress and make up for a performance….10556448_727027910700917_1801320681454343591_n

welcoming the sun and moon in the sky….11012386_10153650985507802_1147847422645631772_n ….drawing pictures in the sand and writing the books I care passionately about….books for women….m_DSC01109 about strong, fabulous real women….Wales to 21st June 2014 013books to bring magic into your life every day, books about the beauty of Nature and the part women play as the goddesses of the world….Standing Stone Home For Christmas Cover drop shadow….as they deal with real life (including all the ‘sensible’ bits that make others lives run so smoothly) while embracing the women they really are….DSC_1413

Let go your inhibitions and join me, living a life less sensible.

You can find out more about ATS® Belly Dance at http://www.tribalunity.co.uk.

For links to all my books, please visit my author pages: http://www.amazon.com/Wendy-Steele/e/B007VZ1P06/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wendy-Steele/e/B007VZ1P06/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1365459567&sr=1-2-ent

Love and light xx

Oct27

Wendy Steele – Meet my Main Character Blog Hop

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Today I’m taking part in a blog hop, introducing you, the reader to main characters in novels.

Thank you Judith Arnopp for tagging me to take part. You can read about Judith’s main character here http://juditharnoppnovelist.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/meet-my-main-characters-judith-arnopp.html

For next week I am tagging Kate Murray http://kate0murray.wordpress.com/ to tell us about her main character.

 

 

What is the name of your main character?

There are three main characters in The Standing Stone – Home for Christmas, Rachel, Candy and Fern.

 

When and where is the story set?

Rachel has just arrived to begin her new life in Wales in the present day. Candy lives in The Dome on the Earth in the future. Fern lives in the west of England circa 2000BC.

 

What should we know about the main characters?

All three women have suffered trauma in their childhood and have lived their lives in compliance, ensuring those around them are happy. All three believe there is more to life than the existence they have.

 

What is the character’s goal?

Rachel wants to bring her dream to life, get closer to Marcus, her husband and establish roots in her chosen community in Wales. Candy wants answers. When she was a child, the Lessons on the Screen in the Learning Zone filled her with questions but asking once had led her into trouble. Whatever it takes, she needs to find her own answers. Fern knows Nia isn’t her mother but she has always been one, nurturing Fern and her sister and teaching them the ways of the village but the arrival of the Tall Folk has caused Fern to doubt Nia’s motives and she seeks the truth for herself.

 

What is screwing up your character’s life (the main conflict)?

Rachel’s husband Marcus extolled the virtues of their new life in the country for months before they moved to Wales. Since arriving, he has sullenly, sometimes angrily, refused to play his part in their plan for the future. Candy is a security guard, working a solitary night shift at guard station 23 to protect the Dome. There is no human contact within the Dome without the eyes and ears of a Supervisor close by. Candy cannot ask anybody for answers. Nia is the wise woman of the tribe. She heads the council and guides the villagers as they live their lives in harmony with the earth. How can Fern question her wisdom or judgement?

 

When is the book to be published?

The Standing Stone-Home for Christmas will be released on 6th November 2014.

Rachel arrives in Wales to begin a new life but will Marcus jeopardise their future together before it’s begun?

Candy knows the punishment for leaving Station 23 unguarded. Will she succeed in convincing Paul to obey the Lesson?

Fern loves her life in the village but when the Tall Folk arrive with metal working skills, will her peace be shattered forever?

Though distanced by time and space, three women find the Standing Stone and the teachings of the Great Mother, Binah.

Standing Stone Home For Christmas Cover drop shadow

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Standing-Stone-Home-Christmas-ebook/dp/B00OCPBVV6/ref=asap_B007VZ1P06_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1414326784&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Standing-Stone-Home-Christmas-ebook/dp/B00OCPBVV6/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1414328713&sr=1-1&keywords=wendy+steele

You can find all my books via my Amazon Author Page
http://www.amazon.com/Wendy-Steele/e/B007VZ1P06/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wendy-Steele/e/B007VZ1P06/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1365459567&sr=1-2-ent

Or on Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6548666.Wendy_Steele

Follow me on Twitter for all that’s going on in the world of Wendy Woo

https://twitter.com/WendyWooauthor