In my stories, magic is used every day, but it always costs something (Newton’s third law, you know), and that cost can be difficult to control or predict except for small spells. (Although sometimes even small spells can go awry because… magic wouldn’t be magic if it was fully predictable.) Most humans aren’t witches that can use magic directly or create spells, but anyone can use enchanted objects or already made spells. Since small spells have minimal, one-time costs that can usually be controlled, that’s typically the magic people use every day.

My main characters in the first three books of Calatini Tales didn’t use magic constantly because none were witches, so they could only use spells created by others. Plus, they were all aware that the cost of magic could be unpredictable. However, some of them were much more at ease using magic than others. Aragon, Hawke, and Devon are all familiar and comfortable with using purchased magic since they come from wealthy and influential/royal families.

Unlike my heroes, my heroines have varying attitudes toward magic. In The Spellbinding Courtship, Selena is from a small village with few witches and has recently moved to Ormas, so she has little experience with magic. And since she’s penniless, most of the magic she uses is given to her by others (mostly Aragon.) In The Enchanted Bird, Wren is distrustful of magic because of her childhood incident with the charmed pen, so she rarely uses magic unless she knows it’s harmless. However, she does risk using a powerful glamour to seduce Hawke, who she’s loved forever but will soon be engaged, without consequences (she thinks, lol.) In The Nightmara Affair, Kiera doesn’t have much experience with magic because a poor orphanage matron can’t afford most spells. Plus, as Wren’s best friend for years, Wren’s distrust of magic has worn off on her, so Kiera uses magic but is cautious when doing so.

Although the magic system is the same in all of my stories, it appears rather different in The Secret Soulbond. That’s because Annalise and Dare are both witches—and not just ordinary ones, but powerful Rhiannon descendants. Unlike my previous main characters, they understand magic (particularly their own), and using it is as easy as breathing to them. Plus, as Rhiannon descendants, they can typically control the cost of their spells, especially if using magic innate to their class of witch. So there’s a lot of magic in The Secret Soulbond. 🙂

And, sneak peek… In my next book The Goddess’s Illusion, the hero is Mel (Aragon and Hawke’s priest brother), so he shares his brothers and cousin’s attitude toward magic. The heroine is Kit (Wren’s childhood rival), and the fashionable countess is familiar and comfortable using purchased magic as well. However, she’s not sure what to do when the Goddess’s avatars bless her with a powerful illusion she never asked for…