iWitch | Diana Orgain

Brewing Up Murder (An iWitch Mystery Series: Book Three) Sneak Peek – Chapter One

From Brewing up Murder Chapter One MAEVE   Maeve O’Dare watched her friends disappear from the rearview. It broke her heart watching Gracie wave frantically to her. Leaving Wisteria Pines when her café, Listen: It’s Old Fashioned, was still so new made her anxious. Then again, she was leaving the café in some pretty trustworthy hands. Her best friend Gracie and her one employee, Donnie, were going to handle things in her absence, and they’d proven themselves competent. Her face flushed as she saw Officer Joseph standing next to Gracie wearing a goofy looking grin. Maeve had taken a chance, giving him a quick peck on the cheek before departing for her trip to LA. Now, she regretted it. I can’t believe I kissed him! Stupid, stupid, stupid, Maeve! She shook it off. Her time away would give him an opportunity to think about how he felt, and that was a good thing. She didn’t need to get involved with someone who didn’t reciprocate her feelings. She’d had enough of that. Joseph was a complete sweetheart—very different from her ex—a little awkward at times, but the man had a heart of gold. And there was something about a man in uniform that could make a woman blush. She wasn’t afraid to admit that. “Bye, Joseph,” she whispered into the rearview mirror. From the passenger seat, Wanda, her trusty canine companion, growled. Maeve laughed. “You need to start being nicer to Joseph, sweetie.” She reached over and patted her pooch on the head. “Whether you like it or not, he’s sticking around if I have anything to say about it.”...

Brewing Up Murder (An iWitch Mystery Series: Book Three) Sneak Peek – Chapter Three Continued

Did you miss Chapter One? Did you miss Chapter Two? Did you miss part one of Chapter Three? From Brewing up Murder Chapter Three Continued…   After a while, Maeve and her mom plopped down at an empty poolside table and people-watched. As they were talking, Maeve noticed a couple heading in their direction. “You know those two?” Maeve asked. “They’re staring.” “Hmm … I know of them. Rebecca and Kirk. They’re actors,” Fiona said. “But, I don’t know them personally. Your dog seems to like them, though.” Wanda stood on her hind legs and wagged her tail. “Good, girl,” Maeve said. “Maeve O’Dare?” the woman, Rebecca, asked. “Yes, hello,” Maeve said politely, and the woman motioned toward the empty chairs. Maeve nodded, letting her know they were welcome to sit. The couple plopped down, and the woman smiled. “First, love your songs. I am a big fan of Die, You Dirty Dog!” Wanda whined. “Oh hush now, Wanda. I wrote that song before adopting you.” Maeve said, and everyone laughed. “Did you know you made it into the tabloids around here last month?” the woman asked. Maeve shook her head, confused. “Umm …?” “Yeah,” the man, Kirk, said. “Some picture of you with Chuck Lowry at a café out in … Wisteria Pines? We honestly came over here to get the scoop on that. Chuck’s an old buddy of ours. He’s been AWOL for a while, and after we saw that picture in a magazine, we figured he must have gotten caught up in a relationship or something to have dipped out of LA for so long.” Maeve...

Brewing Up Murder (An iWitch Mystery Series: Book Three) Sneak Peek – Chapter Three

Did you miss Chapter One? Did you miss Chapter Two? From Brewing up Murder Chapter Three MAEVE   Maeve felt overwhelmingly fabulous that evening as she and her mother exited a limo in front of the enormous luxury hotel. Music blared from the large pool-side balcony onto the street, and the base made her chest pound. Damien and Emma had been left behind at the apartment, but Wanda tagged along. She was right at their side freshly bathed and wearing a purple bow on her head that matched both her collar and the form-fitting, floor-length gown that Maeve wore. Her mother, always the fashionista, was decked out in an orange gown that accented her hourglass figure. The woman also wore a stylish hat that matched, and her shoulders were draped with a light-weight orange, silky shawl. After getting through security, Fiona hooked arms with Maeve and squealed as they entered the party. Maeve gasped as she looked around. This was a significantly nicer party than any of the crummy LA shindigs her ex had brought her to back in the day. These were some A-list actors and producers. “Whoa,” Maeve said. “Mom, how did you score an invite to this party?” “I was on the show once,” she said. “As a guest star sharing one of my recipes. The show is celebrating its twenty-five-year anniversary.” “What season were you on?” Maeve asked curiously. “Season two – first episode,” her mother said proudly. “Ooh, come on, come on – I see Chef Massimo! I must introduce you to him … you too, Wanda.” Wanda yelped playfully, and the three of...

Brewing Up Murder (An iWitch Mystery Series: Book Three) Sneak Peek – Chapter Two Continued

Did you miss Chapter One? Did you miss part one Chapter Two? From Brewing up Murder Chapter Two Continued… “I’m your mother, darling. Of course, I knew.” The woman again reaches to scratch my head, but she can’t reach me from where she’s sitting. I’m keeping my distance from the rat. I hate rats. “And yet, you’ve picked up a couple of animal companions, I see,” her mother says. “Hey there, puppy dog, I’m Fiona. Nice to meet you.” Fiona. Sounds like a witch name to me. “That’s Wanda,” Maeve says. “And the bird is Damien.” “Hmm … Emma is getting pretty old to be a witch’s companion. I might need to find myself a new pet,” Fiona says, and Damien abruptly stands upright and squawks. Fiona laughs. “I do like birds. Why do you have a raven, Maeve?” “Would you believe it stowed away in my car?” Fiona laughs. “Feisty! I like it.” Fiona looks at me, and suddenly she leans in close and stares me down like she’s studying me. “Interesting …” “What?” Maeve asks. “Your dog … there’s magick there,” she says. I stand upright and wag my tail. Holy crap! I love this woman! This is just what I need – a witch who gets me. If Fiona can figure me out, then that would bring me one step closer to breaking this stupid curse. I bark, and Maeve smiles. “Yeah, well … I did see her do this crazy bark thing once. Knocked a woman clear off her feet. But, I wasn’t sure if it was Wanda or if maybe it had been me...

Brewing Up Murder (An iWitch Mystery Series: Book Three) Sneak Peek – Chapter Two

Did you miss Chapter One? From Brewing up Murder Chapter Two CHUCK   And, so the adventure continues. I’m still in the body of a female dog, thanks to the curse of a psychotic, revengeful witch. The next full moon, my one time of the month I’m allowed to walk around in my glorious man bod, is two days away, and Maeve has dragged me off to LA. Oh, what a joy to be back in the stupid city where I got cursed in the first place! Whatever. Maeve shrieks as she opens the trunk of her Volkswagen, so I bolt out of the car to check things out. She’s my only chance at becoming a man again on a permanent basis, so anything bad for Maeve is bad for me. Last thing I need is my only lifeline getting hurt! Plus, I’m a little in love with her. That’s when I see Maeve picking up a large, black bird. You’ve got to be kidding me. Damien, my new sidekick, has apparently decided to stow away on our trip. “Damien, you idiot,” I say. My little raven buddy squawks slightly. “It sure was hot in there!” “No, really?” I snap, laying into him for his absolute stupidity while Maeve fawns over him. He does look pretty pathetic. She grabs her bag, and we head into the hotel and up a flight of stairs while she mumbles about getting him into some air condi‐ tioning. “What do you think you are doing here?” I ask while he looks down at me from over Maeve’s shoulder. “I thought you could use...

Brewing Up Murder (An iWitch Mystery Series: Book Three) Sneak Peek – Chapter One Continued

Did you miss part one of Chapter One? From Brewing up Murder Chapter One Continued…   The server brought Maeve her drink and took her order quickly before disappearing again. Maeve continued skimming through the book. Some of the spells were very easy and only required an incanta‐ tion while others were much more complicated and required potions or some sort of sacrifice on the witch’s part. Toward the back of the book, there was a list of rules and regula‐ tions for practicing magick, the first of which forbade the use of black magick. “Interesting,” Maeve said. “I wonder who makes these rules? And … what qualifies as black magick?” The server appeared, placing a plate of bacon and eggs down in front of Maeve. Wanda whined, and Maeve gave her a piece of bacon, and the hash browns. Then order an entire side of sausages for Wanda. The dog nearly shook herself silly wolfing down the food. Maeve ate while perusing the book, the question of black magick lingering in her mind. Why would anyone ever want to practice black magick anyhow? Well, there certainly was evil in the world. Maeve couldn’t deny that. So, she supposed that evil witches shouldn’t surprise her. After paying, Maeve and Wanda climbed back into the Volkswagen and hit the road again. When they finally arrived at the Los Angeles police department Wanda followed her inside. Maeve introduced herself to a uniformed officer at the reception window, and the man informed her that the station’s senior officer, Officer Gary Wolfe, was working the missing persons case. After a few minutes, a...