Guest Review & Giveaway by Laurence McNaughton

BP Note: You might have noticed one of the titles on our Must Haves for the month was It Happened One Doomsday by Laurence McNaughton. He volunteered to write a guest post for us, provided an excerpt, and added information on a giveaway he is sponsoring. We hope you enjoy his post and check back tomorrow for our review!

Blurb:
Can her magic save the world — before his curse destroys it?

Magic is real. Only a handful of natural-born sorcerers can wield its arcane power against demons, foul creatures, and the forces of darkness. These protectors of the powerless are descendants of an elite order. The best magic-users in the world.

Unfortunately, Dru isn’t one of them.

Sure, she’s got a smidge of magical potential. She can use crystals to see enchantments or brew up an occasional potion. And she can research practically anything in the library of dusty leather-bound tomes she keeps stacked in the back of her little store. There, sandwiched between a pawn shop and a 24-hour liquor mart, she sells enough crystals, incense, and magic charms to scrape by. But everything changes the day a handsome mechanic pulls up in a possessed black muscle car, his eyes glowing red.

Just being near Greyson raises Dru’s magical powers to dizzying heights. But he’s been cursed to transform into a demonic creature that could bring about the end of the world.

Then she discovers that the Harbingers, seven fallen sorcerers, want to wipe the planet clean of humans and install themselves as new lords of an unfettered magical realm. And when they unearth the Apocalypse Scroll, the possibility of a fiery cosmic do-over suddenly becomes very real.

There’s only one chance to break Greyson’s curse and save the world from a fiery Doomsday – and it’s about to fall into Dru’s magically inexperienced hands…

Crystal Magic Secrets in It Happened One Doomsday

You can blame it all on Dan Aykroyd from Ghostbusters.

A few years ago, on a placid summer evening resonant with cicadas, I stepped out to buy a bottle of wine for my wife’s show at an art gallery.

And there, in the corner of the store, sat Dan Aykroyd, promoting his new Crystal Head Vodka.

You may not know this (I certainly didn’t at the time), but Dan is a big believer in paranormal phenomena. In fact, his family has a long tradition of investigating the paranormal.

Personally, I’m more of a skeptic. But when a millionaire movie star comes right out and says that he filters his vodka using Herkimer diamonds for their metaphysical properties, you know there’s got to be an interesting story there.

Herkimer diamonds are a form of exceptionally clear quartz crystal, and I used to collect them as a kid. So naturally, I was curious.

I started researching common metaphysical beliefs about crystals. What I discovered was fascinating.

For example, another crystal, galena, is a dark silvery rock with rough mirror-like edges. Back in ancient Egypt, it was believed to protect against the “evil eye” and so it often decorated the eyes of the pharaohs.

Then there’s a honey-colored crystal called citrine. Some people believe it can bring wealth when placed in the back left corner of your house. Or if you own a business, in your cash register drawer.

Others say that rose halite, a chalky pinkish crystal, can help dissolve negative patterns in your life.

Here’s the thing: halite is just a fancy name for rock salt. So not only will the crystal help you in a spiritual sense, it can also de-ice your sidewalk. Which is kind of funny.

Anyway, I thought: what if I took these metaphysical beliefs in crystals and elevated them to a Harry Potter sort of level?

What if a sorcerer could magnify the supposed effects of these crystals so much that they could actually save lives or change the world?

That’s the magic in It Happened One Doomsday.

In my book, galena doesn’t just protect you from evil – the characters actually use it to fight demons.

(By the way, I will be giving away an actual galena crystal – complete with certificate of authenticity from the Crystal Connection – to one of my newsletter subscribers. You can enter to win at my website.)

In the book, halite not only dissolves negative patterns, it can actually break dangerous enchantments and counteract evil spells.

Amethyst protects against attacks from ghosts, poltergeists, and other disembodied spirits.

And Herkimer diamonds – in a nod to Dan Aykroyd – purify anything they touch.

It’s a totally unique kind of magic system, and I’ve heard from so many readers who enjoy it. In fact, when I do book signings, I bring an assortment of actual crystals with me. It’s not only fun, it’s educational, and leads to some fascinating conversations.

And that’s part of the fun of reading (and writing) a book.

P.S. Here’s an excerpt from the book:

After a moment’s consideration, Dru picked up a shiny chunk of galena. Like most galena crystals, it looked like it had been formed from a half-dozen different little cubes all fused together, and it had a dark mirror-like sheen, like a highway patrolman’s sunglasses.

She took a moment to weigh the crystal in her hand, until she could feel the faint whispers of its energy synchronizing with hers. “Here. Let me have your hand.”

Greyson put his arm on the counter, and she pushed back the sleeve of his leather jacket. When she touched the galena to his wrist, the crystal popped with a cold blue flare of light, like an old-fashioned photo flash, accompanied by a sinister sizzling sound.

Greyson yanked his arm off the counter and sucked his breath in through his teeth.

“Wow,” Dru said, with a little thrill of triumph, mixed with a tinge of surprised fear. She’d never seen galena react so spectacularly before. “Bingo. Looks like we have a demon.”

GIVEAWAY: You could win a demon-fighting galena crystal of your very own! Enter the giveaway here.

About the author:

Laurence MacNaughton grew up in a creaky old colonial house in Connecticut that he’s pretty sure was haunted. He’s been a bookseller, printer, copywriter and (somewhat randomly) a prototype vehicle test driver. When he’s not writing, he bikes and hikes the Rocky Mountains, explores ghost towns and wrenches on old cars. His books include It Happened One Doomsday, The Spider Thief, and Conspiracy of Angels. Get free stories, bonus features, and more fun stuff at his website.