Interview with Megan Mary, author of The Dream Haunters: A Metaphysical Mystery of Magick (Witches of Maple Hollow Book 1)

Today it gives the Speculative Fiction Showcase great pleasure to interview Megan Mary, whose novel The Dream Haunters: A Metaphysical Mystery of Magick was our featured new release on October 3rd 2024.

What was the inspiration for your novel The Dream Haunters: A Metaphysical Mystery of Magick, which was our featured new release on October 3rd?

Ten years ago, I had an incredibly vivid dream about a time traveling, talking cat named Wixby and a young girl named Hannah, that felt so real I had to capture it in writing. What began as a 10,000-word short story was set aside for years. It wasn't until I went through a series of profound spiritual awakenings that I felt compelled to revisit and complete it. The story evolved, taking on an entirely new life and meaning into what became The Dream Haunters.

The Dream Haunters is your first book in a new series, The Witches of Maple Hollow. What can you tell us about the series?

The series blends fantasy and mystery, weaving in compelling female characters from women’s fiction and incorporating a rich array of metaphysical elements. This creates a unique blend of paranormal, supernatural, and spiritual themes. It features beloved tropes such as Found Family, Good vs. Evil, Time Travel, Discovered Powers, Spiritual Awakening, Secret Societies, Fated Destiny, Talking Cats, and, naturally, Dream Interpretation.

Your protagonist, Hannah Skye, is a young woman in search of meaning. How is she drawn into a hidden and magical world?

Hannah receives a cryptic letter from her long-lost aunt that she cannot read. It is illegible, or so it seems, but does include a plane ticket to Maple Hollow. Hannah is a seeker, drawn to mysteries, so she cannot let this go without investigating further.

What can you tell us about Hannah’s Aunt Jewelia, who is missing at the start of the book?

Aunt Jewelia lives at Skye Manor with a kindly older gentleman known by some as “Old Man Adams.” She is a bit like Morticia from the Addams Family in that she is demure and elegant, but also magickal and mysterious. At the beginning, we see her doing magic whilst a tumultuous storm brews outside, setting the scene for the mystery to unfold.

Dreams and their significance play a key role in The Dream Haunters. How does a dream influence Hannah’s life-changing decision?

Hannah has a recurring dream about a pumpkin patch, but she never can quite figure out what it means. Feeling lost at a crossroads in her life, and just having lost her job, she decides it is time to take some chances and make a change. She follows a series of synchronicities that lead her not only to discover her long-lost family, but also a legacy that changes her life forever.

You yourself are a dream analyst. What can you tell us about that role and the experience that led to it?

I have always been fascinated by dreams, but I didn’t always listen to them. After suffering from multiple chronic illnesses, I underwent a long period of healing, during which I returned to the wisdom of my dreams and meditation. What I discovered there was a calling to share with others the mysteries and importance of dreams through my stories and the dreamwork I do in real life with other women.

Why are dreams important, and how did you come to make them the basis of a novel?

I feel that dreams are the doorway to our subconscious. They speak to us in a language unique to each dreamer, which once understood, allows us to unlock our inner wisdom, tap into our intuition and access our higher self and purpose.

Who are The Dream Haunters of the title and how much can you tell us about them?

The Dream Haunters are nefarious spirits that take advantage of celestial influences to trap unsuspecting dreamers in their nightmares. Those that ignore their dreams and disregard them as meaningless are the most at risk. 

What can you tell us about Maple Hollow and Skye Manor and how Hannah travels there?

Maple Hollow is a fictional, magical island of eternal autumn located somewhere in New England. Skye Manor is a mysterious ancestral manor located on Maple Hollow. Hannah flies to New England from the mountain town she lives in when she receives a cryptic letter and a one-way plane ticket from her long-lost aunt.

To what extent does The Dream Haunters mingle personal experience and imagination?

As a debut author, my fiction is exceptionally based in personal experience. There are parts of me in every character, in fact, even some of the cats are my actual cats! There are 13 dream scenes in the novel, and since reality is stranger than fiction, a number of them are actually inspired from my own dreams.

The Dream Haunters has been well-received: The BookLife Prize, sponsored by Publisher's Weekly, gave it a 9.25 out of 10 critic's rating. What does that mean to you?

I was beyond thrilled to receive the critic’s rating from The BookLife Prize. It actually brought tears to me eyes. To have a reviewer, that has probably read thousands of books, call my debut a “highly inventive work” that was “relentlessly imaginative” was truly a dream. I also really appreciated that the review covered the plot, prose and character execution, all which received excellent marks calling the setting, “brilliantly realized, with every nook and cranny overflowing with vibrant energy and atmosphere,” and the series, “a fascinating metaphysical journey into a fantastical world full of magic spells, dreams, and spirituality.”

What themes or tropes appear in the story and how important are the cats?

The story delves into themes such as Found Family, Good vs. Evil, Time Travel, Discovered Powers, Spiritual Awakening, Secret Societies, Fated Destiny, Dream Interpretation, and, of course, a talking cat. Cats hold a special significance in the narrative, as one of them originally inspired the book. Not only are there multiple feline characters, but two are based on my real-life cats, Merlin and Milu, including one who has since passed on into the spirit realm, Mystera.

How do you see your readers?

Much like my podcast, my creative work centers on supporting women. I envision my readers as those who enjoy mystery, fantasy, and women’s fiction, as well as anyone drawn to metaphysical themes—perfect for those who love exploring metaphysical shops. My books cater to readers seeking a unique blend of entertainment and inspiration, offering stories that are both reflective and educational. They’re for seekers—those embarking on a fictional journey that ultimately brings them back to themselves, feeling empowered and touched by a sense of magic.

Are you working on the next book in the series and what can you tell us about it?

Book 2 is called The Dream Mirrors and will be released in May 2025. It combines the metaphysical themes of duality, portals, mirrors, reflection and illusion. This celestial fall-themed mirror fantasy weaves dreams and mystery into an enchanting tale of magick and self-discovery. Book 3 is currently underway as well and slated to be released October 2025.

Amazon.com | MeganMary.com | Books2Read

About Megan Mary:

Metaphysical author Megan Mary, a dream analyst, intuitive, and mystic, intertwines her passion for personal transformation, magick, and cats with the ethereal realm of dreams.

In addition to a career spanning over twenty-five years creating, managing and marketing websites, she holds a BA and an MA in English Literature, certification in British Studies, and is a member of the International Association for the Study of Dreams.

After being diagnosed with three chronic illnesses, she experienced a spiritual awakening. She now empowers women all over the world to live more authentic, aligned, and abundant lives through dream empowerment and mystical guidance. Her podcast, Women’s Dream Enlightenment, has been voted as one of the Top 20 Spiritual Awakening Podcasts You Must Follow. When she’s not dreaming or weaving digital webs, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two magickal cats.

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The Dream Haunters: A Metaphysical Mystery of Magick by Megan Mary (Witches of Maple Hollow Book 1)

 

Release date: October 3rd, 2024

Sub-genres: Mystery, Fantasy, Supernatural, Speculative, Metaphysical, Women's Fiction, New Adult

About The Dream Haunters:

Hannah Skye, a young woman in search of meaning, receives a cryptic letter from her missing and eccentric Aunt Jewelia. Her experience of a recurring powerful pumpkin patch dream unfolds into a spiritual journey to a mysterious island of eternal autumn, Maple Hollow, where she discovers the mystical Skye Manor and her magickal family legacy.

Haunted by shapeshifters bent on trapping people in their nightmares, Hannah, with the help of wise villagers and feline companions (including a talking cat dream guide), must solve the riddle, unlock her powers, and dive into the dream dimension to save her aunt by Halloween night, when the veil between the worlds is thinnest.

Escape into this metaphysical mystery of magick, where spells, music, and dreams converge in a vortex of secret societies and spiritual inheritance. Travel beyond time and space into a world of unexpected portals, ancient traditions, and dreamscapes.

Excerpt:

A sudden clap of thunder broke the silence. Jewelia’s eyes snapped open. Jarred out of her placid place of meditation, she reached for a pad of paper. She wrote and then stopped, holding her pen just away from the paper as if in a channeled trance, then continued on, only to stop again a few words later. Once her words had fully inked the page, she folded the letter and placed it in a small white envelope. She firmly pressed a stamp into the red wax simmering nearby, sealed the envelope, and wrote 

Hannah 

in large letters in the middle.

She rose quickly from her seat, the cat springing off her lap. She ran out to the foyer, then down the long dark hallway toward the back door, grabbing a cloak hanging on a nearby hook and departing from the shelter of her home. 

Skye Manor sat in the middle of an enormous, circular pumpkin patch. There was one straight path that led from the manor through the center of the patch, ending at the sea. This path was lined on both sides with immensely tall cypress trees. They stood like guards, perfectly lined up, creating a dark corridor to the water. Jewelia ran down this corridor toward the shore, cutting through the patch.

The storm swirled around her, thunder cracking and breaking across the sky. She headed for the dock, heart pounding in her chest. The wind whipped the trees, making them swirl as if they would be lifted right out of their roots, their branches thrashing to and fro. The rain beat on Jewelia’s head and shoulders as she approached the dock.

On the dock, she knelt down and reached for the ropes that held the rowboat, her long black hair wet and matted against her face. She untangled them one by one until the small craft was freed from its attachments. It bobbed up and down on the rough water, ready to float away of its own accord. Steadying herself on a wooden dock post wrapped in weathered rope, Jewelia stepped into the boat, first her right foot, then her left. She sat on the wet wooden seat and fished around for the oars below her.

She began to row, pushing and straining the muscles in her arms, heaving back and bracing her legs. She was rowing as hard and fast as she could. She made it away from the dock and headed south, along the shore, further and further from the manor and around the bend of the tiny island. The rain fell harder and harder, as if it were trying to prevent her from proceeding any further. But she paddled on, exerting herself as much as she could. 

As she rowed, she began to chant—softly at first, the words a whisper under her heavy breath. They formed a rhythm of their own as they dropped from her lips into the foggy air that had begun to envelope both her and the boat. She started to chant louder, the words becoming an incantation, carrying her emotions on the wind, swirling around her and rising out of her body.

Suddenly, a colossal thunderclap boomed above her, followed by a magnificent strike of lightning. White light, as bright as if she stood next to the moon itself, surrounded her, and then there was total silent darkness. 

Jewelia had vanished.

Amazon.com | MeganMary.com | Books2Read

About Megan Mary:

Metaphysical author Megan Mary, a dream analyst, intuitive, and mystic, intertwines her passion for personal transformation, magick, and cats with the ethereal realm of dreams.

In addition to a career spanning over twenty-five years creating, managing and marketing websites, she holds a BA and an MA in English Literature, certification in British Studies, and is a member of the International Association for the Study of Dreams.

After being diagnosed with three chronic illnesses, she experienced a spiritual awakening. She now empowers women all over the world to live more authentic, aligned, and abundant lives through dream empowerment and mystical guidance. Her podcast, Women’s Dream Enlightenment, has been voted as one of the Top 20 Spiritual Awakening Podcasts You Must Follow. When she’s not dreaming or weaving digital webs, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two magickal cats.

Website|Twitter/X|Instagram|Threads|Pinterest|YouTube|

TikTok|LinkTree|LinkedIn

 

Gillyflower by Diane Wald

 Release date: April 16, 2019

Subgenre: Magical Realism, Women's Fiction

About Gillyflower:

 

Boston, 1984. Even in a world without cell phones, messages come through loud and clear if one is listening. When thirty-something Nora Forrest travels to Manhattan to see a Broadway play starring her idol, an aging Irish actor named Hugh Sheenan, she doesn't know whether what happens in the theater that night should be credited to witchcraft, extrasensory perception, synchronicity, or simple accident―and she knows that many people would tell her nothing had happened at all. Told through the voices of four people, Gillyflower is a story about intersections and connections―real, imaginary, seized, and eluded. It's a book about everyday magic, crystalline memory, and the details that flow through time and space like an electrified mist. It's a detective story, a love story, and a coming-of-age story―for the never really young and for the almost old.

Excerpt:

 

It was a picture of the inside of a theater, seen from a vantage-point somewhere in the upper rear, with a stage full of actors well-lit in the front, and a tall, thin male actor at the front of the stage with a peculiar look on his face.  A shaft or beam of light, like something one sees in those Roman Catholic holy cards that nuns give out to children for good behavior in school (I’d gotten a few in my time), led from the actor's dark eyes to something in the front rows of the audience.  The detail was most unusual:  the whole of the thing was executed in an elegant array of tiny, finely-drawn lines, so that unless one looked closely it seemed to have a palpable texture—one felt as though it would be a bit rough to the touch.  Most of the drawing was simply black on white, but the beam of light was a soft golden color and, as I mentioned, the man's eyes, though black, seemed to have a color all their own.

            So deeply was I in communion with this strange drawing that Hugh' s unexpected entry into the kitchen gave me rather a start.  He was wearing an old, fuzzy, grey bathrobe, had an unattractive greyish-blue stubble on his chin, and his eyes were sunken deeply enough into his face so that he looked about a hundred and three years old.     He seemed cheerful enough in spite of that, however, and considering that the hour was well before noon, I thought he seemed very cheerful indeed.  He smiled at me and barked one word: "Coffee," then plopped down at the table next to me, leaned over almost backwards, and acrobatically lit his cigarette in its holder by turning on the stove.  I did not argue about the coffee for once, I was that surprised to see him, and got up to fix him a mug.

            "And what have we here, old boy?" he asked, picking up the drawing and trying to focus his bleary eyes upon it.  "Dabbling in the arts, are we, Leon?  I have always wondered what it was one did in these early hours, but I must say you'd be the last silly bastard I'd suspect of

finger-painting.  HOLD ON!"   At that Hugh jumped from the chair, threw the drawing across the room as if it had burned him, and turned upon me with a hateful eye.  He was indeed fully awakened.

            “For God's sake, Leon!  Where did that thing come from?" he roared.  I was flabbergasted.

            "It came just this morning in the post," I told him, ''And I was just taking a little look-see at it when you came in.”

            Hugh retrieved the drawing, set it up again against the teapot, and sat down gazing at it with his head in his hands.  His cigarette had fallen to his lap and was starting a hole there.  I took it away to the sink.   He continued to stare at the picture, muttering foul words and bending a spoon in his hands.  I took the spoon away.

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About Diane Wald:

 Diane Wald was born in Paterson, NJ, and has lived in Massachusetts since 1972. She holds an MFA from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She has published more than 250 poems in literary magazines since 1966. She spent two years on a fellowship at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown and has been awarded the Grolier Poetry Prize, The Denny Award, The Open Voice Award, and the Anne Halley Award. She also received a state grant from the Massachusetts Council on the Arts. She has published five chapbooks and won the Green Lake Chapbook Award from Owl Creek Press. Her book Lucid Suitcase was published by Red Hen Press in 1999 and her second book, The Yellow Hotel, was published by Verse Press in the fall of 2002. WONDERBENDER, her third collection, was published by 1913 Press. She lives outside of Boston with her husband, Carey Reid, and their charismatic cats.

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