This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
ABOUT SUZANNE 
I’m a self employed freelancer (age, over 18, is as much as I’m saying!) who spends my working days writing, editing and proofing UK business publications. Have been actively pursuing my dream of getting my fiction writing published for several years now and The Love Spell is my third (unpublished) novel – currently being fine tuned (i.e. cut, added to and then cut again) to within an inch of its life! I’m a member of the aspiring writers group, the New Writers Scheme, which is run by the Romantic Novelists Association and live in hope… well, you have to, don’t you, if you want to be a writer?
EXCERPT OF THE LOVE SPELL BY SUZANNE FARMER
Kat stood at the door of the ramshackle shed and shivered. It might be summer and the day had been scorching hot but now, approaching midnight in the middle of an allotment site, her feet were absolutely freezing. Thinking about it, sandals probably weren’t the best form of footwear for an occasion such as this. Especially as ominous looking clouds had been slowly filling the sky since early evening and thunder was now rumbling in the distance.
Glancing across at Summer, who was still busy gathering assorted plants, her arms full of huge bunches of greenery, Kat wondered for the about the hundredth time exactly why she’d agreed to go along with her friend’s bizarre idea to come down here. OK, something needed to be done but was this really the answer? Shifting from one foot to the other to try to get the circulation going again Kat felt another shiver work its way up her spine. She didn’t really believe in all of this but, well, any port in a storm, as they say. Plus, Summer was her boss at the charity shop as well as her friend so she’d kind of felt obliged to tag along and offer moral as well as practical support.
Shoving a handful of lavender into a carrier bag Summer straightened up. “OK, I think we’re about ready.” Walking across to the corner of the allotment plot where the bonfire was now nothing more than glowing embers, a shadow of its former self, she nodded and grinned. “Yes, we’re definitely ready.”
Kat nodded and smiled unconvincingly. Summer might be ready but she most definitely wasn’t. She really wished that she’d never agreed to any of this. Kat ballowed her gaze to drift first to the left, out across the emptiness and semi darkness, and then to the right, towards Summer. She shivered again. This place was beyond creepy. It was bizarre that the two of them were all alone in the middle of Netherton Meadows allotment site at gone eleven o’clock at night. It was even more bizarre that Summer was wearing a glittery sequined silver vest top perfect for teaming with jeans and sky scraper heels whilst you danced the night away at a party. On this occasion though the silver top was teamed with denim shorts and a pair of bright pink wellies. Summer had what you might generously call an unusual sense of style at the best of times but this latest ensemble, well…
“Summer, can I ask you something?” Kat shouted across the allotment from her perch just inside the shed door where, for some, reason she felt safer.
Straightening up, left hand on her hip, Summer nodded. “Sure.”
“Why the sparkly top? It just seems an odd choice for what we’re about to do.”
“Silver is a colour that’s said to be sacred to the moon and helps reflect negativity away.” Glancing across the allotment site to where a crane and some scaffolding towered above the perimeter fence Summer added, “And let’s face it. We have lots of negativity to get rid of around here thanks to Harson Field Developments.”
The meadows that bordered one side of the River Luis that ran through Luisborough would, before long, be dotted with five bedroom, three-bathroomed executive homes, despite the best attempts of a lengthy protest campaign. The locals had objected in their hundreds but the housing development was still going ahead. Despite the fact it was ruining a gorgeous piece of land where people had walked their dogs, families had played with the kids, couples, most in the first throes of dating but not all, had strolled hand in hand in the early evening light, lost in their own little worlds. Despite the fact that Netherton Meadows was a flood plain for the river. Despite it being widely acknowledged that Luisborough was one of the prettiest market towns in Yorkshire and that the area along the river was a key reason for this. At the end of the day, it seemed that commerce and the needs of the planning control team at the local council had won out. The homes were being built, like it or not.
“Right, let’s get started,” Summer announced. “OK, Kat?”
Now that the time had come Kat felt the numerous doubts which had been hovering around the edges of her mind for the past few hours suddenly gain a momentum all of their own and start to crowd in on her. Combined with the nerves which were bubbling around inside her stomach, it was no wonder she was experiencing a growing tide of nausea. This was completely new territory to her and she was fervently wishing that she hadn’t agreed to go along with Summer’s crazy plan. Could they cause harm doing this? Would she be struck down by powers unknown for dabbling in things she should know better than to get involved with?
Summer peered from under the fringe of her bright orange hair. “You’re having doubts, aren’t you?”
Kat was silent, choosing to opt for avoidance tactics – story of her life – by staring up at the moon which the clouds had just allowed to put in a brief appearance. She could see the bright globe must be almost full it was so round.
“Don’t be daft. Honestly, it’s perfectly safe. I know what I’m doing,” Summer walked across and flung a reassuring arm around her. “Now, can you remember the words or do you need your crib sheet to remind you?”
“I can remember the words,” mumbled Kat, reluctantly following Summer across to the bonfire. “God help me, I can remember the words.” After all, it wasn’t every day that you had to memorise the words of some ancient spell about to be cast by your friend and boss. Who just happened to be a practising white witch.