Tales of a Midlife Witch

I wanted the same things out of life that all warrior witches wanted: a loving husband, a sweet child, and enough magickal work to keep me happily busy doing some good in the world. How my life turned into the current hot mess I'm dealing with is still a mystery. What I got instead was a husband who betrayed me, a child who still believes I'm a criminal, and a bogus prison sentence I'm stuck serving to save my ungrateful child's life.

My formal name is Aran of the Dagda. I rue the day I became Aran Derringer, but soon I'll be changing it back to plain old Aran O'Malley. Most days it’s not so bad being a 40-year-old witch from the lineage of the Tuatha de Danann. The last seven years weren't the best, but I don't have time to be regretting the past.

Can you believe my daughter at twenty thinks I'm the naive one about men? And my mother agrees with her! Conn warning me every three seconds about my stagnant libido doesn’t help either. What difference does it make to them if I'm dating or not? Turning forty didn’t make me extra picky, but people need to stop judging me for saying no. Colonel Benson is happily married, and I turned down the sexy elf Conn dangled in front of me on principle. I don’t have time to deal with ancient winged creatures, eccentric fairy folk, or back-stabbing demons playing matchmaker.

Life is easier when you’re younger. My new bestie that I never wanted is in crisis. Rasmus left weeks ago and hasn’t returned, so I’m in crisis. I put a demon compulsion on my ex to make him forget he was evil, so my daughter is in crisis. All Conn seems capable of doing is laughing at me and my pain. We’ll see who gets the last laugh, though. Mulan thinks dating him violates everything in her life and negates the reason she was given her powers.