Celebrate Beltane with Put a Spell on You
Time to read and celebrate the turn of season.
As the wheel of the year turns toward May (Sorry! I’m running a little late with this post, but it feels wrong not to celebrate a past release of mine. In fact, I’m trying to celebrate the little things a little more lately and I hope I can keep up with that.), the Celtic festival, Beltane, rises like the many fires that are used in it’s vibrant celebration, in this case, both on the page and off.
Beltane is a focal point in the book Put a Spell on You by Kendra Mase. Beltane is also the celebration of fertility, passion, and transformation.
See any themes from Put a Spell on You in there?
Beltane marks the midpoint between spring and summer. This is a time when the veil between worlds is thin, and magic dances freely in the twilight.
How magical. How fun.
Romantic, even?
In my contemporary romance novel, Put a Spell on You, it is. Plus, there is steamy, chaotic magic as a modern witch accidentally curses her summer fling (and unfortunately, herself). The story, equal parts magic and romance should hopefully feels like it was written under a Beltane moon, especially the part where they celebrate Beltane by themselves and as a small modern coven in a small town.
If you haven’t read it yet, let this be your sign to pick it up during the perfect season and month for it.
Wait a second. What is Beltane, Again?
Traditionally celebrated on May 1st, Beltane is one of the four major fire-focused festivals in the Celtic calendar. Bonfires are often lit to honor the sun’s growing strength and to encourage fertility, both of the earth and the spirit.
People once leapt over flames for luck, made offerings to the fae or deities, and danced around the Maypole to intertwine energies and intentions.
This much smaller version of the celebration is in Put a Spell on You as the girls celebrate with a Maypole, dip in the steam to cleanse themselves for a new part of the year, and a special other celebration that includes previous characters from interconnected book one, Bewitched by You.
Beltane is about risk and reward, desire and renewal. It’s all there. These themes that echo powerfully in this book I still hope you find enchanting in the small town of Barnett.
“Screw that. I am worthy of love. I am worthy of power. I am worthy of everything.”
-Put a Spell on You by Kendra Mase
Our main character in Put a Spell on You, Ana, is filled with the same dualities as Beltane’s light and shadow, tradition and rebellion, duty and utmost freedom even when it isn’t always wanted or warranted.
Just thinking about all of this makes me think about if I ever return to the Barnett Witches and how I can make this happen with the rest of the characters who may still need their stories told around the calendar.
But in Put a Spell on You there is certainly enough…
Fierce chemistry: The smoldering tension between characters practically crackles. I feel like this is very much in tune with Beltane’s celebration of passion and physical connection.
Magical transformation: Character develop is my favorite, and in Barnett it often sparked by a magical miscommunication in this case as they try to find their place in the world.
Ritual and rebellion: The way spell and witchcraft is woven into both personal empowerment and resistance feels deeply Beltane-like. At least I think so. Magic that is celebratory and defiant which feels perfect for main character Ana who is a romantic at heart but can’t help but show her hard exterior most of the time to anyone who encounters her.
Absolute abundance: Abundance is a big thing when Beltane rolls around, and I feel like it is a time where Ana and our leading man, Dom, really need to step up and claim it in love, career, and in who they want to be within a family and within themselves.
Happy reading!