Böcker av Reba Birmingham

Be careful what you wish for. Panda Fowler thinks her magic isn't as exciting as the talents of those around her. For example, her wife Mitzi can fly. Ekk and Elsa, her magical guardians, have the ability to make "elf holes" and use aromas to control emotions. Panda has "sensing magic," which seems very tame in comparison. Before being considered for a dangerous mission, it didn't matter. Once she and her cat were almost killed in her own kitchen, things changed. Somehow, ravens came in great numbers to chase her attackers away. Did Panda call the ravens? If she did, can she do it again? Her father-in-law, leader of all free magical creatures, pretty much orders Panda to "figure it out" and use her "raven magic" on behalf of the Hercynian Forest. Panda's not so sure she can do that, and the stakes are literally the balance of good and evil in both Merryville and the Hercynian Forest.In her own town of Merryville, the temperature is getting progressively colder and no one knows why. Forces from abroad have made this their problem to solve. It's not like she and her wife can just drop everything to solve existential threats either. Panda and Mitzi Fowler still have responsibilities in Merryville, the ordinary world. Very few know of their secret life. Panda does taxes, and Mitzi is getting more involved with the Horticultural Society to pay a debt. The local stories intertwine with their magical mission as the couple deals with a fire which threatens their friends, an active shooter situation at a memory care, and the strange frost and snow covering their town. Will Panda, Mitzi, and their eclectic band of friends find a way to successfully beat back the evil forces at play?

Panda Fowler is a good-natured tax preparer who loves her wife Mitzi, their cat Brutus, their friends, and her routine. She's a born skeptic who's practical and down to earth. Mitzi Fowler is a free-spirited travel agent who keeps Panda from being a total stick in the mud. She believes in fun and fantasy and isn't shy about her love of adventure or her belief in the possibility of magic and supernatural beings. One of their best friends, curator of the Merryville Museum, brings internationally-acclaimed Fiona Castlebaum to unleash a performance piece called Floodlight. But when Fiona goes off script, Mitzi and Panda have their lives turned upside down. And then a creature from the Hercynian Forest arrives with a cryptic message for Panda. Worst of all, Mitzi goes missing. Will Panda have the courage to face a frightening world that she never believed in so she can find and retrieve her mate? Will Mitzi survive the ordeals she encounters? The suspense gradually increases, but so does the humor as Panda and friends challenge the magical world, battle powerful villains, and struggle to get Mitzi back. "I love me some wacky plots and characters, and between the thrills and chills in Floodlight, this book has a lot of humorous stuff in it. Besides, there are elves and griffins and dwarves-oh, my!-who could ask for anything more? If you like the funny urban fantasies of Charlaine Harris or Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, you'll likely enjoy Birmingham's new series."~Jessie Chandler, award-winning author of The Shay O'Hanlon Caper Series

"An exciting adventure with unique characters navigating their way through fantasy and reality. . . [Words on a Plate is an] easy read, writing is crisp, and the mystical characters are interesting with creative powers." ~Katie Cotter, former news editor, The Advocate Panda and Mitzi Fowler, a married couple, and their best friends Valerie and Juniper are processing their recent discovery that magic is real. Elves! Fairies! Magical flying creatures! And Mitzi has magical powers she never knew about which she may have to employ when they take off for Peru to search for Panda's longlost parents. At home in Merryville, Juniper opens a new feminist exhibit at the museum called "Words on a Plate," which is met with homophobia and protest. As the women journey toward their goals, they end up threatened and tormented, all of which crescendos at the Merryville Museum. Can a bit of magic help them overcome evil and prejudice? Or will hatred win? "There's no way to introduce you to all the fascinating characters [in Words on a Plate that] Reba has created in her new take on the war between this world and the world of magic. But I can say this: Many of her characters in both worlds just happen to be lesbian or gay, bisexual or transgender. To Reba, whatever they are makes no difference to the story. I love that. One day we may live in a world where people are just people and fairies are just fairies, but until then, Reba's writing reflects the America we all want to live in."~Mel White, author of Stranger at the Gate: To be Gay and Christian in America and Holy Terror: Lies the Christian Right Tell Us to Deny Gay Equality