Blake Octavian Blair is an eclectic Pagan, ordained minister, shamanic practitioner, writer, Usui Reiki Master-Teacher, tarot reader, and musical artist. Blake blends various mystical traditions from both the East and West along with a reverence for the natural world into his own brand of modern Paganism and magick. Blake holds a degree in English and Religion from the University of Florida. He is an avid reader, knitter, crafter, and practicing pescatarian. He loves communing with nature and exploring its beauty whether it is within the city or hiking in the woods. Blake lives in the New England region of the USA with his beloved husband. Visit him on the web at www.blakeoctavianblair.com or write him at blake@blakeoctavianblair.com.
Deborah Castellano writes for many of Llewellyn’s annuals and writes a blog on PaganSquare about unsolicited opinions on glamour, the muse, and the occult. Glamour Magic: The Witchcraft Revolution for Getting What You Want (Llewellyn Publications) is available for preorder on Amazon. Her shop, the Mermaid and the Crow, specializes in handmade goods. She resides in New Jersey with her husband, Jow, and two cats. She has a terrible reality television habit she can’t shake and likes St. Germain liqueur, record players, and typewriters. Visit her at www.deborahmcastellano.com.
Dallas Jennifer Cobb practices gratitude magic, giving thanks for personal happiness, health, and prosperity; meaningful, flexible, and rewarding work; and a deliciously joyful life. She is accomplishing her deepest desires. She lives in paradise with her daughter in a waterfront village in rural Ontario, where she regularly swims and runs, chanting: “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” Contact her at jennifer.cobb@live.com or visit www.magicalliving.ca.
Michael Furie (Northern California) is the author of Spellcasting for Beginners, Supermarket Magic, and Spellcasting: Beyond the Basics published by Llewellyn Worldwide. Furie has been a practicing Witch for over twenty years. An American Witch, he practices in the Irish tradition and is a priest of the Cailleach. You can find him online at www.michaelfurie.com.
Kristoffer Hughes is the founder and Chief of the Anglesey Druid Order in North Wales, UK. He is an award-winning author and a frequent speaker and workshop leader throughout the United Kingdom and the United States. He works professionally for Her Majesty’s Coroner. He has studied with the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, and is its 13th Mount Haemus Scholar. He is a native Welsh speaker, born to a Welsh family in the mountains of Snowdonia. He resides on the Isle of Anglesey.
Corrine Kenner specializes in bringing metaphysical subjects down to earth. She is the author of more than two dozen books, including Astrology for Writers and Tarot for Writers. She lives in Florida with her husband, two cats, and a dog who can sing.
Melanie Marquis is a lifelong practitioner of magick, the founder of United Witches global coven, and a local coordinator for the Pagan Pride Project in Denver, Colorado, where she currently resides. Melanie is the author of numerous articles and several books, including The Witch’s Bag of Tricks, A Witch’s World of Magick, Beltane, and Lughnasadh, and she’s written for many national and international Pagan publications. She is the co-author of Witchy Mama and the co-creator of the Modern Spellcaster’s Tarot. An avid crafter, cook, folk artist, and tarot reader, she offers a line of customized magickal housewares as well as private tarot consultations by appointment. Connect with her online at www.melaniemarquis.com or facebook
.com/melaniemarquisauthor.
Susan Pesznecker is a writer, English teacher, nurse, practicing herbalist, and hearth Pagan living in Oregon. Sue holds an MS in professional writing and loves to read, watch the stars, camp, and garden. Sue has authored Yule: Rituals, Recipes, & Lore for the Winter Solstice (Llewellyn 2015), The Magickal Retreat (Llewellyn 2012), Crafting Magick with Pen and Ink (Llewellyn, 2009), and contributes to the Llewellyn Annuals.
Stacy Porter is a Sea Witch. She has survived a Russian winter, studied politics in Africa, sampled the best gelato in Italy, and saved sea turtles in Nicaragua. Stacy holds a degree in International Studies with an emphasis in politics from Juniata College. She is a second-degree Priestess in the Ravenmyst Tradition, studying under Dorothy Morrison, Maggie Shayne, and Gail Wood. She is a certified yoga instructor, meditation guide, writer, and passionate advocate for those who don’t have a voice. Stacy travels the world, as a mermaid and on two legs, teaching yoga, spreading magic, and daring the world to believe in their dreams. She lives by a lake on the east coast with her Jack Russell terrier, Mackenzie. Her writings regularly appear in Elephant Journal and you can follow her adventures on her website www.theavalonapothecary.com
Linda Raedisch is a papercrafter, house cleaner, and professional organizer who has somehow managed to find the time to write two books: Night of the Witches: Folklore, Traditions and Recipes for Celebrating Walpurgis Night (Llewellyn 2011) and The Old Magic of Christmas: Yuletide Traditions for the Darkest Days of the Year (Llewellyn 2015). Since 2011, she has been a regular contributor to the Llewellyn annuals. Linda lives in northern New Jersey, but enjoys the odd vacation on the west Baltic coast. She has eaten Danish hot dogs beside a fjord.
Laurel Reufner loves writing about all sorts of topics. Developing, adapting, and testing all of these recipes was a lot of fun, not only for her, but also for the friends and family who volunteered as taste-testers, although Yule cooking in August does have its own set of challenges. Rowan, her eldest daughter, deserves a shout-out for not only helping develop the menus, but for also providing one of the recipes. Laurel lives in beautiful southeastern Ohio with her husband and two rapidly growing teenage daughters, who both continue her Wild Child legacy. Drop in and visit her on Facebook at Laurel Reufner.
Suzanne Ress has been practicing Wicca for about twelve years as the leader of a small coven, but she has been aware of having a special connection to nature and animal spirits since she was a young child. She has been writing creatively most of her life—short stories, novels, and nonfiction articles for a variety of publications—and finds it to be an important outlet for her considerable creative powers. Other outlets she regularly makes use of are metalsmithing, mosaic works, painting, and all kinds of dance. She is also a professional aromatic herb grower and beekeeper. Although she is an American of Welsh ancestry by birth, she has lived in northern Italy for nearly twenty years. She recently discovered that the small mountain in the pre-alpine hills that she inhabits with her family and animals was once the site of an ancient Insubrian Celtic sacred place. Not surprisingly, the top of the mountain has remained a fulcrum of sacredness throughout the millennia, and this grounding in blessedness makes Suzanne’s everyday life especially magical.
Natalie Zaman is a regular contributor to various Llewellyn annuals. She is the author of the upcoming Color and Conjure: Rituals and Magic Spells to Color (Llewellyn, 2017), Magical Destinations of the Northeast (October 2016), and writes the recurring feature “Wandering Witch” for Witches & Pagans magazine. Her work has also appeared in FATE, SageWoman, and newWitch magazines. When she’s not on the road, she’s chasing free-range hens in her self-sufficient and Pagan-friendly back garden. Find Natalie online at http://nataliezaman.blogspot.com.