I have a great guest blogger with us today – she’s Gabi Stevens and she writes paranormal romance for Tor Books. The Romance Reader described her writing as “wickedly funny” and “delightfully sexy,” and she’s won high praise from critics and readers alike. Gabi has a new book out in her Time of Transition series, and she’s here to tell us all about it.
Take it away, Gabi!
Magic is so cool. Okay, that was lame. Of course magic is cool. Who wouldn’t want to be able to swish a wand and create things or make things happen? I know I would love a little magic in my day-to-day life. However (Isn’t there always a “however”?) it can’t be that easy. I always imagined that if one could fly, it would require tremendous strength—even planes need lots of fuel (bear with me, I’m making an analogy here). So why would being able to create things, shift things, move things, transform things be any less difficult?
Magic can’t be an all-powerful force. If it were, then the only conflicts that could exist would be between those who have magic because no one else would matter. I think that’s why I have problems with super powerful beings—what reason would they have to allow humans to live at all? I suppose humans could be relegated to some form of conservation effort, like in too many of our environmental groups today, but any time a human would act out, he could simply be squashed (like what happens to a mountain lion who attacks hikers, or a shark that bites swimmers). To an all-powerful being, we would be insects, or maybe some higher form of animal. I know a lot of stories use precisely this conundrum as their conflict, but weakness must exist for me to feel any sort of sympathy with the supernatural.
In Wishful Thinking, I’ve created beings who can perform magic (and yes, that creation required a lot of energy—maybe not physical, although that was a part of it, but definitely mental) and while they have great powers, those powers come with costs. The easier the magic, the less the cost. For example, ordering a pizza from Merlin’s Pizza, a magical establishment, requires little more energy than we use swiping a credit card.
But for the big stuff, and there’s a lot of big magic in this book, the energy cost is great and creates major problems. And if you’re a newly chosen fairy godmother, like my heroine, Stormy, your skills aren’t up to par yet either. Luckily, she has help in the form of the three old godmothers and the two other new ones. And my hero, Hunter, although sometimes even he’s not sure which side he’s on.
So while magic is cool, it can’t solve all our problems. That takes ingenuity, skill, and heart. Nothing worthwhile is easy, and sometimes the greater, the effort the sweeter the reward.
But I’d still like a wand to do my housework.
What about you? Knowing I believe that magic takes energy, what would you use your wand for? One commenter will win her choice of a book from the Time of Transition series: The Wish List, As You Wish, or Wishful Thinking.
Believe in the magic,
–Gabi
Thanks for being with us today, Gabi! Readers, you can find Gabi at www.GabiStevens.com; www.GabiStevens.wordpress.com; Facebook at Facebook.com/GabiStevensfans; or Twitter at twitter.com/GabiStevens.
I would use magic only when really needed so the “cost” is accountable. I recently witness a van drive straight into a trailor of an 18 wheeler. he tried to stop. but it wasn’t in time. Seeing the car crumble and windshield splatter was heart wrenching, especially since my son was in the car. Driver was ok (thank goodness). I would have used magic to make sure the driver never made impact with the trailer.
Allison, that would be an excellent use of magic! So terrifying, these care accidents!
Scary. That’s why I could never be a good Star Fleet officer. I’d interfere with the Prime directive all the time. So glad it turned out okay.
Oh what an interesting concept! 🙂
Hmmm… yes, housework (esp. cleaning/dusting) is worth the energy cost IMO! 🙂
I’m with you on that, May!
Cooking would be my number one chore I’d use magic for. I just don’t have the patience.
I would love to used magic to clean my room, my car, and the stores I work in. Not everything, just the little things (for example, I could put everything where it needs to go and the magic could straighten and refold it). That would be nice.
Wouldn’t it, Karin? Very nice.
My husband wakes up every morning and says “Look, the elves have been here again,” because before he gets up I’ve done the dishes, etc. When I’m out of town, he says I take the elves with me. He could use a wand.
I would love to have magic, it would help cleaning my room, oh and getting awesome clothes, kind of reminds of Sabrina the teenage witch. All fun of adventures I would probably have. :3
I would so love magical adventures. That’s why I write books.
If I had a magical wand that I could do anything I wanted with, there are so many, many things I would want to do with an overall goal of assuring that our world is a safe and happy world for future generations and that no child ever hurts again. But, on a more intimate level, housework and of course it would be used to assure that my children stay happy and healthy.
MJCM, protecting children would probably be the best way to use magic!
An admirable wish.
I would want to give everyone their HEA. I love the “As you Wish” title 🙂
catslady, that is so nice!
Gabi, I have to agree with you, I do not like cooking because for some reason everyone in my family is so picky about what they like and it usually isn’t the same things. My wand would definitely be used for cooking!
A woman after my own heart. The bad news for me is that lately all the processed foods (the microwave meals, etc) taste so bad to me, so I end up cooking. And eating out gets old fast. And expensive.
I’d use it to conjure food and dessert.
LOL! I like the way you think, bn100.
Desserts that taste great but have no calories. Right? Am I right?
I would use my wand for traveling to and from places when traffic was terrible. I’d have time when I got home to rest up and get my energy back instead of sitting there being frustrated and not going anywhere. And of course, I would use it for good as well, mostly. I’m not selfish, I just hate traffic. 😀
LOL! I LOVE that idea, Barbara!
I grew up in the LA area. Traffic. Ugh!
I would probably use it for a little of the tough cleaning, and maybe to ease up some of the traffic on the way home!
You ladies are all so practical!
Housework is a dirty word.
GM! Hello Gabi and vanessa…Don’t get on here too much but figured I would drop by today…
I would use my wand for housework and laundry…I LOATHE laundry day!!
Tina.
tsimon7275@gmail.com
Tina, fortunately my husband does most of the laundry. I guess he’s my magic wand! No, wait. That didn’t come out right!
I actually don’t mind doing laundry, but everything else–yuck. Especially cooking. And Vanessa, magic wand, huh? (Waggles eyebrows)
Either to make me become invisible at will, or let me fly! Haha, I’d love to see things from above, or move about unseen and unheard. I want to walk among the clouds and look at the blue sky from above.:)