Signs & Oddities: A quirky collection of flash fiction Read online

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  Princess Catrin is just a child when her mother vanishes, leaving her a cryptic legacy: a priceless magical book and the warning that if Catrin ever loses it, she’ll surely die. But she is a young woman on the brink of a whole new life when, in a moment of defiance, she forgets that warning and triggers a catastrophe that shatters all her hopes.

  Stricken with grief and guilt, and seeking a way to correct her terrible mistake, Catrin risks everything on a dangerous bargain. Too late, she realizes just how much more she has to lose.

  With advice from a half-mad witch and help from companions she meets along the way, Catrin embarks on a desperate quest to defeat seven riddling Magpies—magical tricksters who can shapeshift into anything or anyone—and win back her book or face losing everything she holds dear.

  With each step the stakes get higher, and there are secrets she still doesn’t suspect. How much is Catrin willing to sacrifice to finally unmask the Seventh Magpie?

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  The Seventh Magpie is available in paperback and e-book formats from Amazon.com. For more information, visit http://www.NancyChase.com.

  Praise for Nancy Chase’s The Seventh Magpie:

  “An irresistible dark fairytale. Captivating and flawless.”

  —Rebecca Tyndall, The Literary Connoisseur

  “A wonderful, heartbreaking, and ultimately rewarding tale. Remarkably different and fresh.”

  —Satis, author of The Redemption of Erath

  “Beautifully liquid prose. The ending [is] riveting and just right.”

  —Lee S. Hawke, author of Division

  “This is a storyteller’s magic at work. A rich tapestry of a world [instilled] with a vivid originality.”

  —Nils Visser, author of Escape from Neverland

  “A beguiling work that lures the reader in and locks at least a fragment of them away forever.”

  —E.V. Greig, author of Blood and Ashes

  “A lyrically told fairy tale, poignant and bittersweet to the end.”

  —Intisar Khanani, author of Thorn

  “A bewitching, enchanting tale! If you enjoy thoughtful, evocative prose, magical quests, mysterious books and puzzles, then you''ll love The Seventh Magpie.”

  —Eldritch Black, author of The Book of Kindly Deaths