What Makes Fairy Falls So Magical…

When I created the mythical town of Fairy Falls twenty years ago, I drew from all of my childhood and adult experiences from vacationing and living in cottage country Canada. When you think of a small, northern tourist town, what emotional cord does it strike? Vacationing with the family when you were young? Visiting your grandparents at their cottage? Camping in the backwoods with your friends? Whatever vision you conjure, I’m sure you have plenty of happy memories of that special place. That’s the basis of building the town of Fairy Falls. I wanted to give my teen psychic mystery book series a nostalgic feeling coupled with a sense of adventure and…wait for it…the supernatural. Welcome to Fairy Falls. Expected the unexpected.

Fairy Falls has always been a magical place, but for some reason it seems to be a haven for those with psychic abilities. In Lost and Found, the animals at the Fairy Falls Animal Shelter need a champion to save their shelter, and find one in rebellious Meagan Walsh, who’s a bona fide telepathic animal communicator. There are others with different psychic powers who have been (or will be) drawn to Fairy Falls, not to hide, but feel that they have been forced here by circumstances beyond their control. Or could it be a matter of serendipity that has brought them to this small, tourist town?

Fairy Falls is like any small town with a mayor, deputy mayor, and a selection of town counsellors. Presently, Mike MacGregor is at the helm as this town’s mayor. Unfortunately, Mayor MacGregor and his family are mourning the loss of his wife and their mother, Joy, who sat on as one of the counsellors for Fairy Falls. She was viciously attacked and murdered, and her killer is still at large. Enter stray Hart Stewart, who possesses the gift of psychometry—the psychic ability to discover facts about an event or person by touching objects associated with them. When he finds Joy’s ring, and witnesses her unsolved murder through it, he’s pulled into the lives of the MacGregor family to help unravel the truth. These characters are featured in the second installment of Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls, Blackflies and Blueberries.

Now, with two books in this series under my proverbial belt, the third installment, Sticks and Stones, is sitting with my publisher, Mirror World Publishing, awaiting editing orders, and exhumation for publication in 2025. This story revolves around 14-year-old Thane Berg, who is forced to live with his estranged, gay father in Fairy Falls, while his mother is on a year-long business trip. Here, he suddenly discovers that he can bend spoons when angered, then bend them back when calm. He finds out that the latent psychic ability he possesses is called psychokinesis, and it’s getting stronger and more out of control each day. To make matters worse, Thane must also start over in a new school—Fairy Falls High School—and leave his familiar life behind.

So what makes Fairy Falls so magical? It’s close proximity to nature? Maybe. A pristine area that’s
pushed back on corporation takeovers and big box stores? Could be. Or is it something more? Something unexpected? Wink. Sorry, couldn’t help myself. I actually reveal the reason why those with psychic abilities are inexplicably drawn to Fairy Falls in Sticks and Stones, by delving into the Druid roots of the town. In one scene, Thane meets the resident Druid, who explains this energetic pull beautifully, “Fairy Falls seems to be a draw for sensitive souls. This town’s essence and energy amplifies a person’s psychic abilities for some reason. Some say it’s the connection to the Druid origins of the town, while others whisper that there’s a strange, pulling energy here that calls people like you home. I believe it’s a little of both.”

Intrigued? I hope so! Nancy MacGregor, who was featured in Blackflies and Blueberries, makes a cameo in Sticks and Stones, and shares her take on why Fairy Falls is so magical, with Thane, “…I’m telling you that there’s a rumour about a circle of standing stones imbued with mystical and healing properties erected somewhere deep in the forest of Fairy Falls. Nature protects them. Few have seen them.” Hmm. The plot thickens…

Is there a place you’ve visited that feels like home to you? That you know you belong there, and can’t understand why? Perhaps, if you get a chance to visit the pages of my Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls novels, you’ll feel a connection like no other. Thanks for stopping by my virtual cottage on the lake, and if you’re a Canadian, have a safe and happy Canada Day! Cheers!