Guest Blogger: Dani Harper

When a great black dog predicts your death, there’s only one thing to do.

Take it home and feed it.

A Leap of Knowing is my latest story and one of my favorites. It’s a new spin on the Welsh legend of the gwyllgi (also called a grim or a barghest), and has given me an opportunity to explore the land of my grandmother, at least via research. And to feel a just little closer to the tiny woman who played such an enormous role in my young life. Gramma crossed the ocean as a young bride-to-be. She never spoke of the country she left behind, or said much about magic, curses, and big otherworldly canines. When I was little, however, she cautioned me not to offend The Fair Folk and to mind that I didn’t bother them when I was in her garden picking gooseberries. Try as I might, I never caught a glimpse of the faeries, but that didn’t sway my belief a bit. In the Welsh language, the faery race is called the Tylwyth Teg. At night, it was customary to leave milk and bread on the back stoop for them, as a gesture of respect – and with a fervent hope that these immortal pranksters wouldn’t play tricks on the family. There was often bread on Gramma’s back lawn. I always assumed it was for the birds, but now I’m not so sure!

The story: Morgan thought she’d outgrown faery tales. Yet the successful veterinarian is hard-pressed to find a scientific explanation for the giant black dog that’s following her, or for the powerful – and naked – man who’s steaming up her dreams. Rhys is a proud warrior forced to serve the Fair Ones by heralding the death of mortals. When he meets Morgan Edwards, he’s tempted to change her fate. But only by accepting his incredible story can she change his. Can Morgan learn to see with her heart in time to save the man who has claimed it?

I hope you enjoy reading the story as much as I loved writing it. And this Halloween, while watching out for the usual ghosts and goblins, perhaps you’ll feel compelled to heed a new admonition:

Beware the Tylwyth Teg!

Dani Harper
www.romancingthewolf.com

Dani Harper is a newspaper editor turned romance writer. She adores the paranormal and it’s no surprise that her first novel, Heart of the Winter Wolf, featured werewolves. Her newest story, A Leap of Knowing, features another type of changeling. Here’s the buy link – http://www.cobblestone-press.com/catalog/books/aleapofknowing.htm Check out her website for excerpts and other info.