Please Note: The Black Cat Cocktail Club was first published in the Seasoned Magic anthology (no longer available) but now has considerable changes and content added. The women of Haven Hollow aren’t your typical forty-something singles. Poppy’s a gypsy who creates potions, Wanda’s a witch, Fifi’s a succubus, Libby’s a zombie, Darla was once a ghost but now she’s corporeal and Bailey’s a medium. When they find themselves forming an unlikely friendship over potion-brewing and booze, Wanda decides their impromptu group needs a name. But, somehow, ‘Flushed and Forty,’ ‘The Haven Hollow Hoochies,’ and ‘The Witchy Winos’ aren’t exactly cutting it. When Hellcat, Wanda’s feline familiar, starts stealing sips of various libations, Poppy tries to bat him away and accidentally knocks an experimental potion into her drink. Seizing an opportunity, the cantankerous cat immediately swallows down Poppy’s beverage and… vanishes! As soon as they realize Hellcat is no longer in the house, it will become a mad dash to try and find him in order to reverse whatever magic Poppy inadvertently subjected him to. And somewhere along the way, they just might find a fitting title for their boozy bunch.

It’s two days until Halloween in Haven Hollow and Astrid is feeling the holiday blues. After being kicked out of her coven, the young witch is missing the holiday festivities she’s grown up with, and she’s also upset about a boy. Not to mention she’s perplexed over the subject of what she should gift to Wanda for the most important night of the witching calendar (known as ‘Samhain’). When Astrid’s ne’er-do-well brother, Maverick, reaches out, Astrid is over the moon to hear from him. Because Maverick is disallowed entrance into Haven Hollow (Wanda banished him after a witchly duel), Astrid agrees to meet him in the neighboring town of Riverport, where they plan to celebrate the season by harvesting apples for the Autumn Fae. Reunited with her prickly brother, Astrid admits she has no idea what to gift Wanda for Samhain and Maverick suggests his newest concoction, Regression Oil—a potion which brings to light someone’s past lives. Astrid, excited by the promise of the potion, eagerly agrees to assist Maverick in the creation of the Regression Oil, all the while wondering what lifetimes will reveal themselves before Wanda’s eyes. During a meeting of the Black Cat Cocktail Club, Astrid spikes Wanda’s drink with the Regression Oil, waits until the clock strikes midnight and activates the potion with a spell. And that’s when everything goes to hell in a Prada handbag…

It’s December 21 and the first night of the celebration of Yule! Much to Lorcan’s feigned irritation, Wanda is in the midst of throwing a Yule celebratory party at one of his numerous residences within Haven Hollow. But, yuletide exaltation is hardly on his mind. The only thing Lorcan can think about, other than the long and smooth line of Wanda’s delicate neck, is his Yule gift still awaiting her. But, as with most things involving the vampire and the Blood Witch, not everything goes to plan. When Lorcan imbibes one too many blood-chatas (ten, to be exact), memories of his unfortunate childhood revisit him and before he can stop himself, he’s waxing… well, not exactly poetic. Faced with a ruined holiday party and feeling sorry for himself, Lorcan turns his anger on the Yule log, something which will prove to be quite the big mistake…

When Poppy accidentally breaks her bedroom mirror, she has no idea the bad luck she’s in for! With just about everything going wrong, Poppy’s first order of business is to reverse the curse of the broken mirror ASAP! Unfortunately for her, though, that’s not quite how the cosmos work. Saddled with a serious case of misfortune, imagine Poppy’s surprise when one of her clients walks into her store with yet another mirror! This one isn’t cursed, though. It’s haunted. The ghost of the woman stuck inside the mirror appears to be from pioneer times, and as she yells in silent horror and pounds against the glass, it’s pretty clear she wants out. But just how does one free a ghost from a mirror? Poppy’s about to find out… the hard way.

Narrated by Roy When the gang finds themselves in Hollow Cemetery, helping Fifi renovate a mausoleum for a client, they have no idea that Astrid’s magic is about to go berserk, and Lorcan will be on the receiving end. Find out what happens to Lorcan and how Haven Hollow’s best witch and gypsy plan to fix it!

It’s Christmas Eve, and Poppy isn’t feeling much of the Christmas spirit. Her mind churning with doubt regarding her recent engagement to Marty, Poppy’s thoughts are a turbulent sea of anxiety and regret. When a stranger walks into Poppy’s shop, introducing herself as Noelle, she tells Poppy she’s looking for a potion called Holiday Cheer. Poppy is surprised because she’s never even heard of it. Almost as soon as Noelle walks into the shop, she disappears again, leaving only the recipe for the potion and a festive candy cane. After brewing the mystery potion, Poppy finds herself transported to a dreamscape of her own life five years into the future. Whether the vision is a gift delivered by the Spirit of Christmas or the result of Poppy’s stressed mind, she’ll be confronted with a future that will make her reconsider her present.