Well, it’s nice someone finally asked ME about MY day. Katie usually gets all the attention. Not that I don’t love her to death, of course. I mean, she is my witch. I tracked her down as soon as it became apparent she was going to finally discover her magical heritage.
Maybe I should back up. I’m Katie Lightfoot’s familiar. Thank goodness she’s allergic to cats because that meant she needed an adorable little canine like me. Not that a dog was the only other option. Besides Honeybee the cat and Anubis the great Dane, there’s a parrot in the coven — Heckle is SO obnoxious — and now a newbie ferret familiar. But Katie needed me.
Mungo is a Scottish name that means “most dear”, and Saint Mungo is the patron saint of Glasgow — and King Arthur’s uncle. Pretty high falutin’, huh. Katie wanted a Scottish name because I’m a Cairn terrier, and that’s where my breed originally comes from.
But all breeds are wolves at heart. Katie had a chance to find that out recently. I might look little, but I can sure pack a wallop when it comes to magic.
I spend most of my days with Katie. She’s a ridiculously early riser, sometimes getting up at three or four in the morning. I can roll with that because I get the chance to nap a lot during the day while she works with her Aunt Lucy and Uncle Ben in the Honeybee Bakery. I stay in the office most of the time, since Katie says the food police wouldn’t like me helping out in the kitchen. She says that like I have opposable thumbs or something. Still, I might be able to help with the extra magical touches she and her aunt add to their yummy pastries, being a magical sort of dog, but Katie only lets me come out to the Honeybee’s reading area sometimes.
So anyway, I get up with her at o’dark thirty, and she makes me breakfast. I rather like eggs. And bacon of course — but sometimes she makes French toast — there’s always day-old bread around when your witch runs a bakery. Sometimes she give me oatmeal. As long as she sprinkles on a few peanuts I’m fine with that once in a while. Besides, there’s always second breakfast at nine or so. A bite of buttery scone, perhaps, with a smidgeon of Tasso ham, or …
What? I have a tiny stomach. It requires more frequent meals. It’s science, people.
After (first) breakfast, I guard the house while Katie gets ready for work. I like to guard from the settee in the loft so I can catch up on my soaps from the day before. Call it multi-tasking. Most days I jump into her tote bag and she buckles me into the passenger side of her Volkswagen Beetle for the ride from our midtown carriage house to downtown Savannah where the Honeybee Bakery is located. She’s very safety conscious with that seatbelt thing, but there was one close call that convinced me she’s right.
The days I don’t go to the bakery, which is pretty rare, I get to spend all day long with my soaps and lots of snacks. Bliss.
Either way, the bakery closes at five and most days Katie comes home to work in her gardens. Then I get to run and play in the yard, sometimes with the twins that live next door. After that I roll in the grass, drink from the stream that runs across the corner of the backyard, or doze in the gazebo until Katie is done and ready to make my dinner.
Sometimes Declan McCarthy or Steve Dawes comes by. I love love love Declan. And he loves Katie. Steve’s okay. He loves her, too, I guess. But Declan plays tug-of-war and fetch and brings me food he’s cooked at the firehouse. Steve never does any of that.
Katie practices her Craft on a subtle level all day in the bakery. It’s called hedgewitchery, and it’s all about the magic in herbs and spices and sometimes food. In the evenings she practices the other kinds of magic the ladies in her coven — they call it the spellbook club — have been teaching her. So before bed I help her with spells for divination, or using color or flower magic, moon magic, tarot cards, stuff like that.
Then a little bedtime snack and I hit the sack while Katie reads or surfs the Internet.
It’s a hard life, I know.
You can read more about Mungo in Charms and Chocolate Chips, the third book in the “Magical Bakery” mystery series, published by Obsidian. The first book in the series is Brownies and Broomsticks. Books are available at retail and online booksellers.
Thanks to Penguin, I have one (1) copy of “Charms and Chocolate Chips” to give away. Leave a comment to be included in the giveaway. Contest ends November 23; US entries only per publisher’s request.
Meet the author
Bailey Cates believes magic is all around us if we only look for it. Having apprenticed with a master herbalist for a year, she’s prone to concocting teas and tinctures for family and friends from the stash of herbs stored in the corner cabinet in her office. Charms and Chocolate Chips is the third Magical Bakery Mystery, and she’s working on the fourth, Some Enchanted Eclair. Bailey also writes the Home Crafting Mysteries as Cricket McRae, and has a standalone western mystery as K.C. McRae. For more information about Bailey and her books please visit www.cricketmcrae.com
Thanks, Mungo, for sharing.
I love the title almost as much as I love chocolate chips! lol Thanks for the giveaway!
I love this series, can’t wait to read this one !
Love The cover and title . Sounds great
This book is on my must buy list. Gotta get to a bookstore soon to pick up my copy. And Mungo is right- Heckle is obnoxious!
I must play catch up with this one and find the 2nd book too. I really liked the first one.
I would love a copy of Charms and Chocolate Chips. Thanks for having this contest.
This book is on my wish list. Would love to win it!!
I’d love to start this series!
Who wouldn’t love a magical bakery! What a fun series!
I would love to win this book it sounds great always wanted to own my own bakery
When I win this book, it will force me to go buy books 1 and 2. 🙂
Seriously, after reading about Mungo’s day, I’m interested in starting this series. I like all the elements of this series – baking, familiars, the Beetle, firefighters, romance, mystery … Put my name in, please.
What a fun series to read about. Thank you for the chance to win
Sounds like a great series!! Look forward to starting it!! thanks for a chance to win!!
Mungo, I would love to learn more about you.
What fun. I do so like Mungo!
Sounds great. Thanks for offering the chance to win.
Another series to catch up on. Cute cover. Hope I win. Thanks. judydee22002@yahoo dot com
Well, hello everyone! Thanks for stopping by and entering for the giveaway — and thanks to Dru for letting Mungo have HIS say for once. 🙂
I love hearing from Mungo! His tone sounds just like I would imagine him. We readers have always wondered just how he knew to show up at Katie’s house that day. Great perspective, great books! I just want to rave; I don’t need a copy, because I just received my pre-ordered copy from Amazon 🙂 Of course, I could always give it away to some lucky reader. Thanks for the insight and the fun reading, Bailey!!
Thanks Mungo for letting us know how hard you work. The series would not be the same without you:)
Hello, Mungo. I’d like to meet you and your witch, Katie. You sound like you’re a very loving familiar. My granddaughter would like you very much, although she is kinda particular to cats – her three anyway.
I’d like to read more about you and Katie, Mungo. Do you think you could work some of your magic so I can win this book?
How do I get Mungo in my life? Sure, Snickers and Bear are great, but they lack that magical trait that I know would be so useful…though Snickers is always twitching her nose like Samantha on Bewitched.
Mungo…I love your perspective! <3
Thank you Mungo for watching out for Katie! Dynamite comes in small packages!
The Honeybee Bakery and Mungo, that is the perfect recipe for a delightful cozy!
Hi, this is so well written. And now I have another new series to add to my must read list. Thank you for the smile on this cold rainy day.
I absolutely love this book series. It is well written and keeps my attention engaged. Cannot wait to read this next book because I know it will be just as good as the last two if not better. Super excited! Thank you for offering me and everyone else a chance to win.
This sounds so fun and I love the cover. Thanks for the chance to win!
Thank you Mungo. I love this series.
kye.killgore@comcast.net
Mungo, it’s so refreshing to have a canine familiar, and you are so talented–I love to read about you.
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com
Mungo says you guys are awesome! Best of luck to everyone in the giveaway!
I would love to read more about Mungo.
Welcome home! Ah,yes; does anyone ever call him Kentigern?
Mungo, my man, tell Bailey to collapse these two comments into one. I don’t want to cheat. But I was just wondering: Do you know Greyfriars Bobby, that loyal little Skye Terrier from Edinburgh? You guys should meet up.
Thanks Bailey and Mungo for visiting with us.
enjoying the series. I like you Mungo. I knew you were a wolf at heart.
Will be adding this to my wishlist.
Unfortunately, I have never read this series or anything by this author, but I would love to do so. It would be lovely to be the recipient of this third book and then I would get the others to make sure to read them in order as I like to do that. Loved the blog post; thanks for doing such a great job as always.
Cynthia
I’m in 🙂
Greatly enjoyed first two books, eagerly awaiting the next! Mungo is a cutie! Hope to find out more about Katie and her being a light witch! She really needs a fierce protector and I think you fill the bill!
Sounds like a great cozy mystery.
I recently started reading “Brownies and Broomsticks” and would love to read the others in this series!
Thanks for the chance to win!
Mungo sounds like a great dog and an important part of a delightful series.
contest is closed.
Thanks so much! Delivery man knocked on door just as leaving for my thanksgiving dinner at my grandmothers. ( we celebrate day before)! Perfect timing! Thank you so much! Will enjoy with cuddly throw and napping cat while watching the Dog show on tv! Perfect cold winter day! Pumpkin latte and shortbread cookies await! Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving!