Spellbound Trilogy Tour Stop & Giveaway: Witches in Washington

I am thrilled to have Nikki Jefford here today guest posting for her Spellbound Trilogy Blog Tour.  I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in the series Entangled and you can see my review of it here: Entangled Review.  Look out for my review of Duplicity soon!

I am also thrilled that she is here talking about another of my favorite Witchy Stories: Practical Magic! (You can see my review of Practical Magic and movie comparison here:) Nikki is sharing some wonderful insight into the film locale as well as some gorgeous personal photos!  And don't forget to read all the way to the bottom for her awesome Swag giveaway!

PS. All three of these books make great reads for my Witches & Witchcraft Challenge!

Witches in Washington

When people think of paranormal activity in Washington, Twilight is probably one of the first tales to come to mind. But did you know that Practical Magic was filmed right here on San Juan Island, WA where I live?

The beautiful Victorian home that set the scene for so much of the movie was filmed in two locations on San Juan. A replica was built of the exterior and filmed in San Juan County Park so that it looked as though the house was on the waterfront.

San Juan County Park where the Owen’s family witches sat outside to enjoy tea… or fling hexed pancake syrup across the rocky shore (so that Aidan Quinn’s character would stick around and fall in love with Sandra Bullock)

There are some great movie pics at A Victorian House Fit for a Witch. 

The interior shots were filmed in the valley (no ocean in sight). San Juan valley is a beautiful sweeping landscape of rolling hills and farmland. I drive through every day on my way to work at the local lavender farm.

The actual house and interior scenes were filmed in the valley, far from the water’s edge, but still scenic

I read that Practical Magic was filmed here rather than New England because we have nicer weather. Forks can keep their rain. Funny enough, the Olympic Peninsula (home of Bella, Edward, and Jacob) is directly across the ocean from us, but the San Juan Islands have the fortunate placement within a banana belt. Cause witches don’t mind sun the way blood sucking vamps do.

Nikki and Cosmo at Whale Watch Park, two and a half miles from San Juan County Park. Fun fact about San Juan: There isn’t a single traffic light on this island

English Camp near San Juan County Park. We also have America Camp, my favorite of the two because there are more walking trails

Although we have a lot of public beaches and waterfront parks, my favorite walk is along the bluff top of Mt. Finlayson… where I can look across the ocean and feel sorry for Bella under her raincloud

On the north end of the island near Roche Harbor, we have a cool outdoor sculpture park with art scattered along a field, forest, and pond

If you want to see more Practical Magic screen shots check these out. Practical Magic Screen Shots.

Notice the background where the mob is watching the hanging of the first Owen witch? That’s where I took the first photo in San Juan County Park.

The first two books of the Spellbound series are set in Kent, Washington, which is your typical American suburb. I’m more of a character driven writer so place doesn’t play a big role in the series. (Though place will play a huge role in my upcoming vampire slayer series set in my home state of Alaska. Vamps don’t mind the cold so much.)

Thank you to Melissa for having me back. Melissa was the third reviewer I ever contacted to review Entangled. Not only did she agree to read and review my debut novel, she got back to me the same day (wow!) and was excited about the premise of the story. I was further honored to make it onto her suggested reads for the 2012 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge she’s hosting. (Is that not the most awesome challenge on the blogosphere?)

~~Nikki

The Books:

Entangled:
Twin witches Graylee and Charlene Perez agree on one rule: No dating warlocks.
Not so easy when a certain rogue warlock is convinced he and Graylee belong together and will use anything, including magic, to try and impress Gray. When Charlene’s boyfriend dumps her, she threatens to kill either herself or the girl who stole Blake. Somehow, Gray ends up dead.
A Resurrection Spell Gone Wrong:
Two months after dying, Gray wakes up in Charlene’s body. As a witch, can anyone blame her mother for attempting to bring her daughter back to life? Only now Gray’s stuck sharing her sister’s body 50/50 in twenty-four hour shifts.

The race is on for Gray to find a way back inside her own body before Charlene purges her from existence. Raj McKenna is rumored to meddle in the black arts, not to mention he’s after Gray’s invisibility spell and worse – her heart. But Raj might be the only one powerful enough to save Gray from fading away forever.

Duplicity:

If Graylee Perez thought sharing a body with her twin sister was bad, dealing with a duplicate of herself is two times worse. Gray the second doesn’t seem to get that Lee’s boyfriend, Raj McKenna, is off limits. Then there’s the problem of Adiran Montez. He expects one of the Grays to be his.

Nearly a year later, the council is onto them for past misdeeds; Lee, along with the rest of the coven, has lost control of her powers; and Gray is being stalked by what looks like the Grim Reaper.

If they work together, they may stand a chance of setting things right and making it out alive. 

Find The Spellbound Books: Goodreads | Amazon

The Trailers:

Entangled:










Duplicity:

The Author:

Nikki Jefford is a third generation Alaskan who found paradise in the not-so-tropical San Juan Islands where she is, once more, neighbors with Canada. She has a B.A. in journalism from the University of Alaska Anchorage and was a reporter before returning to her first love: fiction.

After a whirlwind romance in France, Nikki married Sébastien in March 2000. They reside with Cosmo the wonder Westie.. 

Connect with Nikki: Website | Twitter

The Giveaway:



Enter to win the SPELLBOUND SWAG PACK (International)  Ends June 8, 2012

· Evil Eye Amulet and Bracelet: In Duplicity, Gray wears an evil eye pendant, also known as a nazar, to protect herself from a spell that’s causing havoc over the witches and warlocks in her coven. The evil eye (a Turkish amulet) is used for both luck and protection against envy.

· Two Headed Quarter: Two Grays are better than none and two heads are better than one, especially when flipping over who gets to choose which movie to watch with a trick coin. Adrian returns in Duplicity and opens a magic shop.

·  Entangled bookmark

Don’t miss the Cover Reveal of book three, Enchantment, at designer Najla Qamber’s review site: Unputdownable Books on June 7th.