The CIRCLE OF THREE series was so incredibly fun to write. At the time, there were several witchcraft-themed series out, but they were all very much set in a world of fantasy. I wanted to create something that was more rooted in real-life witchcraft. Each book in the series focuses on an aspect of witchcraft or a related spiritual tradition, including some rituals and spells. Over the years, I have heard from numerous people who tried these rituals and spells for themselves, often with unexpected results.

I was particularly pleased that the series featured characters not then commonly-seen in literature for young people, including several LGBT characters and what I think might be the first drag queen character in a YA novel. People often ask me why I wrote the series under the name Isobel Bird. It was because up to that point I had written primarily nonfiction books about LGBT issues. At the time, it was believed that openly-gay authors might have a difficult time being accepted writing fiction for the young adult market. I'm pleased to say that this is not the case today, and the idea that people might care about such a thing probably seems ridiculous to current audiences. But back then, things were different, and so I decided to use the name Isobel Bird. Isobel was a nod to my good friend Isabelle Holland, the author of numerous books for young readers, including THE MAN WITHOUT A FACE. Bird was just something I thought sounded good.

Isobel Bird wrote only one additional thing, a short story called "Ever After" that was included in the YA anthology 666: THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST, which is a great book with a terrible title. I really like it. You might too.

#1: SO MOTE IT BE

With this ribbon I do bind
my heart to yours and yours to mine.
Love, I call you, come to me,
As is my will, so mote it be.
​
When 15-year-old Kate Morgan decides to cast a love spell, the end results are catastrophic, and she cannot stop it by herself. But the book of spells she checked out from the school library tells her of two strangers who can help her-but only if she can find them.

Available as an ebook

Joined together, hand in hand, our circle gathers round,
to work our magic, weave the web, and dance on sacred ground.
By the Goddess we are called, witch to witch and friend to friend,
to merry meet, and merry part and merry meet again.
​
A book of spells brought three unlikely friends; Kate, Annie and Cooper together. Now the three of them are compelled to learn more, and the door is opened with the stirring ritual of the Vernal Equinox.

​Available as an ebook

#2: MERRY MEET

#3: SECOND SIGHT

Show me places cloaked in secrets,
pierce the gloom of darkest night.
Reveal that which has been hidden,
Let me see with second sight.

Kate, Annie, and Cooper are joined together by magic, bound to nature. Their dreams have turned to visions of a missing girl who is presumed dead, and is now calling for their help. Can the three of them solve mystery surrounding her kidnapping?

​Available as an ebook

Cards of fortune, tell your story,
Answer all I've come to ask.
Let the draw set forth the course
of what has been and yet may pass.

When Annie discovers the ancient cards of Tarot, her fascination with them spirals beyond her control when her readings become reality. As if cursed, Annie faces her friends with this new-found power.

​Available as an ebook

#4: WHAT THE CARDS SAID

#5: IN THE DREAMING

On the eve of fair midsummer,
Longest day and shortest night,
Faerie magic, fill these woods
with joyous song and laughter bright.

The eve of Midsummer finds Kate, Annie, and Cooper celebrating the most joyous sabbat with nature-and a few not unwelcome strangers. On a night when identities and emotions become tangled and confused under the strange solstice sky, one will be led astray.

​Available as an ebook

Here within the healing circle,
Bathe in light and pain dispel.
All that sickens, all that troubles,
wash away and be made well.

Disillusioned from her time during the Midsummer festivities, Cooper abandons the circle and Kate and Annie are left without her. But when an illness threatens someone close to one of them, Cooper returns.

Available as an ebook

#6: RING OF LIGHT

#7: BLUE MOON

Ancient moon, o ageless traveler,
sailing on the sea of stars,
As once more you come to fullness,
Turn your shining face to ours.

The second full moon of the month-the blue moon-is a time when powers are heightened, with unpredictable results. However, when Annie attempts the channeling practice called aspecting, she changes into someone Kate and Cooper hardly recognize.

Available as an ebook

North and South and East and West,
Earth and Fire, Air and Water,
And the fifth path, center's spirit,
on it walk the searching daughters.

The five-pointed star is a symbol of nature, and that's how Cooper wears it. Those not versed in the ways of the Craft find it unsettling, however. Will Cooper and her friends be able to withstand the tide of controversy bearing down upon them, or will their circle break apart forever?

Available as an ebook

#8: THE FIVE PATHS

#9: THROUGH THE VEIL

As the year comes to an ending,
In the hour 'tween old and new,
part the veil and let pass
the spirits who would travel through.

Samhain is a time when the veil between the worlds is thin, and those who have passed into spirit world may be more easily contacted. Those Annie hold dear dwell behind this veil already-will she find them on this eve of Wiccan celebration?

Available as an ebook

In the circle ringed with fire,
stand and meet your chosen one.
Dance among the laughing spirits,
and listen as their song is sung.

A mysterious stranger shows Kate, Annie and Cooper how to connect with the spirit world, but there are alarming effects, especially for Kate. Stepping outside the bounds of Wicca, Kate becomes entranced—so much so her friends fear for her.

Available as an ebook

#10: MAKING THE SAINT

#11: IN THE HOUSE OF WINTER

Winter's cold and Winter's darkness,
wraps us in these frozen hours.
As the ceaseless wheel turns we call,
the sun to warm us with its power.

Cooper, Annie, and Kate celebrate the winter solstice in true Wiccan spirit. The threesome joins the practitioners of the Craft in a remote, haunted house in the wintry mountains. An unexpected blizzard strikes, and the girls cannot resist the lure of the dark house's shrouded mystery.

Available as an ebook

Ever moving, Ever changing,
stars and planets come and go.
Those who watch their movements say,
As is above, so is below.

Astrology—the study of the stars—is said to reveal the truth of the universe. Cooper, Kate, and Annie find this to be alarmingly true, and their progress on the Wiccan path is nearly undone by what the stars tell them.

Available as an ebook

#12: WRITTEN IN THE STARS

#13: AND IT HARM NONE

"And it harm none, do as ye will,"
so says the ancient wiccan rede.
Those who do not heed its words will learn
the Power of the Law of Three.

Annie, Kate, and Cooper uncover what looks like a crime. When they look more closely, it is not. Knowing the Law of Three—that harm comes back to haunt—can they still help a friend in need without paying for it themselves?

Available as an ebook

Reach inside and choose your challenge,
Find the path that you must travel.
What trials have you to over come?
What mysteries shall you unravel?

Of her circle, Kate has always struggled the most in learning the ways of the Craft. As her Wiccan initiation approaches, a final challenge threatens to overcome her at last.

Available as an ebook

#14: THE CHALLENGE BOX

#15: INITIATION

Tonight you take the last step on
of your journey of a year and a day.
Welcome home o new-made witch,
And in our circle rest and stay.

The joyful culmination of a year and day's dedication—Kate, Annie and Cooper's Wiccan initiation—brings celebration, an exhilarating ritual, and unexpected choices for the new witches.

Available as an ebook