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The Magic of Painted Creek
Author: Robyn Kilgore
Publication date: June 24th 2025
Genres: Adult, Magical Realism
She only came back to settle a will, but her roots ran deeper than she bargained for…
Mabel Morrison considers herself fortunate to have a thriving art business at only twenty-five years old. After the sudden passing of her grandmother, Mabel leaves her mother, her only living relative, in Columbus, Ohio and finds herself back in Painted Creek, North Carolina to settle her grandmother’s affairs.
The longer she is stuck in town, the more she learns about her grandmother’s legacy and the family that came before her. As she starts to piece together a found family of her own, Mabel begins to embrace her other natural gifts within her paintings that she’s been denying for years. Suddenly, she imagines what life could be like in Painted Creek surrounded by friends, magic, and love. The future seems brighter than ever as she slowly begins to stray further from the path that was laid out for her when she was young.
But her newfound confidence is shaken when her new friendships are tested, setting off a chain of events that could change the course of Mabel’s life forever. Has Mabel inherited more than she bargained for? Or will she find the inner strength to embrace all of her gifts and hold on to everything she has never let herself want?
an excerpt
“What are you smirking at, honey, while you’ve left me out here on the porch?”
“Oh Lord, I’m sorry, Dottie. Please do come in! I’m so happy you’re here.” I shut the door behind her and headed into the kitchen. I filled Gram’s kettle and put it on the stove so we could have tea. It was so second nature I didn’t even think about it. If there was company in this house, there was tea.
“I just wanted to see how you were getting on. I know you’ve only been here a day, but I thought you might be right bored here by yourself. I should’ve known you’d already be painting. Is this one for fun?”
Dottie had wandered by the dining room once she’d dropped her bags on the floor right where I’d plopped mine when I came in last night. I wondered if I had seen her do it so many times in my life that it was an unconscious response to coming in the house with bags.
“No, not for fun. I have a list of commissions I’ve already accepted before I open my books back up. That little guy is one of the animals my customer takes care of at the Zoo of America. Hedgie is watching over him while he dries.”
“Hedgie?” One perfectly drawn on pencil thin eyebrow raised in my direction. “How original.”
“Hey! No insulting Hedgie. He’s my new best friend and I love him with all my heart.” I pouted playfully back at her, watching the smile slowly overtake her face.
“Maybe we should get you a pet. Unless you think the lamp would get its feelings hurt. We wouldn’t want that.”
“Har har. I’d love to have a pet someday… I’ve always wanted a cat. As much as I love Hedgie there, I don’t think I want a real hedgehog. A dog feels too demanding, but a cat feels more like a roommate that might snuggle now and then.” I shrugged. “I’ll get one someday. When I settle into a place that I know I’m going to stay.”
Dottie’s nose wrinkled like she smelled rotten eggs. “Well, isn’t that something! Since it sure looks like you’ve got yourself a nice place right here. And speaking of, I brought you a house warming present. Don’t worry, it’s not alive, at least not anymore than your lamp over there, but you can give it a name too if it’ll make you feel better. And we’ll add a real live pussy cat to the list for one day,” she waggled her eyebrows, “and maybe a man, too.”
“Oh, Dot. You didn’t need to bring me a thing, I’m just happy to visit with you. Plus, I think a house warming present is typically for when someone moves into a house and plans to stay. I’m just visiting while I sort through Gram’s affairs. And I’m not justifying the man comment with a response, thank you very much.”
With her hip propped on the edge of the table and her eyes narrowed in my direction, all five foot nothing of the sweet old lady in front of me seemed to morph into a formidable opponent. She studied me for a beat that didn’t make me uncomfortable at all, a lie, it totally did, before cocking her head to one side to glare at me.
Robyn Kilgore lives in Tennessee with her husband, kids, dog and business manager (the cat). When she’s not working on a writing project or reading, you can find her chauffeuring her kids to activities… usually by way of a coffee shop drive through. Her love of vintage treasures, whimsical findings, and seeking magic in every day life led her easily to write magical realism novels. Robyn also has a small handmade jewelry and craft business, her first (and forever) passion turned business venture. She gives a nod to the experience of making jewelry in her first novel, The Magic of Painted Creek.
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