By now, you have probably gotten your copy of The Daring Witch, so you don’t need another sneak peek of the new book. Some of you have already finished reading it! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed it or written me to tell me how much you love the book. It means so much for me to know that you’re enjoying my stories.

So today, have a preview of the first scene in the prequel, Third Generation Witch. I realize that I am doing this backward by releasing the prequel last, but that’s how it often works out for me! This is a novella releasing wide this Saturday, July 31.

I’ll Take the Bus

I hate flying.

Since I lived out in the middle of nowhere, I had to leave almost an hour before first bell to reach Sequoia High School. We never knew when the winding mountain roads would wash out or be reduced to one lane for construction. And since I’d rather be early than late, I tried to give myself extra time. So before sunrise, I bundled up in my paint-stained sweatshirt with the swim team logo, grabbed my messenger bag with my organized school supplies, and bounded out the door.

Then I stopped when I saw what was waiting outside.

A broom hovered in the air a few feet above my driveway. The handle was a tree branch, the knobby texture worn smooth from decades of use. One end had a bundle of smaller twigs tied together with hemp twine, but they bristled and stuck out at odd angles. Perched on the front was a bearded dragon, blinking slowly.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Getting upset would only waste precious time.

The door swung open behind me, making me jump forward so it wouldn’t hit me in the back. “Oh, good, you’re ready,” Mama Rosa said, stepping around me with a smile. A short, chubby woman with dark, messy hair, she looked like any middle-aged human mother except for the smell of magical herbs that clung to her.

She draped a cape over her shoulders with a dramatic flourish and walked down to the waiting broom. “I have some time if you want me to drop you off at your school.”

I looked around uncomfortably, noticing that my other mom’s car was already gone. “I—I thought Mama Ashleigh was driving me today.” Since she worked at the same high school as a counselor, it was easy for us to carpool.

Mama Rosa pointed at the empty parking spot like I hadn’t seen it. “Sorry, sweetie, she was called in early for a meeting. But I’m ready to take you now.”

I swallowed hard. “Um, what about your car? So I could get in a little driving practice?” I preferred to practice driving with Mama Ashleigh, because she was better at staying calm, but I needed to log more hours behind the wheel.

Mama Rosa glanced at her watch. “I’m not sure that I’d have time to drive you to your school and still make it to my first class on time. You know how much faster it is to fly, Bridget.”

That was my last excuse to ask nicely. Everything after this point would turn into a fight, especially since she’d called me Bridget. I was tired of reminding her that I was going by Brie now. To defuse the situation, I turned and started walking toward the road. “I’ll just catch the bus.”

Mama Rosa hopped onto the broom and glided beside me. Her bearded dragon familiar, Kitten, climbed up her cape onto her shoulder. “What’s wrong with me flying you there?” she asked, her tone growing more annoyed. “You need flight practice just as much as you do driving. It’s faster, safer, and we could probably grab coffee on the way if you would just stop arguing and—”

“I said I’ll take the bus!” I snapped, whirling around to glare at her. With my arms folded over my chest, I knew that I looked and sounded like a whiny child, but that was how she made me react. “Just let me go, and then you won’t have to worry about being late at all.”