Book 1

Welcome to Author Teresa Joyce Jackson's MYSTIC GATES BOOKS website.

Mystic Gates Books

Author, TERESA JOYCE JACKSON A coming of age fantasy Series

Book 1 holds the“ key" to the Mystic East Gate

There are those who will do anything to capture the talisman ...

Aishling’s mother vanished on Halloween, 1989. It’s been sixteen months and she can’t convince those at the children’s home her mother is alive. She’s running out of time. Soon they’ll place her somewhere else. Ma would never find her.

Her special “gift” of prophetic dreaming also vanished that fated Halloween, until last night’s dream. Now, an enormous horned-serpent dangles in her sleepy memory. When she recognizes and befriends Morrigan, Kelile, and Lance – the newest arrivals – she wonders if she has dreamed of them before and if her “gift” is returning.

On a quest to find Ma, Aishling escapes from the children’s home with her new, diverse friends. During their perilous trek through the mountainous backwoods of North Carolina more of her dormant abilities awaken. But, she needs more than magic to survive in the wilderness. She needs her friends.

In order for Aishling to find out what happened to her mother and why an ancient Cherokee myth plagues her dreams she must face her greatest fear, uncover a heart-rending truth, and make a dreadful choice.

Excerpts of Amazon reviews from verified purchasers:

“I started the book this morning and could not put it down. Finished it this afternoon. Can’t wait for book 2. ...”

“I loved this book. ... I find myself missing the characters and wanting to read more about them.”

“... Ms. Jackson is a descriptive writer - a wordsmith who paints pictures of her western North Carolina settings and the Appalachian Trail. ...”

“A well written story about 4 teens and their adventures. It pulls cultures together with descriptive language that keeps you involved and eager for the next chapter. ...”

“... Dead Moon Awakens is a fun read. ... By the last page, the reader is left looking forward to Ms. Jackson’s next book. ...”

Preview of DEAD MOON AWAKENS

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“I added three white candles and a lighter to the bag,” Morrigan muttered before crawling out their bedroom window after curfew. Tonight, they would do the soul friend ceremony.
“How did you get all that?” Aishling handed Morrigan the bag that also contained their soul friend gifts and the items she had smuggled from the kitchen—three plastic cups and grape juice. She crawled through the window next, stopped midway, and backed up, whispering, “I forgot the blanket.”
A waxing moon didn’t provide enough light. With only one flashlight between them, they stumbled through the grounds until they reached the hawthorn tree by the river.
Aishling laid the blanket on a clear patch of dirt underneath the tree, and Morrigan set out the items from the bag on top of it.
“Okay, what do we do now?” Aishling asked.
“We need to draw a circle around us. I wish I had an athame.” Morrigan used the blunt end of the flashlight and inscribed a circle in the dirt surrounding their blanket. Next, she poured grape juice into two of the plastic cups. “We each sip some of the grape juice in our own cup, then we pour what’s left into this cup.” She held up the third cup.
An owl hooted close by. They flinched, and then giggled.
“No, no, no, no ...”
“What?” Aishling asked.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Oh.” Aishling breathed in the smell of dirt churned up by the flashlight. Clearing her throat first, she drank some juice from her cup as Morrigan did the same. One by one, they poured the rest of their juice into the third cup.
“Now, we state our intentions to each other,” Morrigan said. “I’ll go first. Aishling Bran O’Brian, I, Morrigan Shae MacAuley, am your true friend. I am your soul friend. I will be your friend for life. I am your sister and your protector. I will teach you all I know. You can depend on me through thick or thin. I will never betray you, hurt you, or take advantage of you. So mote it be.” She nodded to Aishling. “Your turn.”
“No, no, no ...”
“What?”
“I said it’s your turn. What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing.” Aishling looked up into the branches of the hawthorn tree.
“Come on, Aish.”
She listened again, but all was quiet. “Okay. Morrigan Shae MacAuley, I, Aishling Bran O’Brian, am your true, soul friend for life. You can always depend on me to help you, and be there for you through thick or thin. I am your sister, your protector. I will teach you all I know. I will never hurt you, desert you, or betray you. So mote it be.”
“Now, we both drink from this third cup.” Morrigan drank first and passed the cup to her. While Aishling drank, Morrigan lit a candle. “You light a candle too.”
After both candles were lit, Morrigan lifted the unlit one, saying, “This third candle represents the spirit of our joined friendship. When it is lit by both our candles, its glow will show the world and all the other realms we are on the same journey and will support each other throughout this journey. We both should light it at the same time using our own candle. We’ll say together: By this candle I am bound to you as your soul friend, your anamchara.” They moved in unison lighting the third candle, repeating their pledge, and extinguishing the other two candles.
Morrigan held up the third candle again and said, “Repeat these words exactly as I say them. This will complete our pledge to each other. Ready?” Aishling nodded. “All my wisdom and all my secrets I will share with you.”
“No, no, no ...”
Aishling stopped breathing and listened intently.
Morrigan stared at her. “Aish!”
“All my wisdom and all my secrets I will share with you.”
“For as long as I live, until we meet in the next life. So mote it be.”
“For as long as I live, until we meet in the next life. So mote it be.”
Morrigan blew out the last candle. “We did it. You are my raven, just as the Morrigan of old had her raven familiar.”
Although she hugged Morrigan, something didn’t feel right.