Guest Author Chelsey Ortega talks about her pets and her writing
- 6 hours ago
- 4 min read
Today I'm happy to feature one of my favorite kinds of blog posts. Fellow Wild Rose Press author Chelsey Ortega talks about her pets and her writing, and the parts animals play in her work. And I get to meet her cats! Chelsey's new release BONDWITCH: HYBRID, released May 11, 2026. Welcome Chelsey!
I am unapologetically a crazy cat lady. Okay, I only have two, and my family still lives with me. But I will become a crazy cat lady when my husband makes me a widow way into the future. My first cat was a gift for my 8th birthday. A beautiful Maine Coon whom I named Tiger. He lived for 18 years. An imprint of his paw memorializes him in my curio. I currently have a grey tabby named Minerva, and a black domestic shorthair named Salem.
Salem and Minerva’s names come from two major influences to my love of magic and fantasy: Harry Potter and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. And like those two series, animals play a large part in Bondwitch: Hybrid (Book 2 of the Bondwitch Series).
Witches have animal familiars in the Bondwitch world. Their familiar finds them sometime after the witch turns 18, and once the two accept one another they are connected telepathically. There are three major familiar characters in Bondwitch: Hybrid:
Gwen is the first familiar we met in Book 1, and she is a raven. She is Trinity’s familiar, and is almost 100 years old. Gwen is more nomadic than other familiars; which matches Trinity’s mobile personality. Although she comes and goes, Gwen is more than willing to draw blood in defense of her witchy companion.
Luna is also introduced in Book 1. She is a 3-year-old black wolf, and is Marianna’s familiar. She watches over Marianna from a distance, because she doesn’t like Marianna’s vampire friends. In Book 2, Luna serves as a messenger between Trinity and Marianna and is an older sister/mother figure to Nico.
Speaking of Nico…
Nico is the youngest and newest familiar. He is a baby black bear in Book 1 (where we get to experience him finding his witch companion and officially bonding with her), and has become a mouthy adolescent in Book 2. Nico is Annamaria’s familiar (who is the main character of the Bondwitch series). Nico is more trusting than most familiars, and loves Annamaria’s vampire boyfriend before she does. Nico grows in size and strength in Book 2, and is becoming his own character.
Other notable familiars are: Blanche, Libby’s barn owl; Rex, Zeke’s gray wolf; and Pearl, Ben’s white cat.
Familiars play a huge role in a witch’s life. They serve as a trusted friend, protector, and battlefield partner. What special animals exist in your life?
Blurb:
Annamaria Lyons is finally with her grandma, but Libby holds unyielding control of her coven and granddaughters. Betrothed to a male witch, Annamaria’s heart secretly belongs to her vampire boyfriend. When Libby threatens deadly consequences if she refuses the arranged marriage, Annamaria faces an impossible choice: obey or risk everything to follow her heart?
Marianna Lyons is a big disappointment. Stripped of her magic when she was forcefully turned into a vampire, she is now an outcast, desperate for Libby’s approval. When Marianna is tricked into breaking coven rules, she faces a difficult decision: endure brutal rehabilitation, or leave her new home. As Marianna struggles to rediscover herself, will she accept her new identity, or conform to Libby’s impossible demands?
Excerpt:
Marianna exhaled. Both she and Anthony scooted closer to Annamaria, flanking her.
“You’ll have to forgive my sister,” Marianna said. “She’s been through a lot these past few months.” Of course Marianna supported Annamaria’s trepidation, but until they better understood this new environment, they needed to play on both sides.
Sheila’s smile was genuine. “Not a problem. You can let your familiars check us out.”
Luna jumped out of the car and trotted over to Sheila and Jackie. The black wolf circled them, sniffing and grunting. Sheila stood stock still while Jackie squatted down and held her hand out for Luna to study. Nico also bounded out of the car, but he stopped at Anthony and wrapped his baby bear arms and legs around Anthony’s calf.
Nico!
Marianna stifled a laugh as her wolf reprimanded her sister’s bear cub. Nico yipped and stumbled toward the two strangers. He jumped on Jackie’s feet and bit down on her worn Converse. Jackie giggled and tickled Nico. He escaped to check Sheila out. Sheila remained in her frozen position as Nico danced around her feet. Luna took her turn with Jackie, gave her palm a lick, and bounded back over to Marianna.
They are honest. The panther can talk to me.
Marianna’s eyes widened, and she patted Luna’s head. “Thank you, sweet girl.” She looked back up at Jackie. “How can you talk to them?”
Jackie shifted her feet. “I’m a hybrid. My mom’s a witch. I don’t have my own familiar, but I can talk to everyone else’s.”
Marianna’s heart swelled. She wouldn’t be the only mismatched being.
Website: https://chelseymortega.com/
Buy link: https://chelseymortega.com/bondwitch-2/
Author Bio:
Chelsey M. Ortega is a teacher by day and award-winning author by night. History is her first love, and any story involving magic and romance, her second love. She especially loves witches and is still awaiting her acceptance letter to a well-known school. Chelsey received her Bachelor's in History Teaching from Brigham Young University. In addition to writing, Chelsey teaches high school U.S. History and ELD. She lives in Utah with her husband, three children, and two cats.
Comments