This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Margaret Izard will be awarding a Stone of Faith Book Swag box (a $100 value) to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Writers are often asked: Where do your ideas come from? For me, the answer is everywhere—but it always starts with a spark that refuses to let me go.
Sometimes that spark is history. While reading about Scotland, I learned how the Coronation Stone—the Stone of Destiny—once traveled from the sacred Isle of Iona through Dunstaffnage Castle, the seat of the MacDougall clan. For those who don’t know, the coronation stone is what the king/queen of England sits on when crowned. That single thread of fact rooted itself in my imagination. I asked myself: What if that stone was magical? And what if there were many stones hidden across time, each with its own power and legacy? That was the moment the Stones of Iona series was born.
From there, mythology layered itself over history. Tales of selkies, sirens, firebirds, and cursed dragon shifters gave me characters who could inhabit these magical stones’ world. For Stone of Faith, the ocean itself became the stage. Because the stone had been lost at sea in Stone of Lust, I turned to legends of Lorelei and selkie folklore for inspiration. The Kópakonan statue in the Faroe Islands—depicting a selkie shedding her seal skin—captured the essence of a woman caught between two worlds, and it became the visual spark for Lorelei’s character.
Ideas also come when I least expect them—a song lyric, a castle ruin, a piece of art. Sometimes even being “stuck” sends me back into research, where a single artifact or legend offers the key to the next scene.
So where do ideas come from? From the places where history and myth overlap, where real people once lived and loved, and where imagination asks what if. My stories grow in that space—where love, sacrifice, and magic can endure across generations.
The heart’s most extraordinary battle is the one fought for love.
Haunted by a family legacy that threads magic through the ages, Captain Ewan MacDougall and his ghostly crew sail between worlds—freeing enslaved people. A worthy goal, yet he longs for what eludes him—true love. When he crosses paths with a legendary siren of the sea, bound to a cruel, power-hungry madman, Ewan finds the woman destined to claim his heart.
Trapped and forced to use her voice to lure ships into the clutches of evil, the spark in Ewan’s eyes awakens hope in Lorelei’s soul—a chance to break free and protect her Fae family. Yet, the wicked monster holding her captive will stop at nothing to kill the human who touches and loves her as no one has ever done before.
Will the fated connection they share break the chains of dark magic or claim two more victims in a quest to find the Stone of Faith?
Enjoy an Excerpt
The cannons drowned out Low’s response as Ewan spied the woman again, standing on the bow alone—the same as she had every time he’d robbed Low. No one else seemed to see her, and the battle raged on without hitting her her once.
As the wind tossed her bright red hair, the mane spread around her head. That scent—fresh seaweed and sun-warmed air—washed over him, just as it did every time he saw her. Her cream-colored skin glowed. When their eyes connected, a blush rose on her cheeks. She possessed Fae eyes, a brilliant white-blue that shone on their own. A siren she was, a woman from his dreams. Someone, no one else saw but Ewan. She took his breath away each time, touching his soul and making his heart beat harder. Butterflies erupted in his belly.
He whispered, “Tha thu bòidheach.” You’re beautiful.
Doug shifted in front of him, breaking the spell. The sounds of the battle rushed back like a freight train.
His friend yelled, “Ewan, ye must shift us before the ship breaks up! We’ve taken the plunder and already freed the slaves. It’s time for Blackbeard’s ghost to disappear.”
Cannon fire broke apart pieces of his prized ship. Doug was right. It was past time to disappear.
Ewan gathered energy, concentrating on the Chapel in the Woods at Dunstaffnage Castle in the future. He thrust his hand out, opening the portal, and sent a ball of energy through. He called the ship, and all within forward in time.
The world swirled, and the ship tilted as Doug’s cheer rang in Ewan’s ears, drowning out all sound when the vessel flew through space and time, popping out of the chapel door and landing in the loch beyond Dunstaffnage Caste, rocking a bit from the force. He and Doug tumbled on the chapel floor, coming to rest, lying on their backs. The crew Ewan knew faded—spirits brought back to serve him who dissipated with his spell. Ewan lay there for a moment, allowing his body and mind to rest. Doug did too, their breaths echoing in the empty nave.
Boot steps sounded, and before Ewan could rise, his da’s angry face appeared over him, upside down. “About damn time ye returned! I’ve waited half a day for ye to get yer pirate ass home!”
His da strode away, calling out when he neared the chapel door, “Both ye sorry mongrels get yer asses into the study! And, Ewan, make that scraggly beard disappear!”
Ewan sat up, waving at his chin, the long hair fading as Doug stood. “Mr. Mac, it’s just a bit of fun, that’s all!”
Colin Roderick MacDougall stopped, straightened his back, and turned slowly.
His angry countenance was one Ewan rarely witnessed. “Just a bit of fun, Douglas MacArthur? Just a bit of fun?”
His da fisted his hands. “Yer pirate games have gone too far!” He slashed his hand to the side. “The study, now!” The last he bellowed, echoing beyond the chapel.
Ewan stood, knowing his da’s wrath did not easily rise to the surface. Even when disciplining his children, except when… “Wait, Da, what has happened?” He and his sister Evie had gotten away with so much as kids and on into adulthood. Most of the time, his da had grunted while applauding their Fae skills. But when a Fae Fable showed and a magic Iona stone needing hunting for the Fae…
His sire pointed a finger at him. “A Fae fable has appeared. That’s what’s happened!” He strode to Ewan and aimed the finger, hitting Ewan’s broad chest, jabbing when he yelled, “The Stone of Faith!”
Ewan blinked. The Stone of Faith fable had two stories they knew of—both including the Stone of Lust.
Ewan tilted his head. “Ainslie’s story or the other one of the island and treasure?”
His da folded his arms, then growled his answer. “The island of treasure.” He leaned forward till their noses nearly touched. “And the tale is not about yer ma. The fable’s one of its own, and the damn thing has an ending!” He turned and strode out of the chapel.
Ewan blinked. “The Stone of Faith has a fable?”
About the Author: 
Margaret Izard is a multi-award-winning author of historical fantasy and paranormal romance novels. She spent her early years through college to adulthood dedicated to dance, theater, and performing. Over the years, she developed a love for great storytelling in different mediums. She does not waste a good story, be it movement, the spoken, or the written word. She discovered historical romance novels in middle school, which combined her passion for romance, drama, and fantasy. She writes exciting plot lines, steamy love scenes and always falls for a strong male with a soft heart. She lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and adult triplets and loves to hear from readers.
The Stone of Doubt Book Swag Box
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Stone of Doubt recipe card
Wild Rose Press (publisher) 2025 calendar (While supplies last)
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