Maggie Blackbird

Today, I have award-winning author Margaret Izard in the interview chair. We’re discussing her latest release, Stone of Destiny, book seven in the Stones of Iona series, a paranormal romance. Don’t forget to enter the giveaway.

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1.  First, what’s your favourite scene in the book?  Not in regard to writing, but reading, and why?

Margaret:  Energy thickened in the room, humming at the edges of her senses. The air felt charged, vibrating with an unseen current that prickled across her skin. It was the same taut expectancy she’d felt before a Fae appeared, like the moment before a storm split the sky, when every particle seemed to tremble in anticipation. Kat stood and turned to the door, hoping her brother would arrive. A gust of wind blew through the chapel, even though the door was closed.

As she approached the wooden doors, a familiar voice spoke from behind her. “Nice dress, Kat, but ye didn’t have to dress up for my arrival.”

Kat spun around and leaning on the altar was Ceallach, Aodhán’s cousin from the Tuatha Dé Danann, the good Fae. His body filled out his incandescent shirt under his snug suit jacket, and his pants hugged his well muscled legs. She had met the Fae at the wedding of Evie MacDougall and Aodhán in the Fae realm.

With him standing before her now, she almost sighed his name out loud. Kat had fallen for Ceallach at first sight. Like all her past crushes, this one should have ended quickly. Instead, her feelings lingered long after she left the Fae realm when Ceallach had vanished from her life—until today. Ever since, she’d compared every man she met to him. Not a single human measured up. That was when she’d started questioning whether love had any logic at all.

He stepped forward with a grin as he moved into a beam of sunlight shining through the stained-glass window. His long jet-black hair glistened in the rays, and the color reflected purple, matching his mother’s, Morrigan—the Fae assigned to assist the Captain of the Castle, her da, John MacArthur. Being the MacArthur Fae, Morrigan also helped her and her brother navigate the duty to the magic stones.

When he shifted in the sunlight, his Fae necklace glittered. The pendant held the sign of eternity set on top of fern leaves. Over that sat a five-pointed star made of clear Fae crystal. She’d studied Evie’s intently, while Evie told her how her husband Aodhán had gifted her the sacred item to save her life. The necklace was the only item a Fae could give to anyone to form a bond lasting for eternity. Evie told her it was the most powerful gem in the Fae realm—the power within held a Fae’s immortality. She’d dreamt of Ceallach giving her his, if only in her dreams.

Still wearing a grin, he strode forward with confidence, and a sensuality Kat had not forgotten. The man still took her breath away with one look. Ceallach arrived before her, a smile playing on his lips. As his eyes swept across her face, the expression faltered. His brows knitted together in a frown, shadowing the sudden tension in his gaze. Reaching with his finger, he lifted a tear from her cheek, gripped his fist hard, and when opened, a small, clear teardrop-shaped gemstone sat in his palm.

“Dry yer tears, sweet Kat. Yer face is much prettier without them.” He took her hand and, with his other placed the gemstone in her palm. “When ye hold the gem, yer tears will fade, and happy thoughts shall fill yer heart.” When the stone touched her skin, her mind cleared, and a sense of ease washed over her.

Ceallach released her hand and strode past her to the doors.

Kat turned, calling after him. “Wait, why are ye here?”

The attractive Fae stopped and turned. “Dagda sent me. I’ve come to meet with the guardian of the stones. All the stones have returned. The gathering and battle of good vs evil is upon us. The gods have called, and we must answer.”

He opened the heavy oak doors without effort and strode through. The doors weight closed them, leaving Kat in the shadows again. She blinked, almost not believing her eyes and the truth before her. Her secret love had just casually strolled back into her life. Gripping the gem, he’d shaped from her tears, warmth washed over her. Ceallach was here. A smile crossed her face.

Ceallach was here.

I love this scene because it sets everything in motion at once. It delivers reunion, longing, and a charged twist of fate wrapped inside a heated romantic collision. I place it at the very opening because it serves as the hook for the entire story. If Ceallach never crosses into the human realm, nothing else can unfold—the Gathering of the Stones never ignites, Kat and Ceallach never confront the love they left unresolved, and destiny never tightens its grip.

That single choice pulls every thread forward, driving not only the events of Stone of Destiny but also the catalyst that launches the next arc in the world, Dragons of Tantallon.

2.  If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your book?

Margaret:  No—and not out of stubbornness. Every choice in the book exists for a reason, especially in a story driven by prophecy, consequence, and long-term arc. Stone of Destiny closes a seven-book journey, which means each decision carries the weight of everything that came before it.

Changing even a single thread would unravel the emotional payoff, the sacrifices, and the hard-won choices that bring the series to its conclusion. The characters earned their ending through struggle, restraint, and love under pressure, and I wouldn’t take that away from them—or from the readers who traveled the entire path with them.

3.  What do you love most about your two main characters?

Margaret:  What I love most about Kat and Ceallach lives in how differently they face the same pull. Kat refuses to shrink herself to fit destiny. She loves fiercely, questions prophecy, and steps forward even when the cost scares her. Loss sharpened her resolve rather than breaking it, and that courage drives every choice she makes. Ceallach loves with equal depth but from the opposite direction. Duty shapes him, restraint defines him, and he believes sacrifice protects the people he loves. He doesn’t doubt his feelings—he doubts his right to keep them. Together, they create a tension that feels inevitable and combustible: one pushing fate to answer, the other trying to hold the line until love forces him to cross it.

4.  What makes you want to shake your two main characters?

Margaret:  They both know exactly what they want, and they spend an impressive amount of time trying to protect each other from it. Kat pushes forward when she should pause just long enough to let the truth land, and Ceallach holds back when one honest step would change everything. They each believe sacrifice equals love, just expressed in opposite directions. Kat risks herself without hesitation. Ceallach denies himself with brutal discipline. Watching them circle the same truth from different sides makes me want to grab them both and say the same thing: stop deciding alone. Fate creates enough obstacles without them adding their own.

5.  If you could spend time with one character from your book, who would it be? And what would you do during that day?

Margaret:  I’d choose Dagda, King of the Good Fae, because his power lives in what he sees rather than what he says. I imagine spending the day following him as he moves through the thinning places between realms, listening, weighing balance, and speaking only when a decision truly matters. He doesn’t rush or rule loudly—he settles things. By the end of the day, I’d understand how the world holds together when someone chooses wisdom over force.

But his story is a tale for another day….

6.  If your two main characters dined together, what would they cook up?  It can be breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even a snack.

Margaret:  They actually do—just not in a traditional kitchen. Kat and Ceallach share a meal aboard a boat while sailing Loch Etive, where fire, water, and desire mingle as freely as the air. Think a rustic seafood boil, messy hands, shared heat, and the kind of intimacy that comes from eating together when the world narrows to salt, steam, and stolen looks. It unfolds on the page exactly where it needs to, so I’ll leave the rest waiting for readers to discover it for themselves.

7.  How did you come up with the title for your book?

Margaret:  It is the name of the seventh stone.

8.  If your book was made into a film, who would you like to play the leads?

Margaret:  Kat, Emelia Clarke; Ceallach, Theo James.

9.  If your book was a candle, what scent would it be and why?

Margaret:  If Stone of Destiny were a candle, it would burn as Midnight Musk. The scent carries heat and shadow at once—dark, intimate, and impossible to ignore. It fits a story steeped in prophecy, longing, and love pressed tight by fate. Midnight speaks to the hour when choices sharpen and secrets surface, when magic moves freely and nothing stays hidden. Musk adds the pull of desire, the grounded warmth of bodies and bond, the sense of something ancient and alive beneath the surface. Together, the scent captures the heart of the book: dangerous intimacy, emotional depth, and a love that lingers long after the flame goes out.

10.  If your book had a theme song, what would it be and why?

Margaret:  It does—Lose Control by Teddy Swims. That song captures the emotional core of Stone of Destiny perfectly. It pulses with longing, restraint stretched to the breaking point, and the moment when holding back costs more than surrender. The rawness in the lyrics mirrors Kat and Ceallach’s struggle with fate, duty, and desire—the ache of loving someone when control feels like the only shield left. By the time the chorus hits, the song does what the story does: it lets go, fully and unapologetically, and accepts the fallout because love demands nothing less.

11.  If your book were a colour, what would it be and why?

Margaret:  White/off white – the color of the Stone of Destiny.

12.  If a reader asked you why they should read your book, what would you tell them?

Margaret:  I’d tell them to read Stone of Destiny if they want a romance that refuses to play it safe. This book delivers love under pressure, where prophecy tightens its grip, choices carry real cost, and emotions don’t resolve neatly or quickly. It closes a seven-book journey with intention, heart, and payoff, honoring every thread woven since the beginning. If they enjoy immersive worlds, myth-rooted magic, characters who fight fate instead of bowing to it, and an ending that earns its power rather than borrowing it, this story will meet them exactly where they are—and linger long after the final page.

13.  What can we expect from you in the future?

Margaret:  You can expect me to keep expanding the world that began with the Stones of Iona. Next comes the Dragons of Tantallon series, which dives into the long-hidden Milesian dragon shifters first introduced in Stone of Love. That story leans harder into legacy, dragons, soul-deep bonds, and the cost of power carried across centuries. Beyond that, the Iona Megaverse continues to widen, with familiar faces resurfacing, new realms opening, and love stories that refuse to stay small. I plan to keep writing emotionally driven romantasy with high stakes, mythic roots, and endings that earn every beat.

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Title: Stone of Destiny
Series: Stones of Iona, book seven
Author: Margaret Izard
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: 260 pages
Release Date: February 9, 2026
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Bound by destiny, torn by fate—their love stood unbroken, victorious over all.

Blurb: Kat MacArthur still feels the loss of her brother to another time. Seeking solace, she stumbles upon Ceallach, a Fae warrior, she’s had feelings for ever since she met him. The emotion grows stronger whenever they are together. Yet he warns her to stay away from the upcoming gathering for the Iona Stones. Kat refuses—she needs to be there to help her family and Ceallach.

Ceallach is torn between duty, magic, and the ache for mortal love. His Fae soul is sworn to protect the Iona Stones during the Gathering, but his heart is lost to Kat. With the prophecy looming, he cannot promise her forever—no matter how much he longs to. The maiden of the Iona Stones now faces sacrifice, and he fears if his beloved gets too close, he cannot save her.

When dark forces rise to take the Iona Stones along with their powers, Ceallach is forced into an impossible decision—to defy destiny or surrender to love?

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Still wearing a grin, he strode forward with confidence, and a sensuality Kat had not forgotten. The man still took her breath away with one look. Ceallach arrived before her, a smile playing on his lips. As his eyes swept across her face, the expression faltered. His brows knitted together in a frown, shadowing the sudden tension in his gaze. Reaching with his finger, he lifted a tear from her cheek, gripped his fist hard, and when opened, a small, clear teardrop-shaped gemstone sat in his palm.

“Dry yer tears, sweet Kat. Yer face is much prettier without them.” He took her hand and, with his other placed the gemstone in her palm. “When ye hold the gem, yer tears will fade, and happy thoughts shall fill yer heart.” When the stone touched her skin, her mind cleared, and a sense of ease washed over her.

Ceallach released her hand and strode past her to the doors.

Kat turned, calling after him. “Wait, why are ye here?”

The attractive Fae stopped and turned. “Dagda sent me. I’ve come to meet with the guardian of the stones. All the stones have returned. The gathering and battle of good vs evil is upon us. The gods have called, and we must answer.”

He opened the heavy oak doors without effort and strode through. The doors weight closed them, leaving Kat in the shadows again. She blinked, almost not believing her eyes and the truth before her. Her secret love had just casually strolled back into her life. Gripping the gem, he’d shaped from her tears, warmth washed over her. Ceallach was here. A smile crossed her face.

Ceallach was here.

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Margaret Izard is an award-winning author of historical fantasy and paranormal romance novels. Her latest awards are 2024 Reader’s Favorite Honorable Mention for Stone of Love and 2024 Spring BookFest Silver Award for the same title. 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 desire 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.

Follow Margaret: Website | Link Tree | Facebook

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