Twisted Luck Series by Mel Todd

I'm not a mage, but that won't stop me.Cori Catastrophe. They call me that sometimes, and I hate to admit it, but it isn’t wrong. Things go weird around me. Electronics die, things break, and if something odd happens, I seem to find it. Finding another dead body just made me late to work.Nothing will stop me from getting my degree, getting a job, and getting away from this tiny town – though leaving my best friend will hurt more than anything else... moreI'm not a mage, but that won't stop me.Cori Catastrophe. They call me that sometimes, and I hate to admit it, but it isn’t wrong. Things go weird around me. Electronics die, things break, and if something odd happens, I seem to find it. Finding another dead body just made me late to work.Nothing will stop me from getting my degree, getting a job, and getting away from this tiny town – though leaving my best friend will hurt more than anything else. Reality seems determined to make reaching my goals impossible. The dead guy had my name in his pocket, my best friend emerges as an archmage, and my parents – well let's just say leaving them behind is one of the best parts of getting away.So be it. Not being a mage means I'll have to struggle to succeed. No matter how weird things get, I'll make it. I lost my brother and I'll probably lose my best friend to the world of magic. All I can do is depend on myself. less

New city, new job, new threat?With my best friend going to college to learn how to use her magic, I'm job hunting in Atlanta. We're sharing an apartment and I've never been happier. The last thing I needed was to be involved in a murder investigation. Now the police are sure I had something to do with it. News alert: I don't. I've got a job, Jo's going school. I finally am on the track to have my own life.Working as an EMT is great, but something weird happened at work... moreNew city, new job, new threat?With my best friend going to college to learn how to use her magic, I'm job hunting in Atlanta. We're sharing an apartment and I've never been happier. The last thing I needed was to be involved in a murder investigation. Now the police are sure I had something to do with it. News alert: I don't. I've got a job, Jo's going school. I finally am on the track to have my own life.Working as an EMT is great, but something weird happened at work. Something I can't explain. What if I'm wrong and I am a mage? The last thing I want is to be a mage, it would mean I'd lose everything I've been working for. Even if I am a mage, I'd be a low ranking one, a hedgemage, something that means I can keep my current life.But I can't get the dead girl out of my mind. Who was she and why did she die? What good are my skills if all I do is keep finding dead people? With a serial killer out there, the police and FBI stepping in, I might lose more than the life I had planned. I might lose my life. Once again my luck holds true and I'm in the middle of something I don't know how to deal with. less

Being a double merlin sucks.You’d think having power, having people treat you with respect, an insanely awesome inheritance waiting for me, and knowing you could do really awesome(awful) things would be cool. It isn’t. I’ve got strings you wouldn’t believe attached to the inheritance. Then it turns out other people want it, so instead of suing me, I mean that would be logical, right? No, they are trying to kill me... moreBeing a double merlin sucks.You’d think having power, having people treat you with respect, an insanely awesome inheritance waiting for me, and knowing you could do really awesome(awful) things would be cool. It isn’t. I’ve got strings you wouldn’t believe attached to the inheritance. Then it turns out other people want it, so instead of suing me, I mean that would be logical, right? No, they are trying to kill me. And I don’t mean a single person, a freaking country! How insane is that?Well screw them. I’m getting my degree, and getting the inheritance. Okay the house. I really want the house.But when Jo gets hurt and my familiar decides to start calling in favors, then things get even more twisted. With my luck we might all end up insane, or dead before this is over. But I refuse to give in. This is my life, and who knows, maybe I’ll survive. But with my luck, you never know what might happen. less

Magical house, insane killer, and life altering decisions—being an adult sucks.I did it, I've graduated and no more pressure. And I've got a house, me a house! Road trip time for Jo, Sable, and me up to Albany, New York. The house both is and isn't what I expected. Beautiful-yes. Locked rooms with mysterious stuff-yes. But it also seems alive, which isn't possible. This isn't a movie, houses aren't alive... moreMagical house, insane killer, and life altering decisions—being an adult sucks.I did it, I've graduated and no more pressure. And I've got a house, me a house! Road trip time for Jo, Sable, and me up to Albany, New York. The house both is and isn't what I expected. Beautiful-yes. Locked rooms with mysterious stuff-yes. But it also seems alive, which isn't possible. This isn't a movie, houses aren't alive. But before I get to finish exploring the house the draft office has decided I need another trial run, and of course Agent Steven Alixant is their errand boy. Before I get a chance to figure out anything— there are some odd things about that house—I'm dragged off to New York City to help catch a serial killer. Which makes no sense. A bachelors degree doesn't make me Sherlock Holmes. Things are going well, I guess. Is it a good thing to figure out clues about a serial killer's identity?But when I get a phone call that something has happened to Jo and Sable is when things get dangerous. I'm going to have to make a bunch of decisions and I hope I can save Jo and Sable, even if it ends up costing me my life. When your luck is as twisted as mine nothing is ever straightforward. less

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here….Weddings are never easy. But a wedding for your best friend has it's own certain brand of joy. Jo and Sable are getting married and I'm going to be their Person of Honor.Easy, right?Between defending my dissertation, dealing with wedding plans gone wild, freaking out brides, and my own miss givings, it's going to take a miracle to get us all to the altar.But sometimes just loving someone is enough. If I have to use magic to make it perfect, I will... moreDearly beloved, we are gathered here….Weddings are never easy. But a wedding for your best friend has it's own certain brand of joy. Jo and Sable are getting married and I'm going to be their Person of Honor.Easy, right?Between defending my dissertation, dealing with wedding plans gone wild, freaking out brides, and my own miss givings, it's going to take a miracle to get us all to the altar.But sometimes just loving someone is enough. If I have to use magic to make it perfect, I will.This is a novelette set in the Twisted Luck series. It is best read between Inherited Luck and Drafted Luck. Get ready for some tears and remembering that love doesn't have a defined form. less

Draft here I come, ready or not.Doctorate achieved! Now time to pay off my mandatory service obligation to the government. The same government that may, or may not, be trying to occasionally kill me. But hey a job is a good thing, right?I didn't expect it to be all rainbows and sprinkles, but neither did I envision being thrown in with a training group of misfits and potential criminals... moreDraft here I come, ready or not.Doctorate achieved! Now time to pay off my mandatory service obligation to the government. The same government that may, or may not, be trying to occasionally kill me. But hey a job is a good thing, right?I didn't expect it to be all rainbows and sprinkles, but neither did I envision being thrown in with a training group of misfits and potential criminals. How did I end up having to make decisions to let someone die, or try to prevent it, when keeping them alive is breaking the law.You'd think with my skills they'd put me in a quiet lab somewhere. No, I get stuck with the Department of State and working with Japan. Don't these people read? Japan wants to kill me even more than my own government. But when Carelian decides the Dragon of China needs a friend my personal problems get eclipsed by international incidents, centered around me. Being a trouble magnet is one thing, starting World War III is something else. How in the world do I get myself into these situations? And why didn't they just stick me somewhere where I wouldn't be the center of political drama?Having twisted luck is one thing, how do I broker peace between three countries that all want to use me? less

For Cori Munroe, carrying a surrogate baby shouldn’t be any big deal. She’s got magic on her side, right? Wrong. Pregnancy is fritzing her magic, while she has to deal with a variety of work issues, up to and very much including a huge medal ceremony involving the United States and China for saving D.C. and China’s reputation. Then the Council of Lords wants her to represent Earth’s mages. All while trying to deal with magical issues without her usual power levels... moreFor Cori Munroe, carrying a surrogate baby shouldn’t be any big deal. She’s got magic on her side, right? Wrong. Pregnancy is fritzing her magic, while she has to deal with a variety of work issues, up to and very much including a huge medal ceremony involving the United States and China for saving D.C. and China’s reputation. Then the Council of Lords wants her to represent Earth’s mages. All while trying to deal with magical issues without her usual power levels.Bombs, terrorist attacks, and work pressures are hard for anyone to deal with, let alone a pregnant woman. But when her family’s safety is threatened, Cori’s going to find a way to protect them…or die trying. With her twisted luck, anything can happen.An urban fantasy about the things you do for family no matter what shape they wear, and magic that might change everything, or nothing. less