A reluctant wizard must live up to her powers in this fantasy story collection from the author whose Blood Books inspired the TV series Blood Ties.

There's a lot of responsibility involved with being the most powerful wizard in the world, and Magdelene wants nothing to do with any of it. Lazy, lusty, and more likely to be found lying in the sun than casting runes or sacrificing unfortunate goats, she'd really rather avoid dealing with challenges, errant apprentices, demons, dragons, death, and bureaucracy.

These seven stories include "Third Time Lucky," Tanya Huff's first professional sale to George Scithers at Amazing Stories. Thirty years, thirty novels, eighty-three short stories, and one television show later, this is where it all began.

Stories included are "The Last Lesson"; "Be It Ever So Humble"; "Mirror, Mirror, on the Lam"; "Third Time Lucky"; "And Who is Joah?"; "Nothing Up Her Sleeve"; and "We Two May Meet." Long-time Tanya Huff fans may recognize many of these stories from the long out-of-print collection Stealing Magic. Each story here is accompanied by an author note, brand new for this release.

"Light, fun stories that made me smile both because they are witty in a relaxed, slightly bawdy sort of way and because they disassemble traditional power models with a wink and a cocky smile." - Mike Finn's Fiction