So…What Is This Coven Anyway? 🤔

Opening Credits

Welcome to the coven.
Don’t worry—we’re not summoning demons. (Yet.)

If you’ve wandered here, maybe it was by Google search, maybe by fate, or maybe because you followed the flicker of candlelight down a digital hallway. Either way, this space is more than a blog. Think of it like the cozy midnight screening of a film only a select few know about—a gathering place for the ones who feel too much, think too hard, and maybe still believe the world is haunted.

Who’s Running This Cauldron?

Hi, I’m Nicki Bratton—author, mama bear, story witch, and unapologetic lover of the weird, the wounded, and the what-if.

My stories live in liminal spaces—between life and death, freedom and confinement, reality and myth. Yes, I write supernatural tales: ghosts with unfinished business, witches stirring change, pirates defying the tide, gothic heirs trapped in family curses. But that’s not all.

I also write children’s books, because magic belongs in small hands too. And I write about my ancestors—because their stories are the soil my roots grow from. Whether it’s haunted fiction, a first-grade Christmas tale, or digging through family history, everything I write is braided with grief, identity, and transformation. Always, it’s about the raw, messy, human heart that refuses to stop beating.

I live in Charlotte, Michigan with my two daughters—the brightest magic in my orbit. By day, I juggle parenting, reselling thrifted treasures, and working at my family’s historic movie theater. By night, I wrestle plot twists like they’re rabid werewolves and write songs that feel like deleted scenes from a movie I wasn’t brave enough to star in.

Why Cinema Runs Through It All

If I sound a little “film girl,” it’s because I am.

Movies raised me as much as people did. I grew up in and around theaters—sticky floors, ticket stubs, neon marquees—so storytelling feels most natural when framed in scenes and scripts. Cinema gave me a language for grief, a shorthand for love, and a compass for transformation.

Now, working with my mom and step-dad at our historic movie theater, I get to pass that magic on—sharing stories on the big screen while I write my own in the margins. For me, life has always been equal parts reel and real.

So…Why a Coven?

The word coven has always felt like home. Not because it’s edgy (though it is), but because it’s collective power.

A coven is where women gather—raw, imperfect, unapologetic—to stir the cauldron, light the candles, and remind each other we’re not alone. And that’s exactly what I wanted this space to be: a little sacred, a little strange, and rooted in connection.

No gatekeeping. No performance. Just messy truth, moonlight, and a reminder that you don’t have to shrink to belong.

What You’ll Find Here

This isn’t all polished promos and picture-perfect updates. This is the director’s cut—the raw, messy, meaningful scenes.

Some posts appear like pop-up screenings—occasional features that show up when inspiration strikes:

🎬 Movie Mondays
Movie reviews, personal reflections on cinema, and little write-ups about local movie theaters—including the magic (and occasional chaos) of my own family’s historic theater. If it’s flickering on the screen, it belongs here.

📖 Teaser Tuesdays
Sneak peeks into the works-in-progress—whether it’s my supernatural novels or my children’s books. Teasers here fall into two categories:

Behind the Veil – The behind-the-scenes spellbook of my writing journey. Here, I share the rituals, rewrites, chaos, and creativity that go into birthing a book. From messy drafts to moon-fueled brainstorms, plot twists to publishing spells, this is where the magic gets made (and occasionally remade under a full moon with caffeine and tears). Whether you’re a fellow writer or a curious reader, peek behind the pages and see what’s bubbling in the cauldron.
The Coven Dispatch – Hot off the broomstick! The Coven Dispatch is your official source for all the latest updates, spellbinding announcements, event sneak peeks, and behind-the-scenes buzz. Whether it’s book news, shop drops, or magical mischief in the works, this is where the coven stays connected. No smoke, no mirrors—just the truth, straight from the cauldron.

🌍 Travel Thursdays
Stories from the road, whether haunted or heartwarming. From roadside diners to ghost tours, these posts explore the sacred and the strange of wandering.

📸 Photo Fridays
A return to my photographer roots—old photos I’ve taken, paired with the stories behind them. Memories framed, dusted off, and re-examined in the light.

But some posts are weekly rituals—steady, sacred spaces that anchor the coven:

✨ Witchy Wednesday & 🕯️ Séance Sunday

Creative Musings – Not every spark of magic fits in a tidy spell jar. This is where the wandering thoughts live—the fiery rants, nostalgic reflections, pop culture breakdowns, poetic spells, and everything in between. It’s the space between structure and chaos, where inspiration strikes and I follow it, broom in one hand, feelings in the other.
Hex the System – For cursing capitalism, student loan scams, political rants, and bullshit bureaucracy. (Because even witches need to rage against the machine.)
Love in Retrograde – Where affection once flowed like moonlight, now it stumbles through shadow. A space for unraveling spells and silent storms—where connection falters, tenderness stretches thin, and the heart reexamines the bond it once called home. These are whispered truths rarely spoken aloud, shared so other women know: you are not alone in the ache, the shift, or the spellwork of starting over.
Roots & Remnants – Where past and present entwine. Stories buried deep, unearthed with care. This is memoir with mud on its boots and moonlight in its eyes—memories that ache, moments that bloom, and echoes that shaped the witch I’ve become. Some posts are heavy, others healing—but all are real.
The Matriarch’s Grimoire – Where motherly intuition meets witchy wisdom. Here, spells are whispered between bedtime stories, and ancestral truths are passed down with every scraped knee and moonlit cuddle. From grounding techniques during tantrums to blessing your baby’s bath with intention, this grimoire holds the magic of motherhood—raw, real, radiant.

Final Scene

If you’re someone who finds comfort in haunted houses and poetry, who’s been gutted by loss but still digs for beauty in the ruins—you’re my people.

The coven is officially open. 🔮
Let’s see what we can conjure together.