Sounds good.
As to aura stuff, maybe if there's a secondary aura around the magically active, that works as well as any other indicator. It is, after all, how she processes it. I think maybe it's a good idea if Emelina saw the other characters in various places besides simply her bookstore -- for example, Haye is not a large town, so the bar Brian works at is right there. As for the first post, I sort of intend to have it happen that it's March 2013 in Haye, and the previous mayor is resigning and the fanatics have their own candidate standing for election.
Edit: I also think that things might be getting bad in the area with some sort of killer on the loose.