Wednesday, October 31, 2012

All Hallows' Eve

Halloween had its beginnings in an ancient, pre-Christian Celtic festival of the dead. The Celtic peoples, who were once found all over Europe, divided the year by four major holidays. According to their calendar, the year began on a day corresponding to November 1st on our present calendar. The date marked the beginning of winter. Since they were pastoral people, it was a time when cattle and sheep had to be moved to closer pastures and all livestock had to be secured for the winter months. Crops were harvested and stored. The date marked both an ending and a beginning in an eternal cycle.

The festival observed at this time was called Samhain (pronounced Sah-ween). It was the biggest and most significant holiday of the Celtic year. The Celts believed that at the time of Samhain, more so than any other time of the year, the ghosts of the dead were able to mingle with the living, because at Samhain the souls of those who had died during the year traveled into the otherworld. People gathered to sacrifice animals, fruits, and vegetables. They also lit bonfires in honor of the dead, to aid them on their journey, and to keep them away from the living. On that day all manner of beings were abroad: ghosts, fairies, and demons--all part of the dark and dread. Samhain became the Halloween we are familiar with when Christian missionaries attempted to change the religious practices of the Celtic people. 


All Saints Day, otherwise known as All Hallows (hallowed means sanctified or holy), continued the ancient Celtic traditions. The evening prior to the day was the time of the most intense activity, both human and supernatural. People continued to celebrate All Hallows Eve as a time of the wandering dead, but the supernatural beings were now thought to be evil. The folk continued to propitiate those spirits (and their masked impersonators) by setting out gifts of food and drink. Subsequently, All Hallows Eve became Hallow Evening, which became Hallowe'en--an ancient Celtic, pre-Christian New Year's Day in contemporary dress.



Happy Halloween Everyone!




Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Sponsorship: STAKED by Sandra Edwards

Are you looking for a smart and sexy time travel book, then look no further than STAKED. I've read this story and absolutely loved it especially Dexter Stone--oh, la la!



Book blurb:
Ava Valentine is a time-traveling bounty hunter from the distant future. She's chased her fugitive back to present-day New York City, where she anticipates an uneventful capture even though she's a little on edge because she's meeting a new contact.

Dexter Stone is a mysterious soldier of fortune who's agreed to take Ava to her bounty--for a fee. What Ava's not expecting is to get mixed up with a man she suspects is a vampire!  

After a run-in with an unsavory character from Ava's past, she and Stone are forced into an uneasy alliance. But very soon she'll discover she could be Stone's saving grace--or his downfall.

Reviewer’s comments:
5 stars – “I just loved the chemistry between Ava & Stone. Even with the risk she takes if ever giving herself to him, this story leaves you wanting more and hoping”

5 stars – “It is a wonderful book, I could not put it down read it in about a day and a half. I recommend this book to everyone who loves a great romance with a little twist of vamps in it.”

5 stars – “This book kept me reading from first page to last. I couldn't put it down. I love the new spin on the vampire angle, and the time travel element leaves the mystery lover in me begging for more.”

Buy links:

Excerpt:
“When do you think we'll arrive at our destination?” She threw an easy and unassuming question at him in hopes that he’d drop his guard a little.
He shrugged and thought about it. “Couple hours or so. Three tops.” He turned to her. “But since you’re from south Jersey, you should know that. Right?”
“Well, it’s not like I’ve been there lately.” She shrugged. “So I can’t really judge travel time because I don’t know what the traffic’s like.”
“Makes sense.” He gave a concurring nod and then went silent. They passed a sign signifying a rest stop one mile ahead.
“Hey,” Ava said. “Can we make a pit stop up ahead?”
“Seriously?” He rolled his eyes. “You want to stop now? Do you realize how much time we’ll waste by stopping?”
“Five minutes,” she said. “Five minutes isn’t going to make or break us.” She wasn’t sure if he’d stop or not. Stone didn’t exactly strike her as the accommodating type.
He didn’t say whether or not he’d stop, he simply turned his attention back to the road ahead and handled the steering wheel with one hand.
Ava tried willing him to stop. Aside from needing to pee, she wanted to splash a little water on her face. Maybe it’d shock this detrimental fascination with Stone out of her system. It’d slammed her back at Louie’s, even before he’d crossed the threshold. She hadn’t wanted it then and she was no closer to accepting it now. The sooner she acquired Cole and reimbursed Stone, the quicker she could escape the spell Stone held over her. That was one thing she could look forward to if Stone bypassed the rest stop exit—getting away from him that much faster.
Stone barely slowed down prior to veering off the freeway at the precise moment he was about to bypass the exit. Knowing now that they’d be making the stop left her with mixed feelings. She needed to use the bathroom, but there was something to be said for getting away from Stone as quickly as possible.
The parking lot was nearly deserted and cloaked in the nighttime’s darkness. Most of the street lights were out, right along with the outside lights on the building. It was hard to see whatever might be lurking in the shadows.
Ava scanned the area as she opened the car door but couldn’t decide if the eeriness swallowing her up was from real trouble or just her nerves. Well, she had to pee; plus she was sure that she and Stone could handle any mortal trouble hiding in the darkness.
She closed the car door with an easy push and surveyed the area. The night’s warm air held the faintest hint of a breeze. She just wasn’t sure if it was enough to fuel the goose bumps that’d begun to pebble her skin. To be on the safe side, she and Stone had better stick together.
Ava glanced over her shoulder at Stone strolling up the sidewalk about two paces behind her. “You think you could come inside with me?” she asked. He threw her suggestive look. She didn’t have the patience for his antics right now. “Look...I can’t say that sexing it up in a neglected john at some rest stop along the highway really turns me on.” She tried to project her impatience onto him with a glare. It must have worked because he rolled his eyes, drew a heavy breath and moved toward her. “Can you just go in there with me? These kinds of places give me the creeps.” It was best to let him think she needed a hero. But the truth was, if they were going to get backed into a corner, better to do it together. 
Stone moved in front of her, shaking his head. “No matter how long I live,” he said. “I’ll never understand women.”
“Right back at you,” she said with a bite to her tone.
Stone stopped at the door, cracked it open about a foot and scanned the interior before entering. After a second or two he pushed the door open and beckoned her to follow.
“You’re safe, my lady.” He fanned a grand gesture about the outer area of the ladies’ room. Clearly making fun of her.
Ava didn’t know why, but that wounded her ego. She headed straight for the sink and turned on the cold water. Luckily, it was instantly cold. She cupped her hands, filled them with the chilled water and splashed her face. Then she did it again for good measure. As she suspected, it didn’t do that much good.
She pivoted on her heel and moved toward the nearest stall. Slamming her hand, palm out, against the door, it thrust open. Once inside, she flipped the latch. It helped knowing the bathroom stall served as a kind of barrier between Ava and what tempted her. If she kept telling herself that, maybe she’d believe it by the time she was done.
She dropped her pants to her knees, well-aware of Stone’s presence and what she’d allow him to do without much persuasion on his part. She went about her business, hoping it’d distract her from the sexual attraction coursing through her body where it all seemed to be gathering beneath her belly.
This was so not good. Ava couldn’t afford to give herself to some vampire. Especially not this vampire. The one who could convince her to give up all her secrets with a mere touch.
Finishing up, she stood and pulled her pants back up around her waist.
“Ava...?” There was a certain sense of wariness in Stone’s voice. “You about done?”
“Yeah,” she said, pushing the stall’s door open. “Keep your shorts on.” She went to the sink to wash her hands.
“Listen,” he said softly, moving closer to her. “I don’t want to alarm you, but there’s trouble outside.”
“Trouble?” She turned off the water and shook her hands a couple of times before wiping them on her pants. “What kind of trouble?”
Their eyes met and for a second it looked like he might actually say the word vampire. But he didn’t. He kind of left that part out when he said, “Five or six of them. I don’t know if I can fight them all off, but I’ll stand a better chance in here...where we can’t be surrounded.” He wasn’t paying much attention to her. Instead he was canvassing the room, taking in every inch of it. Finally, when his gaze landed back on her, he gave a half smile. “I’ll do my best to keep you safe and get you out of this alive.”

         

Sunday, October 28, 2012

The Symbol of Scary Things by Michelle Snyder

 
World of Symbols
Michelle Snyder, M. Phil, Symbolist
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Halloween, or Samhain, the ancient pagan new year, is celebrated at the beginning of winter, a time when everything dies. Corn stalks, harvest sheaves, and scarecrows are all symbolic of the rituals and tradition of the harvest, the basis of the Samhain or All Hallows Eve celebrations. In agriculture, scarecrows are responsible for keeping the birds away. Other common Halloween symbols - cats, snakes, and owls - were depended upon for keeping grain stores rodent-free. In order to suppress pagan agricultural industry, these animals were demonized by the church, associating them with all things evil.
Samhain was a time when the gates to the underworld were believed to be opened and spirits roamed the earth freely.  Offerings of fruits and vegetables were made to honor the dead. Over time, a night to remember and honor the dead became a night of fear of the dead; a day when fairies and ghosts were about. This required masks to hide from the fairies and ancestor-worship rites to placate the spirits. Skeletons are symbols of the dead and a favorite Halloween decoration. Samhain was a night when the dead could cross over and communicate. This was an important time for divination, as any information about the nature of the coming winter was valuable.
Goblins, also a Halloween symbol, are not ghosts. Goblin is actually the French name for Fairy Folk or Fair Folk, the descendants of the white-skinned blonde Maglamosian people; northern Europeans who, because of their knowledge of astronomy and natural sciences, were feared and powerful, and gained the reputation of being able to do magic.
A very popular activity at Halloween is carving pumpkin faces and lighting them from inside with a candle. These scary faces are sentries designed to scare off evil spirits; legends of the demon Jack probably originated from sightings of bog and marsh “lights” that looked like lanterns being carried. Referred to as Jack-O-Lanterns, they were caused by combustion of methane and marsh gasses.
The most common Halloween character of all is the witch. The word witch likely comes from a word meaning wise one. Pagan witches have many traditions. It is said that at their annual celebration they would marry, initiate new witches, and dance about on branches or broomsticks. Old pictures of witches show them worshipping a horned figure, most likely Cernunnos, the Celtic god of the woods, a Green Man. When the church attempted to stamp out or change all pagan celebrations Cernunnos became a devil figure. Later, witches were imaged with wings like a bat’s; bats fly at night and sleep hanging upside down, lending them to be associated with scary things.
Kids love to dress up and go out to Trick or Treat. Viewed as extortion by some, the tradition actually comes from a time when poorer families went house begging, offering prayers for the dead en exchange for food and money. This was called “guising” (disguising” oneself and knocking on the doors of the affluent) Those who gave were blessed with good luck, those who were stingy were threatened with bad luck. Trick or treat is actually a later American phrase and was known as a time of pranks that were supernatural in character, such as taking apart something large and putting it back together on a roof, or fixing a door so it wouldn’t open. People gave candy to avoid having pranks played on them. As the popularity of pranking died out, candy was still given to groups of children who visited their neighbors in costumes to get some goodies.
Early Christians disliked Samhain’s association and connection with the supernatural, and spread the belief that spirits of the dead were delusions from the devil. Eventually the Celtic traditions became associated with the Christian hell, and were greatly feared. Today, less moral significance and more theatrical emphasis is enjoyed by those who practice Halloween traditions. As it is with December to January New Year celebrations, in Pagan and Wiccan traditions Allhallows Eve is considered a good time to make a new start or begin new projects.

Friday, October 26, 2012

Book Tour Blast: TAMING THE WOLF by Stephanie Nelson


 

Taming The Wolf

Attacked by a wolf while hiking, Anna Avery's life just got a little hairier. Living in the Big Horn mountains in Wyoming, with a group of werewolves who are more animal than human, Anna must try to hold onto her human side. It's not easy when the alpha continues to persuade her into his bed, while another wolf is chomping at the bit to become her mate. To top it all off, dead bodies are showing up and it just so happens that Anna was the last to see them alive. She'll have to work to prove her innocence and taming the wolf who bites first and asks questions never. This book is not intended for readers under 18.

Buy On Amazon Download for FREE Oct 26 & 27!!!

Follow Stephanie Nelson on Twitter, Facebook, and her Blog The Author is giving away an Amazon Kindle (or GC equivalent) to one lucky winner. Open Int. Ends 11/11.

Fill out the form below to enter a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, October 25, 2012

New Release: RAPUNZEL by Saffina Desforges



From the award-winning international best-selling author Saffina Desforges (Sugar & Spice, Snow White, Anca's Story) comes the second book in the sensational Rose Red crime thriller series.
Rose Red takes British crime thrillers in a new direction, with fast-paced, action-packed detective fiction, each based on the theme of a classic fairy tale. Forget plodding police procedurals. Think 'Ashes to Ashes' meets James Patterson's 'Women's Murder Club' with Lee Child's 'Reacher' thrown in for good measure. Think sassy female Sherlock Holmes, 21st Century style!

Cass 'Red' Rose is a feisty female cop fighting the usual battles that go with being a senior detective in London's Metropolitan Police and having a defence lawyer for a partner. While one fights to put them away the other is fighting to get them off.

With the Huntsman safely behind bars, and newly promoted to DCI, Red is faced with a new challenge. Someone is murdering men in the city and leaving a particularly nasty calling card in their mouths.

Of course, things are never that simple for Red. Throw in a suicide jumper on a bank holiday weekend, the kids being abducted, the partner's ex wanting custody, DC Jez Harris's new girlfriend, and the small matter of inheriting an illegal Smith & Wesson, and it's just another day in the life of a Met police officer. Oh, and did we mention Rapunzel's?

Set in modern-day London, Rapunzel is a fast-paced, gritty urban thriller that will leave you wondering whether fairy tales really do have happy endings.

OTHER BOOKS IN THE ROSE RED SERIES

Rose Red Book 1: Snow White is out now!

Rose Red Book 2: Rapunzel. This is it!

Rose Red Book 3: Beauty & the Beast coming early 2013.

Rose Red Book 4: Red Riding Hood coming late 2013

And if you can't wait that long, watch out for the new Rose Red Rhymes short story thriller series.



Book 1: Rose Red Rhymes: Ring-a-Ring O'Roses will be available October 2012.
Book 2: Rose Red Rhymes: The Night Before Christmas will be out in time for the Holidays.
Book 3: Rose Red Rhymes: Hush, little baby will be out in the New Year
Book 4: Rose Red Rhymes: Hot X Buns, well, you can guess the rest...

The series will continue throughout 2013.  All the pace, action and thrills of the full length novels, and just right for keeping up with Red and the team while waiting for the next book.

Website:

Amazon UK buy links:


Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Coming Full Circle With the Wheel by Michelle Snyder

 
World of Symbols
Michelle Snyder, M. Phil, Symbolist


In our culture we take wheels for granted. They are on every vehicle we see; daily living without wheels is now unimaginable. The wheel symbol has been used repeatedly all over the world from the oldest times we know of to the most modern. The word wheel can be traced to the ancient word for spindle-whorl – a round disk with a hole in the center, used for spinning threads. The concept of the sun as a wheel was widespread in antiquity, and the wheel is often used as a solar emblem. The oldest wheels have four spokes. There are also six, eight, and twelve-spoked wheels. All are astronomically associated.
   
Wheels indicate movement. The rim of the wheel divided into sections illustrates the passage of time. The divisions are astrological, symbolizing the passing of seasons and the cycles of the heavens. The Wheel of Signs - the zodiac - denotes the revolution of a year. Mithraic wheels symbolize the sun’s movement in the heavens. The Buddhist solar wheel symbolizes the passage of time and cosmic forces.
   
Representing solar power, the sun in the center and the rays as its spokes, a solar wheel symbolizes the chariot of Helios (Apollo) and is an emblem of Dionysus. It is an attribute of all sun gods and their earthly delegates - sun kings. The winged wheel indicates swiftness of time passing. In Greek symbolism a six-spoked wheel is an attribute of Zeus (Jupiter) as sky god. In Egyptian mythology man was fashioned on the potter’s wheel of Khnemu - the intellect. Wheeled crosses sometimes symbolize the sun; the Celtic cross has a wheel at the crossed bars, symbolizing winter solstice (See Ch. 7: Symbology, Decoding Classic Images).

Horse-drawn chariots became a great weapon, combining high speed, strength, durability, and mobility that unmatched by infantry. Chariot racing became a sport in the arenas of Rome. The use of wheels has facilitated wealth and power. In Ireland a wheel brooch is bequeathed from one ruler to the next.

Mandalas, a type of wheel, are used in meditation. Some have images of deities in the center to help the initiate focus on the divine. Medieval cathedrals often have a rose window, called Rota - Latin for wheel. The wheel symbol is associated with the rose in the West and the lotus in the East - both patterns of the mandala.
   
In alchemical symbolism the wheel contrasts the movable (the perimeter) and the fixed (the center). The Wheel of Fortune tarot card is based on the number two: contrary forces, the duality. The turn of the fateful wheel is irreversible once set in motion, floating in an ocean of chaos; the two halves symbolize constructive and destructive forces of existence. As some are considered lucky in love, and some unlucky, the Wheel of Fortune exemplifies the eternal cycle of good and bad luck, prosperity and poverty, stability and change - constantly subjecting mortals to the turns of Fate; the Wheel of Life raises them up and brings them down. The goddess Fortuna is occasionally shown standing on a wheel.
   
In mystical thinking the wheel represents the Unmoved Mover. The Taoist sage is he who attains the central point of the wheel and remains united with the Origin, bound at the center. The sage, the Unmoved Mover, can move the wheel without himself moving. The Buddhist wheel represents the dynamism of peaceful change, destiny, fate, karma, and sovereignty. It is associated with the lotus and the chakras. The Wheel of Law, Truth, and Life is one of the eight emblems of good luck in Chinese Buddhism.  

As the world turns is a contemporary phrase with an ancient meaning: We are all riding around the sun on this chariot called Earth. What a trip!

For more history and context of symbols, visit Michelle’s blog and website, watch her YouTube video: Lost Civilizations: the Green Man.










Books by Michelle Snyder: 

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

THE SILVER CROSS is on book tour + prizes


I'm very excited to announce that I have signed THE SILVER CROSS with Promotional Book Tours for a month-long virtual tour around the internet. Best of all, there are prizes!! Enter to win a $50 Amazon gift certificate or a digital copy of the book. The contest (via rafflecopter) is listed below so be sure to complete all the tasks for a chance to win! The schedule of blog stops is also listed below. Looking forward to meeting lots of new readers!

The Silver Cross 

The Silver Cross

There are two things Boston detective Lacey Gardner knows about killing vampires. Slicing off a head or a hit directly to the heart are the only surefire ways to kill one. Silver is their Achilles heel. A vampire never wears silver. When she meets bartender extraordinaire, Damon Harte, her heart does a quickstep for the dark hunky guy. She's learned the hard way that having a love interest in her line of work can be heart-wrenching. She's kept to herself for years, but something about Damon captivates her and draws her to him. When she learns Damon's devastating secret, she knows what she has to do: kill the man who has stolen her heart.

Purchase now on Amazon or BN

Follow the Authors, Debra L. Martin and David W. Small on their Blog, Facebook, Twitter  

Tour Prize - $50 Amazon GC and 5 ebooks Open Internationally Ends 11/26 Fill out the form below to enter a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, October 22, 2012

Guest Post: Education Debate by Nancy Wood


The Education Debate: Great Authors that Never Went to College
Young, novice writers often wonder whether pursuing a college degree is necessary in order to become a best-selling author or professional writer. Not surprisingly, there have been many heated debates about this topic in the writing community, especially when it comes to creative writing degrees, and I often interject my own opinions into these discussions whenever they come up. Sure, pursuing a writing degree may seem like a logical path to becoming a cultured, accomplished writer, but is it the only path? Well, you'll have to answer that for yourself. While you ponder that thought, however, here is a list of wildly successful writers who never attended college.

Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury is one of the most well-known science fiction authors in the world, but he never went to college. It's not that Bradbury didn't want to, though; his parents didn't have enough money to pay for the tuition. Instead, Bradbury took to selling newspapers in Los Angeles during the day and teaching himself about literature and writing at night. “I never went to college," he once famously said. "I went to the library.” His most famous work is without a doubt "Fahrenheit 451."

William Shakespeare
He is without a doubt the most well-known writer of all time, composing over thirty-eight plays and one-hundred-and-fifty-four sonnets, but Shakespeare's formal education ended early in his childhood. He attended the King Edward IV Grammar School, but left the school when he was fourteen in 1578. Shakespeare's education ended at that point. It didn't seem to affect his writing career, however. Shakespeare went on to write spectacular works like "Romeo and Juliet," "The Tempest," "King Lear," "Much Ado About Nothing," and numerous others without a college degree.

Mark Twain
Mark Twain wrote nearly seventy published works in his lifetime and is known as a great travel essayist, journalist, and fiction writer. His professional education ended before he even reached fifth grade, however – although it wasn't by choice. Twain's father's unexpected death sparked the famous writer's decision to drop out and take care of matters at home. He was invited to join a writer's group at Yale later in life, which he gladly accepted. If you haven't already, read his greatest work: "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn."


Jane Austen
Jane Austen is beloved by generations of readers, both male and female, and it didn't take a college education for her to attain all her literary success. Although, Jane attended school in Oxford, she ended up leaving at the age of 11 to be homeschooled by her father. Austen went on to write six novels and twenty-nine fictional works. You probably know her from titles like "Pride & Prejudice," "Emma," and "Sense and Sensibility."


Maya Angelou
Despite the fact that she has over thirty honorary degrees from colleges and universities around the world, Maya Angelou never attained a college degree. She received a scholarship to San Francisco's Labor School for drama and dance, but eventually dropped out to become a cable car conductor. Her over 60 works, including poems, autobiographies, essays, children's books, plays, and screenplays, have found a worldwide audience.


Stieg Larrson
Before he wrote the famous "Girl With a Dragon Tattoo" series, Larrson was a hard-working journalist and magazine editor at Expo. Though he didn't live to see the phenomenal success of his trilogy, Larrson was already an accomplished journalist in Sweden. His books have been adapted into films in both Sweden and the U.S. Larrson died from a heart attack in 2004.


F. Scott Fitzgerald
F. Scott Fitzgerald is well known for works like "The Great Gatsby" and "The Beautiful and the Damned," but not many people know that Fitzgerald never received a degree. He attended Princeton University in 1913, but never finished. Although he was immensely involved in the university's writing community, he neglected the rest of his university coursework. Fitzgerald was placed on academic probation by the university and dropped out in 1917 to join the U.S. Army during WWI.
Is writing a gift, or is it something that must be studied? Each writer is different in their styles and techniques, so, if you ask me, there is no universal answer to that question.

Nancy Wood is a freelance education writer. Nancy loves writing about education trends and often muses about what the classroom of tomorrow will look like. She also gives tips to aspiring college students. Feel free to send some comments her way!




Saturday, October 20, 2012

Kitty Funnies

Haven't done one of these posts in awhile. Everyone needs a good chuckle now and then. Enjoy!

Definitely John Lennon!




I vote for Option B!

Awww...

We've all been there!

 And last but not least, this is why cats rule!





Friday, October 19, 2012

New Release: TASTE OF FEAR by Jeremy Bates



Book blurb:
American movie star Scarlett Cox and her husband, hotel tycoon Salvador Brazza, head to Africa to get away and resuscitate their ailing marriage. When robbed of their money and passports, they seek help from the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam—on the very day Al Qaeda chooses to bomb it. In an eyeblink they're taken hostage and whisked across the border deep into the Congo, one of the last truly wild places left on earth.

Battling terrorists, deadly wildlife and cannibalistic rebels, Scarlett and Sal must find a way to survive in a violent, primeval world. And the only person who may be able to save them is the assassin sent to kill them.


Buy links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Taste-of-Fear-ebook/dp/B00953BBIS
Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15792248-the-taste-of-fear
http://widopublishing.com/the-taste-of-fear-by-jeremy-bates/