Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Hidden Salem: The Virtual Tour



Hidden Salem
Kiki Howell

Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal, Romantic Suspense

Publisher: Mitchell Morris Publishing Inc
ISBN: 9781937629281

Number of pages: 332




Book Description:

Intuition alone brought Makayla to Salem, Ma in search of a story, but her research has her confronting more than she bargained for. With her empathic gifts stronger in Witch City, she physically suffers, landing her literally unconscious in the arms of both Noah Ayers, local cop and Dylan Baines, local history teacher. Yet, it is Lauri, a witch who owns a local shop, who teaches Makayla about who she is and what she can do.

Unfortunately for all of them, Makayla also stumbles upon a coven in the woods practicing a dark magic ritual. Now they are after her, threatening her life and the lives of those she has quickly come to care about. Immersed in things she never expected, like an old legend and necromancy due to residual hauntings, the race is on to stay safe from the coven and protect her heart from a certain sexy cop.

But, is Lauri correct in thinking Makayla might just have encountered the only real witch in Salem in 1692? And, do they share the same bloodline?



Reviews:
“Richly vivid and captivatingly engrossing, Hidden Salem is a mesmerizing tale that blends an eerie historical past with a rather terrifying present. Kiki Howell brings the fascination of the witches of Salem - both past and present - to a brilliant level, adding liberal doses of sensuous love, suspense and murder to provide a hard-to-put-down, provocative and memorable story that you don't want to miss.”  ~ April Pohren, Cafe of Dreams Book Reviews
 “Kiki Howell spins a tale that will bewitch your heart and leave you wanting more.” ~ Misty Rayburn - Top Shelf Book Reviews
" I really enjoyed reading Hidden Salem. You see a lot of books about the Salem Witch Hunt. This one is really different and I just really loved the characters and how they interact with each other. I enjoyed this paranormal. Had the right amount of suspense and love interest. " ~Crystal, Romancing the Book


Guest Post: It’s Halloween, So Let’s Talk Halloween ;) by Kiki Howell
So, what first? Let’s talk decorations. This year my mantle is filled with drippy candles and bottles filled with what are supposed to be poisons and witch’s brews. I love the torn material hanging from the mantle, off my curtains, and around the gravestone with black rose I have in front of the fireplace. Oh, and this year I bought this great cauldron that has lights and a mister. It is so amazing. I just love it. I also love to bake Halloween treats. New recipes each year to try.  
Being a paranormal author, one question I get asked year round is what are your favorite witchy or paranormal books.  So, off the top of my head, so sure I’m missing some great ones, are: Teresa Medeiros, Cabot Series: After Midnight and The Vampire Who Loved Me; Denise Lynn, Dragon’s Lair; Any by Annette Blair, Hannah Howell or Heather Graham; Several Series by Nora Roberts like the Three Sisters Island Trilogy or the Key Trilogy or the Sign of Seven Series;  the Fyne Witches Series by Linda Winstead Jones,: The Sun Witch, The Moon Witch, and The Star Witch… okay, sorry, I’ll stop now LOL I’m as addicted to reading as I am to writing.
But, I’m always on the look out for some great horror stories. Any suggestions?
How about Favorite Witchy and Scary Movies. Of course, top of the list is Practical Magic. I also love a movie called The Covenant.  



I also watch a variety of scary movies each year, alone in my room that is since I’m the only person who cares for them around here.  I’m not picky though, just whatever is on. I recently watched The Skeleton Key and Insidious streaming free on Netflix.
How about Haunted Houses? It is funny, but even with Halloween being one of my favorite holidays and the fact that I write paranormal stories year round, those created Haunted Houses set up all over the place this time of year are just not my thing at all!  However, real haunted houses or places, I am not so sure about.  I recently went on a two and a half hour Haunted Footprints tour when I went to Salem,MA. That was really great.  And, when I was young, there was this abandoned house in the woods behind my own home that I often explored during the day.  By the looks of the place, it could have easily been haunted.  I have often wondered if the house is still standing.  It would be cool to go back there now, and at night.  So, of course it is no surprise that I used it as a setting in one of my stories. And, since it is Halloween, I want to share.

Excerpt from “The Stone Hex” in the Mystic Stones Anthology:

“Having come to the end of the trail she followed, Rachael paused where
the full green of the tree line gave way to an open expanse of land. The remains of a field, long unattended, rolled out before her until the sun-drenched colors of the landscape took on the blackness of shadow. From where she stood it seemed as if the long-abandoned house had burned the earth with its mere presence. The symmetry of the two-story square made it appear intimidating, despite it’s aged wood and cracking paint, as if the house was smirking at her in a domineering stance. Furthermore, the large fallen tree whose weight the house now sustained seemed an elaboration of contorted fingers grappling for possession of the sky itself. Dead twigs of brown held onto its foundation as if paying homage to their master.

Once she left the protection of the trees, the house, black with the soot of
neglect, chilled her even as the sun burned upon her shoulders. Nevertheless,
this was how the house had greeted her for years. As a few clouds rolled in
muting the sun, the light-play of shadows gave the illusion of specters in the
windows.

Alone with this house, Rachael always realized how far she had come
from civilization; nonetheless, she still reveled in her solitude. She had left far
behind the small fall of water in the woods just beyond her backyard that always enticed her to sit and the upward curve of the stream that always lured her up the hill. Pulling up onto the creaking porch from the bare ground where steps must have once been, she stepped gingerly.

She squeezed her body into the house beside the ancient heavy door with
rusted hinges and walked into the living room as if she owned the place. The
sun filtering through the filthy windows furthered the anomaly of the eerie feel of an aged room. It never ceased to amaze her how time took its toll. She started up the stairs walking with her hand on the wall never quite trusting the wobbly banister or the middle of the warped stairs. Her hand grazed over an upturned seam of the yellowing wallpaper right where an old red flower bled across it.”

Happy Halloween!
Kiki






About the Author:
Ever since she was young, Kiki Howell has loved to listen to a well-woven tale with real characters, inspired plots, and delightful resolutions. Kiki could spend hours lost in a book, and soon she knew that creating lives, loves, and losses with just words had to be the greatest thing that she could do. To that end, she pursued her study of literature and writing, earning a bachelor’s degree in English. She then followed in a Master’s program in Creative Writing.
 
She has now had over thirty stories published between eleven different publishers.  She could not be more thrilled or grateful to see her creations polished and out in the real world. In May, 2011, Kiki was chosen as an Ohioana Book Festival author for her novel, Torn Asunder.





Hidden Salem Bewitching Book Tour Giveaway

Kiki has four pieces of jewelry purchased from The Official Witch Shoppe in Salem, MA which was still open when she visited Salem in August 2010. Each week, throughout the month tour, a winner will be chosen from one of the tour stops.

All who enter will also be put into a final drawing for a $25.00 Gift Card from the winner’s choice of several retailers from Barnes & Noble to Starbucks (list will be provided to winner).

Open to US Shipping


Want to know more about the four pieces of jewelry and the store they came from?
Here’s A Little Information From Front Page of http://www.theofficialwitchshoppe.com/:

The Official Witch Shoppe (formerly The Cat, The Crow and The Crown), owned and operated by Rev. Laurie Cabot H.Ps. , opened in November 2010 at 63R Wharf St. in Salem, MA. (closed in October, 2010)

Laurie Cabot opened her first store ("The Witch Shop") and the very first Witch Shop in America in 1970.  Laurie established her Witch Shop initially for the purpose of educating people that magic (or Majick as it is known in the Cabot Tradition) is real, beneficial and exists and that Witchcraft is not devil worship or evil. Ultimately her first shop and her subsequent stores have supplied Magical people and Witches of all traditions with all the tools and supplies required to perform their own Majick.

Why is Laurie Cabot known as the "Official Witch of Salem"?

In the mid 1970's, Governor Michael S. Dukakis of Massachusetts, bestowed upon Laurie Cabot the state's Patriot Award.

The proclamation is signed by the Governor and the Treasurer of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and it reads:

"I proclaim Laurie Cabot the Official Witch of Salem for her work with children with special needs."

Laurie's first official duty as a state Patriot residing in Salem, was to greet a delegation of artists who were visiting the city from China. The artists had been invited to the United States to display their art at the Boston Museum of Science, and were the first such group of artists to be invited to America after relations with China had been established by President Nixon.

While this certainly was a compliment to Laurie Cabot, it was and is today a symbol of hope for all Witches who do good works on behalf of their community and nation. Equally as important, it serves as a testament that Witches have a place in America today and are recognized as practicing a legitimate and honorable religion which shows a path of dedication for the good of all. This was the first time in history that a high standing politician openly recognized a Witch for their good works.

Product Descriptions From Website:


Fancy Silvertone Anklet:


This delicate silvertone anklet has been decorated with an array of bells, chains, and flowers to create a piece of jewelry that will perfectly accent your ankle and ring out musically with every step you take. Measuring approximately 10" long, each anklet will vary slightly in size.

3 DZi Bead Bracelet


To Tibetans and other Himalayan peoples, the dZi is a "precious jewel of supernatural origin" with great power to protect its wearer from disaster. "Pure" dZi beads (based on Tibetan tradition) are regarded as the most valuable and desirable variety. To qualify as pure, a bead must be genuine etched agate and lie within a certain range of styles. It should also have a sharply delineated pattern, symmetrical shape, strong color, glossy surface, and no flaws. The nine-eyed dZi is a pure dZi with the most highly desired pattern. Etched agate beads not considered pure are called chung dZi, or "less important dZi." This adjustable necklace expands to a maxium of 10" in diameter.

Celtic Heart Earrings


Centered on the tangled knots of a Celtic knot, each layer of these fantastic earrings displays a new heart, wrapping around the first and the knot within, becoming at last a beautiful, full sized heart design, without beginning and without end. Made of fine, lead-free pewter each earring hangs approximately 2" long from a French hook, with the hearts being about 3/4" wide.

Flower Locket


Experience your favorite scent all day when you wear it in our pretty, practical lockets. Saturate a blotter pad (included) with an essential oil or perfume of choice, and place it in the locket - portable aromatherapy! Pewter locket with flower design is double-sided on black satin cord, and measure 1 1/2" long by 1" wide. Comes with five 3/4" blotter pads, refills also available.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Mrs. B's Guide to Household Witchery: The Virtual Tour




Mrs. B’s Guide to Household Witchery: Everyday Magic, Spells, and Recipes
By Kris Bradley

Genre: New Age/ Wicca

Publisher: Weiser Books, an imprint of Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC
ISBN: 978-1-57863-515-3

Number of pages: 224
Word Count: 49,000

Cover Artist: Jim Warner

Amazon   B&N

Book Description:
For domestic goddesses everywhere—add some magic and fun to those mundane household chores with Mrs. B.'s Guide to Household Witchery. Whether you're sweeping the floor, making a meal, or cleaning out that junk drawer, domestic witch Kris Bradley, creator of the popular blog, Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom, will show you how to create spells and magic to bring happiness and balance into your home.
Bradley offers ideas and solutions to make the most out of everyday items, activities, and obligations. From Anchovies to Broccoli, and Wine to Yeast, from sweeping the floor to blow-drying your hair, you can change your outlook on life with a pinch of knowledge and a dash of magic! The book includes simple rituals, spells, and ways to connect with the spirits that watch over your home and family. Includes an appendix of herbs and a complete materia magica from the kitchen pantry.
Mrs. B's Guide to Household Witchery features:
        Room by Room: How to create magic while you cook, set up a family altar in the living room, or do a junk drawer divination
        The Elements for the Domestic Witch: a primer on the 4 elements and how to balance them in your home
        The Domestic Witch's Herbal: Magical uses for every herb and food in your pantry, as well as instant magic with prepackaged spice mixes
        Simple Sabbats for the Busy Witch: simple ways to celebrate the passing of the seasons
Magical Recipes: More than 100 recipes and spells


Thoughts...

This book is wonderful! You want to know what the magical properties exist in an apple. It's there. You want to stir a little lust with your partner? That's there too. 
Kris is a great source for all things in the magical community. Her blog posts are informative and from the heart, and her book continues in the same vein. I enjoyed the down to earth simple spells, home and hearth blessings and overall felt like the book really focused on what you can do at home with everyday items. This is the kind of witchery that most appeals to me. If it is too elaborate, well, the chances of it happening are going to be nil. Especially with my schedule. For many of us, this holds true, so Kris's book is a great solution. 

5/5 Awesome and witchy resource!!!




Making and Using Black Salt
-Kris “Mrs.B.” Bradley

One of the great things about Domestic Witchery is that it really gives you the option of pulling from different tradition and practices to create magic in your home.   In reading about the Hoodoo, I was completely thrilled to find how much I could create using items that I already had on hand.
Black salt is one of those things that has multiple uses and can be created quite easily.  In fact, it can be created in several different ways.  As with much of magic, it’s more the intention you put behind it than the ingredients or tools that you use.



Black salt is sometimes called Sal Negro, Witches’ Salt, Drive Away Salt, Voodoo Salt or Santeria Salt.  It can be used for driving away evil or negative energies, it can be added to war water.  You can sprinkle it in the doorways and corners of a room or business to drive away negativity or give you protection against unpleasant neighbors or co-workers. Sprinkle it around your property or garden for protection.   It can be used to cast circles of strong protection.  Black salt has also been traditionally used in removing hexes and jinxes.

So how do you make black salt?  There are several different ways, which include mixing 2 parts salt to 1 part of another substance; cast iron scrapings, ash from a fire place, charcoal, black pepper or black dye are the most often used.

For my mix, I use the scrapings from my cast iron cauldron, which includes a bit of cast iron, a bit of ash from burning things, and a bit of charcoal.  In fact, I intentionally burn herbs of protection on  self-lighting charcoal so I’ll have plenty of matter – with a boost of protective energies- for my black salt.

An old metal spoon is the perfect tool to scrape out the burnt bits from your cauldron, giving the sides a good scrape to get a bit of the cast iron into your mix. 

Remove any large, unburnt chunks, then mix together with twice as much salt, always concentrating on protective energies.

It’s a great idea to whip up a batch of this salt and have it on hand before you need it.  I’ve made a tradition of adding it to the protective herbal mix that I strew around my property line each Samhain.  A little extra boost of protection never hurt!






About the Author:
Kris Bradley is the magic behind the popular blog Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom (2500 readers). She helped establish The Sisterhood of the Triple Goddess coven in Keyport, NJ and is a legally ordained minister, in addition to being a witchy wife and mother. Her work on domestic witchery has been featured in PaganParenting.org and as a national column for Examiner.com. She lives in Keyport, NJ.







Win a print copy of the book! Sign up in the Rafflecopter form below!

Friday, October 26, 2012

Lost Witch of Salem Promo Tour



Annabel Horton, Lost Witch of Salem
By Vera Jane Cook

Genre: Paranormal/Fantasy
Publisher: Musa

ISBN: 978-1-61937-024-1
ASIN: B006PIYOXA

Number of pages: 367
Word Count: 130,000

Cover Artist: Lisa Dovichi



Book Description:
From the Salem Witch trials through the Nineteenth Century and beyond, Annabel Horton is pursued by the devil’s disciple, Urban Grandier, the demonic priest from the incident at Loudon. She must take the bodies of those that the devil favors to protect her family. She must uncover the motive behind the illusive Ursula/Louis Bossidan, the scandalous cross-dresser who is pursuing her beautiful granddaughter, and she must learn, being one of God’s most powerful witches, how to use her power. But will it be enough to save her husband from Urbain’s fiery inferno? Will it be enough to save her children from demons greater than themselves? Read on, you will learn more…..

Annabel-140.jpg


PART I
DOMINION
Chapter One
Some say I am a stain on your history, a nameless statistic―a grotesque misfortune that is alluded to in your textbooks. I cannot disagree. Allow me to introduce myself as I am. Patience Annabel Horton is my given name, though I refer to myself as Annabel, never much caring to claim a virtue I do not possess. I am in spirit form for the most part, though it was not always so.
It was in the year 1692, in the village of Salem, in the state of Massachusetts, that I swung by my neck. Many of us died there, such needless, senseless tragedies.
There was evil in Salem Village in 1692, but it was not in the soul of any of those women they hanged. Poor Goodwife Nurse, now she was the saddest of the lot to be taken to the tree. No more of a witch than poor Bridget Bishop. No one was safe from the devil’s fire; certainly I was not, not with my detachment, my disinterest in the other girls of my village and their silly games. You see, I knew I had powers, and it kept me apart, but I told no one my secrets. Of course, I only tell you now because it no longer matters.
But I am not here to condemn anyone for my suffering. So do not be alarmed. As you may or may not know, men who believed they were doing God’s work chastised many of Salem's citizens as witches and brought us to trial. Many, like myself, were hanged. I was eighteen years old.
I will tell you what really happened in Salem Village before the century turned. You never learned the truth of it. Your history books do not contain the truth, but I will open the veil of time for you.
* * * *
Before my death, one year to be exact, a presence came to me.
“Who goes there?” I called in the dark. The form was like mist. The answer was like wind.
“Leave me, ghost,” I whispered coarsely.
The wind became a breeze and caressed my lips. I knew I had been kissed and I shuddered.
“Who are you?” I asked softly. The form appeared to be that of a man.
“Yours,” I thought I heard him say.
“You hold me in your arms, and yet I cannot see you.” I looked around the room. I felt his movement. Once again, he came so close.
The wind was like a dance as it lifted the hair from my brow. The air around my body felt so light and sensual. I seemed touched by a gentleness. It caused my heart to pound.
“Show yourself,” I commanded.
He circled the room, a tall gray mist. I was sure his hair was black, his eyes as dark as evening.
After that, I waited for him every night, and almost every night he came to me. It was not long before I fell in love with this spirit, as helplessly in love as any restless young woman can be.
These ghostly visits continued right up until my physical death. I always knew when he was near because the air would become faint with the scent of fresh rain and I would feel drugged with the fragrance that lingered in my room.
“You smell like late afternoons in summer, after a rainfall,” I told him, but he did not answer. He spoke to me so seldom. It was quite by chance that I heard his whisper.
“Matthew,” he said.
“Matthew is your name?” I asked.
I listened so carefully as the shutters moved and some papers on my bureau fluttered like wings.
“Matthew?” I asked again. “Oh, please speak more. Tell me where you come from?”
My illusive shadow was silent.
“Matthew. Matthew, speak to me! Show me your face. Let me see the hand that strokes me.”
Suddenly, the wind returned. “I am so far,” he uttered.
“Surely you must be a spirit from another time," I said.
Miraculously, the papers on my bureau flew around and around again, as if chasing each other in a playful game of tag.
I knew he could not reach me, could not fully pass beyond the barriers between us. Yet I felt him like an artist must feel his subject.
“You are tall,” I said. “Your shirt has cuffs of white and I have images of your smile. Does time part us, Matthew? Are the centuries between us too vast?”
I saw a shadowy light. It shone before me and revealed a man of great height, but in a split second the light was gone, the image within, too oblique to recall.
* * * *
Soon after his first visit, I received letters. They appeared out of nowhere. I would find them all over the house, always beginning: To my wife.
“What’s this?” I stammered as I held the letters in my hand.
Know that I love you and I’ll come to protect you. He had written.
His notes were always signed with the letter M, for his first name.
 “Matthew,” I whispered. “How is it that you can leave notes about the house and yet not show me your face?”
But my ghost was silent and could not find a way to answer me.
“Why do you sign only with the letter M? I asked. “Is Matthew really your name?”
Silence remained, as still as the night wind beyond my window.
I began to think that I had truly gone insane. Oftentimes, I doubted the presence of my ghost and I questioned Father about the mysterious letters. For surely, I thought, the sun must be too hot and had affected my brain.
“Father, I have received notes of affection. Do you know who sends them?”
Father laughed. “A neighbor’s boy must surely be culprit to the bow of Cupid, daughter.”
Ha! I knew better. No neighbor’s boy in Salem would dare call me his wife. I frightened the boys of my village. They thought me haughty and illusive. Oh, there was a young man from Andover with the courage to court me, and I might have married him if not for my fascination with my ghostly lover, but I never got that chance.
It must be you who writes me. Mustn’t it be so, Matthew?
If only I had known then that it would be centuries before I would see the face of my beloved. But in 1692, I could only cherish his words, so I made myself a wooden box and covered his letters with a beautiful purple cloth. I placed all the letters inside. I then covered the box with a square piece of coarse fabric and hid it under the tallest elm tree by Frost Fish Brook. Many afternoons that year I read the letters in the shadow of the branches. The writer’s hand was full of lovely twists and loops, and the ink was black.
Had I not of died so soon I might have lived my life with my ghostly lover and never come to know him as a man of flesh. I would have assumed that some lost spirit had written the letters and had found a way to leave them inside the house. But, that innocence was not to be, and it was not fate that made it so.
It was Urbain, Urbain Grandier, and the power given him.




jaynecolor1 copy.jpg



About the Author
Vera Jane Cook, writer of Award Winning Women's Fiction, is the author of The Story of Sassy Sweetwater, Lies a River Deep, Dancing Backward in Paradise and Annabel Horton, Lost Witch of Salem.
Jane, as she is known to family and friends, was born in New York City and grew up amid the eccentricity of her southern and glamorous mother on the Upper West and Upper East Side of Manhattan. An only child, Jane turned to reading novels at an early age and was deeply influenced by an eclectic group of authors. Some of her favorite authors today are Nelson DeMille, Calib Carr, Wally Lamb, Anne Rice, Sue Monk Kidd, Anita Shreve, Jodi Picoult, Alice Walker and Toni Morrison. Her favorite novels are too long to list but include The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, Cheri and The Last of Cheri, The Picture of Dorian Grey, Wuthering Heights, Look at Me, Dogs of Babel, The Bluest Eye, The Art of Racing in the Rain, Body Surfing, Lolita, The Brothers Karamazov, She's Come Undone, Tale of Two Cities, etc., etc., etc.,
Dancing Backward In Paradise, Jane’s first published novel received rave reviews from Midwest book review and Armchair Interviews. It also won the Eric Hoffer Award for publishing excellence and the Indie Excellence Award for notable new fiction, 2007. The Story of Sassy Sweetwater received five stars from ForeWord Clarion Reviews. The Story of Annabel Horton, Lost Witch of Salem is her first paranormal novel and will be followed by Annabel Horton and the Black Witch of Pau and Annabel Horton and the Demon of Loudun.
The author works by day for an education publishing company as an account manager and lives on the Upper West side of Manhattan with her long term partner, her Basenji/Chihuahua mix, Roxie, her Chihuahua, Peanut and her two pussy cats, Sassy and Sweetie Pie.





Wednesday, October 24, 2012

The Witch of Howling Creek Guest Blog



Hello! My name is Tenae and I write "The Witch of Howling Creek" blog. I'd like to thank Dana for asking me to be a guest blogger today with a post about simple methods of divination from the latest Samhain installment of my free e-book Witches' Compendium series. (You can read the Mabon and Samhain editions for free HERE!)

Samhain is one of the best times of the year for divination as the thin veil between worlds (whether considered literal, spiritual or metaphorical) allows easier access to the beyond. There are numerous common methods of divination such as tarot and crystal gazing but many witches feel ill-equipped to practice such methods as they tend to require a good deal of knowledge and study. Luckily, there are also some lovely methods of divination that are far simpler to pick up such as chartomancy and lycnomancy.

Chartomancy is divination by books. It is incredibly simple and, in fact, many people perform it without even realizing it, making it the very best form of magick – that which is instinctive! Simply think of a problem or question you need help with, choose a random book (preferably a novel or dictionary as other non-fiction can be too technical or specific), open to a random page, and run your finger over the page without looking until you feel you are in the right place. Then read the line or paragraph you have chosen and consider what it could mean in terms of your situation or question. You may want to do this three times in one book in order to get a couple of angles.
For example, in the book The Coral Thief one might open to the words “I had forgotten”, a photograph of two pirate ships (photos are also excellent divining tools) and a paragraph about a woman respected and known by those around her, from the well-to-do to the prostitutes. From this one might gather that they will experience adventure and travel, that they will be respected but that it may take hardship to get there and that there may either be things they will wish to forget or that they have already forgotten something they need to remember. As you can see, this is a very personal way to divine the future that is entirely open to interpretation and can be done whenever you feel the need.

Another easy, interesting form of divination is lychnomancy, divination by candles. Light a plain white candle in a darkened room, away from any sources of air or wind, such as a window or fan. Study the flame while thinking about your problem or question. The following (among other signs) will lead the way:
  • If the end of the wick displays a brightly shining point it is a lucky omen.
  • If the flame moves from side to side it indicates that you will soon travel.
  • If there are sparks rising from the candle you will need to be cautious.
  • If the flame seems to twist and spiral it means that your enemies are plotting against you.
  • If a flames rises and falls it suggests there is approaching danger.
  • If the candle is extinguished suddenly and without good reason it is a prediction of disaster.
Perform these wonderful methods at your Halloween party or for serious divination of the future!





Monday, October 22, 2012

The Pagan Sorceress Release Day Blitz



The Pagan Sorceress
Slave Nano

Genre: Historical/Paranormal

Publisher: House of Erotica
ASIN: B008Y25MDQ

Number of pages: 45
Word Count: 15,260


Book Description: 

 If you’re looking for an erotic read this Halloween then check out Slave Nano’s new release ‘The Pagan Sorceress’.  The action takes place on Samhain as archaeology student Sam sets out to re-enact a Pagan burial ceremony.

If the author of the Anglo-Saxon heroic tale Beowulf did erotica what might it have sounded like?  That’s the challenge author Slave Nano has set himself in his newly released novella ‘The Pagan Sorceress’.

Sam is about to carry out a strange experiment.  She is an archaeology student specialising in reconstructive archaeology and her idea is to recreate an Anglo-Saxon pagan burial ceremony.  It’s Samhain eve and the night of a full moon so it’s the perfect time to carry out such a ritual.  She enlists the help of her friend, Dan, and together they go off to the site of a burial mound where wonderful swords and sceptres were excavated many years ago.

A travelling story teller is at the court of a Saxon king.  He recites the tale of two soul-entwined lovers from an earlier, more chaotic, period when king’s warred amongst each other.  He tells the tragic tale of Cyneburh, Pagan sorceress and daughter of the mighty Pagan king Penda and Alhfrith, son of Athelwald the king of Deira, her hero-warrior lover and betrothed.  The two kings have formed a mighty political and religious alliance but, more than that, the young woman and man have forged a passionate union of their own.  But this new alliance has enemies and before their wedding night is over there will be a tragic outcome.  As King Penda stands at the edge of their burial chamber he invokes a curse of vengeance against the murderous act perpetrated against him.  But, how many years will it take before he is finally avenged?

As Sam stands on top of the burial mound dressed as an Anglo-Saxon pagan priestess with Dan at her side, is she aware of what ancient powers she will invoke as their lives become entwined with those of Cyneburh and Alhfrith from many centuries ago?  Will the pagan king’s oath of vengeance be fulfilled?  Will the souls of the two lovers be finally released?

Short Excerpt

Peace reigned and long summer the two lovers spent in joy filled company and passionate love-making.  To a place of private retreat they would retire, far from mighty hall and mud-daubed village dwelling. To hidden glade and luminous still pool they resorted.   Enchantments Cyneburh summoned to cast a veil around the secret hiding place.  Guarded by mighty oak and watchful wolf, no creature, man or beast, disturbed their secret world of passion and desire.

There, passionate kiss they exchanged.  Serpent-like their tongues wrestled and inter-twined in their mouths each warring with the other in a battle of desire in which each was the equal of the other.  With feather like tender touch they sought out each other’s bodies.  Cyneburh explored her warrior’s sturdy frame battle marked with ruddy scar. Each glowing blemish she touched affectionately with healing hand and lover’s kiss.  For Cyneburh craved for no battle shy prince or innocent virgin but strong armed battle proven hero to share her feminine secrets with and fulfil her ardent need.  Broad chested and powerful she embraced his muscular frame in soft skinned arms and planted kisses on each scar of her hero’s chiselled torso.


Samhain – a special Pagan festival

My latest release, a novella called ‘The Pagan Sorceress’ interweaves a historical strand set in the Anglo-Saxon period with soul-entwined lovers Cyneburh, the pagan sorceress of the title, and her hero-warrior Alhfrith within a contemporary story involving archaeology student Sam and her friend Dan. In this part of the story Sam seeks to recreate an Anglo-Saxon pagan burial ceremony.
There were many influences on the story.  I was intrigued by the idea of writing a story in the style of the Anglo-Saxon heroic saga ‘Beowulf’ but with added sex!  I actually went out into the local countryside to seek out Anglo-Saxon and Neolithic burial mounds that are a feature of the Yorkshire Wolds landscape near where I live.  As is obvious from the title there is also a strong Pagan influence in the story.
So, when it came to choosing a day for the action to take place there was only one choice – it had to be Samhain. ‘The Pagan Sorceress’ was written as a Halloween story with a view to publishing and marketing it as such.  Sam sets out to carry out her reconstruction on Halloween or the Pagan festival day of Samhain, as she correctly describes it in the story.  For Sam it is an extra special day because it is also a night of a full moon, a confluence that happens perhaps only around every 20 years.
The festival of Samhain marks the end of the summer and the beginning of winter. Samhain is the Celtic word meaning ‘summer’s end’.  It was a time when cattle and livestock were slaughtered for eating and bonfires lit to burn any crops left in the fields.  So, there is an element of the cleansing of the old and preparation of the new.
Now, most importantly for my story it is also one of the Pagan spirit nights.  It is a magical moment when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest and a window opens to guide the spirits of ancestors to the otherworld.  Sam knows this, so for her it is the perfect day to carry out her reconstruction of a Pagan burial ceremony. 
But, there are other forces at work so that when Sam invokes her burial ritual at a time when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest she unleashes powers that she has no control over – powers that allow Cyneburh and Alhfrith to enter our world and then to finally cross over into the otherworld after many hundreds of centuries.

Overall:

This book is a blend of present and the past, artfully intertwined to give a story long enough to give you a glimpse of both, but skillfully done with enough time for you to eat your lunch, or read it in one evening. I like short novels for that very reason. It takes you places and sums everything up in one powerful episode.

Erotic and full of poignant elements from the past, Slave Nano does an excellent job of using prose to actually feel the difference from being here, now to being in the center of a pagan wedding and consummation event from times long past. When the time and cirmcumnstance are right, the present and past collide for a powerful event that will challenge the foundations of time and space. 

If you are looking for a story that stirs the body, mind and pagan soul, then this one is for you.

5/5




Author Bio:
Slave Nano is a writer of erotic paranormal and fantasy stories with bdsm and fetish themes.  He has had short stories and novellas published by Xcite Books and House of Erotica.  His first erotic novel, ‘Adventures in Fetishland’, was published by Xcite in March 2012.

Slave Nano writes stories drawing on the themes of female supremacy, goddess worship, bondage, domination and submission, sado-masochism and fetish, frequently in fantasy, paranormal or historical settings.