Thursday, June 25, 2015

Demons Imps and Incubi- Romance with a Supernatural Twist



“DEMONS, IMPS, AND INCUBI” ANTHOLOGY NOW AVAILABLE FROM RED MOON ROMANCE Alpena, MI (June 23, 2015)

 – Red Moon Romance (Eileen Wiedbrauk, Editor-in-Chief) has announced Demons, Imps, and Incubi, a romance anthology edited by Laura Harvey, is available in trade paperback and ebook today, Tuesday, June 23, 2015.

 Demons, Imps, Incubi: dark, powerful, and forbidden. Only the foolish would seek one out for seduction, and yet . . . deals are struck. Souls are ensnared. But must a demon's agenda always be demonic? Can he be redeemed? Or does being bad feel too good to bother with redemption? Long ago, imps were more mischievous and playful--naughty, perhaps?—and perceptions of them have only grown more sinister over the centuries. The incubus craves sex, but what makes us crave him? Explore dark and sensual worlds with eight brand new stories of magic and seduction that will set you aflame by Cori Vidae, Alexa Piper, Erzabet Bishop, Mark Greenmill, Nicole Blackwood, J. C. G. Goelz, Jeffery Armadillo, and M. Arbroath. 

Demons, Imps, and Incubi is available in trade paperback and ebook via Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, Kobo.com, and other online retailers, and for wholesale through Ingram. You can also find Demons, Imps, and Incubi on Goodreads. 

Laura Harvey is an editor, writer, bibliophile, horsewoman, historian, teacher, debate coach, nerd, DIY junkie, and occasional rescuer of kittens. She holds a BA, MA, and is ABD, making her an exceptional asset in Trivial Pursuit. She loves reading so much that all of her handbags share one crucial ability: fitting a standard paperback or Kindle. She lives in northern California with a menagerie of beasts (dogs, cats, horses, and family members). 

Red Moon believes in romance. We believe reading should be fun. We believe that at their core, romances are courtship stories, focused tightly on the emotions of the relationship. We don’t raise an eyebrow at any woman’s reading choices because we believe a woman deserves whatever fiction incites her passions. Whether a sweet fairy-tale ending or a scorching hot love affair, we believe in giving a woman what she wants. Hot romance, it's what we do. 

Buy links:

Author nameMark Greenmill

1.      What place do you think demons play in human story-telling? Why do we continue to tell stories about monsters/creatures with questionable morality?

MG: On one hand, we’re drawn to what we cannot have. There can be something alluring about the darkness, and often we willingly step into dangerous situations—or associate with the wrong kind of people—because we feel the need to experiment, or explore, or taste forbidden fruit.  Demons offer storytellers a method of establishing clear morality at the beginning of the story: our society understands that a demon is bad, and from there, we can either challenge that idea, or use it as a baseline for showing what represents good.

2.      If you met your demon in a dark alley, what are your chances of survival? What’s your best tactic for getting home safely?

MG: Santorava is one tough dude that I wouldn’t want to mess with. Especially if he thought I had something to do with stealing his wife.  My best option would be to run like hell, and hope the moon came out before he caught me.


Author nameNicole Blackwood

1.      What place do you think demons play in human story-telling? Why do we continue to tell stories about monsters/creatures with questionable morality?

I think that depends on the demon, and the story. Many demons are connected to religions and cultures, and they have their own sets of rules and meanings. Some are meant as warnings, to try and guide people away from paths that will lead to the destruction of self or others. Some are more abstractly symbolic, and that’s where the plot of the story is really more important in terms of learning. There are many other instances where demons are just creatures, like any other animal or sentient being, that fall outside the realm of earthly reality. They can be good, evil, or a more familiar mix of the two, but with weird powers and awesome bodies. Writing something so alien and connecting it to the human experience is a sort of adventure.
2.      If you met your demon in a dark alley, what are your chances of survival? What’s your best tactic for getting home safely?

Oh, I’d be fine. Benji’s not a hard-ass unless he needs to be. As long as I hadn’t pissed off him or Kiki, he’d probably ignore me – after making sure I wasn’t a thrall, or possessed by an Ancient One. And I do try to avoid that sort of thing.


Author name: J. C. G. Goelz

1.      What place do you think demons play in human story-telling? Why do we continue to tell stories about monsters/creatures with questionable morality?
They arose out of our primordial fears. Currently, I think they are useful vehicles that provide a distance from reality that allow the writer to address issues that might otherwise be uncomfortable, or see them from a different light.

2.      If you met your demon in a dark alley, what are your chances of survival? What’s your best tactic for getting home safely?
Iris knew she had to fit into society, so she didn’t go around doing things that would expose her nature. Her mother, on the other hand, would be deadly.


Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Brigid: History, Mystery and Magick of the Celtic Goddess by Courtney Weber



Brigid
History, Mystery, and Magick of the Celtic Goddess
Courtney Weber

This book is a wide-ranging exposition on all things Brigid, the most popular figure in Celtic mythology and religion.

It includes:
·         A brief history of the Celts and their religion
·         Everything that is known about Brigid from her manifestations as a Celtic pagan goddess, as a Celtic Christian saint, and as a Caribbean Voodoo deity.
·         A practical approach for witches and neo-pagans that enables them to tap into the healing power of the pagan goddess. Each chapter ends with guided meditations and exercises.
·         A book of magical practice. Included are Brigid – focused spells, blessings, recipes, and rituals for love, harmony, protection, and much more.

Chapters include Brigid’s often-obscure mythology; Brigid the Healer; Brigid the Bard; Brigid the Fire Goddess Brigid and Animals; and Brigid in the Now.

This is a book for witches and pagans and for those interested in the divine feminine.

"A gorgeous history [and] a journey with the goddess herself: a journey through ritual, meditation and magic. Weber does a masterful job. If you are a fan of Brigid this is the book you¹ve been waiting for." --Jason Mankey, managing editor, Patheos Pagan
"Lady of the Well, the Forge, and the Green Earth, I seek you." --Brigid, I Seek You



Brigid—mother, daughter, healer, bard, warrior, fire goddess, goddess of the oak, animals, and magic. Brigid of the spring, her festival Imbolc, oversees fertility of all kinds. Brigid is many things to many people. In this enticing book, Courtney Weber offers up a wide-ranging exposition and celebration of all things Brigid, who is arguably the most popular figure in Celtic mythology and religion. Meet Brigid in her various incarnations—Celtic Pagan Goddess, Christian Saint, and Voudon Loa. 

Each chapter ends with guided meditations and exercises that help readers tap into Brigid’s healing powers. Inside you’ll find Brigid-focused spells, blessings, recipes, and rituals for love, harmony, protection, and much more. 

“Brigid’s origin myths bring no peace to the logical mind. She appears as an important daughter of a God in one myth, but the mother of that God in a different telling, while vanishing completely in a third version. Which version is the right version? Does any myth from any source even have a ‘right’ telling? The various versions tell us about the storyteller. Brigid’s myths had many tellers and, therefore, many versions. Stories varied widely, circulated through oral tradition in local vernacular. As Christian monks later recorded the myths, characters were often augmented to fit Christian ideals.” —from the book



ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Courtney Weber is a priestess, writer, Tarot advisor, activist and practicing witch in New York City. Her writing has appeared in several publications and she at www.thecocowitch.com and on witchesandpagans.com(“Behind the Broom: What the Books Don’t Tell You”). She is the designer and producer of Tarot of the Boroughs, a photographic Tarot deck set in New York City. Courtney lectures regularly around the United States and travels to Ireland frequently, leading tours of sacred sites.

Brigid | Courtney Weber | Weiser Books | Paperback, $18.95 ISBN: 9781578635672

Saturday, June 13, 2015

Fractured Days: Rebecca Roland


When it comes to naming characters, I prefer coming up with names in fantasy settings more than any other. Sometimes I take actual names and tweak them a little. Sometimes I come up with a name I think is unique, only to find out that it exists already. And sometimes I just use actual names.

The main character in my latest novel, Fractured Days, was originally named Mila, but a few beta readers told me the name didn't work with the setting and the character's culture. I was so disappointed. I really liked the name, but I figured if more than one person noticed enough to mention it, then I should reconsider. I messed around with different names and finally settled on Malia as it had a similar sound and seemed to fit the setting better.

In general I tried to use names for Malia's people, the Taakwa, that sounded more pleasant. They're a gentle people, for the most part, and so I wanted their names to reflect that. The Maddion, on the other hand, are ruthless. They raid other people, they enslave anyone they capture, and they're willing to do anything to get what they want. They see themselves as superior to other people. So they get harsher sounding names, like Kushtrim or Muvumo. They get names that don't inspire sonnets.

The Jeguduns are gargoyle-like creatures who were once enslaved by the Maddion, but with the help of the Taakwa became free. Most of them tend to have a good sense of humor, although when it comes to defending their homes and loved ones, they don't hesitate to use their talons and teeth to the very end. They tend to have short, fun names like Aru or Tula.

And finally there's the changer. She's a powerful being who can change her form when she works her magic for somebody else. She calls herself Sersha, which is a deceptively soft sounding name. The Maddion call her 'changer' for what she can do for them, but the Taakwa and the Jeguduns know her as 'mutara,' which, in all honesty, I probably dug up from my subconscious because I love Star Trek II, The Wrath of Khan, but I swear I wasn't thinking about it at all when I came up with the term. I was going for a word that suggested change, or mutation. 'Mutara' is also the name of the nebula in Star Trek where Khan detonated the Genesis Device, creating the Genesis Planet. And there's your nerd trivia for the day!


“FRACTURED DAYS” / REBECCA ROLAND– World Weaver Press (Eileen Wiedbrauk, Editor-in-Chief) has announced Fractured Days, the highly anticipated sequel to the Shards of History by Rebecca Roland, will be available in trade paperback and ebook Tuesday, June 9, 2015. 

Praise for Shards of History: “One of the most beautifully written novels I have ever read. Suspenseful, entrapping, and simply … well, let’s just say that Shards of History reminds us of why we love books in the first place. 5 out of 5 stars!” — Good Choice Reading 

“A must for any fantasy reader.” — Plasma Frequency 

"A passionate tale that will engage both young adults and more weathered fantasy readers.” — NewMyths.com 

“Fast-paced, high-stakes drama in a fresh fantasy world!” — James Maxey, author of the Dragon Age trilogy 

“Roland’s beautifully woven, suspenseful debut novel draws readers into a groundbreaking fantasy panorama and resonates in the heart with its genuine, personal portrayal of loyalty, relationships, and sacrifice. I eagerly await more stories about the Jegudun and Taakwa!” — David J. Corwell y Chávez, author of “Encounter at Boca del Diablo” (Tales of the New Mexico Mythos) 

Malia returns home the hero of a war she can't remember. The valley burning under the Maddion's invasion, the fate of her late husband, the way she resolved the long-time distrust between the Taakwa people and the wolfish, winged Jegudun creatures--all of it has been erased from her memory. Malia hopes to resume training as her village’s next clan mother, but when the symbiotic magic that she and the Jeguduns used to repair the valley’s protective barrier starts to consume more and more of her mind, she's faced with the threat of losing herself completely. A powerful being known as "the changer" might hold the solution to her vanishing memories. But the Maddion's new leader, Muvumo, also seeks the changer, hoping the being will cure them of the mysterious illness killing off his people. Meanwhile, Muvumo's bride hopes the changer can bring about a new era, one in which she and the other Maddion women no longer need to hold onto their greatest secret. 

Fractured Days will be available in trade paperback and ebook via Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, Kobo.com, WorldWeaverPress.com, and other online retailers, and for wholesale through Ingram. You can also find Fractured Days on Goodreads. 

WORLD WEAVER PRESS 


Rebecca Roland is the author of the Shards of History series, The Necromancer's Inheritance series, and The King of Ash and Bones, and Other Stories. Her short fiction has appeared in publications such as Nature, Fantastic Stories of the Imagination, Stupefying Stories, Plasma Frequency, and Every Day Fiction, and she is a graduate of the Odyssey Writing Workshop. You can find out more about her and her work at rebeccaroland.net, her blog Spice of Life, or follow her on Twitter @rebecca_roland. World Weaver Press is an independently owned publisher of fantasy, paranormal, and science fiction. We believe in great storytelling. Publication Date: June 9, 2015 • 

Fantasy ISBN: 978-0692429280