Happy…um, well, today is at least four different things. In the United States, popular culture celebrates today as Groundhog Day. The famous rodent known to his friends as P. Phil emerges from his burrow. If he sees his shadow, we have six more weeks of awful Northern Hemisphere winter weather. In my Midwestern U.S. home, that means snow, ice, freezing temperatures and gray skies. Six weeks takes us almost all the way up to the spring equinox on Saturday, March 20th. If P. Phil doesn’t see his shadow, we get early spring-like weather, and we may actually see the sun again before April. At least, that’s what popular legend claims. In reality, I’ll probably be wearing long sleeves until mid-June.
On the Pagan calendar, today is Imbolc. “Imbolc,” I’m told, comes from the Gaelic for “in belly,” meaning the sheep are breeding and the ewes are getting lambs in their bellies. Imbolc is a hopeful day, when we look forward to the rebirth of spring even in the midst of the gloom of winter. Traditionally, yellow and white are the colors of Imbolc, worn to invoke the promise of spring sunshine. Another Imbolc tradition is lighting candles, another symbol of the lengthening days and shrinking darkness.
White is also worn by Pagans and Wiccans celebrating Brigit’s Day. Brigit (also spelled Brigid or Brighid) was one of the most important of the ancient Irish deities. She was the goddess of blacksmiths, associated with fire. She was also patroness of music, poetry, and all the arts. She was also responsible for making the crops come up in the spring. Brigit rode through the Irish countryside on a white cow with red ears, and its milk had magical healing powers. Brigit was basically your life-giving, life-sustaining mother goddess, akin to Demeter in Greek mythology.
In ancient times, the priestesses of Brigit kept themselves ritually pure to attend Brigit’s sacred fire. Her fire temple was, and still is, located in the Irish town of Kildare, south of Dublin. The name “Kildare” comes from the Gaelic for “church of the oak,“ and there was an ancient oak tree near the fire temple where Brigit was worshipped.
When the local people converted to Christianity, nuns took over the job of attending the fire temple, and Brigit was made a saint. The historical St. Brigit is said to have founded a convent and an abbey for monks in the late 400s, and today there is a magnificent cathedral in Kildare in Brigit’s honor. Its carvings are great works of art. Among the realistic carvings of bishops who are buried there, there is also a fine carving of a dragon…perhaps representing the Pagan religion, which never completely died out in Kildare.
On the Christian calendar, Imbolc and Brigit Day became Candlemas. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the Catholic Church celebrates Candlemas as the day Mary the mother of Jesus took her son to the Temple of Jerusalem and offered a sacrifice so she could be considered ritually clean after giving birth, according to the ancient Jewish law. February 2nd is forty days after Christmas on the Roman calendar.
Candlemas was celebrated with a mass in which the church’s yearly supply of beeswax candles were blessed and carried in a procession while hymns were sung to Mary. Thus, Catholicism retained the Celtic customs of lighting candles and venerating a mother-goddess-archetype. The light from the candles is said to represent the guiding light of Jesus.
Whether you’re calling it Candlemas, Brigit’s Day, Imbolc, or Groundhog Day, have a good Y Mis Bach (Welsh for February). Now, please click this link to enjoy some sacred music about a candle kept burning in the window.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
"Hysteria" by Rushmore Judd
I had the pleasure--and I do mean pleasure--of reading Rushmore Judd’s erotic novella “Hysteria” the other day. Set in 1890, the fictional story is based on fact. In the Victorian era, vibrators were medical devices. Women made appointments to see their (always male) doctors for vibrator treatments that induced orgasms. This was seen as a legitimate cure for hysteria, a vague disorder said to make women irritable and causing headaches and other womanish ailments. The word “hysteria” comes from the ancient Greek word for “uterus,” and the ancient Greeks imagined a woman’s uterus getting restless or angry and wandering around inside her body, causing all kinds of mischief.
Isabelle has heard the other ladies in her social circle talking in hushed tones about the wonders of Doctor Tunney and his treatments for female hysteria. She makes a clandestine appointment to see him, without telling her husband. Isabelle, a typical Victorian lady, is shy about letting a strange man see her body. When she sees Dr. Tunney, a handsome thirty-something single man with dark, curly hair, broad shoulders, muscular arms and a deep voice, she’s torn between her modesty and a coquettish desire to flirt with him. Isabelle’s “cure” is so pleasurable, she can’t wait to see Dr. Tunney again.
In fact, Isabelle so enjoys the world of secret pleasures behind the doctor’s soundproofed door, she makes an appointment for her willful daughter Margaret. “Spirited” Margaret is just coming into her young womanhood, unmarried, and still a virgin. By the time her first appointment is over, Margaret would very much like Doctor Tunney to change that. Will he be able to maintain his professional demeanor? Or will he give in to Margaret’s unspoiled charms?
“Hysteria” reminded me of “The Ontological Engine, or, The Modern Leda” by Vinnie Tesla, one of my favorite erotic stories ever. Like Mr. Tesla, Rushmore Judd is gifted with a fertile and wonderfully shameless imagination. This story is very sex-positive. All the participants are willing and joyful, despite the restrictive Victorian atmosphere. The only problem with “Hysteria” is that it will leave the reader panting for more.
You can get “Hysteria” and Rush’s other stories online at http://completelynovel.com/readers/rushmorejudd.
Isabelle has heard the other ladies in her social circle talking in hushed tones about the wonders of Doctor Tunney and his treatments for female hysteria. She makes a clandestine appointment to see him, without telling her husband. Isabelle, a typical Victorian lady, is shy about letting a strange man see her body. When she sees Dr. Tunney, a handsome thirty-something single man with dark, curly hair, broad shoulders, muscular arms and a deep voice, she’s torn between her modesty and a coquettish desire to flirt with him. Isabelle’s “cure” is so pleasurable, she can’t wait to see Dr. Tunney again.
In fact, Isabelle so enjoys the world of secret pleasures behind the doctor’s soundproofed door, she makes an appointment for her willful daughter Margaret. “Spirited” Margaret is just coming into her young womanhood, unmarried, and still a virgin. By the time her first appointment is over, Margaret would very much like Doctor Tunney to change that. Will he be able to maintain his professional demeanor? Or will he give in to Margaret’s unspoiled charms?
“Hysteria” reminded me of “The Ontological Engine, or, The Modern Leda” by Vinnie Tesla, one of my favorite erotic stories ever. Like Mr. Tesla, Rushmore Judd is gifted with a fertile and wonderfully shameless imagination. This story is very sex-positive. All the participants are willing and joyful, despite the restrictive Victorian atmosphere. The only problem with “Hysteria” is that it will leave the reader panting for more.
You can get “Hysteria” and Rush’s other stories online at http://completelynovel.com/readers/rushmorejudd.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
A Modern Day Witch Hunt by Kiki Howell (review)
Kamillia, the heroine of Kiki Howell’s A Modern Day Witch Hunt (eXcessica Publishing, 2009), is like a female version of Harry Potter, mixed with Sookie Stackhouse and Sarah Connor.
Kamillia, as far as she knows, is a fantasy writer. Like Harry Potter, she has no idea of her true powers. She’s a witch, just as her parents were. Like Harry, Kamillia lost her parents to an evil group of dark wizards. Like Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse, Kamillia can read minds, an ability that has made it difficult for her to fit in with others. Like Sookie, the orphaned Kamillia was raised by a fiercely honest, deeply beloved grandmother.
Luca, a Watcher who appears to be eternally twenty-five years old, was sent to protect her. This part of the story reminds me of Kyle Reese and Sarah Connor in the original Terminator movie. Like Kyle and Sarah, Luca and Kamillia are headed down an inevitable path of attraction. Unlike Kyle, Luca sees colorful auras swirling around human beings. He’s acutely sensitive to emotions, and the way human emotions affect the world around them.
The sex? Scorching, yet still achingly romantic and mystical. The sadness? Just as overwhelming. Although Luca and Kamillia feel an inexorable attraction to one another, his job as a Watcher, watching over the river of life, means he will inevitable have to leave her. When Kamillia and Luca must travel to Florence, Italy, they learn their lives have been linked for centuries. Are they destined to be star-crossed lovers for eternity, or will the universe finally let them be together? It will take a powerful kind of magic to right the wrongs that have been done to them, but Luca just might know a way.
A Modern Day Witch Hunt on Amazon
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Sins of the Flesh
My guest blogger today is Caridad Pineiro. I asked Caridad to tell us a little bit about her new book, SINS OF THE FLESH, and this is what she said:
What would you do to save your life? Would you cut off an arm? Fight someone to the death?
Hopefully most of us have never faced that question unlike Caterina Shaw in SINS OF THE FLESH. When faced with the announcement that she has a brain tumor, Caterina faces that diagnosis with class and determination. It’s the way Cat is. She’s not about to let something like cancer dictate what she can and can’t do. Until the brain tumor robs Caterina of the one thing she cannot live without – her music.
Faced with losing the music that feeds her soul is what drives Caterina to try something radical – an experimental gene therapy. For Caterina the unproven treatment offers her the possibility of not only saving her life, but also restoring her sight and eliminating the pain that has kept her from playing the cello.
Unfortunately, the scientists developing the gene therapy decide to use Caterina for a guinea pig. In addition to injecting her with genes which do help to save her life and restore her sight, they also slip in a number of other genes to attempt to create special powers. The renegade scientists believe that if they can get the right combination of unique abilities, they will be able to create genetically modified humans they can sell to terrorists and criminals.
Luckily for Caterina, the scientists enlist the help of Mick Carrera to track her down when she manages to escape the lab. Unluckily for the scientists, Mick has scruples. When Mick encounters a woman who is nothing like he has been told he knows he must protect her until he finds out what is really going on.
In the fight that ensues to discover what is happening and to keep the genes from making Caterina less than human, Mick will be drawn to Caterina because of her incredible spirit and heart. Caterina will discover a man who is filled with honor and love despite the hard exterior he portrays to most of the world.
I loved combining all these different things – science, suspense and romance - to create a new kind of paranormal story. I hope you will enjoy this unique story as well as Caterina and Mick, two heroes of my heart.
The Sins of the Flesh Book Tour 2010:
Mon Jan 11: BronzeWord Latino Authors
Tues Jan 12: Julia Amante
Wed. Jan 13th: Latino Books Examiner
Thurs Jan 14th: Babbling About Books and More
Friday Jan 15th: Heidenkind
Mon Jan 18: Una in a Million
Tues Jan 19: Pagan Spirits
Wed Jan 20: Bergers Book Reviews
Thurs Jan 21: Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell
Fri Jan 22: Chasing Heroes
links:
Link to website: Website
Link to the book on the site: Sins of the Flesh
Link to Video: Video
Link to Podcast: Podcast
Link to prequel: Prequel
Please leave your questions and comments for Caridad.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Keta's Review of Vamps: A Lesbian Anthology with Teeth
VAMPS, A Lesbian Anthology with Teeth
Torquere Press, www.torquerepress.com
Edited by Lorna Hinson
ISBN: 978-1-60370-901-9, 1-60370-901-0
4.5 Stars, Reviewed by Keta Diablo, Erotic Romance Author
VAMPS, A Lesbian Anthology With Teeth is series of short stories that explores the lesbian side of vampires from historical to avant-garde. Stories from Las Vegas to ancient Rome enter into the mix, as do shorts from ménage to HEA and not-so-HEA.
I was pleasantly surprised by this anthology and must say; the writing shines. You’ll be engaged, entertained and invested in these stories; will feel as if you’re right there with these hotter than hot characters who deliver in spades. VAMPS is an eclectic mix of lesbian love that will have your heart racing while you squirm in the chair.
Well done, authors! And kudos to Lorna Hinson who edited this anthology released by Torquere Press.
Stories in VAMPS
Seven Come Eleven, J.T. Langdon, murder, mystery and mayhem in Vegas. Honors, J.T. Langdon.
Ways and Means, Kate Cotoner, escape to ancient Rome with demon hunter and her lover. High recommendations, Ms. Cotoner.
Vamp Girl, Penelope Friday, two misfits find temporary love and perhaps themselves. Well done, Ms. Friday!
Heatsong, Shanna Germain, lyrical prose explores primal need among the undead. Woot! Ms. Germain.
Neighbors, Elizabeth Black, look-alike roommates introduce neighbor to kinky ménage a trois. Applause for Ms. Black.
Wherein Elen Encounters The Ladies. Teresa Noelle Roberts, servant finds fulfillment with knowledgeable spinsters. High praise, Ms. Roberts.
Strange Relationship, Tracey Shellito, boss seeks employer’s credentials and gets glamoured instead. Accolades for Ms. Shellito.
Oakley Falls, Erin O’Riordan, pain of past relationships bring two opposites to terms and love. Spellbinding, Ms. O’Riordan.
The Power That Dreams Have, Mercy Loomis, dreams really do come true in Athens. Mesmerizing, Ms. Loomis.
Thank you, Keta, for your wonderful review! Find Vamps at Torquere Press
Torquere Press, www.torquerepress.com
Edited by Lorna Hinson
ISBN: 978-1-60370-901-9, 1-60370-901-0
4.5 Stars, Reviewed by Keta Diablo, Erotic Romance Author
VAMPS, A Lesbian Anthology With Teeth is series of short stories that explores the lesbian side of vampires from historical to avant-garde. Stories from Las Vegas to ancient Rome enter into the mix, as do shorts from ménage to HEA and not-so-HEA.
I was pleasantly surprised by this anthology and must say; the writing shines. You’ll be engaged, entertained and invested in these stories; will feel as if you’re right there with these hotter than hot characters who deliver in spades. VAMPS is an eclectic mix of lesbian love that will have your heart racing while you squirm in the chair.
Well done, authors! And kudos to Lorna Hinson who edited this anthology released by Torquere Press.
Stories in VAMPS
Seven Come Eleven, J.T. Langdon, murder, mystery and mayhem in Vegas. Honors, J.T. Langdon.
Ways and Means, Kate Cotoner, escape to ancient Rome with demon hunter and her lover. High recommendations, Ms. Cotoner.
Vamp Girl, Penelope Friday, two misfits find temporary love and perhaps themselves. Well done, Ms. Friday!
Heatsong, Shanna Germain, lyrical prose explores primal need among the undead. Woot! Ms. Germain.
Neighbors, Elizabeth Black, look-alike roommates introduce neighbor to kinky ménage a trois. Applause for Ms. Black.
Wherein Elen Encounters The Ladies. Teresa Noelle Roberts, servant finds fulfillment with knowledgeable spinsters. High praise, Ms. Roberts.
Strange Relationship, Tracey Shellito, boss seeks employer’s credentials and gets glamoured instead. Accolades for Ms. Shellito.
Oakley Falls, Erin O’Riordan, pain of past relationships bring two opposites to terms and love. Spellbinding, Ms. O’Riordan.
The Power That Dreams Have, Mercy Loomis, dreams really do come true in Athens. Mesmerizing, Ms. Loomis.
Thank you, Keta, for your wonderful review! Find Vamps at Torquere Press
Monday, January 11, 2010
Five Things I Love About The Sin Eater’s Prince by Keta Diablo
Sin eater: One gifted with magic, able to absorb the sins of a dying person so that person’s soul is free to go unencumbered to heaven. In Keta Diablo’s paranormal erotic romance The Sin Eater’s Prince, the sin eater is Owen Rhys, a pariah in his small village in Wales. Since his father died, Owen’s only friend is Carys, the physician’s assistant. Owen harbors a secret longing for Carys’s employer, the unbelievable beautiful healer Andras Maddock. Andras has his own magical secret: he’s a long tooth, a vampire. Their undeniable attraction puts Owen in grave danger.
There is much to love in this lush novel from Ravenous Romance; here are my five favorites.
1. The hypnotic cover. From under a gray hood, the vampire stares at us. His eyes are icy blue, his hair and long eyelashes black, his gaze both beautiful and terrifying. This is Dagan, a nasty--but gorgeous--vamp who threatens to put a serious damper on Owen and Andras’s relationship. The cover perfectly captures what Owen feels: attraction and revulsion at once toward this terrible being.
2. The Welsh language and lore. The native, Celtic language of Wales is notoriously difficult (and un-phonetic) for English speakers. They spell Wales “Cymru,” for crying out loud! Keta Diablo’s story is laced with strange Welsh folklore, history, and myth, as well as those lovely Celtic words. Lest the reader be unable to keep up, though, there is a glossary of Welsh terms, from Annwyn to Uffern.
3. The vampire’s prayer. Dagan offers an eerily beautiful but chilling prayer to his Dark Lord, the devil. For readers who like their vamps scary and dangerous, the vampire’s prayer delivers just the right touch of evil. An excerpt:
“Whatever flows through your body, flows through mine. I am in your likeness, he who feeds on the warm, red elixir of life. I am the dreaded vampire, a blessed composition of your energy, lust and desire. My day is the mortal’s night, my sustenance their blood. When earth has witnessed its last day, I shall rise again and serve you for all eternity. “
4. The kisses. In this very sensual novel, Owen and Andras crave one another’s touch. No parts of their heavenly bodies go unexplored as they make love desperately, ecstatically. Each encounter begins when Andras looks into Owen’s beautiful green eyes…and then they kiss. Keta Diable is skilled in the art of taut sexual tension, turning up the heat until it boils over with every steamy kiss in passages like this:
“Owen’s touch on his arm, the taste of his lips melding with his, sent a jolt of unbearable pleasure rushing through him. The sin eater’s fingers wound their way into the hair at the back of his neck and Owen drew him deeper into the kiss. Andras parted his lips with his tongue, evoking a breathless moan and a defenseless surrender of his body against Owen’s. “
5. Carys. Even a boy-meets-boy romance can use a female character to root for; in The Sin Eater’s Prince, that woman is Carys. Loyal, determined, and clear-headed (despite her tendency to believe in Welsh superstitions), she is a true friend to both Owen and Andras. Carys is less damsel in distress and more Celtic warrior woman.
Lovers of paranormal erotic fiction will find The Sin Eater’s Prince irresistible for these, and many other, reasons. It contains a well-crafted world of British Isles magic, wonder, and romance.
There is much to love in this lush novel from Ravenous Romance; here are my five favorites.
1. The hypnotic cover. From under a gray hood, the vampire stares at us. His eyes are icy blue, his hair and long eyelashes black, his gaze both beautiful and terrifying. This is Dagan, a nasty--but gorgeous--vamp who threatens to put a serious damper on Owen and Andras’s relationship. The cover perfectly captures what Owen feels: attraction and revulsion at once toward this terrible being.
2. The Welsh language and lore. The native, Celtic language of Wales is notoriously difficult (and un-phonetic) for English speakers. They spell Wales “Cymru,” for crying out loud! Keta Diablo’s story is laced with strange Welsh folklore, history, and myth, as well as those lovely Celtic words. Lest the reader be unable to keep up, though, there is a glossary of Welsh terms, from Annwyn to Uffern.
3. The vampire’s prayer. Dagan offers an eerily beautiful but chilling prayer to his Dark Lord, the devil. For readers who like their vamps scary and dangerous, the vampire’s prayer delivers just the right touch of evil. An excerpt:
“Whatever flows through your body, flows through mine. I am in your likeness, he who feeds on the warm, red elixir of life. I am the dreaded vampire, a blessed composition of your energy, lust and desire. My day is the mortal’s night, my sustenance their blood. When earth has witnessed its last day, I shall rise again and serve you for all eternity. “
4. The kisses. In this very sensual novel, Owen and Andras crave one another’s touch. No parts of their heavenly bodies go unexplored as they make love desperately, ecstatically. Each encounter begins when Andras looks into Owen’s beautiful green eyes…and then they kiss. Keta Diable is skilled in the art of taut sexual tension, turning up the heat until it boils over with every steamy kiss in passages like this:
“Owen’s touch on his arm, the taste of his lips melding with his, sent a jolt of unbearable pleasure rushing through him. The sin eater’s fingers wound their way into the hair at the back of his neck and Owen drew him deeper into the kiss. Andras parted his lips with his tongue, evoking a breathless moan and a defenseless surrender of his body against Owen’s. “
5. Carys. Even a boy-meets-boy romance can use a female character to root for; in The Sin Eater’s Prince, that woman is Carys. Loyal, determined, and clear-headed (despite her tendency to believe in Welsh superstitions), she is a true friend to both Owen and Andras. Carys is less damsel in distress and more Celtic warrior woman.
Lovers of paranormal erotic fiction will find The Sin Eater’s Prince irresistible for these, and many other, reasons. It contains a well-crafted world of British Isles magic, wonder, and romance.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Guest Blogger Caridad Pineiro, Jan. 19th, '10
Please join me in welcoming author Caridad Pineiro on January 19, 2010 at Pagan Spirits. She will be here to discuss her new novel Sins of the Flesh! Come by and leave your questions and comments.
book info:
SINS OF THE FLESH (Grand Central, Hachette Books, ISBN: 978-0-446-54383-5)
book description:
Caterina Shaw’s days are numbered. Her only chance for survival is a highly experimental gene treatment – a risk she willingly takes. But now Caterina barely recognizes herself. She has new, terrifying powers, an exotic, arresting body — and she’s been accused of a savage murder, sending her on the run.
Mick Carrera is a mercenary and an expert at capturing elusive, clever prey. Yet the woman he’s hunting down is far from the vicious killer he’s been told to expect: Caterina is wounded, vulnerable, and a startling mystery of medical science. Even more, she’s a beautiful woman whose innocent sensuality tempts Mick to show her exactly how thrilling pleasure can be. The heat that builds between them is irresistible, but surrendering to it could kill them both . . . for a dangerous group is plotting its next move using Caterina as its deadly pawn.
The Sins of the Flesh Book Tour 2010:
Mon Jan 11: BronzeWord Latino Authors
Tues Jan 12: Julia Amante
Wed. Jan 13th: Latino Books Examiner
Thurs Jan 14th: Babbling About Books and More
Friday Jan 15th: Heidenkind
Mon Jan 18: Una in a Million
Tues Jan 19: Pagan Spirits
Wed Jan 20: Bergers Book Reviews
Thurs Jan 21: Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell
Fri Jan 22: Chasing Heroes
links:
Link to website: Website
Link to the book on the site: Sins of the Flesh
Link to Video: Video
Link to Podcast: Podcast
Link to prequel: Prequel
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