Monday, March 26, 2012

Hecate's Wheel: Goddess Music Worth Listening To!


As a music reviewer, nothing gives me greater pleasure than to find Goddess music that touches my soul. Stumbling across them on Reverbnation, I wrote and they responded. Graciously, they sent me a CD for their 2007 release of Hecate's Wheel. I was delighted. Described as "Jewel meets Joan Baez meets Veruca Salt," this album is a mix of cover songs and original works. It is the ultimate girl power Goddess music style band and every time I listen to their album, my fingers get worn out hitting the rewind button on the four favorites listed below.


The band consists of:


Vicki Scotti- vocals, guitar
Luann Morris-vocals
Amy Otero-vocals


Their website is: http://www.hecateswheel.com/








Product link: Cd Baby Hecate's Wheel

Track list:



1. Om
2. Elemental
3. Find The Cost Of Freedom
4. Home
5. Mercy Of The Fallen
6. Inanna Blue
7. This Town Is Wrong
8. Fill It Up
9. Soulmate
10. Hecate
11. Lady Of The Moon




Normally, in my music reviews, I pick three songs that really speak to me about the artist's music. This time I felt like I needed to pick four. Goddess music makes my heart happy and these songs are perfect:

Lady of the Moon, Hecate, Inanna Blue, Elemental

"Elemental" was written by Amy Otero, with vocals by all three members of the band. The song is pure Goddess folk music with the focus on the voices and the power they raise as the harmony builds and lifts your spirit. 

"Inanna Blue" was written by Vicki Scotti and the vocals were performed by all three members of the band, with Scotti on the guitar to pick up the pace. The song opens up with guitar riffs that immediately bring you in for a listen. The ladies begin their vocals, very folksy and compelling. Magic in lyric and imagery, this song is one of my favorites on the album.

"Hecate" is the creation of Vicki Scotti with all the ladies singing once again. Scotti on the guitar paces this piece as a journey into the darkness to meet Hecate and divine a path through the crossroads of life. The harmonizing of the voices and guitar riffs are once again very compelling and this song reaches down into the witch inside all of us, looking for the path that calls our soul.

"Lady of the Moon" is by far the most exhilerating song on the album. The first time I heard it, tears came to my eyes, and they still do, every time. Written by Vicki Scotti (who has to be my hero right about now) and sung by all the ladies in the band,  with Scotti on the guitar, this piece is a shining star. Melodious at the onset, with guitar pacing at a light set of riffs that blur into a chorus of "lady of the moon...shine your light on me..." that is soul piercingly sweet. The continual harmonies these ladies craft is nothing short of magic. 

While this album came out in 2007, Hecate's Wheel is still out there performing. You can follow the link to http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/hecateswheel to get your very own copy. Please support this wonderful girl power band. We want to see a new album from them soon! 

You can also find them on:



Make sure to stop in on Facebook and let the ladies know you heard about them at On the Broomstick. Happy flying!






Sunday, March 18, 2012

Tooth and Nail: Interview with author Jennifer Safrey





Gemma Fae Cross, a tough-girl amateur boxer whose fiance is running for congress, has just made a startling discovery about herself. She is half faerie - and not just any faerie, but a tooth faerie A hybrid of fae and human, Gemma is destined to defend the Olde Way and protect the fae - who are incapable of committing violence - from threats to their peaceful and idyllic way of life, which must be maintained by distilling innocence collected from children''s baby teeth. But when a threat to the fae mission emerges, Gemma is called upon to protect her heritage, and become a legendary fae warrior... even if it means sacrificing everything she knows about being human. 

Goodreads

There are some books that grab you the second you see the cover. Yes, I know. It is shallow, but cover art matters. So does the story hidden under it. Happily, the wonderful publisher sent me a copy of this amazing book to review. Tooth fairies, boxing, kick butt fae politics and the hidden terrors masked behind the shining facade of your neighborhood dentist. (shudder) This book was one rocking great time and I was even more thrilled when author Jennifer Safrey took some time out of her busy life to answer a few questions.

What I liked:

The use of tooth fairies as fae is unique. Except for that memorable movie with the Roc, I don't remember another tooth fairy book or film. Gemma is a tough character with depth that you can't help but start to care about. Every piece of dialog and action is well written and the plot is original with exceptional orchestration. This book is a sleeper that I want to tell everyone about. 

What I Didn't:

Why, oh why couldn't it have been another five or six hundred pages? (*sob*) I hope it becomes more than just one book. 

Overall:

The plot, characters and voice are amazing and I can't wait to read more from Ms. Safrey. Gemma is a character that will stick in my mind for a long time. I can honestly say that I will be looking a little more closely at the samples I get from the dentist. Excellent book. Make sure you post it on your Goodreads page as a book to read this year. 

5/5

Now for the interview!





1. When did you find yourself interested in the fae?

 I am a longtime fan of paranormal romance and urban fantasy (even back when romance writers were told it's a small niche market!), and after a long period of time travel and vampires and shapeshifters, I began to see fae pop up here and there. I like fae as a catch-all term for the supernatural, and I suppose that's how I use it in my book.

2. What are some of your favorite faerie movies and books?

I loved, my whole life, the fairy tales that were as likely to turn out gruesome as happy, like Grimm stories. The crazier the story, the more real it seemed to me. I mean, the princess was so pissed at the frog for taking advantage of her that she picked him up and threw him against the wall as hard as she could, and that was when he became a prince. The best part is that the frog had been holding the princess accountable for broken promises, and she was beyond angry that he was right. Impetuous Gemma would totally do that, even though it was not the right thing to do, but she is a human caught in a fairy tale. That's great stuff.

3. Did you write with music playing while you were working, or did any particular music inspire you?

 I really can't write to music. Lyrics are something I memorize and listen to so if I hear words being sung I can't concentrate on creating my new words. Sometimes I listen to wordless yoga music, which is nice, but I listen to that so much at my studio now that it doesn't really translate well anymore in the writing part of my life.

4. Gemma is a fierce heroine and a character I have come to care about in only a few pages. How did she come about?

 When I created Gemma I really wanted to set her apart from other urban fantasy heroines. The problem is, I love urban fantasy heroines, so differentiating her but still keeping the kind of moxie I love was not easy. I wanted her to be more real, somehow. I wanted the reader to come away with feeling that she is always human first, fae second. And humans make a lot of mistakes. In some scenes, her timing really sucks. She is quick to emotionally react to things. But deep down, she is intrinsically good. She doesn't want to kill anyone, even the bad guy...and that was crucially important to me in building her character. In a lot of urban fantasy there is a lot of killing, and often killing with zero remorse because in those worlds, that is the expectation. But if Gemma is a human first, she's no more likely to kill someone as any normal human. Warrior or not, she thinks murder is not what you do. I worked very hard to make that come across as heroic and not righteous.

5. Tooth fairies are an original topic when you think of faerie tales and even current fiction or movies (except for that really interesting movie with The Roc in a tutu).  What made you decide to take faeries down this road? 

 I did a writing exercise some years ago with a freewriting group and the prompt was to write something from the point of view of the tooth fairy. I think I was the only one really interested in what came out of that. I thought about it for a long time. I saw that paranormal stories were beginning to feature fae and I wondered what angle of fae wasn't being covered, and wondered what I could really bring to the table in terms of unusual and unexpected. I ended up with an amateur boxer fae warrior. Go figure. :)

6. Outlining is something I am learning a greater appreciation for. Do you outline or write by the seat of your pants?

 If I don't have a contract I have a tendency to just meander around with writing, but if I am under contract I can't mess around. I have tried having extensive outlines and I think I don't do it because once the outlines are done, I am drained of energy to creatively fill in the blanks. At this point, I outline three chapters ahead. I know the beginning, the end, the general middle, and the general direction the story is going in, and so I'm always plotting the chapter I'm writing, and two chapters ahead. It's like a flashlight in the woods. My flashlight won't go to the edge of the woods and the way out, but if I illuminate enough of the space in front of me, I'll find my way.

7. What is your best advice to prospective writers out there? (Every scene is down pat and your dialog and movements are solid.  Wonderful!)

 I guess my best advice is to get physical with the writing. I read every single scene, every single dialogue exchange out loud, many times, until it sounded like I wasn't reading, but just saying casually. Only then did I know it wasn't stilted. For the final showdown fight, I took stuffed animals and made each one a character and moved them around my office to make sure their actions made sense. I pantomimed every kick, every punch, to feel if it was genuine and gauge what the character's effectiveness could be. Of course, if you'd opened the door to my office and saw me pretending to 360-degree roundhouse kick my teddy bear, you'd think I was nuts, but it worked for me. I'm not a spatial thinker so I need to see everything in front of me. I loved this part of the writing...getting phsyical with it. If you do it, and you feel it, your readers will feel it too.

8. Your descriptions of being in the ring at the gym are very visceral and real. It is not your typical meat market gym either, but the not so posh side that makes it interesting. Have you ever participated in sports in that setting? Did you find your experience was like Gemma's?

 I did some boxing for a few months. It was at a trendy gym but they did have an actual boxing ring and I loved it. My instructor was a black belt in taekwondo and encouraged me to give that a try because I must have done something to make him think that could be my thing. I moved to taekwondo, trained for years, and earned my black belt.I competed a little bit, but then I opened my yoga studio, and the new business left no time for martial arts training. Recently, though, I began to study muay thai. It's nice to be training again. I tried a little jiu-jitsu and I might pursue that as well. Gemma has had a much more hardcore, inner-city experience than I ever did, but I liked the idea that not only is she accepted at a tough boxing gym, but she is considered a real leader there because of her tenure. Competitive fighting is really opening up for women, expecially in mixed martial arts. Also, for the first time in the Olympics this year, there will be a women's division in boxing. I think even women who don't fight for sport are inspired by and respect other women who do use their bodies and their brains to fight competitively. And I know from experience that men will respect a female fighter. I certainly am not the best muay thai fighter in my class of all men but I am always treated equally. I like that Gemma is showing female readers this side of sport, this surprisingly fair dynamic between genders in a gym setting.


Many thanks to Jennifer Safrey for this 
great interview! Thanks also to Night Shade Books for
providing a review copy of Tooth and Nail.

We will be looking forward to your new writing
projects and hoping for another glimpse of Gemma
and the morning fae!



Friday, March 16, 2012

The Inquisitor by Mark Allen Smith: The Giveaway



A spectacularly original thriller about a professional torturer who has a strict code, a mysterious past, and a dangerous conviction that he can save the life of an innocent childGeiger has a gift: he knows a lie the instant he hears it. And in his business—called "information retrieval" by its practitioners—that gift is invaluable, because truth is the hottest thing on the market.Geiger's clients count on him to extract the truth from even the most reluctant subjects. Unlike most of his competitors, Geiger rarely sheds blood, but he does use a variety of techniques—some physical, many psychological—to push his subjects to a point where pain takes a backseat to fear. Because only then will they finally stop lying.One of Geiger's rules is that he never works with children. So when his partner, former journalist Harry Boddicker, unwittingly brings in a client who demands that Geiger interrogate a twelve-year-old boy, Geiger responds instinctively. He rescues the boy from his captor, removes him to the safety of his New York City loft, and promises to protect him from further harm. But if Geiger and Harry cannot quickly discover why the client is so desperate to learn the boy's secret, they themselves will become the victims of an utterly ruthless adversary. Mesmerizing and heart-in-your-throat compelling, The Inquisitor is a completely unique thriller that introduces both an unforgettable protagonist and a major new talent in Mark Allen Smith.

Goodreads

*                                                   *                                                   *

This is a thriller in the extreme. Although there are no witches to haunt its pages (darn) it is still a quite impressive story that will have you turning the pages. I am reading it now and am finding it very engaging. 



Geiger is The Inquisitor
A Master Interrogator
An Expert in Psychological Pain
He Always Gets the Answer
Geiger: Nothing stands between him and the truth
The Inquisitor

Mark Allen Smith

Mesmerizing and heart-in-your-throat compelling, The Inquisitor by Mark Allen Smith is a completely unique thriller that introduces an unforgettable protagonist and blurs the line between good and evil.

Geiger has a gift—he knows a lie the instant he hears it. And if he wants the truth from you, he will get it. Geiger works in the unsavory business of “information retrieval.” To put it bluntly, he tortures people for a living. But when a twelve-year-old boy is brought in for interrogation, Geiger instinctively rescues him and finds himself the target of a deadly manhunt and a ruthless adversary.

Praise for The Inquisitor
"This is one of the best and most engrossing debut novels I've read in years, and also one of the most original. Mark Allen Smith has created an unusual hero named Geiger whose occupation is torturing the truth out of people. Geiger is good at what he does, and so is Mr. Smith. The Inquisitor will keep you locked in a room for days."—Nelson DeMille

"Information retrieval takes on a sinister cast in Smith’s mesmerizing thriller debut… [Geiger is] a fascinating piece of work… This may be the most unusual and talked about thriller of the season."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"[Geiger is] one of the most utterly distinctive protagonists in a recent thriller, and one of the most unexpectedly sympathetic… Smith invests his first novel with psychological dimensions you might expect in a third or fourth book… A breezy, involving thriller that handily overcomes any resistance to its grisly premise and leaves you hoping for the return of its oddly winning hero."—Kirkus (starred review)

"An adrenaline-fueled cat-and-mouse game… [Geiger] is a fascinating protagonist with a revealing backstory. A compelling debut thriller that blurs the lines between the good and bad guys."—Library Journal (starred review)

Want to win a copy of your own? Enter the contest below...

Monday, March 5, 2012

Lavender Calm: Peter Phippen & Arja Kastinen



After a hectic day at work or writing, I love to kick back with a nice soothing bit of music. This amazing new album by Peter Phippen and Arja Kastinen is just what I was looking for around the holidays and I listen to it almost daily. The flute and kantele ( a harp like instrument) marry well into an experience that melts away stress and  
brings an inner stillness that I relish after being in traffic or while I'm pounding out a few chapters on whatever book I am currently working on. Take a listen and see if you don't feel the tension ease right out of you as Phippen's flute and Kastinen's kantele bring some zen into your space.

For my complete review, please stop by Muzikreviews.com.


Thursday, March 1, 2012

Coventry Magic: The Giveaway



Jacki Smith, owner of Coventry Candles, one of the largest suppliers of magic candles in the U.S., has been crafting magic candles for more than twenty years. In "Coventry Magic with Candles, Oils, and Herbs," she shares the history of candle magic along with the recipes, spells, and divinations anyone can use to increase love, prosperity, luck, and abundance.


"Coventry Candle Magic" is not your mama's candle magic; this is candle magic for our complicated 21st century lives. Coventry Magic explores not only what color candle to use for a specific need but how to dig down deep inside and find out what that need really is.


So many times what we think is the problem is only the symptom of the bigger problem. Jacki Smith uses the humor of her own life experiences to show readers how to sort through the traps and tricks they've laid for themselves. Her self-evaluation system helps ferret out the underlying issues and beliefs that can often sabotage magical spells. The book helps readers get to the meat of issues and solve them in a magical, life-changing way.


"Coventry Candle Magic" will be an invaluable reference for beginners as well as experienced magic practitioners--the ultimate candle magic reference book.


The book features hundreds of candles and how to use them in a myriad of ways.


Plus: 
* An herb and oil encyclopedia
* Seven Steps to Personal Magical Evolution
* Basic how-tos for candle carving and using Tarot, gemstones, and elementals in candle spells.


Goodreads


The wonderful publisher of Coventry Magic has given us the  opportunity to do a giveaway! Two lucky winners will win a copy of this marvelous book. I received mine in the main recently and have enjoyed learning about candles and their uses. One thing is for sure, this is a more modern candle magic book and a great source for beginners and advanced practitioners. Check out a plethora of recipes, spells and divinations that will have you looking at that candle on your dining room table just a little differently.