Monday, January 20, 2014

Elemental Magic: Book Five in the Riga Hayworth Series


Sympathetic Magic in Witchcraft
Have you ever wondered how spells work?
As a paranormal writer, I wonder about this a lot while I’m crafting my magical world. But the basic “law” behind spell crafting is as simple as it is old: sympathetic magic.
Though the law of sympathy has been used and understood since the ancient Egyptians (and perhaps beyond), it got its first scholarly, western analysis by Sir James George Frazer. He explained it as an mash-up of two other laws: the law of similarity and the law of contact.
Law 1: Similarity, or like produces like. The easiest example of this to give (and everybody does) is the poppet or voodoo doll. A poppet is a small doll created to represent the person you want to cast a spell on, for better or worse (let’s assume better). Whatever the spell caster does to the poppet, then happens to the person.
Law 2: Contact. The idea here is that objects that were once in contact with each other will continue to affect each other even after that contact has been broken. For example, in the Dresden Files, warlock Harry Dresden is careful to make sure no enemy gets hold of his hair or nail clippings. Why? Because the strongest contact would be between a person and, er, all those little bits that tend to fall off.
Put these two ideas together, and voila! Sympathetic magic.
But let’s say your witch doesn’t want to go the evil poppet route and thinks nail clippings are icky. How could she use sympathetic magic to build a spell? The answer: correspondences.
Correspondences – the idea that seemingly unconnected things actually do share a connection at a mystical level – stem directly from sympathetic magic. For example, the sun corresponds to fire, the lion, the birch, the heart and circulatory system, happiness, and success.
So if you want to craft a spell, you could use an object that corresponds to your intended effect and give your magic more oomph. Using the solar example, a witch might bring some sun energy into her spell for personal happiness by lighting candles, scattering birch branches on her altar, and/or by casting her spell around the summer solstice.
In the film Practical Magic, the young witch casts a true love spell, Amas Veritas spell. To cast the spell, she lists the qualities of the lover she’s calling. For each quality, she plucks a flower petal or blossom that represents that attribute. When she says that his favorite shape is a star, she adds a star-shaped flower to her magical mix.
I can’t get enough of this idea. In fact, it was the inspiration for a locating spell in my latest book, The Elemental Detective, when my metaphysical detective uses a favorite book to find her missing familiar.
To sum it all up: as illogical and paranormal as magic seems – and let’s face it, that’s what makes reading about it so fun – it’s really surprisingly logical.
About the Author
Kirsten Weiss is the author of the Riga Hayworth series of urban fantasy/paranormal mystery novels. Here’s a blurb from her latest, book five in the series – The Elemental Detective.
Mermaids, menehunes, and murder.
Riga Hayworth just wants to relax with her new husband on their Hawaiian honeymoon. But a body on a Kauai beach pulls them into a murder investigation, sending the supernatural world into an uproar.
When Riga detects traces of magic at a murder scene, she knows she can’t ignore the call. There’s necromancy afoot, and she must prepare for the battle to come. But can Riga fight the forces of nature? Or will they destroy her and everyone she loves?

Book five in the Riga Hayworth series of paranormal mystery novels, The Elemental Detective is a fun, fast-paced urban fantasy blending romance with the supernatural, and exploring the magic of Hawaii.



The Elemental Detective
Author: Kirsten Weiss
Published December 21, 2013 by misterio press
Genre: Adult, Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Mystery
Series: Book 5 in the Riga Hayworth series of paranormal mystery novels
Word count: 70,647
Available for review: ePub/Nook, mobi/Kindle, PDF, paperback
Get it from:

Blurb:
Mermaids, menehunes, and murder.
Riga Hayworth just wants to relax with her new husband on their Hawaiian honeymoon. But a body on a Kauai beach pulls them into a murder investigation, sending the supernatural world into an uproar.
When Riga detects traces of magic at a murder scene, she knows she can’t ignore the call. There’s necromancy afoot, and she must prepare for the battle to come. But can Riga fight the forces of nature? Or will they destroy her and everyone she loves?
Book five in the Riga Hayworth series of paranormal mystery novels, The Elemental Detective is a fun, fast-paced urban fantasy blending romance with the supernatural, and exploring the magic of Hawaii.



Excerpt: pages 1 – 3
The palms outside rattled like bones, awakening Riga. A warm salt breeze slipped through the open door, and shivered across her bare skin. Beside her, the mattress sagged, the bed frame creaking an accompaniment to her own, steady breathing.
One breath, rising and falling. Her breath.
Muddled by sleep, she stilled, her heart leaping with a sudden jolt of adrenaline as she understood it wasn’t her husband beside her, weighting the bed. Riga kept her breathing steady, and extended her other senses. Probing. She opened her eyes, peering through her lashes. Through the open glass door, the moon illuminated a winged figure, hunched beside her on the hotel’s bed.
“Brigitte!” Riga sat up, torn between annoyance and the panic rising in her throat. She clutched the sheet to her breasts. “What are you doing here? Where’s Donovan?”
The gargoyle shrugged, the sound of rocks grating together, and the bed shifted. “Monsieur Mosse left an hour ago,” she graveled, a French-accented Lauren Bacall. “And his whereabouts are the least of your worries.”
Riga lurched to the left and reached for the bedside lamp. Instead, her fingers found emptiness, fumbled in the dark, then touched a wooden leg, upright, seemingly supporting nothing. Where the hell had the tabletop gone? Her fingers brushed a rounded stump and it fell over with a crash. Where the hell had the lamp gone?
She swung her feet out of bed, took two steps, and bashed her shin into something hard. Riga felt along the wall and smacked the light switch, cursing. Uncomprehending, she stared. Everything but the bed had been turned upside down. Cushioned wicker chairs. Wooden table. Television… She grabbed her silk robe, draped over an upside down ottoman, and slipped it on, walked to the entertainment center. That was still upright, but the TV inside had been inverted.
Wonder leaked past her anxiety. She sniffed. A trace of magic lingered, wild like a forest glade, elemental. Fae? She regarded the creative destruction she’d slept through, and amended that thought. Stealth fae. Dammit. She fumbled the belt of her robe.
“What happened to Donovan? Where is he?” Riga’s voice sounded shrill, even to her ears.
“Your husband left of his own accord.”
“Alone?” Riga motioned toward the mess. No, it couldn’t be happening again. Not another run-in with the faery world. Not here. Not now. “Did you see who—”
Brigitte’s stone-feathered head reared backwards. “I do not spy!”
“But you saw Donovan leave.”
“And then I waited by ze rocks until you woke up.”
You woke me up.”
The gargoyle picked at her feathers. “I grew bored, and the sun will rise soon, and we have much to discuss.”
The diamond on Riga’s finger glinted, and she rubbed the back of her wedding rings with her thumb. She and Donovan hadn’t yet adjusted to island time, and both were rising well before daybreak. Donovan had probably woken up while she was sleeping and grown restless, hadn’t wanted to wake her. Of course he was safe. It couldn’t be happening again. That would be stretching the bounds of… She worked the knot on her robe. He was safe.
She swallowed, despising the remnants of fear that made her muscles twitch, and flipped her emotions to anger. Anger was simpler.



About the Author:
Kirsten Weiss is the author of the Riga Hayworth paranormal mystery series: The Metaphysical Detective, The Alchemical Detective, The Shamanic Detective, The Infernal Detective, and The Elemental Detective.
Kirsten worked overseas for nearly fourteen years, in the fringes of the former USSR and deep in the Afghan war zone.  Her experiences abroad not only gave her glimpses into the darker side of human nature, but also sparked an interest in the effects of mysticism and mythology, and how both are woven into our daily lives.
Now based in San Mateo, CA, she writes paranormal mysteries, blending her experiences and imagination to create a vivid world of magic and mayhem.
Kirsten has never met a dessert she didn’t like, and her guilty pleasures are watching Ghost Whisperer reruns and drinking good wine. 
You can connect with Kirsten through the social media sites below, and if the mood strikes you, send her an e-mail at kirsten_weiss2001@yahoo.com

Monday, January 13, 2014

The Dark Huntsman Virtual Book Tour and Review


The Dark Huntsman, A Fantasy of the Black Court
Tales of the Black Court,
Book One
Jessica Aspen

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Publisher: Abracadabra Publishing

Date of Publication: October 2013
ISBN: e-copy: 978-0-9899558-0-5
ISBN: Paperback: 978-0615891682  
ASIN: B00FN2P7A8

Number of pages: 326
Word Count: 88,000 words

Cover Artist: Kari Ayasha of

Book Description:

An evil queen, a dangerous man, and a witch, tangled together in a tale of Snow White...

Desperate to save the last of her family from the murderous Faery Queen, Trina Mac Elvy weaves a spell of entrapment. But instead of a common soldier, the queen has released the Dark Huntsman, a full blooded fae with lethal powers.

Caged for treason, Logan Ni Brennan, is ready to do anything to win free of the manipulative queen, even if it includes running a last errand for her…murdering a witch. The sight of Trina, ready to fight despite the odds, gives him another option: use the witch as a chess piece, put the queen’s son on the throne, and bring down the queen forever.

As the queen slides into insanity and her closest advisor makes plans to succeed to the throne, Logan secrets Trina away in the enchanted forest and makes a decisive move in his dangerous game of manipulation. But the gaming tables of fate turn on him, and when Trina’s life is threatened he discovers he risks more than his freedom…he risks his heart.

Dare to enter Jessica Aspen’s world of steamy, fantasy romance in her new twisted fairy tale trilogy: Tales of the Black Court…

Purchase it at Amazon   




Excerpt:
Riding into the dry-as-bones mountains on the back of the puca, Logan’s anger seared bitter in his chest. It rolled off him in waves, pulling thunder down from the sky. He toyed idly with the storm letting his anger draw the danger of the lightening to him as he seethed. Fifteen years away from his hounds. Fifteen years of Solanum’s running wild, the puca causing havoc wherever he went. Fifteen years of Logan’s life eaten away in the hole of the queen’s dungeons.
And now he was to kill witches for the queen. A fact that rubbed him raw.
Humans were amusing companions, why create trouble? Irritated with the brief flare of morality, he smothered it with brutal force. It didn’t fucking matter what he wanted. It never had.
Lightening cracked. The eerie silent hounds of the Dark Hunt tightened around him, their tense glances and snapping teeth reflections of his flaring emotions.
He had no room for second thoughts tonight. The Black Queen had given him no reason why she needed these witches killed, but if he satisfied her it might give him his freedom. At the very least it would give him some space. Maybe some time to figure out a way to stay out of the dungeons. And time to figure out how to truly extricate himself from her bloody dominion.
Because no matter what she had promised him, he knew, there was no way she would simply let him go. Not after the way he had betrayed her.
Solanum tossed his head and bucked. “Quit squeezing my ribs.” Lurid green faery flames leapt from his hooves, igniting short-lived cold fires in the dry Wyoming brush.
“Cease, horse,” Logan said, squeezing his legs a little more. Punching Solanum’s buttons felt good, really good. Just like his wrath at the queen felt good. Justified.
The puca tossed his long mane into Logan’s eyes. “Lay off, or you’ll be eating dirt,” the puca snarled, his nostrils flaring in the dimming light.
Solanum’s irritation put a hard smile on Logan’s lips. He tightened his legs and drove the puca harder down the hill through the brewing storm.
A hound pushed in close. Solanum’s hoof lashed out, connecting with a solid thud. The hound’s yipe sounded inside Logan’s head as he regained his balance, cursing the hound’s behavior and the puca’s intolerance.
He was back. The hounds would get used to him again. And Solanum too.
Thunder crashed in the sky, following him down into the shadowed hills as he approached the witches’ lair. Nostrils burning from the ozone, nerves tingling, he distracted himself with the dark moist wind, manipulating it to blow through the dry autumn brush like a child's tantrum.
He laughed, the spiteful wind stealing away the dark sound as cracks of thunder echoed off the mountains. He let the anger simmer and the lightening moved further away. He wasn’t free yet, and he wasn’t suicidal. What he was, was trapped. And it pissed him off, the frustration riding him like a hag.
What could he do when the queen changed her mind and refused to release him from her service? What if the bitch thought she could use him then put him back into her dungeons Underhill, calling him to her side like a lapdog? He needed a way to show her there would be repercussions. He needed leverage.
In the distance, thunder rumbled and they tipped over the edge of the valley in search of the witch. A wavering glow of candles shone above the last few rocks.
Almost there.
The telltale traces of a spell raised the hair on the back of his neck. He extended his Gift to perceive what he couldn’t yet see. A labyrinth set by a single inexperienced witch. His lips twitched. As protection it might have worked, had the Faery Queen sent her regular henchman. Unluckily for the witch, the queen had unleashed him. The Dark Huntsman.
He would kill the wench, and be done with this thing between himself and the queen of the Tuatha De Dannan. And when the queen refused to release him? He’d deal with that when the time came.
The wind carried the hot dry smell of sage mixed with the smell of fear and musky female. He inhaled the raw flavor of the witch, the taste of her fear and anger and power slid down his throat, easing his rage.
The anxious hounds shifted around him, sensing the proximity of their prey. Solanum rounded the rock.
And there she was.
The sight of her rocked him back like a blow, almost knocking him to the ground. And he realized that despite the stasis, fifteen years had been too long a time to be without a woman.
Glimmers of power limned her naked body and the silver blade of the athame that gleamed between her breasts. Her legs were spread slightly apart, tensed for battle. Long black hair crackled and lifted with static. Her expressive face was poised on the edge of dilemma, her body caught between the need to hold the spell and the need for action.
He paused to let the feel of power and woman roll through him.
Beautiful.
Unexpected.
Green, almond shaped eyes widened. Her stance firmed, her shoulders pulled back, and her full breasts rose, nipples tightened with cold or fear. Something wild and raw he hadn’t felt in a hundred years stabbed low in his gut.
His agenda changed.
The queen wanted to kill the witch. Why? His plan of placating the queen suddenly seemed weak. She’d never let him go without leverage, and here was leverage standing naked and lovely before him. He had a new plan.
Screw the queen.


 Review:

From the first page, this book grabbed me by the hair and wouldn't let go. The fresh retelling of the Snow White-esque story was well done and I loved it. The voice was crisp and each and every character came through clearly. The huntsman was a figure that became Herne, the lord of the Great Hunt and the witch became his prey. The evil queen brought elements of Alice in Wonderland. The book is rife with familiar fairy tales and stories I loved as a child, now woken up for a more adult spin on things. Excellent read! In fact I can't wait to get back to it now to see just what happens to that wicked queen. I hope she gets a trip down the oubliette herself. I know just the huntsman who could put her there. 

*Great sexual tension
*Believable characters
*Smooth pacing and vibrant action
*Fairy tale lovers will adore it!

5/5






About the Author:

Jessica Aspen has always wanted to be spirited away to a world inhabited by elves, were-wolves and sexy men who walk on the dark side of the knife. Luckily, she’s able to explore her fantasy side and delve into new worlds by writing paranormal romance. She loves indulging in dark chocolate, reading eclectic novels, and dreaming of ocean vacations, but instead spends most of her time, writing, walking the dog, and hiking in the Colorado Rockies.

Stop by Jessica’s website and leave a comment to enter Giveaways!






Join the Jessica Aspen mailing list! Get the scoop on new releases, sales, plus the chance to win ARCs and participate in special giveaways.  http://eepurl.com/zs4Sj


Thursday, January 9, 2014

Lisa Morton Speaks


For nearly three centuries, as the Black Death rampaged through Europe and the Reformation tore the Church apart, tens of thousands were arrested as witches and subjected to trial, torture, and execution, including being burned alive. This graphic novel examines the background; the methods of the witch-hunters; who stood to profit; the brave few who protested; and how the trials finally faded as Enlightenment replaced fear and superstition with reason and science. The book examines famed witch-hunters Heinrich Kramer, architect of the infamous Malleus Maleficarum; Matthew Hopkins, England's notorious "Witch-finder General"; King James I, supposedly the target of assassination by a Scottish coven; the Salem Witch Trials; and the last witch trials and executions in Europe.

Witch Hunts has been nominated for a Bram Stoker Award in the Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel category. The Awards will be presented at the World Horror Convention in New Orleans on June 15, 2013

Amazon


Goodreads


www.witchhuntsbook.com


Join me as we welcome horror great Lisa Morton to On the Broomstick. Lisa has agreed to answer some questions about her work in the horror field. 

 1. How did you get started writing in the horror genre?

I've always loved the genre (even as a very young child), and it was
just an obvious choice for me. I started as a screenwriter, where I
was a "hired gun" and wrote everything from children's fantasies to
disaster movies, but when I turned to prose, horror was my obvious
first choice.


 2. Tell me about your work on Witch Hunts and how the graphic novel
 came to be.

Rocky Wood created the project and had already brought Greg Chapman in
as the artist when he asked me to co-write. I loved Rocky's take on
it, and I'd always wanted to work in the graphic novel field; plus, my
Halloween research had already given me a good introduction to the
history of the witch persecutions, so it was all a good fit.

 3. Burgers or sushi?

Sushi, no question! I'll start with scallop and smelt egg, and go from there.


 4. Name three things on your desk right now.

My endless to-do list, the "Icky-Sticky" toy I've had since I was
about six years old, and - one of my most recent acquisitions - a
"Hello Kitty" Dia de los Muertos figure.


 5. What is one thing that has helped you as a writer that you would
 pass on to aspiring horror novelists?

Persevere. Unless you're very lucky, it's unlikely that you'll be
successful instantly. The real success stories are the ones who hang
in there and build an audience and never give up.


6. What to you is the difference in pacing between a short story and a novel?

A novel can indulge more freely in description and observation. A
short story needs to focus more on telling a succinct story quickly,
so plot and character development take center field.


7. Is there anything in horror today that you think is overdone? Underdone?

Horror is in interesting state of flux right now. I do think we're
finally seeing more women and writers of color entering the genre, and
the old things I used to complain about - like an over-reliance on
rape and misogynistic content - are fading away. I'm excited about the
genre's future.


 8. Tell us about your newest project.

My newest novel is NETHERWORLD, just released by JournalStone. It's
the first book in a trilogy about a globe-trotting British noblewoman
fighting evil in the nineteenth century...and not all of those evils
are supernatural. It was tremendous fun to write, and I'm excited
about its release.


 9. Do you write to music? If so, what do you listen to?

I used to, but the older I get, the more I need quiet to focus. I will
occasionally put on one of Somafm.com's electronica stations, but I
absolutely can't have anything with lyrics playing.


10. Favorite ice cream flavor.

Baskin-Robbins's Pralines and Cream.

Find out more about Lisa on her site: http://lisamorton.com/zine/


Witch Hunts: A Visit with Greg Chapman


For nearly three centuries, as the Black Death rampaged through Europe and the Reformation tore the Church apart, tens of thousands were arrested as witches and subjected to trial, torture, and execution, including being burned alive. This graphic novel examines the background; the methods of the witch-hunters; who stood to profit; the brave few who protested; and how the trials finally faded as Enlightenment replaced fear and superstition with reason and science. The book examines famed witch-hunters Heinrich Kramer, architect of the infamous Malleus Maleficarum; Matthew Hopkins, England's notorious "Witch-finder General"; King James I, supposedly the target of assassination by a Scottish coven; the Salem Witch Trials; and the last witch trials and executions in Europe.

Witch Hunts has been nominated for a Bram Stoker Award in the Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel category. The Awards will be presented at the World Horror Convention in New Orleans on June 15, 2013


Amazon

Goodreads

www.witchhuntsbook.com

Please join me as we welcome Greg Chapman in our first of two interviews with the amazing authors of this comprehensive graphic novel that covers the history of persecution of witches. 


> 1. How did you get started writing in the horror genre?
After I joined the Australian Horror Writers Association in 2009, I was selected for its mentor program and from that I had my first two novellas published – Torment and The Noctuary (2011). I’ve had two more published since then – Vaudeville (2012) and The Last Night of October (2013) so I must be doing something right ;)
> 2. Tell me about your work on Witch Hunts and how the graphic novel came to be.
I think it was towards the end of 2010 that I was contacted by Rocky Wood who was looking for an artist to illustrate a graphic novel. Of course I was extremely interested and after tossing around a few ideas, we settled on doing something around the witchcraft persecutions as it hadn’t really been done. When Lisa Morton came on board it added a whole new level of crazy fun!
> 3. Burgers or sushi? Burgers!

> 4. Name three things on your desk right now.
Micron drawing pens, watercolour paints and a Crystal Head Vodka skull bottle full of drawing ink!

> 5. What is one thing that has helped you as a writer that you would  pass on to aspiring horror novelists?
Read horror, read outside of horror. When you’re not doing that sit down and write!


> 6. What to you is the difference in pacing between a short story and a novel?
Pacing. Novels are intended to be slow burns with explosions of action here and there. Short stories should build up to a blistering climax, like a detonation timer counting down.

> 7. Is there anything in horror today that you think is overdone? Underdone?
Overdone - Virus induced zombies.
Underdone – Vampires that are actually frightening blood-sucking monsters! 

> 8. Tell us about your newest project.
Currently, I’m editing the first draft of an intended YA dark fantasy series

> 9. Do you write to music? If so, what do you listen to?
Sometimes. I love to write to soundtracks, like Mark Snow’s music from The X-Files or Danny Elfman’s Nightbreed soundtrack.

> 10. Favorite ice cream flavor.
Cookies and cream!

Learn more about Greg at : http://darkscrybe.com/