Who are the heroes in The Magicals Series?

 Celebrate #TirgearrTuesday with The Magicals. Which hero is your favorite?

The guys... Tall, dark, and dangerous? Silent and broody? Lethal with a conscience?

The gals... Naive and imaginative? Deadly and determined? Independent and fierce?

Sample them all...

Quote of the Week

 

What's in a Name?

I had a radio interview yesterday on What's Write for Me. One of the potential questions was about how I pick character names... We didn't get a chance to cover this one during the interview. Amazing how the time flies when you're talking to a fellow author and book lover.

My answer? Baby name websites are invaluable. I usually have a first letter in mind or, at least, a country of origin which makes searching much easier. Particular time period requirements (for instance popular in the 1960's) also narrow the search. Then I look at name meanings. And, finally, I google the full name to make sure it doesn't belong to a famous person. I prefer unique names so this isn't usually an issue.

My main character in A Fairy's Quest is Alina Lehrer. Alina means "bright, beautiful, noble" and is of Slavic origin. Variations of the name include Helena (Czech and Swedish) and Adelina (French).

Authors, how do you pick your character names?

Readers, do you prefer common or unusual character names?

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Origin Stories: Fairies

 What about fairies?

The term “fairy” originated in the European Middle Ages. Historically, fairies were feared as dangerous and powerful beings. Their interactions with humans were unpredictable, sometimes friendly, sometimes cruel. Common characteristics included diminutive size, pointy-ears, beauty, and long life. Fairies were believed to live in their own realm, a parallel universe, separated from ours by an invisible veil.

Gervase of Tilbury, a 12th century English scholar and canon lawyer, made the earliest mention of fairies. He compiled a compendium of stories about the unexplained marvels of the natural world.

There are four main theories regarding the origin of fairies. Folk memories; degenerated deities; personification of nature spirits; or ancestral spirits of the dead (link to the underworld).

In Ancient Egyptian myth, fairies paralleled the Seven Hathors or patronesses of childbirth, those regarded as “fairy godmothers.”

In classical mythology, the Roman Parcae, or birth goddesses, were fata or fees, descendants of the Germanic and Celtic Matres and Matronae.

In Irish mythological tales, fairies are referred to as the Tuatha de Danaan. Their origin is assumed to be derived from ancient goddesses, priestesses, nature spirits, nymphs, druidesses, the Fates.

In Scottish folklore, the good fairies, the Seelie Court, are well disposed towards humans, whereas the “unseelie court” or bad and malicious fairies work their evil against mortals because some fairies are noted for malice and mischief.

Fairies in The Magicals Series

Relationships

A group of fairies is called The Glitter. Fairies have arranged marriages set up by matchmakers.

Special Abilities or Talents

Fairy magic has its own signature. Fairies are born with magical abilities like ESP, future sight, clairvoyance, aura reading, enhanced awareness AND can learn spells. Physical contact enhances connection.

General

A Fairy medallion is a protection rune to ward against wizards (glows in the presence of wizards).

The Royal Court of Fairies

(“The Court”)

Fairy government is set-up like the UK Parliament which consists of The House of Commons (elected representatives), The House of Lords (hereditary peers), and The Crown (monarchy). In The Magicals Series, The Court is the equivalent of The House of Commons with elected members. There are no separate political parties. Among the elected, a leader called Le Souverain is selected, equivalent to the Prime Minister. The lower courts, consisting of inherited positions among the fairy elite, like The House of Lords, disbanded and scattered after the crown heist after they hid The Court. The Court’s main function is to write laws and support the monarchy.

The historical location of The Court was Savoie, France, near the seat of the royal family, the Château de Chambéry. Once concealment was decided, The Court relocated to Paris. The modern-day location of The Court overlooks the Seine River in Paris, France.

The Crown is protected by the Royal Guard. The Elite Guard protects the immediate royal family.

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Quote of the Week

 

Social Issues in Fiction

I've always maintained that fiction holds a lot of truth. I usually find out things about myself, and the world around me, like subconscious observations. This morning, I was thinking about A Fairy's Quest and what message I may have left myself this time.

The obvious answer is about trauma. Traumatic experience is personal for me, and I wanted to incorporate it into my story. The more I learn about trauma, and our human response to it, the more I feel that it is misunderstood. As are most mental health disorders. And I get it. "Invisible" diseases like chronic pain, mental health, cancer (before hair loss), neurological disorders (without physical impairment or "props" like wheelchairs or canes) are exactly how I described—invisible. A person can look perfectly fine from the outside, but that is just the window dressing. Inside the house may be a completely different story. You cannot really understand what a person is going through unless you walk a day in their shoes. That is the difference between empathy and sympathy.

In this book, I wanted to explain, through my character Alina, a little bit about how I feel. And it was hard to describe because I had to live through it again. The darkness. The unknown. How to quantify the agony, but at the same time, offer hope. If you feel like something is "wrong" with you, then follow your instincts. Our bodies were built for survival, but we often ignore the messages. When you face a health crisis—physical, mental—it impacts your life. You look at things differently. You are faced with the reality of your own mortality. Seriously. It places you at a crossroads, and you have a choice to stay the course or choose a different path. Remember, the old road is probably the reason you had a health crisis in the first place.

The less obvious answer is also about choice. It's a reminder about feminism and what it actually means. Advocacy of woman's rights. I am 100% about equality. I've often written about human rights. But, somewhere, along the way, feminism became the quest to "have it all" which included perfectly managing a family and career; and anything less than that was unacceptable. Only a housewife. Just a stay-at-home-mom. "Married" to the career. Feminism—equality in general—is the ability to choose your own path without constrictions of traditionally defined gender roles. More single woman climb the corporate ladder. More Dads become the stay-at-home parent. It's a new world.

Alina comes from a very traditional family—she was even betrothed at birth—but she wants to start her own business before thinking about marriage. Getting established in your career, especially becoming financially solvent, before starting a family is a valid plan. And so is starting a business and never getting married. My intention was to offer support for your plan. Any combination of career and family is a valid choice. And sometimes under the pressure to "have it all" we lose sight of what's really important. Making the best choice for yourself.

Personally, I always wanted to get married and have kids. I may have gotten some grief over the years from my more feministic friends about my old-fashioned life plan. But, in my mind, true equality is the ability to choose. And that's freedom at its core. I can have a career. Get married. Have kids. I can pick two of the three. And I understand the importance of being able to support myself. I have a practical university degree. You don't need to sacrifice your autonomy or independence to be with someone. The right someone will want you to be the greatest version of yourself. Whatever that looks like.

A Fairy's Quest is available for pre-order with automatic delivery on April 6, 2021.

Do you think about the potential lessons hidden in fiction books? Have you ever learned something from fiction?

Origin Stories: Wizards

 What about wizards?

The word “wizard” comes from the Middle English word “wys” (meaning “wise”). Up until the middle of the 16thcentury, it referred to a wise man, making no distinction between magic and philosophy. Afterward, the term wizard was used to describe a man with magical powers.

The Westcar Papyrus is a set of tales about wizards from Ancient Egypt told at the court of Khufu, describing magic used to catch an unfaithful wife’s lover; retrieve a jewel lost in a lake; and re-attach the heads of decapitated animals.

Abe no Seimei, a historical figure who lived between the 10th and 11th centuries, was known as the “Merlin of Japan.” A practitioner of onmyogo, a mixture of natural science and occultism, he conducted exorcisms, warded off evil spirits, and prophesized the future. Legends say he was half-human as his mother was a kitsune, a fox spirit.

According to the Golden Legend, a collection of biographies of saints, the Christian St. Cyprian was originally a pagan wizard who summoned demons to do his bidding. When the God of Christianity was shown to be greater than the demons, Cyprian converted.

In Thousand and One Nights, a wizard tricked Aladdin into retrieving a magic lamp for him from a magic cave. The wizard double-crossed Aladdin by trapping him in the cave. Aladdin summoned a genie using the wizard’s magic ring who released him from the cave with the lamp. The lamp provided Aladdin with great fortune, and the wizard tried to steal it back. When Aladdin killed him, the wizard’s brother, who was also a wizard, wanted vengeance, but Aladdin was able to defeat him as well.

Wizards in The Magicals Series

Birth

All wizards are male. Some boys are born with a “magic gene” and can become wizards. First, they train as apprentices. Then they can choose whether to become a wizard. When they become full-fledged wizards, magic transforms them into old men with long white beards, the stereotypical wizard.

Relationships

A group of wizards is called a guild. “The Circle” refers to a specific group of wizards. Historically, wizards were a part of the nobility. Present day wizards serve as appointed guardians of the supernatural world, protectors and defenders for magicals and humans.

Special Abilities or Talents

Wizards use the world and elements around them to create magic. They use wands. They cast spells. In A Wizard’s Choice, Waldor issued a spell that made words rise from a book and line up neatly in the air. Kurtis touched the script, the words surrounded him like a tornado, and he understood the entire book. Then the words returned to the book.

Traditions

A wizard apprentice cannot speak in front of women. Before making The Choice, wizard apprentices have a Rumspringa of sorts called a "raum" so they can make an informed decision. The Choice is whether or not to become a full-fledged wizard. Wizards aren’t allowed to get married. Wizards have their own funeral ritual (tapered candles, people circle the coffin and chant “time to go home” in Latin).

General

Waldor’s cottage has an enchanted lock. It also contains a Spell Laboratory and a secret library.

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Quote of the Week

 

First Review for A Fairy's Quest

 This week, I saw my first review for A Fairy's Quest...

5 Stars on Goodreads

"...I fell in love with The Magicals with the first book A Vampire’s Tale. The magic within each book just seems to get better and better. Once I pick up a book from The Magicals world I can’t put it down until I have read the last page. Once I opened A Fairy’s Quest I was pulled into its depths with all the vampires, fairies, wizards, and its magical world..." -- The Avid Reader

You can read the full review on Goodreads.

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Origin Stories: The Anunnaki

Who were The Anunnaki?

The Anunnaki are a group of deities who appear in the mythological traditions of the ancient Sumerians, Akkadians, Assyrians, and Babylonians. The Sumerians considered them to be the most powerful deities in the pantheon, descendants of An and Ki, the god of the heavens and the goddess of earth.

In 1968, Swiss pseudoarcheologist Erich von Däniken claimed that extraterrestrial “ancient astronauts” had visited a prehistoric Earth, suggesting an alien race to explain the origin of religions. He supported his views using interpretations of Sumerian texts and the Old Testament.

In 1976, Russian-American author Zecharia Sitchin claimed that The Anunnaki were actually an advanced humanoid extraterrestrial species from the undiscovered planet Nibiru, who came to Earth around 500,000 years ago to mine gold. They hybridized their species and Homo erectus via in vitro fertilization in order to create humans as a slave species of miners. While on Earth, they built the pyramids and all the other monumental structures from around the ancient world that are considered so impossible to build without highly advanced technologies.

In the 1990’s, British conspiracy theorist David Icke claimed that the reptilian overlords in his reptilian conspiracy theory were The Anunnaki.

In The Magicals Series

Many centuries ago, fallen angels called The Anunnaki came to Earth. Humans classified these beings as aliens as a way to understand the remnants of the advanced civilization they found. In truth, they were the first magicals. Stripped of immortal status as punishment for their serious crimes, they had to depend on magic to survive. Conflict among the demoted beings was inevitable. Two opposing factions emerged. The wizards - das Zauberer. The fairies - la Fée Royale.

La Fée Royale positioned themselves as the superior beings. They treated their counterpart das Zauberer like slaves until, more than a century ago, das Zauberer rose up against their self-appointed overlords. They waged war, setting out to annihilate every last fairy, and their campaign saw much success. The wizards thought the fairies were all dead, but the surviving fairies scattered into hiding. They assimilated deeply into the human population and adopted technology to mask their magical abilities. They swore—when the right time came—to take vengeance on the wizards and reclaim their position of power.

In the wrong hands, magic could be very dangerous. The wizards had seen evidence of the destruction. The fairies had been stopped, but they needed safeguards to protect the future. A magical council was formed. Wizards were appointed as guardians of the supernatural world.

Quote of the Week

 

The City of Love

The Magicals Series, for the most part, takes place in Chicago. In A Fairy's Quest, my heroine Alina Lehrer travels to Paris where she meets a handsome stranger. And the rest, as they say, is history.

***

Alina squeezed her eyes shut. “Shh… I’m sleeping.” She breathed in and out, in a loud, greatly exaggerated way.

“I’m telling you now. There will be no sleep for either one of us until you give me something. Do you like him? Duh, you must like him. Enough to do the horizontal nasty. Do you love him? Oh my God, you fell in love in Paris. That is the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard. Allie!”

***

A Fairy's Quest, The Magicals Series Book #3, is available for pre-order now. Click here to pre-order. Your copy will be delivered on release day April 6, 2021.

Origin Stories: Vampires

Who was the first vampire?

Lilith, according to medieval Jewish folklore, was Adam’s first wife before Eve. When Adam insisted she play a subservient role, Lilith grew wings, flew away from Eden, and has roamed the Earth for 4,000 years. “Lilith” is derived from a Sumerian word for female demon. A winged demon known for preying on pregnant woman and infants, she has been portrayed as the first vampire.

A Hebrew legend casts Judas Iscariot, betrayer of Christ, as the first vampire. In the book of Matthew, Judas, one of Christ’s apostles, betrayed Jesus for payment of thirty pieces of silver. After Jesus’ crucifixion, Judas tried to return the silver to appease his guilt. When his return was refused, Judas hung himself. The book of Agulah, written 843 years later by a Catholic monk named Aed in Aramaic, contains details of the punishment God inflicted on Judas. According to this source, God cursed Judas with immortality, the inability to walk in the sun, and the insatiable craving for human blood. The curse was also extended to Judas’ offspring.

In the Middle Ages, superstitions about vampires were used to explain plagues and other unfamiliar illnesses, in particular, a blood disorder called porphyria. Symptoms of porphyria included sensitivity to sunlight which caused severe skin blisters or burns, receded gums which looked like fangs, and aversion to garlic due to its sulfur content. Some symptoms could be temporarily relieved by ingesting animal blood.

Vlad Dracula, known as Vlad the Impaler, ruler in Walachia, Romania, off and on from 1456-1462, is thought to be the inspiration behind Bram Stoker’s Count Dracula. According to legend, Vlad killed his enemies by impaling them on wooden stakes and dipped his bread in their blood.

Vampires in The Magicals Series

Creation and Maker Relationship

A vampire “parent” is called a maker. A vampire “child” is referred to as offspring. The offspring have an obligation or loyalty toward their maker, but makers can release their offspring. When you are turned (created) into a vampire, your soul floats away, and human blood becomes your only source of food.

Special Abilities or Talents

Vampire abilities/talents are either a skill obtained during creation or learned later. Some abilities include: flying; reading minds; moving objects telekinetically; seeing the future; possessing super speed, super strength, and/or heightened senses; and healing quickly. Vampires go underground to heal faster. Vampires can erase people’s memories or give powerful suggestions. They speak an ancient, unknown language. Vampire blood has healing qualities for humans, tastes like strawberries, has an intoxicating side effect with a resulting hangover effect, and can be an aphrodisiac. Vampire tears are blood.

Other Relationships

Vampires live alone, with their maker, or in groups (families) called “nests.” Their interactions with humans are limited, as they tend to consider humans a lower life form, with the exception of protection. Vampires can have protection arrangements with wizards. Thralls are humans controlled by vampires, the connection can only be severed by the vampire who bit them or death.

Vampires can procreate with humans. Vampire offspring will protect their mother in the womb. They have a nine-month gestation period and look human. Vampire hunters are the human-vampire offspring who hunt to kill their vampire parent, when their parent’s memories emerge in their mind at puberty, but not all half-vampires become vampire hunters.

Supernatural beings can sense other supernatural beings.

Blood Exchange and Blood Bond

A blood exchange occurs when a vampire gives a human their blood. It allows a vampire to transmit his memories into a mortal’s mind, creates a link between vampire and mortal, and marks the mortal to other supernaturals. Humans can learn to shield against the contactless transmission of memories, but this usually results in a headache. Memories can also be transmitted by the vampire holding the other person’s head (think Vulcan mind meld). Blood bonds strengthen when more blood is shared and when the mortal gives the vampire their blood.

Codes and Law

There is a vampire “code” to keep their existence a secret. There is a vampire “law” not to harm another vampire’s human. Vampire’s mark a human as their own through a claiming ceremony. Vampire claiming is similar to human marriage. The ceremony involves a special dagger and blood exchange, and is sealed with a mating. As a result, the human will gain some vampiric abilities without becoming a vampire.

General

Vampire existence is a curse, death means Hell. The older and purer the blood, the stronger the vampire. The need for and amount of “rest” reduces with “age.” They are immortal, although there are ways they can die. For instance, prolonged exposure to the sun.

They drink human blood to survive. A human goes to a beautiful place during the bite, but vampires don’t need to drink directly from the source. They can tolerate a glass of red wine. Vampire skin is pinkish after feeding. If a vampire is too hungry, the hunger takes over. Their eyes turn yellow when their fangs drop. Fangs can extend and retract at will.

If a human really wants a vampire to leave their home, they can compel them. Anyone can enter a vampire’s home if the deed is held by an undead being (vampire).

Wards are used for protection. Wizards can cast protection spells to make a property virtually invisible from the road or air. Anyone who approaches the property will simply change their course and not realize it. The address doesn't exist, either. There is an actual address on the deed, but not one that can be found by GPS.

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Quote of the Week