Tag Archives: Djinn

Plumbing the Dark Side of the Paranormal with Rosemary Ellen Guiley

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My work in the paranormal as an investigator, researcher and author has brought me face to face many times with its dark side: nasty entities, weird phenomena, curses, hexes, parallel worlds and strange experiences that seem straight out of a fiction writer’s head.  Paranormal themes are indeed hot in romantic fiction, but here’s the bizarre twist: the truth really is often stranger than fiction!  Sometimes my real life seems more like an episode of Supernatural or Fringe.

All of the exotic, compelling and wonderful characters and circumstances in paranormal fiction have a basis in reality: experiences that have happened to people over and over again throughout history.  We have always bumped up against other worlds, some of them uplifting and some of them dark and creepy.  The dark side lures us the most in a push-pull of morbid fascination countered by fear and aversion.  When Sharon invited me to write for her blog, I knew I wanted to talk about the real dark side of the paranormal.

First, a bit about my background.  When I set out in my career to write about the paranormal (and the metaphysical) in the early 1980s, I had no intentions of becoming an expert on the dark side.  I have been interested in the unseen since I was a kid, fueled by childhood experiences of fairies and angels, psychic abilities in my family, and a voracious reading habit that embraced science fiction, fantasy, and horror.  My far-ranging interests made me curious about everything, and so when I set out on my writing career, I cast a wide net over many subjects.  I have put more than fifty books under my belt covering topics from A-Z in the paranormal, angels to zombies and everything in between.  My generalist bent has served me well, for the paranormal overlaps from one arena to another, and from the light to the dark; everything is entwined and interconnected.

I believe in getting out into the trenches, so I have conducted as many field investigations of haunted and mysterious  locations as possible, and I have interviewed hundreds of witnesses about their experiences.  And, I have had plenty of my own experiences along the way.  Over the course of time I discovered that I had a stomach for probing the dark side, much more than most people in the field, and that there are a lot of folks who have troubling experiences who need guidance and help.  Those factors prompted me to go even deeper into dark territory involving demons, Djinn, real vampires, abducting ETs, Shadow People, black magic, negative hauntings, possession, and unknown but hostile entities.

I engage with this heavy energy often, and while I have never run screaming like the scripted “reality” shows, I have occasionally made what I call “prudent exits” when up against something that is too powerful, too determined, and too unpredictable to take on.  I invest a lot of energy in keeping my home my sanctuary, but sometimes I have breaches in which a negative entity gets through and creates some havoc for a short time.  I also invest a lot of energy in keeping my own energy field as strong as possible as a buffer.  Working in the paranormal, especially the dark end of it, is akin to walking through cobwebs – “stuff” clings to you.

I receive so many inquiries about paranormal problems that I put together a Guide to the Dark Side of the Paranormal as an educational introduction to the realities that are “out there.”  Here are some short takes on some of them, all of which are useful in fiction:

Curses

Curses work, even if the victim does not know about them.  It takes a great deal of energy and skill to curse effectively.  Deathbed curses are among the strongest, and can affect generations.  People have had differing moral positions on curses in the past.  For example, the Romans hired professional cursers as a matter of doing daily business, to gain an edge in business, love and sports.  Now there’s an interesting character – the professional curse-layer!

Dream Invasion

Some entities and magically skilled people have the ability to enter a person’s dreams.  Sometimes it is for messages and manipulation – and sometimes for psychological upset, psychic attack,  and even possession through nightmares.

Possessed Objects

Objects hold energy and even entities themselves.  Objects can retain energetic properties of owners and events.  When energized objects fall into the hands of the right person, those energies are released and can affect both people and environments.  There may be poltergeist activity, apparitions, dream invasions, and psychological and mood changes.  Metal retains energy imprints the best, followed by stone and wood.  The ability of objects to hold a psychic charge is the principle behind amulets and talismans.

Houses With Attitudes

Similarly, houses themselves can take on an animating “atmosphere” from previous occupants and events.  In the Guide to the Dark Side of the Paranormal, I describe such a house that I lived in myself.  It had no ghosts of people, but it had its own phantom presence that watched and reacted – and it became very unhappy when we tried to move.

Problem Mirrors

Mirrors are well-known as portals or doorways to the spirit world.  In many problem home hauntings, there are likely to be one or more badly placed mirrors involved.  They are especially problematic in bedrooms, where people are at their most vulnerable to unsolicited spirit visitations.  Above all, mirrors should never look into one another – a strange warping of space takes place that seems to cut through dimensional barriers.

Sex With Entities

Our sexual activities with the dead and supernatural beings have been documented since ancient times.  There are numerous accounts in mythology and folklore, both of which contain the kernels of real experiences.  Some of our sexual liaisons are good, such as with gods and goddesses and the semi-divine, while others are horrific, such as with demons and hostile aliens.  Historically, we have considered most of the hybrid offspring undesirable to downright abominations.  Sex with entities goes on today and it is not just a product of the imagination.

The Hidden Djinn

The Djinn are a race of supernatural entities known only in the West for being the origins of the genie in the bottle – a creature we usually dismiss as humorous fantasy.  They are quite real, very powerful, and not always kindly disposed toward human beings.  Their name means “the hidden ones.”  Years of research has convinced me that the Djinn are behind much of our paranormal activity, for they are superior shape-shifters and masqueraders.

The Evil Eye

The ability to harm and even kill by looking is a global and ancient belief.  “Overlooking,” as it is also called, can be learned as a magical skill.  Some people are believed to be born with the ability, which gives them an unfortunate life.  People shun them, fearing that the rays of their lingering gaze will bring ruination of health, luck, and life.

Drive-by Demons

“Drive-by demons” is a term I coined to describe opportunistic entities who home in on people and create problems from minor to major in impact.  They are drawn to us by the spiritual energy we generate, which is like a light on the spiritual planes.  Negative entities are drawn to the lights of emotional turmoil, addiction, and the low energy of immoral, unethical and deceitful living.  Sometimes people going through a major upheaval in life will sink into depressed states that invite entity interference.  “Drive-by demons” usually do not linger – they seize advantage, make the most of it, and cruise on to another target.

Details about these and more fascinating dark side topics – twenty in all – are in my Guide to the Dark Side of the Paranormal, which is available as an e-book from Kindle and in paperback print from my website, www.visionaryliving.com.

As for protection, daily mediation is the best preventive medicine against the effects and influences of the dark side.  Meditation builds up the aura, strengthens grounding, improves the psychic faculty, and enhances the connection to the spirit realms, including the benevolent beings who come to our aid and protection.  Periodically I see my acupuncturist (who is a Taoist exorcist) and get a Qi Gong tuneup, which cleanses the aura of that cobwebby stuff and bolsters the aura’s strength and vitality.

People often ask me about the effectiveness of crystals, medallions, religious symbols and so forth as amulets.  They can be quite useful, and everyone must find the one or ones that personally work.  You have to resonate with the energy of an amulet for it to elicit the right energetic response from your consciousness.  However, it is also wise to develop inner protection, which is always with you.

That’s my nutshell on the dark side.  I do spend a lot of time on the other side of the fence, dealing with angelic presences, guides, and “ethereals” who are involved in spirit communications and certain channelings.  All in all, it is never a dull day in my world – or worlds!

I hope you’ll visit my website, www.visionaryliving.com, to browse my library of articles on a variety of topics, and check out my other books – including my encyclopedias, which many fiction and script writers find to be useful references for their work.  In addition, I have a complimentary monthly e-newsletter, Strange Dimensions, which features articles as well as my professional activities.

BIO:

Rosemary Ellen Guiley is one of the leading experts on the paranormal with more than 50 books published by major houses on a wide range of paranormal, spiritual, and mystical topics, including nine single-volume encyclopedias.   Her work is translated into 15 languages.  She has worked full-time in the paranormal since 1983, researching, investigating, writing, and presenting, and teaching.   Her present work focuses interdimensional entity contact experiences of all kinds, technological and mediumistic spirit communications, spiritual growth and development, problem hauntings, and “portals,” or geographic areas of intense paranormal activity.  She spends a great deal of her time out in the field conducting investigations and research.  She has done ground-breaking research on Shadow People and the Djinn. Rosemary lives in Connecticut.  Her websites are www.visionaryliving.com and www.djinnuniverse.com.

My Interview with Barbara Hodges on Blog Talk Radio

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I’m excited to report that I had a lovely interview last Thursday evening, September 8, 2011 on Blog Talk Radio Show, Red River–No Limits with Barbara Hodges. If you were unable to listen in at that time, you can still hear it even if you are are not a member of Blog Talk Radio. Just go to the link, and you will be prompted to sign up  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/rrradio/2011/09/08/rrw-no-limits Once you get there, click on Open in New Window and the show will start. My interview comes on about 34 minutes into the show.If you’d rather read the interview, you’re in luck, because that’s today’s post! Be sure to read to the end of the post for a surprise drawing and give away.

1. What inspired DESIRE AND DECEPTION?

In writing Desire and Deception, I wanted to tell a sexy suspenseful tale about smart, powerful women and the men who love them. I wrote about society’s expectations of what a woman should be versus what a woman wants to be. And since the standing advice to writers is to “write what you know,” I then placed these characters into the setting I knew well, the rigidly hierarchical academic world where tenure and promotion are the duo brass rings. With Isabel and Sarah chattering at me the entire time, Desire and Deception is a story that practically wrote itself.

2. What kind of research went into the writing of DESIRE AND DECEPTION?

As an RN and a PhD in Public Health, I have years of experience in healthcare and higher education to draw on. My husband is a physician, so when I had medical questions, I picked his brains. The areas where I obtained additional assistance were in legal implications of child abduction, foster care, the Maryland Department of Social Services (DSS) and DNA analysis. Plus I spent over a year researching the very dark and violent world of the Mexican drug cartels.

3. Please share a fun fact that you uncovered in your research.

When I was trying to come up with a way to hide a baby in foster care, I made up a computer glitch for the Department of Social Services (DSS). Upon further research, I found out that DSS had actually had a major system malfunction and children who had been placed in foster care could not be readily found. Talk about serendipity. It was just what I needed to step up the tension in the story–and it was fact-based, too.

4. You have created an interesting heroine, Isabel, who is the daughter of a Mexican crime boss. What made you decide to give her such a background?

I am fascinated by powerful women. By making her the pampered princess, daughter of a Mexican crime boss, I was able to make her a modern day woman warrior who lives by her own rules. In her non-fiction book, The Warrior Queens, Antonia Fraser analyses the lives of real women who led in times of war. Fraser looks at the historical data, legends and myths surrounding these women through a modern lens. She gives a list of adjectives and categories that men create for these astonishing, strong females, one of which is the lustful “Voracity Syndrome,” aka the “Man Eater.” Izzy is the archetypal Man Eater: smart, sexy, sassy, funny and deadly. Female and male readers can live vicariously through Isabel because she embodies all the things women are told NOT to do. Don’t be too smart. Don’t be too aggressive. Don’t put your desires ahead of other people’s wants and needs. Don’t talk back. Don’t enjoy sex. Don’t be in charge in the bedroom. Don’t be in control of your life. In other words, DON’T BE EMPOWERED. I made Isabel over-the-top on all of these traits and more, because she had to be strong to endure her early life and to lead her troops.

5. Please tell us more about Izzy. What is it like growing up the daughter of a Mexican crime boss?

Like Meadow Soprano, Izzy grew up with all the privileges of being the mob boss’s daughter.  She was given the best of everything: nannies, schools, clothes, cars, horse-riding lessons, whatever her parents thought would make her more cultured. She was also given the worst of everything: horrible role models, a Machiavellian world view, and a very dark childhood secret that no child should ever have to carry with her. Because of this complex background, she becomes a female warrior in her own right. Where others would collapse, she survives and thrives. She is a flawed heroine–with redeeming qualities and compelling reasons for her behaviors.

6. What can you tell us about Sean Richards?

Well, first off, if you saw the cover, you know he’s smoking hot. Eyes that devour Izzy with a single sweep, shoulders she can climb on or lean on, slow hands, gentle touch–or rough when she wants it that way. The man radiates sex, even when he’s not trying to be sexy. He is one-hundred percent devoted to Izzy. And he adores her three wild children and vows to follow her and her brood anywhere on earth.  The best part is when he discovers her dark secret, he doesn’t run, no matter how hard she tries to push him away.

7. What makes him exactly what Izzy needs?

He has compassion for Izzy, despite her armor, he sees through to her vulnerable inner self. Every other man in her life has used her either for sex, money or power. Only Sean has truly loved her, flaws and all.

8. What draws Sean to her?

If Izzy could bottle her sexual energy, she’d make a billion dollars. Sean sees this smart, funny, vibrant woman packaged in a voluptuous body and he’s a goner. He’s not a neophyte when it comes to sex play; he loves to have sex with Izzy. But more than that, she evokes his protective side. He discovers the terrified little girl beneath her iron clad exterior and wants to take care of her the rest of her life–even when she tries to tello him he shouldn’t.  He is obsessed with Izzy–but truly loves her, too.

9. What is your favorite scene? Why?

Hard to pick one favorite–it’s like asking me to choose among my children. One scene that I think many readers will relate to is this one:

After swinging by the daycare center, Isabel headed to the grocery store with the three kids. Ramon pushed a grocery cart, and the girls ran up and down the aisles shrieking. Enamored with all things chocolate, the twins stood in the middle of the candy aisle, yanked bags off the shelves and tossed them into the basket. Serious-faced, Ramon placed boxes of kid tested, mother approved cereal on top of the candy. Sometimes that boy looked like an undertaker. Isabel shook her head, pushed another cart with the adult purchases, and ignored the pointed stares of the other shoppers.

An elderly woman approached her with a dour expression. “Young lady,” she shook her finger at Isabel, “Don’t you know how harmful all that sugar is for children?”

Isabel gave the crone her favorite look reserved for morons and meddlers. “Old lady, don’t you know how harmful it is to interfere with a child’s self-expression? Who wants to grow up and be an uptight rectal sphincter like you?” She laughed out loud at the woman’s face, an excellent impression of a fish gasping for breath. “Dictionaries, aisle ten.” Isabel turned on her heel and continued shopping.

The woman sputtered behind her. “Why you cheeky–”

Isabel flipped the bird in the air and kept walking. She arrived at the checkout and turned to Ramon. “Pick out three boxes of cereal and one bag of candy. Ditch the cart in the produce section.” Now on their third lap around the store, Sherry and Ruby appeared to be slowing down. “Get your sisters. We’re outta here. I have to make another stop.”

I bet every mother who reads this has been there. Your kid(s) are rambunctious, but not really evil, you’re minding your own business and some busy body decides to give you a lecture about child-rearing. Can you honestly say you never wanted to respond that way and give the meddler the finger? And I love the scene from the perspective of the character’s growth. Izzy has had a nanny for her brood for quite some time. Now she’s forced into taking care of them and is becoming more attached to them and more protective of them. She has a maternal side to her that she never expected. She grows and continues to grow. In her own weird way, Izzy is protective of her brood and is working on being a good mother.

10. Who is your favorite character? Why?

My favorite character is Izzy. For many of the reasons I’ve already noted above. Originally, I thought the story belonged to Sarah, but Izzy changed the most and became my favorite. She’s so outrageous and does some of the wildest things (like sex in public places and in her office at work) that many women would like to do or have done and won’t confess to. She also says things that a goody-two shoes like Sarah or many others would never say–but are thinking.

11. What’s are you working on now?

I’m one-third of the way through with the second book in the Desire trilogy, DESIRE AND OBSESSION, a paranormal romantic suspense story about a recovering addict who must work with a Mexican drug lord to rescue her one-year old son from the hands of a cult leader who believes the child is the Chosen One. And, I’m researching KISS OF THE VIRGIN QUEEN the sequel to KISS OF THE SILVER WOLF.

By the way, dear readers, do you believe KISS OF THE SILVER WOLF is almost a year old? It was released on October 20, 2010 and is still going strong. Starting today (September 13, 2011), I’ll be be celebrating the novella’s first birthday by selecting one lucky commenter on my blog each week up to October 31, 2011 to win an e-copy of KISS OF THE SILVER WOLF. So, don’t delay! Start commenting!

Gone Blogging!

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Today Melissa Cabrera is interviewing Zack Abingdon, hero of my paranormal novella, Kiss of the Silver Wolf, and me on her blog, Were Vamps Romance. Stop by and see where Zack came from, what his childhood was like and learn other interesting tidbits about this silver-haired hunk!

It’s Tweetalicious! Excerpt from KISS OF THE SILVER WOLF

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Her voice came out in a husky tone. “Guess it’s just you and me. Would you like some apple pie? Or cake? I seem to have enough for two. Or two-hundred.”

Zack gave her a long, lazy smile that made her breath catch and said, “I was hoping for a taste of something else.”

Heat raced up her neck and face, and she could barely whisper, “Applesauce?”

He put his arms around her waist, pulled her snugly against his chest and brushed her lips with his. “You,” he breathed. “I want to taste you.”

She ran her tongue along his luscious lower lip. “Like that?”

He growled and pressed her up against a wall.

Deep within she felt a primal stirring, an almost animal urge to throw him down to the floor and tear at his clothes. Her rational self wondered what she-beast he had awakened, but her inner wild woman said, Shut up and enjoy the ride! Charlene pawed at his shirt, the buttons eluding her fevered grasp. Frustrated and crazed with lust, she yelped, “Take the damn shirt off!”

He stepped away from her, grinned and began to undo the buttons at a leisurely pace. “Am I going too slowly for you?”

Royal Watching: Part II

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Continued from last week’s blog….

Makeda, the Queen of Sheba, while madly in love with Solomon, had to return to her country a virgin, or risk losing her throne. For his part, King Solomon was besotted with her and had to have her. In a cagy move, Solomon feasted with Makeda and made her promise never to steal from him. If she broke the promise, she had to sleep with him. Offended, Makeda pointed out that she had no need to steal from him, that in fact she had more gold and spices than she needed in her home country. However, unbeknownst to the Queen, the King had her food heavily spiced. That night, she became terribly thirsty and searched the palace for water. The only pitcher available was in King Solomon’s room. When she drank, he leaped up and demanded that she come to his bed. That night Solomon dreamed the sun travelled from Israel to her home country, Ethiopia.

Much as she wanted to stay, Makeda insisted on returning home carrying within her a very special gift from Solomon. Saddened by the loss of his true love, King Solomon gave her a signet ring and told her that if she had a son, to send him back to Israel with the ring so he would know him. Nine months later, Menelik was born just outside of Ethiopia. He grew up strong, healthy–and the spitting image of King Solomon. When he turned twenty-two, he insisted on meeting his father. Queen Makeda gave him the signet ring, but there was no need for it as everyone in Jerusalem could see he was his father’s son. King Solomon rejoiced and anointed his son, renaming him David, after his grandfather.

But the Elders and the seven hundred wives and the three hundred concubines grew worried. What if this David took over? What of the other sons of Solomon? After a meeting of the Council of Elders, Menelik/David was sent home much to his pleasure, but against his father’s wishes. King Solomon decided that since his eldest son had to leave, so should the eldest sons of all the other tribes. Amid great noise and with many wagons and animals, Menelik/David departed. But little did King Solomon know at the time, the Ark of the Covenant went with him.

When the loss was discovered, King Solomon sent his horsemen after the travelers. To their amazement, the ark and the retinue were gone. Sped on by the Ark’s own desire to be with Menelik/David, its supernatural powers enabled it to move faster than the horsemen. To this day, the Ark of the Covenant is kept in Axum, Ethiopia, watched over by a priest for his entire lifetime.

This story, like many other wonderful legends, takes place in the space between science, religion and the paranormal.  Kiss of the Virgin Queen, the second book in my Jinn Hunter Trilogy (Kiss of the Silver Wolf was the first book) will explore that space and the effects of the epic romance between King Solomon and Queen Makeda that continue to ripple down the centuries to their descendants. Stay tuned…

*(“Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, a great quantity of spices, and precious stones, never again did such spices come in such quantity as was that which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon” (Kings 10:10 in Coogan, Brettler, Newsom, & Perkins, 2001, pp. 508-509).

PS: If you want to be eligible to win e-books and swag, please go to my CONTACT ME page on my website and send me an email with your name and email address and tell me, “YES! I am entering to win one of your FABULOUS e-books and sign me up for your Snap, Crackle and Popping Newsletter. AND I promise never ever to upload your books to a PIRATE site because I know you work hard to earn your author royalties. Hugs and kisses, Your Fan.” Or something along those lines. ;)

If you are interested in reading more about this topic, here are some books for you.

Budge, W. (Translator). (2007). The Kebra Nagast (The Glory of Kings). Lexington, KY: Silk Pagoda.

Clapp, N. (2001). Sheba: Through the Desert in Search of the Legendary Queen. New York, NY: First Mariner Books.

Coogan, M.D., Brettler, M.Z., Newsom, C.A.,  & Perkins, P. (Eds.). (2001). Kings 10:1-13 in The New Oxford Annotated Bible. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, p. 508-509.

Fraser, A. (2004). The Warrior Queens. New York, NY: Anchor Books.

Razwy, S.A.A. (Ed.) & Ali, A. Y. (Translator).  (2009). The Qur’an Translation. Elmhurst, NY: Tahrike Tarsile.

Royal Watching: Part I

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He was the reluctant heir to the throne of a desert kingdom.

She was a virgin queen living far away in the south.

A little bird told him of her beauty–he had to meet her.

A traveling merchant told her of his wisdom–she had to meet him.

Something greater than either of them conspired to bring them together. When they met, could there be any doubt they were meant for each other? But would duty to country prevail over their pledge to one another? Only time and love would tell.

Sound like the stuff of romance novels? Yes, this was a romance writ large because it was an affair of state and royalty. And these characters appear in no less than four holy books: the Ta Nakh, the Koran, the King James Bible and the Kebra Nagast (The Glory of Kings).

In Biblical times, he who could kill or overcome enemy tribes became king. With lots of children and careful planning, his heirs would succeed him. But not all countries had the same traditions. In some parts of the world, women ruled by might or by right to the throne. For the royals, marrying and having children was an affair of state. Right up until recent times, it was not uncommon for the royalty of different lands to marry for the mutual benefit of their countries. In our modern era, heads of state and heirs to thrones have been granted the freedom to marry whom they choose–within reason.

Millennia before Prince William and Kate Middleton’s time on the world stage, people have been royal watchers. Some watched to see if they were in favor and able to gain, others to see if they were out of favor and about to lose–their heads! Still others watched because it was simply the best show in town.  So when the royalty of Israel met the royalty of Sheba, all eyes were upon them. Based on the appearance of these two royals in no less than four world religions, no one could resist watching the wise King Solomon and the beautiful Queen Makeda.

In researching my work-in-progress, Kiss of the Virgin Queen, I, too, have become a royal watcher–from a distance of over three thousand years.  My historical voyeurism has taken me down a circuitous path across time and cultures to their mythic romance.  Destinies entwined, some would say the Makeda/Solomon romance was beshert.

With construction on the first Temple well underway by the time King Solomon greeted the extravagantly generous Queen of Sheba,* he already had seven hundred (700) wives and three hundred (300) concubines. By marrying princesses of rival kingdoms, he had built an extraordinary alliance and ensured the safety of the trading routes. Curious about the man behind the legend, Queen Makeda traveled fifteen hundred (1500!) miles from Ethiopia to meet the wisest man on earth–and to ask him “hard questions.” When they met, the Queen was “left breathless by Solomon’s magnificence” (Coogan, Brettler, Newsom, & Perkins, 2001, pp. 508). The attraction was mutual–but there was nothing they could do about it. Or was there? The eyes of the world were upon them.

To be continued next week…

PS: If you want to be eligible to win e-books and swag, please go to my CONTACT ME page on my website and send me an email with your name and email address and tell me, “YES! I am entering to win one of your FABULOUS e-books and sign me up for your Snap, Crackle and Popping Newsletter. AND I promise never ever to upload your books to a PIRATE site because I know you work hard to earn your author royalties. Hugs and kisses, Your Fan.” Or something along those lines. ;)

If you are interested in reading more about this topic, here are some books for you.

Budge, W. (Translator). (2007). The Kebra Nagast (The Glory of Kings). Lexington, KY: Silk Pagoda.

Clapp, N. (2001). Sheba: Through the Desert in Search of the Legendary Queen. New York, NY: First Mariner Books.

Coogan, M.D., Brettler, M.Z., Newsom, C.A.,  & Perkins, P. (Eds.). (2001). Kings 10:1-13 in The New Oxford Annotated Bible. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, p. 508-509.

Fraser, A. (2004). The Warrior Queens. New York, NY: Anchor Books.

Razwy, S.A.A. (Ed.) & Ali, A. Y. (Translator).  (2009). The Qur’an Translation. Elmhurst, NY: Tahrike Tarsile.

 

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Sharon Buchbinder
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Rationality, Sensuality and Werewolves

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The idea that people can transform themselves or be transformed into animals has been in existence for thousands of years, ranging from Ancient Greek to Native American cultures.  This framework enabled societies to explain how rational, ordinary people could behave like animals or become extraordinary, sensual beings. Who, what or when it happened varied from story to story, but it could even happen to royalty, as documented in the Book of Daniel 4:33 (Blue Letter Bible, 2011), King Nebuchadnezzar:

“…was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles’ [feathers], and his nails like birds’ [claws]”

Combine this cross-cultural belief with the well documented existence of people with hypertrichosis, or an abnormal amount of body hair, like Stephan Bibrowski (aka, Lionel, the Lion-Faced Man) seen in this photo, Julia Pastrana, the Victorian Bearded Lady, and the Hairy Family of Burma, it is easy to see why werewolves are a persistent and fascinating topic for fiction (Bondeson & Miles, 1996; Miles, 1974; Wikipedia, 2011).

The medical profession approaches the phenomena from a disease framework, and gives people who have the experience of “transforming into animals” the general term of “lycanthropy.” (Moghaddas & Nasseri, 2004). The condition is treated as a delusional disorder and antipsychotic medications are usually prescribed until, like King Nebuchadnezzar, their understanding returns to them.

The paranormal realm has been a part of my experiences as far back as I can recall. When it came time for me to choose a career, I went into healthcare and learned to examine the world from a scientific perspective. It occurred to me that if I had never had early exposure to psychic experiences and had only ever known the scientific realm, that confrontation with the unexplainable phenomena would have been a life altering event. I thought it would be fun to investigate this idea in my fiction and the result of that exploration was Kiss of the Silver Wolf.

In Kiss of the Silver Wolf, Charlene Johnson’s father dies along with his wife in a single car crash under a full moon. Her father, a geneticist, had been conducting research on Gorlin-Chaudhry-Moss Syndrome, searching for a cure for Charlene’s older brother’s disability (National Center for Biotechnology Information, 2011). Charlene, a doctoral student in neuroscience, sees the world through the scientific lens, believing in the power of the intellect. When her parents die, her world is turned upside down, and she is confronted with a family history that defies explanation in this framework. Combined with inexplicable experiences in her new town of Eden, Kentucky, she discovers her emotional and sexual soul mate–who just happens to be a werewolf. Her rational self believes that she is hallucinating and having a psychological response to her traumatic experiences. Her emotional side believes that her lover brings out her best–and her beast. In the end, Charlene has to make a choice. She can reject her true nature and return to the scientific worldview. Or she can accept the fact that science and intellect cannot explain everything and that sometimes the heart is the best judge. In the end, she realizes that it doesn’t have to be an either/or proposition. Empowered by her new experiences, Charlene makes the choice based on her intellect and her emotions.

In a technologically savvy, competitive and intellectually driven world, we sometimes need to be reminded that we don’t have to exclude sensuality and love from our lives. Romance of any sub-genre is powered by this premise and provides us an assurance that love and happily-ever-afters do matter and can co-exist with intellect and rationality.

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If you would like to chat about this or other romance related topics, I will be online at The Romance Reviews all day on June 15, 2011, with their Sizzling Summer Reads in June for Romance. I will be giving away one copy of Kiss of the Silver Wolf to one lucky reader who can correctly answer my question about the story.

References

Blue Letter Bible. (12 June 2011). The Major Prophet Daniel 4 – (KJV – King James Version). Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2011.  Retrieved from http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Dan&c=4&v=1&t=KJV

Bondeson, J. & Miles, A.E. (1996). The hairy family of Burma: a four generation pedigree of congenital hypertrichosis lanuginosa. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. July; 89(7): 403–408. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1295857/pdf/jrsocmed00053-0049.pdf

Miles, A.E. (1974). Julia Pastrana: the bearded lady. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine.  February; 67(2): 160–164. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1645262/pdf/procrsmed00325-0090.pdf

Moghaddas, A.R. & Nasseri, M. (2004). Lycanthropy in depression: A case report. Archives of Iranian Medicine, 7 (2): 130 – 132. Retrieved from http://www.ams.ac.ir/AIM/0472/013.pdf

National Center for Biotechnology Information. (2011). Gorlin-Chaudhry-Moss Syndrome. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/omim/233500

Wikipedia. (2011) Hypertrichosis. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypertrichosis

NEWS FLASH! 5 Stars for KISS OF THE SILVER WOLF from Paranormal Romance Guild

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I’m thrilled to report that Gina (Gigi) Lupo of the Paranormal Romance Guild has given Kiss of the Silver Wolf a 5 Star Review. And, yes, to answer Gigi’s question, I am working on a sequel, Kiss of the Virgin Queen. Please check out the Paranormal Romance Guild and read her lovely, lovely, lovely words at http://www.paranormalromanceguild.com/booksonreview.htm

Please take a moment this Memorial Day weekend to thank our military heroes and heroines for serving our country. And thank their families, too, as they also serve who wait for their loved ones to return home safely.

News Flash! Three and a Half Siren Stones for Kiss of the Silver Wolf!

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I am pleased to share the news that Nikki of Siren Book Reviews has given Kiss of the Silver Wolf three and a half Siren Stones. Nikki said, “Kiss Of The Silver Wolf is a short read, but full of secrets, suspense and action.” To read the rest of her review go to http://sirenbookreviews.blogspot.com/2011/03/sharon-buchbinder-kiss-of-silver-wolf.html