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Snippet from Sacred Places by Mandy M. Roth
Snippet from Sacred Places by Mandy M. Roth
Paranormal Dark Fantasy Romance
Coyle O’Caha, a seven-hundred-year-old, immortal druid sorcerer, has one claim to fame—his experience mentoring fledgling witches. Three years ago, he found his soulmate, Deri Sullivan. With Deri haunting his dreams, he can no longer wait to claim her. He’s tired of waiting for her to fall for his charms and see that he’s the man for her. Of course, that’s easier said than done since Deri is immune to both his charm and magik.
Deri Sullivan’s boss is a real piece of work. Not only is Coyle a millionaire with a body to die for and an attitude to match, but he also has a Scottish lilt which makes her knees weak. He’s a certified ladies’ man. A man she should avoid at all costs. A man she can’t seem to quit dreaming about. A man with whom she wishes she could share her secret. Sometimes love happens at its own pace, other times, a supernatural nudge is needed.
WARNING: This book contains hot, explicit sex and violence explained with contemporary, graphic language.
Copyright© 2006 Mandy Roth
All rights reserved — a Samhain Publishing, Ltd. publication
Only Coyle made her body react this way and it seemed to be getting worse as time went on. What had started off as mere curiosity on her part now bordered on obsession. He consumed her waking thoughts and seemed to invade her every dream. It had to end soon. She had someone else in her life. Someone who wasn’t unobtainable. Someone who claimed to care for her even though he had a funny way of showing it. Why was she drawn to this moody millionaire who still insisted on running his own small pub on the seaside?
Sure, his devilishly handsome good looks had something to do with it. How could they not? The man’s black tousled hair hung just past his ears and it looked as untamable as the rest of him. The seemingly endless tribal tattoos adorning his body added a whole new layer to Coyle’s mystique. Setting aside his money, he was pure perfection. He also had the ability to not only make her feel safe, which was rare, but to make her laugh as well.
You and every other babe out there.
Women flocked to him. It was sickening. They arrived at the pub in groups of four or more, retreating to the back with Coyle until the wee hours of the morning. Deri refused to be one of his endless streams of women. She was not a Coyle groupie nor would she ever be one.
Okay, maybe not outwardly, but inwardly I’m a classic groupie.
Disgusted by her lack of willpower, Deri steeled herself to his touch, hoping it would make her immune to whatever it was he possessed. It didn’t. It did, however, make her painfully aware of how close she was to being one of his groupies.
I will not throw myself at this man’s feet.
Jerking back from him, Deri shook her head, sending tendrils of red hair scattering about as her clip gave way. Her hair seemed to engulf Coyle’s large hands as it fell to the tips of her breasts, teasing her and driving her closer to the brink of begging him to have her.
The sound of her cell phone ringing caught her attention and saved Deri from making an even bigger fool of herself. Drawing back more, she tipped her head. “Excuse me.”
“Of course,” Coyle bit out, aggravation evident. “Wouldnae want to keep precocious lil’ Chad waiting.”
Rolling her eyes, she pulled her cell phone from her waist. “As if you have any clue who is calling me.” She flipped her phone open. “Hello?”
“Hey, Deri,” Chad said, his voice strained. For a split second, Deri thought she heard a female’s voice in the background, whispering something low near Chad. She dismissed the thought although her mind tripped over it once more.
“Umm, hi.” She turned and tried to walk away from Coyle to avoid his penetrating stare. Plus, putting distance between herself and the headstrong Scot would only help to avoid letting him know he was right about who was on the phone. Though, Deri had little doubt the man needed no such confirmation.
Wonderful. Sexy and psychic.
Coyle moved with her, dwarfing her five-foot, six-inch frame with his close to six and a half feet one. The slightest bit of pressure from his hands was enough to hold her in one spot, not that she wanted to go too far from him anyway. No. Deri wanted to be pinned beneath those hands. Held in place as he used his long fingers to explore every inch of her.
Take me.
A cocky smile graced Coyle’s face. The urge to smack it off was great. She held back. “Tell Chad I said ‘hi.’”
Before she could stop herself, Deri had her middle finger in the air—flipping Coyle off in a very unladylike gesture. Coyle nipped playfully at it. “Promises. Promises, Deri. If it’s rutting yer after you’ve only but to ask. I’ll nae deny you.” He ran a hand over the bulge in his jeans and arched a brow. “I wouldnae suggest being fool enough to tempt me again or you might find yerself spread out before me like an offering. And, lass,” he added in a low voice, “I’ll do more than take you up on it. I’ll consume you.”
Her jaw dropped. Coyle captured her middle finger with his mouth and sucked gently, sending sparks of pleasure through her body. Instantly, her inner thighs tightened. She gasped. He chuckled as he worked his tongue out and over her finger with a skill she could easily imagine him utilizing to bring her pleasure.
“Deri?” Chad asked. “Babycakes, you okay?”
“What woman are you with now?” The question made little sense but it fell from her lips all the same. Still, it was all she had and the feeling that Chad wasn’t alone nagged her. It had been over a year since someone, besides herself, had touched her in a way that was even remotely sexual. To have the one man she desired most doing it was almost too much.
“What woman?” Chad laughed. It sounded forced, with a nervous edge. “Deri, I called to tell you that I’m running late and stuck at the office. There is no other woman. I won’t be able to pick you up from work tonight. Can you catch a ride home with Gigi?”
Coming to her senses, she yanked her finger from Coyle’s mouth and shook her head. “No, I can’t get a ride home with Gigi because she’s off tonight and tomorrow and the next night,” she mentally counted to five before continuing on, “because she’s visiting her sister in Pennsylvania, Chad. Remember? You were with me when I dropped her off at the bus depot.”
It would have been so easy to zap Chad with her power. Too easy. Killing mortals was wrong. She didn’t need anyone to tell her as much. Inflicting a little pain on the other hand—no, I can’t.
Raven’s Recession Gift Card Giveaway!
Raven’s Recession Gift Card Giveaway!
We know times are tight. We’re feeling the pinch too. We also know that the first things to be cut from most household budgets are the luxuries like book buying. Often we have contests that features free downloads or paperbacks (yes, we’re including those in this too) but we thought it would be nice to do more—to help ease the pinch as best we could. Our solution, a massive gift card giveaway contest. We’re giving away thousands of dollars worth of prizes! (We’ve given away thousands and are STILL doing it!)
How does it work?
Glad you asked! Once a month we’ll randomly select winners from those who have entered. They’ll be notified via email.
What are you entering to win?
You’re full of awesome questions! We have lots and lots and lots (can’t really stress this enough) of gift cards to nationwide retailers to give away, plus free book downloads, free paperbacks, and pretty much whatever else we can think to toss at folks come winner selection days. Examples of just some of the ones we’ll be giving away—Wal-mart, Meijer food, Gordon Foods, Kroger, Visa pre-paid cards, Borders, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Outback, Chilis, Red Lobster, Old Navy, Macy’s, Sears, Hot Topic, JcPenny, prepaid gas cards, starbucks, and many, many more. Also, we’ll be tossing in free downloads of our books and paperbacks as they’re available to us to giveaway. UPDATE to prizes: DSI Lites, kindle ereaders, video games, moives, tv box sets and much, much more!
How often are we selecting winners?
Monthly! Again winners will be notified by email and if it’s a gift card (rather than an e-gift card) that you won, we’ll need your snail mail addy to send it to you. Don’t worry, we’ll ask you for it if you’re a winner.
Can I pick which gift cards or prizes I get?
No, sorry. We’re randomly selecting winners and pairing them equally as random with prizes.
How do I enter for a chance to win?
We’ll be drawing out winners from a few different places this time around. From our Raven Books newsletter mailing list members, from Raven Books Twitter Followers and from Raven Books’ owners Michelle Pillow & Mandy Roth’s personal mailing lists, facebook followers and twitter followers. If you’re already on all the mailing lists and follow each twitter/facebook, yay, you’re already entered to win! If not, here are the direct links for each.
The Raven Books Email Newsletter
Michelle M Pillow Email Newsletter
Why aren’t you posting winners name publicly?
We got dinged for doing this and are taking a small break. Apparently, not all people who enter contests want their name out that they entered and won. (Frankly, I find this odd but that’s me… Ouch, Michelle just slapped me for saying that publicly. I feel someone had to.)
When should I start?
Now! The sooner the better. We’ll repost this contest page in its entirety at the start of each month of the contest as a refresher for any who might have missed it and a reminder to any who might want to enter more than once.
Can I get a bonus entry if I also promote this contest in addition to promoting Raven Books?
You sure can! Just be sure you’re promoting Raven Books first and foremost. Then, if you spread the word about the contest too, you’ll be entered multiple times.
Any stipulations?
Yes, you must be 18yrs old or older to enter. Contest is void where prohibited. No, we will not send you cash equivalent and all the other normal disclaimer stuff inserted here_____. Yadda yada yadda yada….
Marketing with Mandy: Author Spotlight, Trinity Blacio
Marketing with Mandy Author Spotlight: Trinity Blacio
Q: Tell us a little about your experience with Ravenous Romance. (insert publisher name here or if self-published put self-publishing here).
A: I first started working with Ravenous Romance four years ago. Lori Perkins brought me on board. Everyone at RR has gone out of their way to work with me. Holly Schmidt, Allan Penn, and Lori Perkins are always working on promoting their authors, getting Ravenous Romance books out there to uncharted waters. If you have a suggestion they listen and they are always on the lookout for more talented authors.
Q: What tips/tricks do you use for marketing or promoting your own titles?
A: Short and sweet. Do not step on toes, follow the rules when promoting. Interviews, blogs, radio shows, anything that gets your name out there. Carry business cards with you and hand them out when you do your errands. They might not be interested in what you write, but they will be telling others they met an author and that could get you a sale.
Leave free stuff at your local library’s, book stores, and colleges.
Q: What is one thing you’d want to tell a newer author, just coming into the game?
A: Never give up. Any business you go into there are ups and downs. Cut throat people who will try everything to discredit you and your stories. So believe in yourself, talk to other authors, most of them would be willing to give you any advice they can. They can even point out some do’s or don’ts.
Also you find a great place on the internet link it, write it down you never know when you’ll need that place again.
Ask authors to do interviews for your website, other authors also bring different readers to your websites. Plus, you help others, others will help you.
Q: Could you tell us a bit about your latest release?
A: My latest release is Book seven in my series, Running In fear: New Beginnings Jubilee, and yes it is better to read the books in a row.
They have a new world, a new beginning: now all they need is for their enemies to drop dead and leave them alone. Jaycee LeBlathe, Suzanne Hazelfield, and Lissa Elam have no idea how to be the first ladies, to be queens, let alone rule over anyone. All they know how to do is survive, until now.
Nikola, Dominic, Remi, and Dane have decided it is time for their female companions to live again, to love, and to know what a family unit is all about. Their people now brought over, settling into new homes on a new planet, everyone waits for the word that the war on Earth is over. Are their mates truly safe now? Or will this New Beginning Jubilee be put on hold?
The previous titles are as follow, which all can be found at Ravenous Romance:
1. Running In Fear: Escape
2. Running In Fear: Abandoned
3. Running In Fear: Coming Home
4. Running In Fear: Cupid’s Venom
5. Running In Fear: Dragon’s Den
6. Running In Fear: Ghost Warrior
Q: Can you tell us a little about your current WIP’s?
A: Right now I’m working on the first book for my witch series called, Rapturous Celestial Sanctum. The first book, The Triad Warriors.
In the year 2020, vampires, witches and warlocks, shifters live among the human race, trying to survive. A peace has settled among the races, but the witches and warlocks still trust no one. Prosecuted throughout time, the gods have stepped in to set up havens for said witches and Warlocks.
Fourteen Sanctums are scattered across Earth. Each one is run by an ancient warrior, protector of witches and warlocks, giving them a haven from those that would kill them or use them for evil purposes. Each Sanctum will have at least three novel-length stories. The Sanctum is hidden behind the image of private BDSM clubs.
What better way to hide, to fuel their powers, and to shore up alliances for the threats against their people in a private club of sex?
A: Q: How did you get into writing? A: Actually, my mother encouraged me, after seeing some of my college papers printed in the local newspapers and such. Ever since then I haven’t stopped. I’ve wanted to, believe me especially after the first set of bullies came along. Yes, there are authors who are bullies in our world. Just have to learn how to ignore them.
Q: How do balance family and writing?
A: I work when ever and where ever I can. Making supper I’ll be running back and forth to the computer when I can writing, but the majority of my writing comes in the early morning hours, when all is asleep or in school.
LINKS:
Author HomePage
Author Twitter
Author Facebook
2012-Mandy M. Roth
I’m hard at work on more books and some special related projects that I can’t talk too much about right now. I have some really exciting marketing and contests planned for the year. As always, our (Michelle Pillow and I) gift card giveaway is ongoing. We award hundreds of dollars a month in them so be sure you’re entered for a chance to win one.
I wanted to say thank you again for making 2011 a record sales year for me. I know I’ve said it before but I do have the best readers out there. You guys are great!
On deck for 2012 (I’ll list just the things for first portion of year) I have Civil Twilight (Project Exorcism 4), Prince of Flight (King of Prey 4), Separation Zone (Immortal Ops 5).
As for my Rory Michaels books (by now I’m sure you all know this is my pen name) I have The Unabashed (Macon Valley Menage 6) and Theirs to Take (Hazard County Threesome).
I would love to get Parker’s Honor out. Its book two in my Cowboys and Supernaturals series but Blaze of Glory had lackluster sales but MUCH pirating. *sigh* I will say that if you enjoy my book (written under my name Mandy M. Roth) I think you’ll really like Blaze of Glory. It has my “flare” for sure. I’d really love to keep working on this series.
I keep getting emails from readers wanting to know what they can do to help me. Let me first say, that’s friggin’ awesome that so many of you want to lend a hand. I hope you feel as invested in my career as I do because so many of you have been there with me for the entire eight years. Those who are new to me, welcome! I always tell readers the best way to help an author out is by spreading the word about their books, telling others, recommending them. Another is by “liking” their books on online store sites such as Amazon, by agreeing with tags on products and most importantly, taking time out to review a book—even a few short words (good, bad, indifferent). This helps so much!
Mandy M. Roth: Over 60,000 self-pubbed ebooks sold!
It was difficult to decide to launch a self-publishing endeavor. Even with the support of my friend and fellow author, Michelle M. Pillow, it was still a hard decision to make. So, let me put you in my mindset for mid 2009-2010. I’d had some issues with one of my publishers. I won’t go in to who or what but it’s safe to say that I did not elect to renew my time released contracts with them. Already many of my titles with them had reverted back to me. I’d down some outsourcing, re-releasing several with Samhain Publishing and Ellora’s Cave Publishing but I simply had too many coming out of contract at one time for either publishing house to get out in a timely manner. Plus, I would hear from my editors, this is great but I want some new (non-previously pubbed) work from you. I understood where they were coming from but my readers had other demands. My inbox was exploding with requests/demands for the next books in existing series. Many of the series at that point were out of contract and without a home.
The pressure began to mount as did the emails from readers. After talking with Michelle and realizing she was in the exact situation as I was, we thought, well, we could try publishing them ourselves. Keep in mind, this was still very “new” to authors. We’d already spent years being pointed at and singled out because we were at e-first publishing housing. (We’ve been published since 2004 and it was with an e-first/ebook publisher.)
I know I was actually told I wasn’t a “real” author because of the publishing houses I was with and that I needed to post my sales number to prove I was actually making any money. Insulted, and frankly ready to kick a few select persons straight in the teeth, I elected not to post my sales numbers. It was none of their damn business. I didn’t ask to see their income, asking to see mine was rude.
It was pointed out more than once that I might as well be vanity published instead of bothering with Samhain and Ellora’s Cave and other e-first pubs. I am NOT the only author who went through this. I believe the majority of us with these companies from nearly the start dealt with this. It was just the way it was. So, when it came to 2009-2010 time frame I’ll admit to being gun shy about wanting to publish my own books—re-release or not.
Michelle and I talked and talked and talked and decided nothing ventured, nothing gained. We’d stood up against the naysayers with small press and came out the other side smiling, we’d do the same with self-publishing. We’d already been heavily involved in The Raven Happy Hour. It actually comes from a nightclub in my Daughter of Darkness books that was hugely popular with my readers, so much so that it spawned into an online free ongoing story and an online hangout for our readers and fellow author friends. It was wildly popular and very time consuming. It already had a following, a name and we were known for Raven-ish promos so it was a no brainer to call our self-publishing endeavor The Raven Books.
It also was a no brainer to tackle new territory with Michelle. I am a cover artist as well as an author. I’ve done covers for many, many houses (over 500 covers to date) under the brush name Natalie Winters so we already had a professional cover artist at our disposal and I was already doing websites for so many people I lost count, why not do The Raven Books as well? Michelle worked hard teaching herself to format ebooks for us as well as countless other administrative tasks that would bore a normal person to tears. We put out a call and interviewed possible editors and final line editors. We found several we were comfortable with and hired them out on a per book basis.
We started small, hosting a shopping cart site, uploading our formats, having people buy directly from us. Then, one day we read a news release about Amazon opening its doors to indie/self-pubbed titles. We decided, why not? Barnes and noble did the same and then ARE and others did as well. By July of 2010 we were listed our self-pubbed titles on Amazon, BN, ARE and smashwords (who in turn sends to Sony and Diesel and others).
Putting the titles back in front of the masses was hugely successful. That was when we knew we had a “home” for our out of contract books. Self-pubbing!
More titles came out of contract and we went through the process of hiring editors to go through them again, doing edits, new cover art, new ads, the works. As we were able to get a fair number of them back in front of readers again we realized we could actually write something totally new and self-publish it. Immortal Ops 4 was the very first book I wrote totally with the idea I would publish it. Strategic Vulnerability didn’t just do as well as the other books in the series which I’d gotten rights back to and re-released, it did better!
From there other stories were born with the idea I’d be the one publishing them. It was amazing how creatively energized I felt. I knew I didn’t need to worry about certain things my other publishers would and wouldn’t allow in books. I had the freedom to write what I wanted and how I wanted it. Such an awesome and muse librating thing.
I also realized I could do a side project I’d always wanted to do but couldn’t without hurting my author name branding. I wanted to write contemporary westerns that were erotic. Now, the erotic part isn’t really a stretch for me. It’s the contemporary western part that was vastly different from everything written under the Mandy M. Roth name. Thus, my pen name, Rory Michaels was born. It was a great way to keep the branding I’d established and focus on a new one just related to contemp westerns. All the Rory books are new and never before released. And to date I’ve published several new (never before released) Mandy M. Roth titles as well (Strategic Vulnerability, Master of the Hunt, Winter Solstice and Adam’s Angel).
Yesterday, I was finally able to sit down and go through my sales reports. I mean, really go through them. I decided to do every report from my top three sales vendors. The goal was to see what books/series were selling well and which had something left to be desires. I have many books and many series. I need to know when to pull focus. I figured this would be a help. Boy did it ever!
As I compiled the data from July 2010- Dec 2011 (from Amazon, BN and ARE) I was stunned at the unit sale numbers coming in. I already knew how much money had been made. I track that very carefully. But this was actual numbers of unit sales clear as day before me. In my mind I’d somehow thought I’d sold maybe 20,000 ebooks. (No, that number doesn’t jive with my income earned but I didn’t really think hard on it. I knew I was earning more per title than I had when they were with other small presses so I naturally assumed it meant a lower unit sales number than what it was.)
Much to my shock and delight, I saw that I was OVER 60,000 self-pubbed ebooks sold from Jul 2010-Dec 2011 just at the top three. Note: not all my books have been out this entire time. They have been released over the time. I was over the moon with excitement. The number does NOT include any FREE ebooks giving away through KDP select (that total is around 10kish). The total is ONLY units sold and ONLY my selp-pubbed units sold. Not Michelle’s. I would never release her or any author’s sales numbers. None of my titles still with Spice, Samahin or Ellora’s Cave were factored into this. The over 60,000 does NOT include sales figures from the titles when they were with other publishers, these are ONLY the numbers from them being published by me. So be mindful, these numbers are on most titles that are re-releases and just a very few new works. These had already sold first and second editions at other pubs so I was stunned to see them perform this well for me.
To me this was a huge milestone. It added validity to all the hours, all the hard work, all the sleepless nights of getting the Raven going. We honestly have put in many 18 hour days. It also proved to me that we truly have the best community of readers, friends and fellow authors out there.
I’m sure someone will try very hard to dismiss this accomplishment or belittle it. Sadly, there are many who can only find the negative in things. That’s fine. I’ve been dealing with those people since I started writing just over 8years ago and since I was first published. I’ll be dealing with them until I drop, I’m sure. What matters is that I’m ecstatic over the numbers. They’re not what New York could move but they are what “I” could move and that makes each and every single one so VERY important to me. Thank you for helping me reach this personal milestone and for sharing this journey with me to date. Can’t wait to see what tomorrow will bring.
Are Michelle and I moving totally to self-publishing (Raven) only? No. We still have offers from large houses and still have titles with Harlequin Spice Briefs, Samhain Publishing, Virgin Black Lace, Pocket, Ellora’s Cave, Random House, Running Press, Adam’s Media and more. We love the Raven and the freedom it provides. But we also love what other houses provide us as well. Every experience we’ve had to date has helped to mold us into the authors we are today. These sales numbers for my self-pubbed titles are being shared because I’m proud of them and simply wanted to share with “friends, readers and fellow authors”.
I’ve always been extremely supportive of fellow authors and have always appreciated my readers beyond words. I hope these numbers inspire others and that we as authors/readers move forth together as a united front in the publishing community and continue to move the industry forward.
Side Note: Raven Jul2010-Dec2011 sold over 150,000 self-published ebook titles!
Mandy M. Roth
Daily Writing Life: Mandy M. Roth
I wake up in the morning feeling like “insert random rap star name here”… not really but it seemed like a fun intro to this glimpse into my writing daily life.
I treat writing just like what it is, a full-time job. When I was still “in the workplace” I would wake up in the morning, get ready for work and be to my office by 8am. Same holds true with me being home and writing from my home office. I’m to work by 8am. I start my day the same as when I was in the workplace. I check email, catch up on anything pressing there and by 9am I have my daily conference call with my fellow co-owner of The Raven Books, Michelle Pillow. We discuss what needs to be done administration wise for the company that day, who is doing what task, what book is in what stage of the publishing process and any type of marketing things we need to think about. We are an e-first publisher and our goal is to always stay one step ahead of the market, never to chase it. We have the ability to switch gears on a dime and because of that, we are always in touch with one another. The conversation normally lasts an hour. When you’re dealing with a business earning what Raven Books earns, and you’re doing it with a very small number of employees, you have to be in the thick of it. You have to be hands on. After the conversation is over I normally catch up on whatever we discussed and then I take a lunch break.
While on my lunch hour I eat and then contact people regarding anything personal, like dog groomer apts, dr appts, catching up with friend quickly or saying hi to mom or grandmother. I watch the clock. I’m off the phone and done with my tasks by the time my hour is up. Then, it’s time for me to return to my office and get to writing. I write until 4pm when my youngest two children get home from school. Then, my time is theirs. I’m “Mommy” until bed time. I then return to my office to write more or do covers. Whatever needs done. I often get up in the middle of the night and work too.
I don’t treat writing as a hobby. It’s not. It’s my full time job. It’s my livelihood. It’s what pays the bills at my house and what is needed to put three boys through college. I’m strict with myself and my time because if I don’t take my writing/job seriously how in the heck can I expect readers to take my work seriously and spend their hard earned cash on it?
I should say that I keep this schedule Mon-Fri. Once a month I have a week that is nearly all admin and often includes travel related to the publishing house or at the very least research for my next book. I also know after 8 years of writing full-time that the month of Dec is a work wash for me. Thanksgiving pretty much kicks off the “get nothing done” stage and I know better than to plan a heavy release schedule for that time or for January. I work as much as I can through December and think of whatever I get done as a huge win. Since there are holidays there and the kids are off for a week, I know when to label a win a win.
During the summer the kids are home and I do a ton of research/writing travel. I’ve learned how to set my yearly releases accordingly. I know which months I have more work time and which I have less. No matter what month it is, I’m always doing something to better my career and myself. If I’m not writing, I’m doing admin. If I’m not doing admin, I’m doing research. If I’m not doing that, I’m doing work related travel (research, signings, meetings, appearances, workshops, guest speaking). If I’m not doing that, I’m doing social media and I’m out there planning marketing for my books.
I take my job very seriously. It’s my career, what I want to do for the rest of my life. I’ve spent eight years building a brand for myself, a name, a new small press and a decent sized following of loyal readers (who are awesome, I might add). I’m just lucky enough to be doing something I love. That doesn’t make it any less important to me or my time any less valuable. Authors and aspiring authors, don’t feel ashamed for demanding time to do your job. And readers, please know, I really do put a lot of time in all my books and I truly hope you enjoy them as much I do writing them!
My newest release
Adam’s Angel (League of the Unnatural)
Lynne’s Monster of the Month – the Sphinx
The sphinx is probably the best known beast in Egyptian mythology. It’s related to the Persian manticore, and shares the lion’s body and woman’s head, and is a fearsome beast, devouring its prey without mercy. It’s prey is man, and presumably, woman.
The best known story about the sphinx is probably the Oedipus myth. It’s the sphinx’s fault that it all happened. Oedipus was brought up by the king and queen of Corinth as their own baby, but he was told by the Oracle of Delphi that he was destined to kill his father and marry his mother. In order to avoid this fate, Oedipus decided not to go home. Instead, he took to the road to seek his fortune, and on the way to Thebes, he met the king, Laius, who challenged him. After a great fight, Oedipus killed King Laius.
Later on the road, he met the sphinx, who also challenged him, this time with a riddle, perhaps the most famous riddle in mythology. “What goes on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs at night, and the more legs it has, the weaker it is?” The answer is “man,” and while it might appear obvious to us, Oedipus was the first man to answer correctly. If he hadn’t, the sphinx would have devoured him, as she had all people before him.
The sphinx’s riddle solved, she killed herself. It’s a bit like a comedian with one joke, who retires when the audience stops laughing, only with death and blood involved. And a lion.
Oedipus traveled on to the capital of Thebes, where he met Laius’s widow, Jocasta, and married her, after being feted as the man who got rid of the sphinx.
Legend says that despite the obvious difference in their ages (Jocasta was one of the first cougars!) they loved each other very much. They had four children, and Thebes prospered under Oedipus’s care.
Eventually disaster struck, and infertility hit Thebes, both in people and crops. Oedipus sent to the Oracle of Delphi again for help, and was told that the murderer of King Laius must be found and brought to justice.
The truth comes out bit by bit. First that Oedipus had killed Laius, then that Oedipus was the biological son of Laius and Jocasta, who had abandoned him to die when they heard that their son would kill them. Jocasta hanged herself, and Oedipus puts out his own eyes with the brooches from her gown. His daughter, Antigone, led him into exile. Theseus of Athens sheltered him and he died.
There’s lots more, and of course the Oedipus myth has given rise to no end of stories. Plays by Sophocles and Euripedes, echoes of Oedipus in King Lear and then, of course, there was Freud, who used Oedipus as the basis of his first great theory of psychoanalysis.
But without the sphinx it couldn’t have happened.
Lynne Connolly
http://lynneconnolly.com
Lynne’s Monster of the Month: Why are monsters of legend still so popular?
Instead of picking a new monster this month, I thought I’d write about what the monsters mean.
We write stories of mythology, creatures come to life and beings so fabulous we couldn’t imagine them existing. We get carried away by their gorgeousness or their repulsiveness, their size and their sheer horror.
But what do they mean and why are they there?
It’s a complex subject, and a fascinating one. One reason often put forward is that our ancestors might have residual memories of dinosaurs and the monsters that once roamed the earth. But the ancient civilizations were almost as far removed from Tyrannosaurus Rex as we are. So that’s probably a blind alley.
Instead, look inside. The monsters epitomize terrors and fears, some of them internal. That’s the real reason they’re so fascinating. Not that they’re horrid or fabulous scaly, feathered, furred creatures, although that helps, it’s because of what they represent, what they tell us about the human condition.
The Minotaur lives in the middle of a labyrinth. It’s not hard to see the labyrinth as the brain, a tangle of twisty turns and paths. It’s not until relatively recently that we discovered what the brain was for and what it does. But it must have appeared a mystery to our ancestors. And the Minotaur is the monster who lives at the center, the hidden hopes and fears that lurks to destroy hopes and dreams. It’s doubt, the loss of faith and hope. Everything that comes from the inside rather than outside. Theseus is the hero who destroys the bull, with the help of Ariadne. The masculine and the feminine sides of a character combine to destroy the beast within us all, but in that destruction there is the seeds of another tragedy, because although Ariadne abandons her loving father and her home, Theseus abandons her on Naxos.
One of my favorite all-time paintings is the Bacchus and Ariadne by Titian, showing the moment when Ariadne loses Theseus but gains Bacchus (I’ll definitely talk about that painting in the future). So Ariadne had her happy ending, just not the one she expected.
And the outside monsters are dealt with, too. The Trojan horse, a man-made monster, was the Greeks’ way in to the enemy camp, although, of course, it can be seen as an internal threat, too. They all can. That’s why we’re still writing and thinking about stories that were written so very long ago, and why they still live in our hearts. More than scales, feathers and fangs, that is what’s important. And continues to be so.
Ghost and Hauntings-Level Four & Five
Let’s talk ghost and levels of hauntings. Here is level four & five.
Level 4. The Trickery Stage
• Flying/moving objects
• Objects disappearing and reappearing elsewhere
• Shaking furniture
• Pushing or shaking people
• Windows, mirrors or other household objects breaking for no reason
• Levitation
Level 5. The Danger Level
• Dangerous activity
• Biting, Slapping or punching
• Animating objects
• Use of household electrical systems
• Hair pulled
• Heavy objects falling
Have you or anyone you know experienced this level? If so, tell us about it.
Ghost and Hauntings-Level Three
Let’s talk ghost and levels of hauntings. Here is level three.
Level 3. Electrical Control
• Lights and other electrical appliances turning ON/OFF
• Unseen hands grabbing or touching people
• Writings on walls or pattern markings
• Doors that Open/Close or Lock/Unlock
• Hearing voices or words clearly
• Full apparitions or dark figures
• Showing levels of communication with living people
Have you or anyone you know experienced this level? If so, tell us about it.
