Erin Moore's Blog

Reindeer Moon by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Elizabeth Marshall Thomas doesn’t write books. She writes our history, infused with dreams.

My first foray into the writings of Elizabeth Marshall Thomas was the book “The Old Ways”, and it’s a book that continually haunts my thoughts and even my conversations with others, and became more than just research for my own prehistoric trilogy. Her deep insight into the Ju/wassi tribes of Africa is a testament to her brilliant way with words, as well as her ability to make the layperson understand a culture not their own.

In “Reindeer Moon”, though, the story is much more personal and accessible. Through Yanan’s young eyes, we learn the ways of Siberian hunter-gatherers in the Paleolithic era, but Yanan could be any girl, caught between her culture and her own wishes, often to the detriment of those around her.

What is so refreshing about Ms. Thomas’ writing is that she never bows to conventionality or any restriction of how a story “should” unfold. So many times at various conflict points in the novel, I would think that somehow, Yanan must overcome her pride and learn from her mistakes (though it may be doubtful whether they are mistakes or not – she is at least always authentic) and will escape the fate that we learn of in the prologue, when Yanan tells the reader that “I was still a young woman when I left the world of the living and became a spirit of the dead.”

Though we might have read other novels narrated by ghosts, I’ve never read any other stories like Yanan’s, in which she becomes not just one other animal in her spirit journeys, but many, sometimes finding it hard to return to the world of the human spirits. But we always hope that she will, so that she can tell of us of her life. Strong and impetuous, she often finds herself at odds with the elders of her clan, but she refuses to be cowed. (view spoiler)[It is only at the end, when she realizes that she has lost Timu’s love, that we get the sense of any remorse. “…all I ever saw of Timu was his back far ahead of me. And the only words I heard from him were spoken to others.”

But just as we begin to think that Yanan might reach out to Timu, might offer reconciliation, the end comes unexpectedly for Yanan. (hide spoiler)]

The mark of a great story-teller is, as someone much wiser has said before me, enchantment. And that is the only word that can describe this novel – enchanting. We are pulled into a world we can no longer live in, even should we choose to, but a world that is still somehow familiar. Though Yanan and Meri would have lived twenty thousand years ago, their worries, fears, jealousies, and love are our own. And it is due to the magic of Ms. Thomas’ words that we find the world of spirits, hunts, bears, and famine as understandable as our own, too.




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Reindeer Moon by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Elizabeth Marshall Thomas doesn’t write books. She writes our history, infused with dreams.

My first foray into the writings of Elizabeth Marshall Thomas was the book “The Old Ways”, and it’s a book that continually haunts my thoughts and even my conversations with others, and became more than just research for my own prehistoric trilogy. Her deep insight into the Ju/wassi tribes of Africa is a testament to her brilliant way with words, as well as her ability to make the layperson understand a culture not their own.

In “Reindeer Moon”, though, the story is much more personal and accessible. Through Yanan’s young eyes, we learn the ways of Siberian hunter-gatherers in the Paleolithic era, but Yanan could be any girl, caught between her culture and her own wishes, often to the detriment of those around her.

What is so refreshing about Ms. Thomas’ writing is that she never bows to conventionality or any restriction of how a story “should” unfold. So many times at various conflict points in the novel, I would think that somehow, Yanan must overcome her pride and learn from her mistakes (though it may be doubtful whether they are mistakes or not – she is at least always authentic) and will escape the fate that we learn of in the prologue, when Yanan tells the reader that “I was still a young woman when I left the world of the living and became a spirit of the dead.”

Though we might have read other novels narrated by ghosts, I’ve never read any other stories like Yanan’s, in which she becomes not just one other animal in her spirit journeys, but many, sometimes finding it hard to return to the world of the human spirits. But we always hope that she will, so that she can tell of us of her life. Strong and impetuous, she often finds herself at odds with the elders of her clan, but she refuses to be cowed. (view spoiler)[It is only at the end, when she realizes that she has lost Timu’s love, that we get the sense of any remorse. “…all I ever saw of Timu was his back far ahead of me. And the only words I heard from him were spoken to others.”

But just as we begin to think that Yanan might reach out to Timu, might offer reconciliation, the end comes unexpectedly for Yanan. (hide spoiler)]

The mark of a great story-teller is, as someone much wiser has said before me, enchantment. And that is the only word that can describe this novel – enchanting. We are pulled into a world we can no longer live in, even should we choose to, but a world that is still somehow familiar. Though Yanan and Meri would have lived twenty thousand years ago, their worries, fears, jealousies, and love are our own. And it is due to the magic of Ms. Thomas’ words that we find the world of spirits, hunts, bears, and famine as understandable as our own, too.




View all my reviews

Welcome, Ally, to my little blog. I'm super excited to host Ally and her new book, Wild Fire. Love that cover, too!

Read down below for a fun "Settings" hunt - a little bit of a different kind of scavenger hunt (with a prize, of course!) 

Now I'll turn it over to Ally & Wild Fire: 

 

A vision. A lost talisman. A dangerous journey through time...

A month after their bonding, Ari and Andreas are still adjusting to married life when they learn the hard way that the O-Seven, the terrifying and brutal vampire elders, still have them in their sights. A three million dollar bounty hangs over each of their heads, and there’s no lack of assassins eager to collect.


When the local seer has a terrifying vision of the destruction of Riverdale, it’s up to Ari—as usual—to keep everyone safe. Only this time, an enemy from the past has bound her fire powers, and the city’s string of arsons seems connected.

 Daron, the vampire prince in Toronto, has information that two of the vampire elders are on their way to Riverdale. Which can’t be good. Only a risky and unprecedented journey through time can provide the help they need. But that will leave Andreas to face the O-Seven alone...


 Excerpt:

The tracks in the snow gradually moved up the slope toward the older parts of Riverdale, out of the tourist district, past residential homes, angling toward the cliff area that overlooked the Mississippi River. Then it took a sharp swing north.

Ari looked ahead, her gaze following the tracks through the gate and into the Riverdale Cemetery. "I don't like this." She came to a stop with one hand on the gate. "Don't you think the trail is a bit too obvious? As if he wanted us to follow him?" Her eyes scanned the cemetery grounds for anything unusual, a shadow, a hint of color out of place among the stones and crypts. The only sizable tracks went behind a tall mausoleum.

"A trap?" Ryan drew his pistol. "Do you sense something?"

"Maybe. But there is a lot of magical interference in graveyards." Ari frowned. She sensed a flicker of Otherworld power, but it didn't feel right. Shielded? Would a halfling demon be that good? She eased through the gate; Ryan followed close behind. Her magic stirred, raising the hairs on her arms, and she stopped, extending her witch senses to probe the area around them—tasting, smelling, touching the environment. Her magic roared to life.

"Back!" she shouted. "Power. And lots of it."

Two gigantic figures leaped from the top of the nearest crypt. A howling rent the quiet of the cemetery. By the time the creatures landed—one in front of Ari and Ryan, and the other cutting them off from the gate—both had morphed into fiery red, eight-foot demons, their eyes deep black holes. Each carried a metal shield and swung a five-foot mace.

"Hellsgate warriors!" Ari crouched, raising her fingers to call the witch fire to her command.

Buy Links:

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Wild-Fire-Guardian-Witch-Book-ebook/dp/B00NWX6Y7K 

Book Trailer on Youtube: http://youtu.be/nGO1wudi7xQ

Author Bio:

Ally Shields was born and raised in the Midwest, along the Mississippi River, and considers herself a "river rat." The setting and folklore of that area are often incorporated into her Guardian Witch series. After  a career in law and juvenile justice, she turned to full-time writing in 2009. She loves writing, reading and traveling. Way too often she can be found on Twitter. @ShieldsAlly

Contact Ally here:
Website: http://allyshields.com
Blog: http://allyshields.com/blog.html
Facebook: http://facebook.com/AllyShieldsAuthor
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ShieldsAlly
Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6527209.Ally_Shields
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/allyshields

 
Blog Tour GIVEAWAY: Nov. 7-10:  Readers and writers always talk about characters in books, but settings are almost as important, and they play a huge role in the Guardian Witch series. Wild Fire is no exception, and this blog tour is revealing several settings that are the backdrop for major events in this new release. In fact, I think they're so important that I'm running a special contest.

 If you collect the names and numbers of all ten settings, you could win your choice of three ebooks in the series (including this latest release) or a $15.00 Amazon gift certificate. It's easy to do. Here are the rules.

 Visit the blogs on this list -- or enough to collect all ten settings -- then email me at allyshieldsbooks@gmail.com by 9:00 a.m. EST, Monday, November 10, 2014 with your completed list. You will automatically be entered in the random drawing (two winners).

 NOTE: A setting may appear on more than one blog, so be sure you have 10 different settings before turning in your entry.

 Here is the list of participating blogs*:

 AJ Locke

Angela Myers

Brinda Berry

Carmen Stefanescu

Danielle Devor

Dani-Lyn Alexander

DL Richardson

Erin Moore

JL Buck

Joyce Laverne

Kath Marsh

Kirstin Pulioff

Lindsey Loucks

Norma Huss

Sue Roebuck

Tina Gayle

(*If you can't find a post, return to allyshields.com for updated links and blogs.)

Now for the setting: #9  (below)
Vampire Caverns - The caverns within the cliffs under Riverdale are natural caves that have been enhanced over time by various occupants, including

Native Americans and the vampires. They contain a variety of incredible formations and Spirit Cave, which was first mentioned by name in Book 4.

 Good luck! Thanks for  joining Wild Fire's release celebration!

 More Fun: Those of you who read this before 6:00 - 10:00 p.m. EST on November 7, are invited to join us at the official Facebook release party (https://www.facebook.com/events/314795258698003/) for games and prizes, including books, swag and more gift certificates!!

Hi everyone! I was invited to participate in this blog hop by Shehanne Moore (yes, we have the same last name. That means she is also awesome. But she is amazing for many reasons, and her books are very different, very dark takes on the typical historical romance.)

Here's some more information: When not cuddling inn signs in her beloved Scottish mountains, Shehanne Moore writes dark and smexy historical romance, featuring bad boys who need a bad girl to sort them out. She believes everyone deserves a little love, forgiveness and a second chance in life. Visit  her blog to find out about past releases and hear more about her forthcoming time-slip historical,  The Viking and The Courtesan.  http://shehannemoore.wordpress.com/ 

And you can read her post about her characters here:   http://shehannemoore.wordpress.com/2014/08/24/meet-my-charac…-the-courtesan/

Thanks, Shehanne, for the invitation!  Now, back to me.
What is the name of your character? Theseus Lambros, aka Teo. (yes, like Theseus from the myth.)

Is he/she fictional or a historic person?  Nope. He is my own creation, though he does have some links to the mythical Theseus.

When and where is the story set?  It's a contemporary set in Crete.

What should we know about him/her? Teo is really tortured by his ties to his homeland and the island - he is forced to become a minotaur. He doesn't know whether he killed his last girlfriend when he became the bull.

What is the main conflict? Teo is afraid that he will hurt Lara, as he believes he did with his ex. He doesn't want to get too close to her in case he becomes the bull again.

What messes up his/her life?   I've always thought that shape-shifting might seriously mess up your life!

What is the personal goal of the character?  He wants to be sane again. To not feel as if he is being torn apart. And to find a love that heals (though he doesn't know it).

Is there a working title for this novel and can we read more about it?    Of course! It's Awakened by the Minotaur.

When man becomes minotaur, dark passion takes hold…

Lara Castille always plays it safe in both love and life. But when she arrives on vacation in Crete, she is determined to enjoy herself. Old habits die hard, though. Drawn to her tour guide, the enigmatic and sexy Teo Lambros, she cannot let down her guard—until she takes part in the ancient and sensual rites at the ruins of Knossos. She dreams of the minotaur who takes her upon the altar, and wonders if it could be Teo who brought her to ecstasy.

A gray haze clouds Teo’s memory of the rites; he knows only that the bull has chosen him for his own. He fears that the land will once again need a sacrifice, as it did when it claimed his fiancée the year before. Though he cannot deny his need for Lara, he knows that protecting her from his desire is the only way to keep her safe.

As the island’s magic demands everything they have, Lara and Teo must discover what’s real and what’s imagined if they’re to survive the passionate sexuality that draws them together…

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

And here are the lovely authors that are continuing the tradition next week:
(I love that Barb's blog is called the Elfyverse! I could totally use a cooler name for my own blog...)

BARB CAFFREY is a writer, editor and musician from the Midwest. She is the author of the humorous urban fantasy/romance AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE, and is the co-author of the Adventures of Joey Maverick series (with late husband Michael B. Caffrey).

Previous stories and poems have appeared in BEDLAM'S EDGE, HOW BEER SAVED THE WORLD, BEARING NORTH, STARS OF DARKOVER, the Written Word online magazine, Joyful Online, the Midwest Literary Magazine, and at e-Quill Publishing. A writer, editor, and musician, Barb is also an inveterate reader, a huge baseball fan (Go, Brewers!), reviews books at Shiny Book Review, follows politics, is mystified by the Maury show, and wonders when her little dog will ever stop doing "the paw trick."  Find her at Elfyverse, Facebook, or Twitter.



Weres, ancient Gods, mythology? This is a girl after my own heart! Anybody that has a two-horned God on their cover is a friend of mine.

If you love sexy vampires, possessive werewolves, muscular Fae, and ancient Gods, then Kryssie Fortune is your girl.

From Yorkshire, Kryssie draws inspiration from local legends and myths. She loves mythology and visiting ancient sites. Her husband says she’s part cat - always curious. And though he might be right, she’d rather be part dragon.

She writes hot, erotic romances with magic, emotion, and happily ever after's.  Her Scattered Siblings series are stand alone books set in the Otherworld - a place of magic and mystery. Kryssie loves to hear from readers. Find her on
Twitter , Facebook, and her own blog.

Hi everyone! I was invited to participate in this blog hop by Shehanne Moore (yes, we have the same last name. That means she is also awesome. But she is amazing for many reasons, and her books are very different, very dark takes on the typical historical romance.)

Here's some more information: When not cuddling inn signs in her beloved Scottish mountains, Shehanne Moore writes dark and smexy historical romance, featuring bad boys who need a bad girl to sort them out. She believes everyone deserves a little love, forgiveness and a second chance in life. Visit  her blog to find out about past releases and hear more about her forthcoming time-slip historical,  The Viking and The Courtesan.  http://shehannemoore.wordpress.com/ 

And you can read her post about her characters here:   http://shehannemoore.wordpress.com/2014/08/24/meet-my-charac…-the-courtesan/

Thanks, Shehanne, for the invitation!  Now, back to me.
What is the name of your character? Theseus Lambros, aka Teo. (yes, like Theseus from the myth.)

Is he/she fictional or a historic person?  Nope. He is my own creation, though he does have some links to the mythical Theseus.

When and where is the story set?  It's a contemporary set in Crete.

What should we know about him/her? Teo is really tortured by his ties to his homeland and the island - he is forced to become a minotaur. He doesn't know whether he killed his last girlfriend when he became the bull.

What is the main conflict? Teo is afraid that he will hurt Lara, as he believes he did with his ex. He doesn't want to get too close to her in case he becomes the bull again.

What messes up his/her life?   I've always thought that shape-shifting might seriously mess up your life!

What is the personal goal of the character?  He wants to be sane again. To not feel as if he is being torn apart. And to find a love that heals (though he doesn't know it).

Is there a working title for this novel and can we read more about it?    Of course! It's Awakened by the Minotaur.

When man becomes minotaur, dark passion takes hold…

Lara Castille always plays it safe in both love and life. But when she arrives on vacation in Crete, she is determined to enjoy herself. Old habits die hard, though. Drawn to her tour guide, the enigmatic and sexy Teo Lambros, she cannot let down her guard—until she takes part in the ancient and sensual rites at the ruins of Knossos. She dreams of the minotaur who takes her upon the altar, and wonders if it could be Teo who brought her to ecstasy.

A gray haze clouds Teo’s memory of the rites; he knows only that the bull has chosen him for his own. He fears that the land will once again need a sacrifice, as it did when it claimed his fiancée the year before. Though he cannot deny his need for Lara, he knows that protecting her from his desire is the only way to keep her safe.

As the island’s magic demands everything they have, Lara and Teo must discover what’s real and what’s imagined if they’re to survive the passionate sexuality that draws them together…

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

And here are the lovely authors that are continuing the tradition next week:
(I love that Barb's blog is called the Elfyverse! I could totally use a cooler name for my own blog...)

BARB CAFFREY is a writer, editor and musician from the Midwest. She is the author of the humorous urban fantasy/romance AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE, and is the co-author of the Adventures of Joey Maverick series (with late husband Michael B. Caffrey).

Previous stories and poems have appeared in BEDLAM'S EDGE, HOW BEER SAVED THE WORLD, BEARING NORTH, STARS OF DARKOVER, the Written Word online magazine, Joyful Online, the Midwest Literary Magazine, and at e-Quill Publishing. A writer, editor, and musician, Barb is also an inveterate reader, a huge baseball fan (Go, Brewers!), reviews books at Shiny Book Review, follows politics, is mystified by the Maury show, and wonders when her little dog will ever stop doing "the paw trick."  Find her at Elfyverse, Facebook, or Twitter.



Weres, ancient Gods, mythology? This is a girl after my own heart! Anybody that has a two-horned God on their cover is a friend of mine.

If you love sexy vampires, possessive werewolves, muscular Fae, and ancient Gods, then Kryssie Fortune is your girl.

From Yorkshire, Kryssie draws inspiration from local legends and myths. She loves mythology and visiting ancient sites. Her husband says she’s part cat - always curious. And though he might be right, she’d rather be part dragon.

She writes hot, erotic romances with magic, emotion, and happily ever after's.  Her Scattered Siblings series are stand alone books set in the Otherworld - a place of magic and mystery. Kryssie loves to hear from readers. Find her on
Twitter , Facebook, and her own blog.

Happy to host another paranormal author today! I've asked her a few fun questions - the things I always wonder about other paranormal authors.

Why shifters? I read a lot of shifter fiction, so naturally my thinking is a little orientated in that direction.

Which paranormal (or other) authors do you read, and why? I read several paranormal authors. One of my favorites is Kinsey Holley. She has one book in particular that is still at the top of my Kindle list, “Ready to Run.” Every time I read that book, I catch find nuances that I didn’t see before. She has a compelling way with words.

Favorite novel? I am especially fond of the Liadin series by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. So one of my favorites is “Conflict in Necessity,” their novel, “I Dare,” runs a solid second.

Favorite non-fiction? I frequently read, “More Readings From One Man’s Wilderness, the journals of Richard Proenekke,” by Richard Branson. It’s full of the day to day life events of a man who lived alone in Alaska’s Wilderness for over thirty years. The book is full of simple plain writing about a man who was in love with life and living it his way.

If you had a million (or billion) dollars, would you still write? Yes! Absolutely, without a doubt, there are so many stories inside me and each one fights to get ¬out.

What does a typical writing day/night look like? There is no typical writing day or night in my world. I do have several hours a week in which I try to squeeze in a lot of writing, and a few minutes here or there to edit. I often pull up the document that, screams at me the most just to see where it wants to go.

When did you know you wanted to write, and why? I am so bad with time. I recall having the idea for a story as far in the past as twenty years ago, but I know it was a good ten years later before I had the courage to sit down and write it.

What is the story that is just dying to come out, but you haven't felt strong enough yet for it? I’m not sure if this is the answer to your question or not. I wrote a novel about a gifted teenager forced to live with her biological mother who was a ruthless and unfeeling woman. When I originally wrote that story, I was pretty new to writing. I didn’t know any of the “rules.” To re-write it would lose the beauty of the story, the depth of feeling. To keep it the way it is, would make it unsellable. I don’t know if I have the talent it would take to rewrite it and still keep the depth of character in the piece. So it’s not really in my head it’s on my hard drive, but it may never be published.

When you write, you feel____? I believe the word we’re looking for is “exhilarated,” writing, true writing for me is an honest high.

Next book? WIP? Hopefully in a few months my short story, “Pixified,” will be out. It’s a little story involving a witch, a tiger changer, a band of loose pixies and an Enchantress. Fhina teams up with her relative, Tessa and they solve a mystery surrounding Tessa’s cursed bakery. Fhina’s famous earrings make a brief appearance, as does the Wizard she stole them from.

Favorite tip for motivation? I stand by cleaning and boredom. I love a fresh smelling room and an empty floor. It enables me to clear my head and ideas usually follow along swiftly.

What do you do in your down time, other than reading? Writing takes up a considerable amount of my down time, however, I’ve dabbled in quilting, Ukrainian eggs and wood working and I’ve built my own table.

Thanks for coming by, Sheryl!

Find her here:

Website  /  Blog    /  Facebook  /  Twitter

Why do we love werewolves?

To answer this, we have to start with drugs. Our pre-historical ancestors all stemmed from shamanic cultures, ones in which spirit journeys were regular occurrences under the influence of strong hallucinogens, of which psilocybin form mushrooms was only one. And shamans and their followers became creatures imbued with power, like hawks, eagles, bears, deer, or leopards in South America.

And wolves, of course.  

            These cultures celebrated (and still do) the ancient connectedness of all creatures. But with the advent of agriculture, when a more patriarchical society arose, the power of one individual shaman – not a warrior—became less pronounced. Instead, it was up to the group of warriors to gain more land for farming, and less reliance was placed on the shaman’s teachings. Even more so, the use of the hallucinogens began to be phased out: wars could not be conducted if everyone was taking mushrooms! (This is also when the consumption of mead started – a much easier intoxicant for a group.)

But something was lost when most of Western Europe took up an agricultural way of life. Gone were the days of the cave paintings of Lascauz with men with the heads of deer– no more ritual magic was practiced, no more shape-shifting.  The memory, though, remained. And in Western Europe, this became the werewolf.

As the Catholic Church gained more power, these werewolves turned into something that we all know well from the witch hunts: people who had made a pact with the devil. Magic, in all of its faces, was not to be allowed, and the werewolf became something to be feared and reviled instead of respected.

So what changed in the last couple of hundred years? What led us to where we are today – with bookshelves lined with sexy werewolves and other shifters?  As with everything, what was once taboo becomes titillating. Carl Jung would tell us that we are exploring our own shadow nature when we are drawn to these beasts, that their existences in the limens between death and life is what makes them so attractive to us. We fear our own shadow natures, the things that make us beastly, but yet we recognize ourselves in them, too.

But that cannot be everything, right? There is also something of redemption in the story of a beast who becomes man (or vice versa). In my opinion, we all want to be the one for whom the beast recognizes his humanity. We all wish to be the one for whom the beast can become man again.

            And, of course, they are just so damn sexy.

(this was originally posted on Katya Armock's blog on February 21st)

You may be wondering, what is an archetype?  It’s what Carl June considered “a collectively inherited unconscious idea, pattern of thought, image, etc., universally present in individual psyches.”  [Dictionary.Reference.com]

What that means is that the archetype must be a symbol or image that all cultures share.  The Jungian idea of the Trickster is often linked to shape-shifters, but werewolves are more than tricksters.  They speak to something primal and elemental in all of us:  the ability to change from human into pure animal.  And, by being animal, these werewolves are doing things that we cannot.  They are reacting on instinct, allowed to express their “shadow” selves and be the animal that is inherent in all of us.

The rise of modern fantasy (and paranormal romance!) has given us werewolves who retain their essential human consciousness after they shift, allowing us to empathize even more with a being that must live continually on the margins of society, forever doomed to liminality and secrecy.

In my own writing, the idea of a love story between two werewolves from warring clans, sort of Romeo and Juliet for shifters, took shape.  Morgane and Aelric emerged as these two dark, perhaps slightly damaged characters, who were very much marginalized within society and even within their own families.  It is their status as outsiders and their own fight to be recognized that defines their relationship with each other and with the world around them.  Morgane pretends that the world around her will just come to accept her animal nature, while Aelric believes he can fight through the perceptions of humans.  This tension, along with their sexual attraction for each other (of course – it IS romance), carries the story.

So why do we care that these werewolves are something more than themselves?  Because when we wonder why we can never get enough Taylor Lautner, or why we fall in love with the characters on True Blood, we know it is because they are expressing some deep part of ourselves. The animal is within all of us.

This article first appeared on http://kabrinimessage.blogspot.com/

This week, I'm participating in a blog hop - this one showcasing six paragraphs from a recent work. I invite everyone to hop around to other amazing writers, too, and get some sense of what they're working on.

This post will be published on June 4th.