23. April 2010 by admin.

SCARLETT JAMESON

Today I’m interviewing debut romance author, Scarlett Jameson. Her book, STELLAR HEAT, is a futuristic erotic romance and was released on April 23^rd!  

BOOK BLURB

Jak of House Midori, has found his heart mate, that one person he can connect with on a soul level. Only problem is, as a twin from the planet Zaphron, Jak must share his mate with his brother. But Qwin wants to wait until they are more established in their careers as Star Flight officers.

Petty Officer, Lily Buchanan has whiplash from trying to figure out Jak’s intentions. At the pub he’s charming and flirtatious, but his aloof attitude on campus leaves her confused–and burning up with sexual energy.

When the three are assigned to repair a satellite in the Helix Galaxy, they are attacked by enemy star fighters. Seriously outgunned and their craft crippled, the three are stranded alone on an uncharted planet. Will Qwin agree to ease the mating fever consuming Lily, or will Jak be forced to initiate the mate-claim and exclude his brother from their union forever?

Thanks for joining us this morning, and good luck with your amazing book. Readers, you can find more information about Scarlett Jameson and her book, ‘STELLAR HEAT’ by visiting her publisher, The Wild Rose Press, or her website www.scarlettjameson.com or blog www.rileyquinnauthor.blogspot.com.Nancy Lee Badger

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21. April 2010 by admin.

Do what’s in front of you as well as possible.

Keep going until you realize what you’re best at. 

-Helen Gurley Brown, author and publisher 

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11. April 2010 by admin.

Scottish mythology is actually quite entwined with the Irish. One such example expounds on how settlers from Greek Asia Minor sailed across the sea to a place they called “the mountain of Ireland”. These settlers warred with Picts, invaded an area known as Britain, conquered the people, and renamed the land ‘Scotia’. When the Gaelic world assimilated the Picts into their fold, some history was lost and subsequently filled-in with myths and folklore. The people of present day Scotland grew from a diversity of cultures and their individual influences.

Myths are often considered an aspect of folklore, but not all. Mythology might include the belief in the supernatural, where as folklore and folk tales derived when people had the need to explain mysterious events. Pre-Christianity might have had a hand in old world myths and folklore. A people’s yearning to believe in the hereafter, or in some type of entity, lived on through stories passed generation to generation. Once Christianity became widespread, mythological creatures, such as the “Fairies”, faded away.

Scotland has a rich Celtic History going back over 2,000 years, at a time when superstition was rife and where unusual events were ‘explained’ by legends and whimsical stories. It is therefore not surprising that Scotland has an extensive heritage of myths and folklore. Many objects, including castles, have accumulated their share of myths and legends, such as circles of stones or cairns. These standing stones, and megalithic remains, highlight these reminders of the ancient inhabitants of Scotland.

Some believe that religion was an adaption from stories and memoires or evolutionary biology. In other words, religion evolved as byproduct of psychological mechanisms that evolved for other reasons. These mechanisms might have told early people how to watch for things that could cause them harm (omens). This morphed into an ability to come up with causal narratives for natural events (folk tales) while other people had minds of their own with their own beliefs, desires and intentions (mythology and the precursors of organized religion).

Unexplained observations (thunder, lightning, movement of planets, and other complicated events of nature) were the basis of stories. These word-of-mouth explanations changed with the frequency of their telling which is why one myth could have many different descriptions or endings.

The distinctive features of Scottish Folklore are filled with the characteristics of Scotland’s varied scenery. The serene lap of the deep mountain loch, the trickling of a tiny creek, the harsh splendor of the mountains, the solitude of the moor, reflect in their folk tales and myths. The fairies, the brownies, and the bogles of Scotland are similar to those the Irish believe live in their own hills. Their Irish nooks and crags, streams and meadows might be different, but many legends are told with similar aspects except, maybe, for how they dress.

An example of the similarity between the land of the Highlands and the land of the four-leaf clover is the legend of the Selkie. In Scotland, this mythical Selkies are shy marine creatures in the shape of a seal, usually found near the islands of Orkney and Shetland. A female can shed her skin and come ashore as a beautiful woman. If found, a man could force her to be his wife. Of course, as the legend goes, if she recovered the skin, off she’d go. Male Selkies are said to be responsible for storms. What better explanation for the sinking of a ship?
Selkies of Irish lore are said to come from Co. Donegal in Ireland, which happens to be where many people made their living from the sea. Living by the sea might cause people to craft stories as a way to explain its mysteries. The Irish considered the Selkies to have the same characteristics as those of Scotland, even though they considered other sea creatures more malevolent. Most scholars believe the seals and sea lions from which these myths evolved had sweet, non-threatening dispositions. This might have allowed them to easily be transformed by myth into non-threatening Selkies. At least, the females!

Religion changed much of the thinking of the people who listened or read the more popular beliefs which were often rammed down their throats by the hierarchy of a given land. Myths and folklore slipped to the back burner, but never disappeared. Many tales are quite popular today and have thousands of followers. Think of the legend surrounding the Blarney Stone in Ireland or the Loch Ness Monster. Even Girl Scout troops around the world call their youngest recruits ‘Brownies’ after helpful creatures that do good deeds.

Myths and folk tales live on because people need to believe in them. There are hundreds of wonderful stories out there about kelpies, fairies, banshees, and the like. I recommend the following websites if you would like a taste. You might even recognize one or two stories!

www.compassrose.org/folklore/scottish/Scottish-Folktales.html
http://www.sacred-texts.com/ 

Written by Nancy Lee Badger and previously published September 2, 2009 on History Undressed:  http://HistoryUndressed.blogspot.com

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9. April 2010 by admin.

I never painted dreams.

I painted my own reality. 

          -Frida Kahlo, artist

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