The Cellophane Queen: 'Cause you can look right through me, Walk right by me and never know I'm there...
Wednesday, February 27, 2019
Thursday, February 14, 2019
Celebrate Anyway!
The free books event is over. I hope you didn't miss out on the deal. There will be others in the future. I'll keep you posted.
In the meantime, Happy Valentine's Day and
In the meantime, Happy Valentine's Day and
Happy Birthday Oregon!
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
Setara Has Her Say
FINAL DAY SETARA'S GENIE #FREE ON
I didn’t set out to be a hero. All I
wanted was a little romance in my life, just the slightest bit of
adventure. Was I seeking danger? Did I wish to consort with demons?
Heavens, no! I will have to admit, though, the idea of being the
future wife of a rich merchant was highly unappealing.
When the mountain raiders kidnapped me,
I thought that I’d have neither adventure nor much future at all.
Especially when the raiders threw me into the cave as a sacrifice to
the demon who supposedly ruled within the mountain.
I’m happy to say that Basit wasn’t
a demon at all, but a genie in search of a new master. I wondered
what happened to his old master, and he assured me the man died of
natural causes. I also wondered why Basit wasn’t in a bottle or
lamp as the legends say. Again, he assured me that only the stupidest
of djinns would get themselves caught in that manner. Genies choose
their masters, and Basit thought that having a female master—a
mistress, so to speak—would be a nice change of pace.
Once he forced me to figure out how to
get out of the cave, he continued to be of little help. Well, that’s
not entirely true. He did change a camp dog into a sheik (a handsome
one, of course) when I asked him to, but that didn’t work out
entirely. It seems that Basit prefers to have his charge (that’s
me) figure out how to rescue herself. Sheik, when returned to his dog
self, became my close companion from then on. So, something good did
come from my wish for a rescuer. It just turned out not to be as
romantic as I first believed.
Once I had tasted freedom and a touch
of adventure, I hungered for more. It occurred to me that some other
poor soul might be thrown into the cave for the demon to eat (even
though there never was a demon), and it was up to me to rescue them.
I wasn’t sure how to get Basit’s
attention, since he simply disappeared once I was safely home. It
turned out that calling him worked eventually. I’ll have to say he
sometimes takes his own sweet time to answer my summons. Not a very
obedient Djinn. I got used to him, though, and we enjoyed many
adventures together. But our first adventure (after my initial
rescue) turned out far different than I imagined. There was, indeed,
a lost soul within the cave, but not exactly what I expected.
Throughout our adventures, I gained the
dearest of friends. Who would believe I could love demons,
fire-breathing horses, sentient eagles, or even a genie? There are
many more brave and true companions I met. They taught me the meaning
of love, loyalty, and bravery. Yes, they made me a hero. For that,
I’ll be forever grateful.
Note: Several
of Setara’s unusual friends take part in the following scene.
Briefly, pirates had stolen a mare, the beloved of Hasib (a talking,
fire-breathing horse). The friends, determined to rescue the horse
confront a nasty array of pirates. All of them show great bravery,
but Setara leads them, willing to risk her own life to aid her
friend, Hasib.
In just the time that Sulawesi guessed
it would take them, the little troop arrived at a dune overlooking
the cove where the thieves’ galleon lay in the water. The thieves
were already at the beach, preparing a pair of small skiffs to row
out to the galleon. The thieves tied the stolen horses together, one
horse to the next; nose to tail. A sailor on the ship was rigging a
sling to the yardarm. Clearly, they were planning to make the horses
swim out to the galleon.
“We need to hurry before they leave
the beach, or we’ll not catch them,” Setara said.
“I’m sure I can find something to
delay their departure,” Basit replied.
“Allow me,” Sulawesi said,
spreading his wings. He soared down toward the beached skiffs. The
rest of the troop went over the top of the dune and hurried toward
the thieves as fast as they could through the shifting sand.
Setara gasped as she struggled to run
but made little progress. “Basit, can you make this a bit easier?
Make the ground hard.”
Basit waved his hand, and the sand
became firm beneath their feet, allowing the motley crew of
adventurers to run toward the captured horses.
The thieves looked up, pulling out
knives and swords. Setara thought maybe she hadn’t planned this out
well enough but drew her own small knife and hoped for the best. A
scimitar appeared in Basit’s hand. The two demons bared their claws
and fangs. Hasib puffed real flames with every leap. Sheik barked
furiously as he ran. Setara hoped they looked fearsome as they dashed
toward the thieves.
The thieves also had a formidable array
of sharp weaponry and did not appear afraid of the strange group
attacking them. The two groups met in a clash of swords, knives,
howling demons, a diving eagle, a leaping dog, and a flame-throwing
horse.
“Let go of those horses!” Setara
screamed and leaped at a thief. She slashed her knife downward,
cutting a long rent in the thief’s sleeve. He rounded on her with a
sword, and she held her knife up to block. The sword slid off her
knife blade, but the man immediately drew back his arm again. She was
not ready with her knife, so she ducked her head, hoping to evade the
sword slash. She heard a scream and looked up to see the thief flying
away from her. “What the...”
A snort that sounded much like a laugh
came from her left. She turned to see Hasib with a horsy grin on his
long face and his powerful hind legs hitting the ground where the
thief had been a mere second before.
All around, her friends were struggling
with the thieves. Those confronted by Azizah and Kairav lost their
will to fight and went running down the beach as fast as their legs
could carry them in the loose sand. Setara thought it was a wonderful
thing to have demon friends.
Sheik had bitten down on the arm of one
of the thieves and was shaking the man back and forth. Basit laid
about with swift strokes of his scimitar, forcing the men back toward
the ocean. Unfortunately, another skiff had just come ashore with
several more pirates. The thieves now outnumbered them nearly three
to one.
“Basit! You must do something,”
Setara shouted. Basit didn’t seem to hear her as he beat off the
attack of one of the thieves. She wondered why he didn’t use magic
but had no time to think about it. She saw a thief slash down on
Kairav, sending the pool demon staggering back with a deep cut, blue
blood pouring down his brawny arm. Another smacked Azizah on the side
of the head, sending her reeling. Sheik yelped in pain, but Setara
could not spare a moment to look while she fended off a muscular
thief wielding a heavy club.
Things weren’t going very well at
all.
* * *
A girl, a genie, a few demons. What could go wrong?
Abu Nuwas sits in the bazaar on his threadbare rug; a cup and sign proclaim him a teller of tales. For one small coin, he bids passers by to listen. A poor girl, Najda, sells spices from a tray. Would he, she asks, trade a tale for a packet of spice? Abu Nuwas agrees and begins the epic adventures of a girl and her genie.
As did Scheherazade before him, Abu leaves Najda hanging in the middle of each yarn to keep her coming back. Between stories, he questions the girl about her life. He discovers that she’s been promised in marriage to an old man whom she hates, but she must wed him to save her sick mother’s life. The rich bridegroom will pay for the doctors the mother needs. Meanwhile, Najda sells spices in the market to earn enough money to keep her mother alive.
He relates the adventures of the bored daughter of a rich merchant, Setara, and her genie, Basit, as they encounter the creatures of legend and folklore: a lonely cave demon seeking a home; a flying, fire-breathing horse who has lost his mate; a dragon searching for his family; an evil genie hunting for the man who put him in a lamp; and a merboy prince cast out of his undersea kingdom.
Tuesday, February 12, 2019
Setara Starring in the Movies
FREE FEBRUARY 10TH-11TH. CLICK THIS AMAZON LINK FOR YOUR FREE COPY OF BOOK 2 OF THE TALES OF ABU NUWAS
Enjoy the book trailer for Setara's Genie. You can have the book free today and tomorrow.
* * *
A girl, a genie, a few demons. What could go wrong?
Abu Nuwas sits in the bazaar on his threadbare rug; a cup and sign proclaim him a teller of tales. For one small coin, he bids passers by to listen. A poor girl, Najda, sells spices from a tray. Would he, she asks, trade a tale for a packet of spice? Abu Nuwas agrees and begins the epic adventures of a girl and her genie.
As did Scheherazade before him, Abu leaves Najda hanging in the middle of each yarn to keep her coming back. Between stories, he questions the girl about her life. He discovers that she’s been promised in marriage to an old man whom she hates, but she must wed him to save her sick mother’s life. The rich bridegroom will pay for the doctors the mother needs. Meanwhile, Najda sells spices in the market to earn enough money to keep her mother alive.
He relates the adventures of the bored daughter of a rich merchant, Setara, and her genie, Basit, as they encounter the creatures of legend and folklore: a lonely cave demon seeking a home; a flying, fire-breathing horse who has lost his mate; a dragon searching for his family; an evil genie hunting for the man who put him in a lamp; and a merboy prince cast out of his undersea kingdom.
Monday, February 11, 2019
Story Time with Abu Nuwas
SETARA'S GENIE #FREE Feb. 11th-13th
 |
| © Mandana2000 at Deviant Art |
The main folklore derivation is Scheherazade herself. The frame story of 1001 Arabian Nights is in itself a folk tale. Various stories were added or changed throughout the years. Modern western society likes the cleaned up Disney-style telling. Sir Richard Burton translated from the Persian in the 19th Century to produce a somewhat bawdier version of many stories. Sir Richard was a remarkable character himself, but I just couldn’t work him into the book. I recommend reading about him and also perusing his translations of various works (including the Kama Sutra). Wiki can provide additional details. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Francis_Burton
Was Scheherazade a real person? Yes and no. Like Robin Hood, this storytelling queen is a legend herself and may be based on a real person. However, it’s not known for sure. Wiki has a pretty good write up on her: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scheherazade
A more detailed report is in Wiki, but is flagged as potentially unreliable. It does, however, jibe with other information I’ve read about Abu Nuwas. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Nuwas
In researching Persian and Arabic lore, I was struck by the concept of the frame story. This is the style of 1001 Arabian Nights. The story of Scheherazade provides a framework for the folkloric tales. I had originally written Setara’s adventures as individual short stories. The first two were published as chapbooks by Sam’s Dot Publishing, then as I added another five tales, all the stories were included in a single collection titled “The Seven Adventures of Cadida.” Once the book’s contract expired, I decided to rewrite the stories and include the frame story to make the whole thing flow more as a novel than a series of short stories.
Excerpt
“Oh, goodness. Look at how low the sun sinks. I’m afraid we’ll have to continue tomorrow.”
Najda made a sad face. “I know how you are. You’re just like Scheherazade leaving the story hanging to keep the sultan from killing her.”
“I have met the lady. She was quite clever that way.”
Najda’s eyes grew wide. “You’ve met Scheherazade? That’s fantastic. Where is she? What is she doing now? Does the sultan still love her?”
Abu Nuwas patted the air with his hands. “Calmly, calmly. That was many years ago. She was old; I was young. But, yes, the sultan still loved her to the moment of her death. His heart broke, and he died within days himself.” He shook his head sadly. “A tragic tale in and of itself, yet the sultana left the world with so many delightful tales.”
“She certainly did. A thousand and one stories. Do you know that many, Effendi?”
“Of course!” Abu Nuwas put his hand to his chest and bowed his head. “I know every story. Did you know that she did not make them all up?”
“No! Really! But—”
“It’s true.” He winked at Najda. “It was how she told them that made them so special. I still seek to be as good a teller of tales as she.”
“And in that tradition, you’ll tell me to go home now and come back tomorrow. Is that right?” Najda heaved a deep sigh. “I should have learned that by now.”
Abu Nuwas smiled. “You’re an adept learner, my child. Go home and take care of your mother. I’ll see you on the morrow.”
Najda stood. “Of course.” She walked away until she was hidden within the crowds bustling through the marketplace.
Abu Nuwas pushed his old bones to a stand. He had to bide his time with this tale and hope he would hear from his friend soon.
* * *
TALES OF ABU NUWAS: SETARA'S GENIEA girl, a genie, a few demons. What could go wrong?
Abu Nuwas sits in the bazaar on his threadbare rug; a cup and sign proclaim him a teller of tales. For one small coin, he bids passers by to listen. A poor girl, Najda, sells spices from a tray. Would he, she asks, trade a tale for a packet of spice? Abu Nuwas agrees and begins the epic adventures of a girl and her genie.
As did Scheherazade before him, Abu leaves Najda hanging in the middle of each yarn to keep her coming back. Between stories, he questions the girl about her life. He discovers that she’s been promised in marriage to an old man whom she hates, but she must wed him to save her sick mother’s life. The rich bridegroom will pay for the doctors the mother needs. Meanwhile, Najda sells spices in the market to earn enough money to keep her mother alive.
He relates the adventures of the bored daughter of a rich merchant, Setara, and her genie, Basit, as they encounter the creatures of legend and folklore: a lonely cave demon seeking a home; a flying, fire-breathing horse who has lost his mate; a dragon searching for his family; an evil genie hunting for the man who put him in a lamp; and a merboy prince cast out of his undersea kingdom.
Sunday, February 10, 2019
Getcher Simurgh Here #Free!
FREE FINAL DAY
(Tomorrow, Setara's Genie Will be #Free)
(Tomorrow, Setara's Genie Will be #Free)
So, what is a Simurgh? (see the cover above for a picture) If you don't know, then here's a bit of info on the mysterious bird of legend.
What
the Heck is a Simurgh?
An
early reader of “Faizah’s
Destiny” asked
the question. When I wrote the book, I was definitely under the
impression that everybody in the world knows what a simurgh is, but I
guess I was wrong.
If
you’ve read the 1001 Arabian Nights or even saw the movie with John
Leguizamo as the genie (brilliant!), you’ll be familiar with the
intelligent Big Bird. From the Encyclopedia Mythica,
http://pantheon.org), my favorite source for all things mythic:
In Persian legend Simurgh is a gigantic, winged monster
in the shape of a bird; a kind of peacock with the head of a dog and
the claws of a lion. Its natural habitat is a place with plenty of
water. According to legend, the creature is so old that it has seen
the world destroyed three times over. In all that time, Simurgh has
learned so much that it is thought to possess the knowledge of all
ages.
I
pretty much stick to the traditional description here except for that
dog head and lion claws thing. Considering that the Simurgh know
everything (really, not like that annoying guy at work who just
thinks he knows everything), then it seemed logical to me and my
heroine Faizah to ask them where to find Wafai the missing magician.
The
boys in the little band of rescuers scoff at her, but it all works
out anyway. The search for the bird does get them into the mountains
where they need to be to save the world from Armageddon. You’ll
have to admit that is just a teensy bit more important then finding
an old magician. It’s all good, though. The magician finds the
kids and the birds.
Illustration:
This is a real page on the Simurgh from a real Arabic text dating
back to circa 900 AD. I don’t see any dog’s head or lion claws.
Do you?
Excerpt:
Faizah felt the sunlight on her cheek.
Morning. She kept her eyes closed, savoring the warmth until
something blocked out the sun. At first she thought it a cloud, and
she opened her eyes a slit to check for rain.
A huge bird stood motionless over her,
regarding her with a steady, unblinking gaze.
Her eyes flew all the way open. The
Simurgh was as tall as Master Wafai, the biggest bird by far that she
had ever seen. It looked like a giant peacock, save that its beak did
not come to a point. The eyes were different, too. Instead of beady
black eyes like a peacock, the Simurgh’s matched the iridescent
spots on its tail. It also sported a spray of upright feathers on its
head, giving it a jaunty appearance.
“Hello,” she managed to say and
wondered what to do next. Sit up, or remain as she was? Would
movement frighten them? This last question was quickly answered by
Harib leaping out of his blankets with a startled yelp. Faizah
laughed as she sat up―the Simurgh standing over Harib hadn’t even
flinched.
The Simurgh beside her spoke. “Good
morning, Faizah. Welcome to our home.”
* * *
The gods are at war and only a
farmer’s daughter can save the world from Armageddon.
The village magician has gone missing.
His four pupils think he has left a clue to his whereabouts in the
Magicalis Bestialis--the book of magical creatures. They must seek
the help of the elusive Simurgh, the mythical birds who know all the
secrets of the universe.
However, this is not an easy camping
trip into the mountains. Spirits, gods, and demons confront the four
friends, who are not aware they’re being set up by otherworldly
forces for a much larger task.
A farmer’s daughter, Faizah is chosen
to lead the humans in the battle. She must persuade a slave, an
orphan, and a rich merchant’s son to join in the battle on the side
of good. Although divided by Dev, the evil god of war, the teens must
band together to find the Simurgh, rescue their teacher, and stave
off Armageddon.
Saturday, February 09, 2019
Let's Go to the Movies!
FREE FEBRUARY 9TH-10TH
Stay Tuned - Setara's Genie Going Free very soon!
The gods are at war and only a farmer’s daughter can save the world from Armageddon.
The village magician has gone missing. His students search for him, but are caught up in a war between the forces of light and dark. The magician's best student, Faizah, is chosen by Anahita, the goddess of light, to lead the humans into battle on the side of good. Can a simple farm girl stave off Armageddon?
Friday, February 08, 2019
Free February 8th-10th
FREE FEBRUARY 8TH-10TH
The Gods (and I) Must be Crazy
FAIZAH'S DESTINY borrows heavily from Persian mythology, but the gods pretty much match up to the Roman and Greek gods. Essentially, every civilization re-uses the same gods, but give them different names and their own special flavor.
The heroes are often the mighty warrior types: Hercules, Gilgamesh, Samson. Since I’ve written this book for kids, my heroes are teenagers, not at all like the legends (might become legendary themselves). But they’re not in mythology, so you’ll just have to read "Faizah's Destiny" to find out about them.
As usual, the “real” info is from the Encyclopedia Mythica (http://www.pantheon.org).
Ahura Mazdah
As leader of the Heavenly Host, the Amesha Spentas, he battles Ahriman and his followers to rid the world of evil, darkness and deceit. His symbol is the winged disc.
Anahita
The ancient Persian water goddess, fertility goddess, and patroness of women, as well as a goddess of war. Her name means “the immaculate one”. She is portrayed as a virgin, dressed in a golden cloak, and wearing a diamond tiara (sometimes also carrying a water pitcher). The dove and the peacock are her sacred animals.
Anahita was very popular and is one of the forms of the ?Great Goddess’ which appears in many ancient eastern religions (such as the Syrian/Phoenician goddess Anath). She is associated with rivers and lakes, as the waters of birth. Anahita is sometimes regarded as the consort of Mithra.
Ahurani
Ahurani is a water goddess from ancient Persian mythology. She watches over rainfall as well as standing water. She was invoked for health, healing, prosperity, and growth. She is the daughter of the great god of creation and goodness, Ahura Mazda. Her name means “She who belongs to Ahura.”
Dev
In Persian mythology, Dev is a demon of enormous power, a ruthless and immoral god of war.
The Gods’ Roles in Faizah’s Destiny
I use Ahura more or less as described
in the mythology site. Because he was the leader of the Amesha
Spentas (the good guys), I decided to portray him like Zeus or Thor,
just another god amused at the foibles of humankind, but rarely steps
into the action. He is also equated with Mithra, so I have him
married to Anahita. Ahura shows up in only one chapter (“Demons and
Deities”) and he chats with Anahita about the progress of the
heroes. He claims to have set up the whole situation (just like a
man).
I made Anahita my main character’s
supporter. She appears to Faizah hovering over a lake. She tells the
girl that one or more of her companions (three boys, wouldn’t you
know) will be seduced to the dark side by demons. In typical godly
fashion, she can’t give Faizah a straight story; she only hints at
what might happen.
I also include a guest appearance by
Ahurani, another goddess associated with water. One of the boys is in
need of motherly advice, and Ahurani provides it for him. To say
anything else would be a spoiler.
Finally, Dev is the villain of this
book. As a god of war, his purpose is to create chaos and disruption.
He feeds off anger and strife. He’s just downright mean and Evil is
his middle name (if he had one). He’s the god who sends the lesser
demons to tempt the boys to his side in the first skirmish of the
upcoming battle between good and evil, Armageddon.
* * *
Stay Tuned - Setara's Genie Going Free very soon!
Stay Tuned - Setara's Genie Going Free very soon!
The gods are at war and only a
farmer’s daughter can save the world from Armageddon.
The village magician has gone missing.
His students search for him, but are caught up in a war between the
forces of light and dark. The magician's best student, Faizah, is
chosen by Anahita, the goddess of light, to lead the humans into
battle on the side of good. Can a simple farm girl stave off
Armageddon?
Tuesday, February 05, 2019
Gung Hay Fat Choy 2019
Chinese New Year falls on February 5th in the Western year 2019. The Chinese year is 4717, in case you'd like to update your calendar.
This is the year of the Pig. Now, don't be nasty. Pigs are smart and happen to share a lot of genetic material with humans. You might need a pig's heart transplant someday, so be nice. Besides, I was born in the Year of the Pig, so I have a fondness for my porcine friends.
Every year, the horrendous monster 年 (Nián) would terrorize villages. It would eat everything, from mosquitoes to human beings. As time went on, the villagers realized that the monster came every 365 days to wreak havoc before disappearing back into the forests.
So the villagers decided that on that day, they would prepare a feast and dine before the ancestors for protection. After years of hiding like this, a youth came up with the idea to use firecrackers and scare the monster away once and for all.
Such goes the legend of the origin of Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival. Because the purpose was to scare off Nian and prevent it from returning, the holiday decorations are typically a bright and loud red.
The color red is much loved by the Chinese in general as it represents happiness and good fortune. Below are some popular decorations used to create festivity for the celebration.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)