A SHADOWED SPIRIT BY SARA C. SNIDER

Okay, peeps, I'm doing something entirely new and different here.  A blogging friend has a book coming out, and I have the honor of posting about it.

Isn't the cover soooo pretty?  I just love the feel of it.  

The muted background  enhances the gold sparklies.

Where to find the Awesomeness:

Kobo
Apple
Barnes & Noble
Google Play 
Goodreads 

Plus, she is having a giveaway on her blog between May 17th through the 31st.

So swing on over and try your luck!

The mystical Blurb: 

She used to be called Emelyn. She used to be nobody. Now she is Siyan--a creature of magic known as an And'estar. But Siyan doesn't understand what that means, just as she can't control the power that has woken within her.

Addigan worked her entire life to master the Art of magic and become a respected Magister, only to fail her final test. Scarred and desperate to prove her worth, Addigan pursues rumors of trees of power and a mysterious people called And'estar.

When Siyan heads into the dense and dangerous forest searching for answers, she doesn't realize Addigan is coming for her. In this twisting chase of hunter against hunted, Addigan must choose how far she is willing to go to prove herself. And Siyan must let go of everything she knows--and everything she loves--if she is to gain control over her power. Even if it kills her.

In a journey that follows the intertwined lives of two women, A Shadowed Spirit is a mystical tale that redefines the boundaries between life and death, dreams and reality, and what one is willing to sacrifice to achieve the happiness she seeks.

And last but not least Where to find the Author:

Blog
Facebook 
Twitter
Pinterest

MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU!

Yes, today is Star Wars fun day.

People, libraries, and so many others have fun by dressing and displaying books and movies of the epic series that spans almost three generations.

I made my first Star Wars fandom trip when I was six months old.  My mother told me that I loved R2D2 and the Jawas.

I revisited this epic moment when they first came out on VHS for the first time.  Then again when I was in college. That was when the remastered editions came out in theater in the mid 90s.

I have come to have a love/hate relationship with Jar Jar Binks from the first of the new trilogy.  My favorite happens to be the third movie where we return to the beginning of the of the original trilogy with the birth of Darth Vader.  And with him, the return of the most awesome of voices, courtsey of James Earl Jones.

I loved BB8.  He was my absolute favorite character next to Rey.

Kylo Ren, on the other hand, has my deepest, darkest thoughts of how to relieve him of life with the most pain possible.



(All pictures from Pixaby)

A TO Z CHALLENGE 2016 -- REFLECTIONS

This year was a fun theme.  I love delving into mythologies and legends, ghosts and evil creatures, and even stories that are just urban myth.

I'm happy that I finished it.  It was very close to being the first one that I did not finish.

I still haven't been able to fix my computer, and I only get bits of time to post at work (aka lunch break and breaks).

So, V was almost not happening.  I had nothing on it the day before it was due, but I got it out and had the the last letters (except for z) written out.  Well, the informational stuff was written out on paper.  I still had to write the stories at the time of posting.

I didn't get to visit many blogs this year, but the ones I did were great.  Silver Fox had some awesome vintage Comic book Heroes and Villians.

Samantha came back in style with her gorgeous MUSIC and STORY with the fantastic contests that I love.

And I got followers!  That made my day.  Thank you!

I had a wonderful time.  See you again next year.

A TO Z CHALLENGE 2016 -- ZMEU

You watch her.  You want her to be your bride. She is perfect for you.

Swooping from the sky, your might is too strong for them.  You take her up into your arms.

She struggles, but it is futile.  She will marry you.  A purr of pleasure rumbles at the thought.

This time your precious maid will not be taken away.



Zmeu is a humanoid dragon!  One of the coolest beings I've come across.  They can turn into full dragons and have other shape shifting ability as well.  They also can create tools to use.

There is a debate on etymology and that he could be some type of ogre or giant, but why mess with a fire-breathing, maiden-stealing, flying bit of awesomeness!

Of course, the handsome young man (aka  Făt-Frumos) has to go rescue the girl from it.  Sometimes, he has to travel to the lair of the Zmeu, tarâmul celălalt (other world/realm) to save the maiden from marrying the creature.

They don't always steal girls. They steal other precious things like golden apples or the sun and moon.

There are different versions from all over Eastern Europe.  This happens to be the Romanian one.

A TO Z CHALLENGE 2016 -- YAMAUBA

You lead them through the forest.  They have lost their way.

You open your door for them, offer them food. You give them shelter.

You wait.  Anticipation courses through your veins.  Your mouth salivates.

You gaze upon them and grin.  They are asleep.

Rising, you stalk toward the man.  He barely opens his eyes when you strike.

Ah . . . Heaven.  Hot blood of your victim stains your mouth.  Man flesh tastes wonderful.



Yamauba (or Onibaba) is a Japanese demoness or ogress that was once human.  Usually these women fled because of their wicked deeds or were abandoned in times of famine, but they survive to become yokai.

They are classified in the kijo type yokai. They are cannibalistic and will 'help' travelers and shelter them for the night in their huts. They will attack after their guests have fallen asleep.

 They usually live in isolated mountains and forests far from civilization.

Yamauba may have once been kami before being demonized.

One story has a Yamauba raising Kintaro, a legendary hero.

They can also be found in Noh plays.

A TO Z CHALLENGE 2016 -- XIÈ ZHÌ

You know he is guilty.  You see it as clear a the purest water.

You care not for the speech of the humans.  Your instincts call for you to punish the man before you.

You cannot resist any longer.  You stand and stalk over to the sweating man.

He knows you know.  He stinks of terror.  His eyes are wide as you get even closer.  You raise a paw and strike.



Xiè Zhì or Xièzhì is also known as Xiè Cai or Xiè Chai.  It is described as having one horn, but its body shape has many forms akin to a dog, goat, or (as in the case of the Korean version) a lion.

One scholar called it a "righteous beast" since it has the ability to see right and wrong, good and evil.  In some stories, they were used in courts of law.  The wrongdoer would either be bitten, clawed up, or rammed by the creature as a sign of guilt.

The Korean version is called a Haetae.  It had a bell around its neck and scales on its body.  Statues of it were used to protect Hanyang (Seoul).  

Mention of the it goes back to the Han Dynasty (around 206 BCE).  

In modern times, the Xièzhì is used as a symbol for law and justice in China as well as the Haichi as the official symbol of Seoul.

A TO Z CHALLENGE 2016 -- WA NYŪDŌ (VERY DISTURBING. BEWARE!)

He is coming.  You can see the burning flames from the end of the street.  You know there is no mercy in the creature.

Don't look.  Don't look, you tell yourself as you huddle down in fear in your house.

The fire lights up the whole of the room from the window.  You can see the blazing of it even through your eyelids.

It passes by, and you relax.  You survived.  Your head rests against the wall in relief.

Screams sound.  You cringe, praying for those souls that were not so lucky as you.




The Wa Nyūdō is one of the deadliest yokai in the Japanese pantheon of them.

He's described as a flaming ox-cart wheel with a man's head at the hub.  This man was -- according to two different versions -- either a nasty daimyo or a corrupt monk that died and is serving penance.

He works for Hell and loves to haunt urban streets for whatever victims he can find.  This yokai haunts urban city streets.  To look at him will have your soul stolen and taken to Hell.  To fall into his path will have your body torn asunder.

One story had a woman looking at him.  The Wa Nyūdō yells at her that if she had time to look at him, then she had time to look after her baby.  When she turned back to the baby, its limbs had been ripped from its body by the creature.

He appears in the Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki in 1779, but may come from an older work called the Shokoku Hyakumonogaturi from 1677, which is a collection of ghost stories. Evidence suggests that this yokai goes back even farther to the Heian Period (794 to 1185).

There is a specific ofuda that protects against it.