It's my pleasure to welcome Rayna Noire as my guest. She's contrasting witches and wiccans and talking about her new YA paranormal release, Affirmation. Be sure to check out her new book as well as her giveaway contest at the end of this post.
Witches, the Craft,
& Things that Go Bump in the Night
by Rayna Noire
As a reader, I’ve read several
books, which allows me to see various trends. Currently trending is the female
Grim Ripper, who is more hip than solemn.
So why did I decide to go with a Wiccan family that includes a ceremonial
magician, a time traveling gypsy with the sight, a sassy Tarot reader, and even
a demi-goddess? First, I knew I wasn’t fast enough to follow trends. I had already
missed zombies, shifters, and now, reapers. Unbelievably, I chose to base my
stories on actual people as opposed to Hollywood version of what witches are.
This means they can’t blink themselves to various places, although there are
portals. I’ll come back to that later.
In the latest UK Census, Pagans (who classify themselves as
Wiccans, Druids, Pantheists, Heathen, Shamans, and other Earth-based faiths)
had no box to check as far as religion. Thousands wrote in their faith making
Paganism the fifth most popular religion
in the United Kingdom. Actual numbers are around 54,000 from those who chose to
identify. There could be many more. It seemed suitable that this segment of the
population should have books pertinent to them. It would enlighten those
unfamiliar with Earth-based faiths in a factual and entertaining manner. People
fear what they don’t know.
In the series, I chose to use Dianic Wiccan where the
characters worship the Goddess as opposed to any male oriented deities. This is
rather like trying to explain the difference between being Catholic and
Baptist. It’s similar, but not the same. All Wiccans respect the planet and her
elements. Dianic Wiccans recognize the Divine Feminine and the miracle of
creation. The entire female offshoot came
about in the 70’s due to Z Budapest. Even though raised in a family that
honored the old ways, she was tired of the male deities hogging all the glory
and shaped the Dianic version named after the Roman Goddess Diana.
Not all Wiccans are witches and all witches are not necessarily
Wiccans. It would be like saying all
Republicans are Christians. Movies make this toe stub blending Wiccans and
witches. Ironically, the television version of witches melting when wet and casting evil spells is the one that dominates. Wiccans
are loving individuals who prefer peace over conflict. They also have the rule
of three, which specifies whatever you do will return to you threefold. This
doesn’t prevent bad things from happening to them. All the characters in Pagan
Eyes have the same issues as any other young adults including self-identity,
bullying, sexual assault, even suicide.
Now, about those portals I mentioned.
Einstein espoused that time wasn’t linear, but folded upon itself as if a long
ribbon. This results in people often glimpsing other times, videos, or
photographs of time travelers, possibly even Deja Vu. The prevailing theory is that portals exist
along magnetic grids. Often the sites gain significance such as Stonehenge. Sometimes
people can pass through the portals at particular
times. It isn’t a revolving door, but rather a brief blink in time. Writers
took this possibility and ran with it. Perhaps you’ve experienced an
unexplainable moment or possibly met a time traveler.
Affirmation
Pagan
Eyes
Book
Four
Rayna
Noire
Genre: YA Paranormal/Wiccan
Publisher: Sleeping Dragon Press
Date of Publication: September
28th
ISBN: 978-0-9966411-2-8
Number of pages: 270
Word Count: 65,015
Cover Artist: Dawne Dominique
Book Description:
Stella’s college life transforms
from sweet to rancid when her boyfriend asks her to do the unthinkable. How did
she end up holding her best friend’s future in her hands? Anything she does
will trigger the disastrous conclusion. If that isn’t bad enough.
Add in a lunatic minister, a
demi-goddess, and a walk through another dimension full of vindictive shrubbery
and wildlife. It’s far from the typical freshman year.
Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/4AfW7s42QuY
Available at Amazon
About
the Author:
Rayna Noire is an author and a
historian. The desire to uncover the truth behind the original fear of witches
led her to the surprising discovery that people believed in magick in some form
up to 150 years ago. A world that believed the impossible could happen and
often did must have been amazing. With this in mind, Ms. Noire taps into this dimension,
shapes it into stories about Pagan families who really aren’t that different
from most people. They do go on the occasional time travel adventures and
magick happens.
Tour
giveaway
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2 Filled Swag backpacks US only
6 comments:
Beautiful cover and your book sounds great.
An informative post thank you. You know your stuff.
Thanks for hosting.
Rayna
Hi Sherry,
Appreciate the comment. The cover is great. Funny story, I sat beside an author at a signing who used the exact same model for her cover. Readers wanted to know if the stories were connected.
Rayna
Thanks Mary.
Rayna
Glad you could spend a day with my readers, Rayna!
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