Blog Tour Spotlight & Giveaway - Affirmation by Rayna Noire

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.

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GUEST POST

Witches, the Craft, & Things that Go Bump in the Night

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.

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.

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