The Magical Elements–Earth

Although there are many different beliefs among pagans, wiccans, and others about what the elements of magic are, for the purposes of my world building for the Warlock Brothers of Havenbridge series, I settled on five basic elements–earth, fire, air, water, and spirit.

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These elements form the foundation of magic in my books, and through these elements, the characters access the powers supplied to them by the Gate, the source of all magic in the world.

So, I thought it would be fun to offer my fans and readers a basic understanding of each element. Today, we start with the element that is considered the foundation of all the others:

Earth

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Earth is considered the center of all things because it provides sustenance and shelter, and it is the only element that is capable of producing these commodities as a result of being in harmony with the other elements. From earth and water, we get plants and food. From earth and fire, we get metals used for weapons and shelter.

Earth represents stability, knowledge, strength, and growth. It is a connective and receptive force that ties all the elements together and binds people to one another. The magic harnessed through the earth element exemplifies basic ideas of balance, security, and prosperity.

Individuals who draw their power from earth have strong bonds with their families and will protect them not only with their lives but with all the power at their disposal. So if you mess with the loved ones of someone who draws his or her power from the earth, you had better watch out!

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“Blood Tied” Pre-Release Extravaganza Week #2

So far the first week of the Blood Tied pre-release promotional tour has gone off without a hitch. I’ve had fun sharing the graphics I’ve created, the mini-author readings I’ve recorded, and the blog posts. I hope you’ve enjoyed them too. If you missed any of them, you can click here for the list of dates and places I visited last week.

Here’s the list for this week’s stops:

WEEK 2
8/17 The Grimoire

8/18 My Twitter

8/19 J.P Barnaby’s Author Website

8/20 The Grimoire

8/21 My Google+

8/22 My Facebook Page

8/23 M.J. O’Shea’s Author Blog

I hope to see everyone there!

“Teeth” VIDEO

In case you didn’t already know, I’m a huge Lady Gaga fan. I’m a fan of her music and the messages in her lyrics about love, acceptance, and the need to let our inner freak out. I can definitely relate to all three!

So when I started writing Blood Tied, which contains vampires (or vampyren as I call them in my world of Havenbridge) as part of the cast of characters, I went looking for musical inspiration as I tend to do.

That was when I remembered that Lady Gaga sang a song called “Teeth.” Naturally, I hopped onto YouTube and put that video on autoplay to help fan the creative fires of my muse. Even though I put own spin on the vampyren mythos, which makes them not quite how they are portrayed in this video, the creative inspiration worked and it got my muse to show me his teeth!

I hope you enjoy the video as much as I do!

 

Top 5 Creepiest Vampires

I don’t know about you, but for the past few years, I’ve wondered exactly how vampires have changed from bloodsucking monsters into misunderstood rebels. I mean, just who is their publicist? When I was a child, the thought of a vampire terrified me. They were undead, and they delighted on preying on innocents and sucking them dry. I remember going to sleep after watching a vampire movie, eyeing what I could turn into a stake if I needed to.

That hasn’t really been the case for a few years. Vampires have turned into the ultimate bad boys. They are the anti-heroes who just need to love of a good man (or woman) to get them to change their bloodthirsty ways.

Granted, I admit the idea intrigues me, and I wouldn’t mind being turned by Eric Northman from True Blood.

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Damn, that man is hot!

Even so, to me, vampires were meant to be monsters, to inspire fear and to keep us up at night (and not in the good way). That’s why today, I’m going to share my top 5 creepiest vampires

#5 Grandpa Munster from The Munsters

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Now, I know many of you might disagree, but this character always creeped the s#!+ out of me! He was far too nice and saccharin and the way he talked made he shudder. I always expected him to try to lure me into his white van with candy. Shivers!

#4 Collin Ferrell’s Jerry in Fright Night

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Jerry was creepy to me because he was this insanely hot next door neighbor during the day but a ruthless killer at night. He’d flash you that roguish smirk and then slice open your throat with his fangs. The combo of hot and crazy creeps me out every time because being hot kinda blinds most of us to the crazy.

#3 Danny Glick from Salem’s Lot

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This kid freaked the ever-loving fool out of me! In fact, I still have trouble with this scene as an adult. I won’t go near a window after watching this movie!

#2 The Master from The Strain

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I was thrilled when I heard Guillermo Del Toro was taking on the vampire genre, and he hasn’t disappointed me yet with his interpretation. While the master was creepier before we actually got to see him, he still takes spot number 2 on my list.

#1 Barlow from Salem’s Lot

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So, yeah, Salem’s Lot is obviously the definitive vampire story in my opinion, seeing as how two characters from this book/mini-series made it on my list, but can you blame me? Look at this guy! He’s one creepy ass mother! Watching this movie still terrifies me after all these years.

These are the kinds of vampires I remember, and to me, this is how vampires are supposed to be. What do you think? Do you prefer vampires as the scary monster or the misunderstood anti-hero?

“Blood Tied” Month Long Pre-Release Extravaganza

I can’t believe it’s almost here. The second book of my Warlock Brothers of Havenbridge series, Blood Tied, is set to release on September 7. In this book, Mason’s older brother Thad takes over as the main character, and we get to experience the magical world through his eyes as well as travel farther down the dark rabbit hole of evil and conspiracy that we entered upon the conclusion of Mason’s book, Spell Bound.

In case you haven’t seen the book cover yet, I just have to share with you the gorgeous art created for the cover by Dreamspinner’s own Paul Richmond.

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I’m always amazed at what talented artists like Paul can do, especially since I couldn’t draw a straight line with a ruler to save my life, and no, I’m not joking. It’s true. I can’t draw a straight line with a ruler!

To celebrate the release of Blood Tied, I’ve once again come up with 30 days of content that will hopefully intrigue you and get you as excited about Thad’s story as I am.

Like last time, I’ll be sharing content in various places; some will be here on my author website or over at my Havenbridge website, which is completely dedicated to all things on this series. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you should. There’s background information, character art, quizzes, and more. Click here for instant teleportation to my Havenbridge site.

Where was I again? Oh yeah, I was telling you where you could find the 30 days of content. Some content will also be on my various social media–Facebook, Twitter, and Google+, so if you’re not connected with me on all three, now might be a good time to start because what I share on one social media site won’t be shared on the others.

To help you find the content, I’ll be providing a weekly list of dates and where I’ll be sharing the goodies. Here’s the list for the Kickoff Weekend and Week 1!

WEEKEND KICKOFF


8/8 My Facebook Page


8/9 The Grimoire


WEEK 1


8/10 The Grimoire


8/11 My Twitter


8/12 Rhys Ford’s Author Website


8/13 The Grimoire


8/14 My Google+


8/15 My Facebook Page


8/16 The Novel Approach Reviews


 

 

The “Spell Bound” Blog Tour

Hey, all. I’ve got some exciting news. My blog tour for Spell Bound starts today. For more information on it including the dates, stops, and giveaways, click here to head on over to my Havenbridge website a one-stop show for all things involving my magical world.

“Spell Bound” Month Long Pre-Release Extravaganza Week 4.5

This week, Spell Bound, the first book of the Warlock Brothers of Havenbridge series releases. It’s hard to believe it’s already here! I’ve been having a blast sharing the graphics, mini-author readings, and blog posts this past month. If you missed any of it, here’s a link to a complete list of the last week’s of fun with magic and men.

Here’s the list of dates and places for week 4.5’s content.

May 25–Facebook

May 26–Joyfully Jay

May 27–Spell Bound releases!

Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me this month. I appreciate your love and support. <3

Top 10 Bad Ass Magical Powers

I don’t know about you, but I’ve always fantasized about having one supernatural power or another. Today, I wanted to share with you the top 10 powers I would wish for if I was ever granted the power by a spell or magical genie.

#10–Invisibility

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Why? Because I could go anywhere I wanted like inside Channing Tatum’s house.

 

# 9–Shape Shifting

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Talk about your ultimate get out of jail free card.

 

#8–Transmutation

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How awesome would it be to not just stop a bullet but to change it into something else? Like chocolate.

 

#7–Flight

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It’s flying. Enough said.

 

#6–Super Strength

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I would have a good time with this one. Where are all those bullies again?

 

#5–Invulnerability

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Go ahead shoot me with your laser or try to stab me. Let’s see what happens.

 

#4–Pyrokinesis

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Fire is such a destructive force that to be able to harness it would be incredible. Plus, I could always make S’mores.

 

#3–Mind Control

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I would use this for good, not just for making hotties take their clothes off. I swear!

 

#2–Teleportation

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This has always been one of my favorite powers. I could go on vacation whenever I wanted, and if someone pissed me off, well, they’d find themselves on a deserted island or something.

 

#1–Telekinesis

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Okay, this might not be the flashiest of powers, but it has always been my favorite. Who wouldn’t want to be able to fling bad guys around or make your Vodka and Sprite come to you?

So what are the powers on your list?

“Spell Bound” Mini-Author Reading #7

It’s hard to believe that release day for Spell Bound, my upcoming gay paranormal romance from Dreamspinner Press is next week. Wow! Today, I’ll be sharing another mini-author reading.

If you missed any of the others, don’t fret. I’m in the process of uploading all of them to my Havenbridge website, dedicated to this series. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, click here to be taken over to the land of magic and men.

For now, here’s today’s video reading:

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Blurb:

Mason Blackmoor just can’t compete with his brothers, much less his father. They represent the epitome of black magic, strong, dark, and wicked, and though Mason tries to live up to his respected lineage, most of the spells he casts go awry. To make matters worse, his active power has yet to kick in. While his brothers wield lightning and harness the cold, Mason sits on the sidelines, waiting for the moment when he can finally enter the magical game.

When a dead body is discovered on the football field of his high school, Mason meets Drake Carpenter, the new kid in town. Drake’s confident demeanor and quick wit rub Mason the wrong way. Drake is far too self-assured for someone without an ounce of magical blood in his body, and Mason aims to teach him a lesson—like turn him into a roach. And if he’s lucky, maybe this time Mason won’t be the one turned into an insect.

Not surprisingly, the dislike is mutual and Drake does nothing to dispel Mason’s suspicion that the sexy boy with a southern drawl is somehow connected to the murder.

If only Mason didn’t find himself inexplicably spellbound whenever they are together, they might actually find out what danger hides in the shadows.

To purchase Spell Bound, click here.