Thank you Mark for making this Giveaway possible.
*1 Winner will receive one e-book of The Book of Messages by Mark David Gerson.
JG Faherty
Guest Blog
By JG Faherty
Hello, internet readers and fans of the Book Nerd blog spot. Welcome to my holiday guest blog! And with the holidays so close, I thought today might be a good time to talk about some of the weirder facts and fables surrounding Jolly Old Saint Nick and his flying reindeer. After this, you might not want to close your eyes on Christmas eve!
Christmas – the scariest holiday?
In Italy, Santa’s not the person everyone hopes will show up with a bag of gifts. Instead, it’s La Befana, an ugly witch who’s covered in soot because she climbs down chimneys to deliver candy and presents to little children. But only the good ones! The bad ones get – you guessed it – a lump of coal.
Eastern Europe has many scary holiday traditions, but the worst of them might just be the Krampus, a giant horned incubus who is the evil nemesis of Father Christmas. According to the various legends, the Krampus rides with Saint Nick and whips or beats the children who’ve been bad.
Many weird and scary holiday traditions date back to before the invention of Santa/St. Nick/Father Christmas, when it was the winter solstice that everyone honored as a holiday. One of these is the tale of the Nimrod (I kid you not!). Nimrod is a biblical figure, the great-grandson of Moses. His claim to fame? He got his own mother pregnant! Yet, this must not have bothered her, because she planted an evergreen at his gravesite and ordered the whole kingdom to decorate it on his birthday. Sound familiar?
The Power of Hel. No, not Hell, Hel. In ancient Finland, it was a tradition to make eight special cookies for Yuletide, each with a different shape. One of them represented the power ‘Hel,’ and the shape is exactly the same as the modern swastika.
Party like it’s 1999! The origin of Christmas comes directly from pagan fertility festivals, which were held on December 24th, the shortest day of the year, to celebrate the new ‘birth’ of the sun, because on Dec. 25th the days began to get longer again. These festivals were filled with copious amounts of food and booze, and usually culminated in massive orgies. Much like present-day office parties. Then, in 350 AD, Pope Julius made a wise decision. He decided Dec. 25th would be the day Christians celebrated the birth of Christ, thus allowing him to make the orgy a religious holiday without angering the pagans they were busy assimilating throughout Europe.
Speaking of parties, the people of Lapland have a great tale about the origin of Santa. Reportedly, in the ‘old days’ shamans used to feed reindeer a poisonous mushroom, and then drink the reindeer urine to experience the hallucinogenic effects without imbibing the poison. During their wacky trips, the shamans believed they flew through the sky all night, and then returned home through the chimneys of their houses.
Was Santa the first Pawn Star? It’s a fact that Saint Nicholas was a real person, from Turkey. A man of great generosity, he created many of our modern holiday traditions, including the mythical figure of Santa Claus, who delivers gifts on Christmas Eve. According to the legends, St. Nick slipped gold-filled stockings into the windows of three poor women one Christmas Eve, thus giving us the tradition of hanging our stockings to be filled with gifts. However, it gets stranger. Pawn brokers adopted the symbol of three gold orbs as their sign, and now St. Nick is the patron saint of pawn brokers.
Some of the most violent holiday tales come from Northern Europe (maybe it’s from being cooped up all winter long, like Jack Nicholson in The Shining?). Among them is the tradition from Iceland about the Jolasveinar, the ‘Yule Lads.’ These were 13 ogres who, in some tales, beat bad children with sticks. However, in other tales, they actually ate the bad children. Better watch out! What makes this so funny is that these 13 ogres are believed to be the precursors to the modern Santa’s elves!
Then there is my favorite holiday fable, mainly because I wrote a story about it (The Yule Cat, published in Appalachian Winter Hauntings) a couple of years ago. In Finland and Iceland, the Yule Cat was a terrible beast who would roam the streets on Christmas Eve, looking into houses to try and find lazy children. If he saw children opening gifts, he knew they’d been hard workers all year. If not, well, let’s just say this cat – who is as big as a Volkswagen – doesn’t eat mice for dinner. Of course, if you were good, then Jule-nissen, the Yule Elf, would be riding around on his Yule Goat, delivering gifts. Yet even this nice little fellow didn’t start out that way. Originally, he was a gnomish figure who went to peoples’ houses and demanded they give him gifts. If the people refused, he’d wreak terrible havoc.
Well, that’s it for my holiday cheer! So, remember, sleep with one eye open this year, because those sounds you hear on the roof might not be Santa delivering presents!
And now for the obligatory pimping – a popular holiday tradition among writers! My novels GHOSTS OF CORONADO BAY and CARNIVAL OF FEAR are available on Amazon and other book-buying sites. And if you like them, look for my novella, THE COLD SPOT, and my next novel, CEMETERY CLUB, both coming out in March. And feel free to follow me on twitter (www.twitter.com/jgfaherty), facebook (www.facebook.com/jgfaherty), and at www.jgfaherty.com.
Happy Holidays!!
Check below for JG's Published Novels.
And now, The Giveaways.
Thank you JG for making this Giveaway possible.
*1 Winner will receive one e-book of Carnival of Fear by JG Faherty.
*1 Winner will receive one e-book of Ghosts of Coronado Bay by JG Faherty.
Justin Dennis
Holidays back from College
The holidays are a wonderful time of year, but they've always been a weird time for me as well. My parents divorced when I was in the sixth grade, and since then my brother and I spent our Christmases split between houses. Christmas Eve and Christmas morning at one house, and at about noon we switch to the other house. It's a strange experience as a kid, having to spend two different Christmases with your parents. But my younger brother and I adjusted, and got used to it.
When I got a job, it didn't seem so bad to work on Christmas because I wouldn't be missing much anyway. I could just be at one house before work and one house after work. So for the last couple years I worked at Starbucks on Christmas, and this year I'll be doing the same, but this year is also different because I'll be coming back home from college. I've been in California for three and a half months, and I'm very excited to go back to Seattle and visit my family for a couple weeks.
So that's really what this holiday season will be about for me: spending time with my family, since I haven't seen them in so long and may not see them again until the summer. It's not even so much about Christmas anymore, as I make so much money working on that day that it'd be foolish of me not to do it. It's about the season as a whole. Everyone is so much happier around this time when they come in for their morning coffee, and it's the only time I get to spend with my family. This season is just... wonderful!
That being said, I also have a lot to do when I return. I've been trying to work on the second book of the Through the Portal Trilogy (still untitled) while at college, but it's very difficult when all my time is pre-occupied with work and schoolwork, not to mention I write an opinion article every week in the Quaker Campus newspaper. I've found some time to write, but not as much as I'd like. So while I'm back home, I'm hoping to sit down and write for many, many hours. Hopefully I can get a good chunk of book two done. And even though it is work to write a novel, I love writing! So I don't view it as "Ugh, I have to write now," but rather "Yay! I have time to write now!"
Because I'm coming back from college and I'm trying to write another book, this holiday season is really about spending time with my family and writing. Probably the two most important things in my life anyway! And whatever holiday you are celebrating this season, I hope that you have a wonderful time and can really appreciate everything that you have. :)
And now, The Giveaways.
Thank you Justin for making this Giveaway possible.
*1 Winner will receive one e-book of Through the Portal by Justin Dennis.
Heaven Liegh Eldeen
When I was asked to share a favorite holiday memory or tradition, I have to admit, I froze. Thinking of the holidays typically fills the minds of children and adults alike with images of large pretty boxes, bright metallic colors, twinkling lights, and feasts that could feed a small country. At least these are the images I grew up with, watching everyone around me and my favorite babysitter, the television.
My holidays as a child were much different than the peaceful, joy filled scenes that play out in every holiday special. Being raised in a home with a mother who didn’t believe in the holiday spirit and a father who barely made enough money to pay for the gas it cost for him to get to work, made the season the same as every other day… bleak. That is, until a very special Christmas I remember at the age of seven.
My family moved to California from Texas when I was five years old. We had been traveling from town to town for quite some time, so when we settled into the Cabana Lodge motel in Sacramento, I was happy to say the least. It was difficult sharing a small space with four other people and only having two double size beds, but it beat the old Chevy van I had been used to. With so many of us cramped in, there wasn’t much room for frivolous things such as toys, games or anything other than our clothes for that matter. But, there was a light at the end of my poverty tunnel.
Right next door to our new ‘home’ was the best place that ever happened to me, the Washington Youth Center. The Center (as we called it) offered an array of entertainment, education, safety and festivities. I’d never known a single place where in one room you could learn how to box like Sugar Ray Leonard, and in the next room, learn how to knit a blanket. With a basketball court, billiard room, and a huge craft room, there was always something to keep the kids of the neighborhood busy and out of trouble. Needless to say, I spent every waking moment I could at the Center, my home away from home.
And then, as if the small recreational mecca gods said ‘hey, we can do more for these kids’, the Center blew my little mind out of the water. Santa Claus decided to stop by during December of ’87. For years I had been told he was nothing more than a myth, a figment of the imagination parents told their children about to get them to behave. And why would my mother need a product of fiction to get her children to behave when she had her trusty broom? But there he was in the craft room, decked out in red velvet, black boots. He was fat and jolly just like the television said he would be.
Every child took their turn on his lap except me. Something about him terrified me. Maybe it was my subconscious loyalty to my mother, or maybe just seeing something that wasn’t supposed to be real was too much for my seven year old brain to comprehend. Whichever the case, I ran crying into the bathroom.
Barricading myself in a toilet stall didn’t stop Santa or his helpers from finding out what every child at the Center that day wanted for Christmas. Shortly after running into the bathroom, I was followed by the big guy and a female elf trying desperately to coax me out of my flushable sanctuary, to no avail. My mother was called to get me. I finally opened the stall door, to find a very angry mommy standing behind it.
As I slowly inched my way out of the stall, I was shocked at what happened next. Furious that the center would allow Santa in without a parent’s permission, my mother grabbed my arm and began dragging me out of the building, cursing up a storm at Santa and his staff as they tried to explain they only wanted to give the kids a gift they might not otherwise get. As we made it to the door, I was suddenly possessed by some creature that knew this was my one shot to test the validity of the St. Nick rumors. I knew what I was about to do would put me in the hot seat with my mom, but like I said, I was possessed. At the top of my lungs and with everything I had inside of me, I screamed “I want a pound puppy!” as the door closed.
I waited for weeks to see if the man who knew all had heard my cry. Christmas morning came, but when I looked under my pillow where I had placed my Christmas tree, a twig I had decorated with thread I had pulled from a sweater, there was nothing there. Of course, being the all-powerful, all supreme mommy she rubbed it in that he was only a man in a suit. Dejected, I left our motel room and went to the only place I felt like a kid. As I opened the door to the craft room, there he was with ten giant bags filled to the brim. As the white bearded saint saw me, he got up from his throne with a box covered in puppy wrapping paper and handed to me. Unlike the other children, I didn’t tear into it to see what I had gotten.
Carefully peeling each piece of tape, as to not tear the paper, tears flooded my little eyes as I realized what hid underneath it. Not only had I got what I had asked for, but the big man one upped it by getting me the pound puppy with babies and a carrier.
I didn’t receive any other gifts from the jolly ol’ guy after that year . It seemed every time he would visit the Center, I had chores to do. I held on to those puppies for dear life for quite some time, but more importantly, I held on to the spirit and happiness that that Christmas brought. I don’t get big into the holidays much, but I am sure to pass on a little of the joy that was brought to me so long ago. After all, when you really boil it down, it’s not about the gifts, as much as it is about lighting up someone’s day that may not otherwise know its warmth.
And now, The Giveaways.
Thank you Heaven for making this Giveaway possible.
*1 Winner will receive one e-book of The Demon Side by Heaven Liegh Eldeen.
Rob Kaay
You can safely place a bet that Christmas Day in Perth, Western Australia, is going to be over 30 degrees celsius (over 85 degrees fahrenheit) and because of this, most Christmas mornings are spent at the beach swimming instead of inside a cosy lounge room jostling for fire-place real estate.
This Christmas, my fiancé and I came up with the idea to spend it with her family about five hours away on the south coast of Western Australia, to try and escape the usual Perth heat. In fact, we've just arrived home after an awesome five days away. And, yes, the temperature was around five degrees cooler down there, which meant we went fishing more than swimming, so our idea of escaping the heat was a good one. I even got a chance to sit on an old wooden table and chairs and write two more chapters for the sequel to Silverbirch as the wind blew through the trees and I looked out over Coalmine Beach in Walpole. Fitting too, because the two chapters I wrote, chapter 27 and 28, feature a lot of ocean.
Last year we traveled through thirty different countries in a ten-month period and spent Christmas at Lorna's Grandma's house near Manchester in England. A little town called Betley, to be exact. It was the first time I'd experienced a proper white-Christmas and the first time I realised you could put a six-pack of beer outside in the snow, instead of using the fridge. Believe me, the first time I came up with the idea, I thought I was the rocket-scientist who invented it. We gorged on oven-roasted ham and Yorkshire pudding and sipped on egg-nog and slow gin. And although I enjoyed the famous white-christmas I'd heard much about all my life and was in great company, I still yearned for the cold-meat version by the beach in my bathers that I had grown up with, with my mom and sister and my own extended family.
There are times when we get sick of doing the same thing in the same place at Christmas time but I'm sure most of you can agree, the moment you spend Christmas away from your family, especially in another country, even though you don't think you'll miss it too much, you find it just doesn't have the same feeling. It just isn't the same.
I hope your family Christmas was as special as always this year, but if it wasn't, try to make sure you're home for the next one.
Where I wrote a couple of chapters this Christmas.
And now, The Giveaways.
Thank you Rob for making this Giveaway possible.
*1 Winner will receive one Signed Paperback Copy of Silverbirch by Rob Kaay.
Daniele Lanzarotta
A closer look into the Academy of the Fallen
As an author, when I think of the New Year, my mind goes straight to upcoming books and there are many of those to look forward to in 2012!
One of my main upcoming releases this coming year is the final book in the Imprinted Souls Series, Shattered Souls… but I can’t talk about that yet… may lead to emotional breakdown. *laughs* I’m just not ready to let go of the imprinted characters.
There is however another book release in 2012 that I’m also excited about, and that is Nephilim, the second book in the Academy of the Fallen series!
Unlike in Wide Awake, most of Nephilim is set in the Academy, which is quite a unique environment. Today, I thought I would share a little about why the Academy exists.
The Academy is the home of fallen angels and humans who are hunted by ghosts and demons. The fallen ones ended up there for a number of reasons… lust, love, betrayal… but can you blame them for falling? Can you imagine being exposed to the lifestyle of humans and not being able to make choices? Not being able to fall in love? After hundreds… thousands of years even, being cast out of heaven was no longer uncommon. For every angel, there were hundreds of fallen ones.
Heaven was left with no choice…
In this world, there is a reason why the Fallen ones are getting a second chance. They are all that is left to protect the human race!
The official synopsis for Nephilim (Academy of the Fallen 2) will be released this January! Nephilim’s expected release date is February 28!
And now, The Giveaways.
Thank you Daniele for making this Giveaway possible.
*2 Winners will receive one e-book of Wide Awake by Daniele Lanzarotta.
*3 Winners will receive one Signed Wide Awake Bookmark by Daniele Lanzarotta.
Dr. Annabelle R. Charbit
Why Alcohol and Anxiety are a dangerous mix
During the holidays most of us are thrown headfirst into social situations whether we like it or not. There’s the work holiday party, friend’s parties where everyone is trying to be more dynamic than the next person, and those memorable family gatherings where relatives think it’s okay to squeeze your face just because they haven’t seen you in a year. Some of it may make you nervous, and some may bore you half to death, and you’ll probably get through it all with a smile on your face and a drink in your hand.
Why then do people say that anxiety sufferers should avoid alcohol lest their anxiety become? That doesn’t seem logical, when alcohol does such a great job of instantly calming your nerves as you pucker up and ask that hot guy in sales for a big, wet kiss?
Well it turns out that although alcohol, in the short term, reduces anxiety, in the long term, alcohol actually makes anxiety worse:
Here’s what you can expect from alcohol
Short term effects of alcohol
· Alcohol is a depressant because it acts quickly to depress the central nervous system, giving a feeling of relaxation for a short period of time.
· Alcohol increases the chemical inhibitory neurotransmitter Gamma-aminobutyric acid (or “GABA”), which has the effect of stopping the anxious feelings being produced.
· Alcohol’s chemical effect therefore makes it a fast acting “anxiolytic” – i.e. an anxiety reducer.
Long term effects of alcohol
· Alcohol withdrawal symptoms are experienced as anxiety. This can fuel more alcohol intake, which results in a vicious cycle of anxiety and alcohol consumption. Patients with panic disorder who are alcohol dependent are unable to distinguish panic symptoms, with the exception of tremor, from alcohol withdrawal.
(Panic attacks and alcohol withdrawal: Can subjects differentiate the symptoms?
http://bit.ly/uEl0nt).
· Alcohol can impair the functions of hormone-releasing glands and their target tissues. Most significant is the effect of alcohol on blood sugar. Insulin and glucagon are the two main hormones that regulate blood sugar (glucose) from dietary sources, plus the body can also synthesize its own glucose if needed. However alcohol impairs the functions of these two hormones and also impairs the body’s ability to synthesize glucose, all of which results in hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia causes dizziness, confusion, weakness, nervousness, shaking and numbness. Although the body can both store and synthesize glucose, the brain cannot, and depends entirely on glucose supplied by the blood, and even brief periods of low glucose levels (hypoglycemia) can cause brain damage and trigger anxiety.
(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism No. 26 PH 352 October 1994
· GABA is the major inhibitory (i.e. calming) neurotransmitter system in the central nervous system. It has been shown that long-term exposure to alcohol reduces the levels and function of the GABA-benzodiazepine (or “GBzR”) receptor in the central nervous system. In other words, long-term consumption actually reduces the anxiolytic function in the brain, making us less able to cope with anxiety in the long run.
(Reduced levels of the GABA-benzodiazepine receptor in alcohol dependency in the absence of grey matter atrophy. http://bit.ly/tzbC9d)
· Serotonin Depletion. Alcohol consumption over a long period of time leads to a depletion of serotonin in the brain. As serotonin is a 'happiness' hormone this can lead to depression, and depression is often linked to anxiety.
www.currentseparations.com/issues/18-1/cs18-1d.pdf)
Unless you are in a coma or are a sociopath, everyone has a certain degree of anxiety.
Anxiety is normal, but anxiety disorders are not. Yet anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., afflicting 40 million adults. And alcohol is an easily accessible form of self-medication for your anxiety. But it could also end up becoming your only source of relief and your worst enemy.
So, as you toast the new year with that third (or tenth) glass of mulled wine, ask yourself, is this getting get me through another inane conversation with that woman in accounting who insists on showing me photos of her cats, or do I need this just to get through another terrifying day on earth?
Happy, healthy holidays, and safe drinking to everyone….
Dr Annabelle R Charbit
