Today,
I have the pleasure of hosting Debbi Peterson who agreed to party with us by
sharing a mythical take on birthdays! Hope you find her post as interesting and
informative as I did.
Blurb:
Fresh from her photo shoot in Northern England,
wildlife photographer Tala Westbrook makes a promised stop at the family manor
in Staffordshire, desperately in need of renovation. Though she didn’t plan to
stay longer than it took to find a contractor, she is caught up in an ancient
paranormal war. Despite the danger all around, she finds herself falling for
the handsome, enigmatic man assigned to protect her.
Micah
Berrington, elite guardian from the realm of the Bewitan Fierd, is used to
protecting men of strength in the greatest of peril, not a female looking for
someone to repair her home. Yet the assignment is far more than it seems and so
is the beautiful woman destined to capture his heart, regardless of the cost.
Excerpt:
“You
expect me to believe I said my name in my sleep?”
Finally,
he turned around and faced her. The moment his dark brown eyes connected with
hers, her heart spun in wild circles. A swarm of bothersome butterflies, buried
deep within her belly, took flight. Handsome. Dark. Mysterious. The words
swirled around inside her mind as the man, dressed in black from head to toe,
took a couple of slow steps toward her. All the while, her inside churned in a
simple response to his mere presence. In an irrational way she couldn’t
explain, that increased her level of irritation as well.
“Believe
whatever you wish.”
She
ignored the comment. “If you don’t mind my asking, just where am I?”
“Not
all that far from Westbrook Manor.”
“How
very informative.”
In
a show of exasperation, he took in a deep breath. Then with a bit of force, he
blew it out again. “You’re sitting on my sofa, inside my home—or, at least
you’re inside the residence I use when I’m in the area.” He sounded bored
again.
She
gave him a nod and then turned her gaze toward the door. “Good enough. If
you’ll point me in the proper direction, I’ll get out of your way and leave you
to what’s left of your evening.”
“Don’t
be ridiculous. I’m not about to let you go out there all by yourself. By now
your friends have regrouped. They’re probably waiting for you to show up so
they can have another go at you.”
Tala
narrowed her eyes. “You think you can hold me here against my will?”
I
am really excited to kick off the Bound by Oath and Honour book tour here at
Sharing Links and Wisdom! So thank you very much Emily, for the invitation. I
am honored.
In
as much as Emily celebrates her birthday this week, she thought it would be fun
if, in some form or another, we talk about—well—birthdays.
Because
I have a love for folklore and mythology, I thought I would incorporate the two
by talking about one of my favorite birthday stories in Greek (Roman) legend—or
at least one of the many versions of it.
Once
upon a time Zeus, the supreme Ruler of Olympia carried on a secret dalliance
with Leto, a Titan Goddess. This liaison resulted in the pregnancy of not one, but
two children. As you can imagine, Hera, the wife of Zeus was not pleased over
the impending births even if the affair happened before they were wed. Anyway,
in a fit of rage, jealousy, vengeance or whatever her mood at the time, she
sent a python to devour the hapless woman. While fleeing for her life, Artemis
(or Diana according to Roman lore) was born. As one legend goes, Artemis—though
newly born— assisted Leto with the birth of her twin brother Apollo. Yes,
indeed, she’s all that! (Don’t you just love mythological stories?)
Anyway,
on her third birthday--according to the poet Callimachus—the precocious child
sat at the knee of her famous father and asked for six specific gifts:
First
and foremost, Artemis wanted to live a chaste life.
Second,
she didn’t ever want to marry anyone. Ever. (I am not making this up.)
Third,
she asked for a bow and arrow—a really, really nice one, please.
Fourth,
she wanted some hunting dogs to assist her when she went hunting—a thing she
did often.
Fifth,
she would need, of course, some fine-looking stags to lead her chariot.
Sixth,
she asked for hunting companions, because, well it was boring to go out all by
herself. Eighty companions would do quite nicely, and she wanted all of them to
be virgin nymphs. (Don’t ask.)
That,
she said, should just about do it.
Ever
the indulgent and adoring father, Zeus, highly amused, granted each childish
wish. Yet, with these gifts, Artemis went on to have countless adventures. So
in effect, the gifts she received on her 3rd birthday not only lasted an entire
lifetime, but also helped shape the unique Goddess she would become:
She
is: The Greek Goddess of Chastity, Virginity, Hunting, Forests and hills, the Moon,
and Archery.
And
those, my friends, are some pretty fine accomplishments. So here’s my question.
If Zeus happened to be your father, what birthday gifts would you ask for?
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Author
Bio and Links:
Debbie
is an author of paranormal and fantasy romance because she has a soft spot for
fairy tales, the joy of falling in love, making an impossible love possible,
and happily ever after endings. She loves animals of every persuasion, music,
art, beautiful sunrises, sunsets, the smell of rain, and thunder storms.
When
she is not busy conjuring her latest novel, Debbie spends time with the members
of her very large family in the lovely, arid deserts of southern Nevada, where
some of those spectacular sunsets occur. She also pursues her interests in
genealogy—which she also teaches—mythology, and history.
Connect
with Debbie:
Buy
Links:
I think today I’ll just keep this short and sweet. You see, I
decided to spend my birthday celebrating with my family and friends. I went out
with my girls last night and now I’m going to visit my family and spend the day
with them, reminiscing and enjoying life. 
