Glimmer by Rayna Noire (VBT, excerpt, and GIVEAWAY) GFT

It is my pleasure to share a guest post by author Rayna Noire, who shares with us...

Would You Make a Good Druid?

by Rayna Noire

In the story, Glimmer, Meara’s father is a Druid. Whenever someone mentions Druids, people think of bearded old men in white robes with horns on their head. While there are some bearded old men who happened to be Druids, it’s not a requirement.

1.     Druids have no dietary restrictions. They can eat anything. Some might choose to fast before a ceremony or even reduce their intake of a particular item such as salt. This is a choice, not a requirement.

2.     Holidays. Druids celebrate all the fire festivals including Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane, and Lughnasad. Who doesn’t love an excuse for a good bonfire? Many Druids celebrate the equinoxes (when you have the same amount of day and night) and the solstices, which acknowledge the longest day and night of the year.

3.     Sex.  Druids can be male or female.

4.     Church. While being a Druid is a recognized religion, they do not worship in buildings, but prefer the outdoors. A group of Druids is called a grove.

5.     Deities. As a Druid, you can believe in one deity or many. Most pick a Patron God or Goddesses such as Brighid, Lugh, The Daghda, The Morrigan, Anu, Danu, Diancecht, Miach, Airmid, Goibniu, and many others. Druids believe every living thing has an energetic essence. They reach out to departed ancestors and spirits from the Otherworld.

6.     Modern Druids never sacrifice animals (or people) in their worship. They may use fruits, vegetables, flowers, poems, and songs as an offering to their deity (deities.)

7.     Ritual Space. Rituals are conducted outside near water, trees, and preferably a large rock.  A cauldron of water and a fire complete the ritual space.

8.     Solitaries. Individuals can be a Druid without being part of a group.

9.     Garb. On special occasions, a Druid might don a white robe, kilt, or other Celtic garb.

10.   Mistletoe. The plant most associated with kissing is sacred to the Druids. It’s associated with fertility, life, and peace. Kissing someone under the mistletoe meant you were friends and bore each other no ill will. It also served as a primitive marriage rite and was an entreaty for children. This might make you think twice before you kiss someone under the mistletoe.

Want to know about Druids?

Check out Bonewits’s Essential Guide to Druidism – Isaac Bonewits or Druid Mysteries – Philip Carr-Gomm

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Glimmer

by Rayna Noire

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GENRE:  Historical Fantasy

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BLURB:

For seventeen years, the convent walls kept Meara Cleary from the secret of her own parentage. A bearded stranger claims she’s his niece and promises to take her home. Before he can, a cataclysmic event thrusts her into a war-torn world. 

Meara vows to journey to Ireland to find her uncle, unaware of how perilous a journey it will be. Her Druidic father guides her through dreams, explaining her magical heritage. Her dead parent can’t help her with the intricacies of village life, especially when she catches the eye of the very engaged Braeden. 

A whirlwind composed of equal parts menace, romance, and revelation sweep Meara across the continent while gathering allies and enemies with equal speed. Her intent to return to her family turns into a fight to survive her own destiny. 

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EXCERPT

Meara glanced back the way she had come realizing nothing looked familiar. How far had she’d wandered from the path. The rustle of movement and the snapping of nearby sticks sped up her heartbeat. A week ago, she’d panicked, sure, someone had followed her only to have a deer wander into the clearing, but this time two large shadows grew out of a nearby underbrush. People. She hadn’t expected this. Could they see her? One gestured in her direction and said something in a guttural language she couldn’t comprehend. The other answered in the same tongue. By the time, it took her to realize the men were after her, one had slipped behind her and grabbed her arm, pinning it painfully behind her back.

He spoke, as his companion reached out for her hair. "Kriegsbeute“

Meara twisted, knowing at an instinctual level she needed to get away from these strangers. The man holding her captive laughed, then muttered something before releasing her arm. She stumbled away recognizing an opportunity. A quick glance back showed the two of them being attacked by the bobbing lights. An occasional yelp assured her the attack was painful. They must be some type of glowing bees.

One hovered in front of her. Follow me. The musical voice sounded in her head. Besides the strangers behind her, there was no one else here. Certainly, no one with a voice as clear and bell-like that it reminded her of a raindrop or dew glistening on a flower. Somehow, this bobbing light placed the voice inside her own head. Her impulsive foray into the woods had landed her into a situation she didn‘t know how to handle. The shimmering light blinked, indicating a need to hurry.

    

Amazon

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

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 adventures and magick happens.



 

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