Teaser Tuesday: Maybe it was the Moon, or Maybe it was his Tongue in my Ear

Emily's Trial, Book 2 of the Akasha Chronicle
by Natalie Wright
Cover Model, Ashley Philips

In Emily's Trial (Book 2 of the Akasha Chronicles), Emily's adventure continues. She may be a magical Priestess, but she's also a sixteen-year-old girl looking for love. Can desire be so strong that it can tempt a girl to use her sacred magic in a forbidden way? Here's a teaser from Emily's Trial:

The shock of the crisp October air felt refreshing. It was chilly and smelled of fallen leaves. The moon was high and large, about three quarters full. The trees were almost bare. There were a few couples in the yard, most of them pressed close, their lips locked, hands roaming. I tried not to look because it felt creepy to watch people make out.

Owen walked me to a swinging seat hung from an enormous oak tree in the middle of the yard. I sat down and felt glad to have the wood swing beneath me.

“Hey Sporty, why don’t you go inside and get yourself a drink or something,” Owen said to Fanny.

“Nah, I’m good.” Fanny stood her ground in front of the swing. I glared at her hard, trying to get her to take the hint and give me some alone time with Owen. Either she couldn’t see me glare in the dark, or she chose to ignore me because she didn’t budge.

I was getting pissed as hell at her. I didn’t need Fanny acting like a mother hen, hovering over me all the time. It’s like sometimes she and Jake don’t get that we’re growing up. It’s like they still want everything to be like it was when we were ten or something.

Owen just shrugged his shoulders, sat down next to me, and he put his arm around my shoulders. He leaned his lips close to my ear and whispered, “So, you ever go anywhere without the pest?”

I threw my head back and let out a huge laugh. He hit the nail on the head.

“Yes,” I said.

“Good to know,” he whispered back then gently flicked his tongue into my ear. The flames of my passion were licking upward from my loins. I was thinking hard to Fanny to scram. But Fanny has zero telepathic skills, and she pretty much sucks at reading body language too so she didn't get the hint to scram. Is she hoping to watch us make out or something? Fanny sticking around was starting to feel like prying, not protection.

Owen kept his arm around my shoulder but removed his tongue and lips from my ear. Suddenly, my ear felt cold, and a shiver ran through me. Owen seemed to know the effect he had on me. He wore a look of smug satisfaction on his face.

“So, Sporty, since you won’t take a hint and beat it, entertain me. What sports do you play?”

“Volleyball, softball, basketball.”

“Aren’t you kinda short for basketball?”

“Guard,” she said.

Riveting conversation, and not nearly as entertaining as having Owen's tongue in my ear. Owen must have thought so too because he changed the subject quickly.

“Emily, my Miss Magic. Pretty impressive what you did back there with supreme jerk of the evening, Tad. I want to apologize for those knuckle draggers.”

“It’s okay, really.”

“No, it’s not. You’re smart, not one of those sycophant bimbos usually hanging around with us. They’re not used to girls who have more to offer than just someone pretty to look at and make out with.”

I’m not sure if he was trying to compliment me or not. Was he saying I was cute and  smart? Or was he excepting me out of the category of girls pretty enough to look at and make out with?

“What about you, Owen? Are you interested in more than just someone to make out with?” asked Fanny.

“I’m here with you two instead of in there. What do you think?”

Fanny’s face softened then, and she seemed to relax a little.

“So answer me this Miss Magic. Aren’t you bored with just spinning drunk assholes in the air?”

Of course I was. My boredom had gotten so pathetic, I'd stooped to dropping salads on Greta.

“Yes. Yes I am.”

If you want to find out what happens, read Emily's Trial. And now is the perfect time to hang out with Emily because Emily's Trial is on sale through July, 2013. Regularly $2.99, you can snag Emily's Trial now for 99 cents!

Thanks for reading and stayed tuned for more Tuesday teasers :-D

Purchase Emily's Trial at these retailers:

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Smashwords: http://bit.ly/UJuq9M

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1ckGykI

Paperback available at Powell's: http://bit.ly/R4hBS9

The Celtic Origins of a Modern YA Quest

My first book series, The Akasha Chronicles, incorporates ancient Celtic mythology and magic into a story about a modern, teenage girl. I’ve been asked how I researched the Celtic aspects of the series and came up with the magical elements. Here’s the story of how The Akasha Chronicles acquired its Celtic flavor.

When I first conceived of Emily’s House (Book 1 of the Akasha Chronicles), I was not a writer yet! It was during hypnosis that was supposed to help me lose my baby weight that I had a vision of a golden armlet hovering over rolling green fields. (BTW, hypnosis does not help you to lose weight. Apparently, sitting in a chair, half asleep does nothing to boost your metabolism ;-) I couldn’t get that golden arm bracelet out of my mind!

I began scouring the Internet for pictures of the golden object I’d seen. Before long, I came across a photo of a torc – the golden armlet! And from there, I began reading all that I could find about ancient Ireland and the pre-Christian Celts.

Though I wasn’t actively writing fiction at that time, the more I researched, the more a story began to develop in my head. My research about ancient Ireland led me to Brighid, an ancient Goddess.

I came across a story of an order of women that were the keepers of the flame of the goddess Brighid (pronounced BREE – id). The story goes that these Druid women worshipped the goddess Brighid, whose symbol is a column of fire. It is said that no men were allowed into their cloister, and any men who ventured into their grove were cursed. I loved this idea of women with powerful magic.

Interestingly, once Christianity displaced Druids on the Emerald Isle, the group of women who once worshipped the goddess, Brighid, became a group of Catholic nuns who honored the Saint Bridget. They kept that sacred flame going for many generations. But during the Reformation, it was decided that tending to the fire was too pagan and it was ordered that the flame be extinguished.

I had the opportunity to visit Kildare, Ireland and the ancient foundations of the original abbey still exist – the place where the ancient flame was kept alive! It is one of the oldest, continuously used worship sites in all of Ireland, and has a legacy as a sacred site dating back into the Celtic times as well. In 1993 in the Market Square in Kildare, the fire of Brighid was re-lit by Mary Teresa Cullen, the then leader of the Brigidine sisters. Since then, the Brigidine Sisters in Kildare have tended the flame. Here is a photo of the ancient foundation at St. Brigid’s Cathedral in Kildare.

The story of the goddess Brighid and the order of women who worshipped her inspired me greatly. I took the ancient Celtic mythology – and the story of the women who kept her flame alive – and tweaked it to fit my needs. When you read Emily’s House, you’ll recognize The Order of Brighid as a reference to this ancient order rumored to have existed prior to the modern Christian times in Ireland.

In addition to hundreds of pages of Internet articles and Wikipedia pages, I also read a lot of books that inspired the Celtic aspects of the series. Here are a few of them:

Despite pages and pages of research and information, much of the Celtic mythos in my novels is of my own imagination – a melding of some of the juicy facts mixed with my own creations.

For example, my character Lianhan Sidhe (pronounced SHEE) is based on a mythical Celtic creature. In the ancient myths, Lianhan Sidhe is a beautiful fairy with a dreadful power. It is said that most men cannot refuse her, a beautiful muse who offered inspiration but at a price – most men who become her lover go mad and die prematurely.

I tweaked the myth quite a bit in Emily’s House to create my own version of Lianhan Sidhe, a beautiful – but deadly – creature.

And you may have heard of a Banshee. I came across research that suggested that Bian Sidhe (Banshee) and Lianhan Sidhe were sisters. Two beautiful, but potentially deadly, faerie sisters of ancient Ireland. I had to use that in my story!

But the Celtic influence didn’t stop at just the ancient backstory portion of the book. I wanted to use it in the modern story as well. Much has been written about the connection between Druidic practices and philosophy, and ancient Vedic tradition of the Brahmins. West meets East. The Vedic tradition of India can be traced back over 10,000 years. During my research, I found the parallels between the ancient philosophies of India and the more modern Celtic thought fascinating. The combination of the two philosophies led to the chapters where Emily receives training in the Netherworld.

I spent over three years reading books, articles and Wikipedia pages while writing Emily’s House! Despite countless pages of research, a small fraction of what I learned was used. As you read Emily’s House and Emily’s Trial, you may wonder what is real and what did the author create?