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Monday, January 23, 2012

Guest Blog by Tiffany Allee - Banshee — Divine Portent or Misunderstood Maiden?

Please welcome Tiffany Allee to The Qwillery.


Banshee — Divine Portent or Misunderstood Maiden?

Banshees are Celtic spirits who were thought to keen under a person's window, announcing that poor soul's impending demise to them and their family. She has been described as old woman with frightening, glowing eyes, as ghastly or beautiful, as being draped in long red hair. But the banshee is always quite alone, and mournful.

I wanted to write something I knew I would enjoy, so I combined my love of romance, the paranormal, and mystery for Banshee Charmer. The story needed a main character who was not universally loved—in fact, it felt fitting for her to have a bit of a chip on her shoulder. But she couldn't be unloved either, she did, after all, have to care a lot about her partner and have the capacity to love the man I had in store for her.

Having spent far too much time reading about mythical creatures, I was pretty familiar with banshees. And I decided that this generally morose creature—in my mind a misunderstood one at that—would be a perfect fit for my heroine.

I have adjusted banshees in my world to be a little different than banshees in lore. Fully powered banshees have the ability to kill with their mournful screams, and they can see when people are going to die. Because of their dangerous nature, banshees do not go among humans except to breed (banshees are all women) and humans fear them. When one of them is born underpowered—like our poor heroine, Mac—they are referred to as half-banshees and are almost always killed.

Thankfully for my story (and for its hero), Mac is not killed at birth. She is raised among humans, never quite fitting in. And when her best friend and partner, the one person she felt accepted her, is killed, she will stop at nothing to find the murderer.

Are banshees and similar creatures really something to be feared, or are they just misunderstood?


About Banshee Charmer

Banshee Charmer
From the Files of the Otherworlder Enforcement Agency 1
Entangled Publishing (January 2012)

When she’s sent to a crime scene and finds her second dead woman in as many weeks, half-banshee detective Kiera “Mac” McLoughlin is convinced a serial killer is on the loose. Incubi are extinct, her boss insists. But what else can kill a woman in the throes of pleasure? When her partner is murdered after using witchcraft to locate the killer and Mac is thrown off the case, her frustration turns to desperation.

Certain the killer is an incubus, Mac works behind her department’s back to chase down slim, sometimes perilous leads. While the killer eludes her, she does discover handsome Aidan Byrne, an investigative counterpart from the enigmatic Otherworlder Enforcement Agency. Mac typically runs her investigations fast and hard, but with Aidan at her side, she’s running this one “hot” as well. But Aidan knows more than he’s letting on—something that could shatter their blazing romance and add Mac to the killer’s growing body count…



About Tiffany

Tiffany Allee currently lives in Phoenix, AZ, by way of Chicago and Denver, and is happily married to a secret romantic. She spends her days working in Corporate America while daydreaming about sexy heroes, ass-kicking heroines, and interesting ways to kill people (for her books, of course). Her nights are reserved for writing and bothering her husband and cats (according to them). Her passions include reading, chocolate, travel, wine, and family.

Tiffany's Website
Facebook Fan Page
Twitter
Goodreads



The Giveaway

THE RULES

What:  One commenter will win an ecopy (PDF or ePub) of Banshee Charmer from Entangled Publishing!

How:  Leave a comment answering the following question:

Which paranormal being or beings do you think is/are most misunderstood?

Please remember - if you don't answer the question your entry will not be counted.

You may receive additional entries by:

1)   Being a Follower of The Qwillery.

2)   Mentioning the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter. Even if you mention the giveaway on both, you will get only one additional entry. You get only one additional entry even if you mention the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter multiple times.

3)   Mentioning the giveaway on your on blog or website. It must be your own blog or website; not a website that belongs to someone else or a site where giveaways, contests, etc. are posted.

There are a total of 4 entries you may receive: Comment (1 entry), Follower (+1 entry), Facebook and/or Twitter (+ 1 entry), and personal blog/website mention (+1 entry). This is subject to change again in the future for future giveaways.

Please leave links for Facebook, Twitter, or blog/website mentions. In addition please leave a way to contact you.

Who and When:  The contest is open to all humans on the planet earth with a mailing address. Contest ends at 11:59pm US Eastern Time on Monday, January 30, 2012. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 years old or older to enter.

*Giveaway rules are subject to change.*

15 comments:

  1. I think vampires are most misunderstood. True they can live for centuries but they are always alone. Any mortal they love or care for, will eventually die; and again, the vampire is alone.

    +1 comment
    +1 follower

    Thanks,
    Tracey D
    booklover0226 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Before I read this post, banshees would not have come to mind. I've read books with them rarely and they were merely background characters. So, having them brought to mind, I have to agree they are misunderstood just because they haven't been given as much page time as all the rest.

    acm05atjuno.com
    GFC Anne38

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for the great post and giveaway! I'd have to say that I think Harpies are some of the most misunderstood mythical creatures. They are generally portrayed as ugly and vicious creatures and never in a position or desire to help anyone.

    +1 comment
    +1 gfc: erin
    efender1(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  4. I think vampires are most misunderstood. They are more alone than anyone realizes because they live forever. If they fall in love with a human, they will eventually lose them again. Anyone they choose to love will die eventually. Tore923@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. I think any paranormal creatures that are not really known are the misunderstood. Or something as common as vampires can still be misunderstood because they have undergone many changes in society. Those lesser known such as gargoyles, mermaids and goblins.

    GFC follower
    Cambonified(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  6. I think that the fae are most misunderstood.

    +1 comment
    +1 gfc follower

    Skk25@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. Interesting post! You don't really hear much about Banshees, so guess they could be the most misunderstood. This sounds like a great book, so fingers crossed I can win! :)

    GFC follower
    alexia561@yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  8. I think demons are the most understood.

    I follow your blog.

    Thanks for the giveaway.

    + 1 comment
    + 1 follower

    bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  9. I have feeling banshee are misunderstood. I also think selkies and fae are as well
    debby236 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  10. Depending on what you're reading, really any paranormal being can be misunderstood-demons, gargoyles, zombies, etc. I'd have to say maybe werewolves are the most misunderstood.

    GFC: ML
    Tweet: https://twitter.com/#!/Rogue237/status/161646949991317507
    mljfoland AT hotmail DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  11. zombies and ghosts are very misunderstood. Poor them! It's hard when you cannot touch anything or when you're half-alive but you're walking meat!

    +1 comment
    +1 GFC follower

    aliasgirl at libero dot it

    ReplyDelete
  12. I think that vampires are the most misunderstood. They get to see so much, see people around them die. Thanks for the chance.

    I am a follower
    sariahwalters at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  13. I agree that vamps are misunderstood and even though Bella Lagosi's vamp was a dangerous monster, one could make a case that he was that way because he was alone and suffering. Who'd want to be "undead," pale with an insatiable need for blood? Ick!LOL!

    +1 comment
    +1 GFC as MJB
    +1 Tweet:
    https://twitter.com/#!/msmjb65/status/163323008558178304

    Thanks for the giveaway!
    MJB
    msmjb65 AT gmail DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  14. I would have to say harpies especially since I read Thea Harrison's books and they have a harpy in there. She rocks.
    +1 I commented
    +1 I follow

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thank you all for the comments. And thanks to The Qwillery for hosting.

    Lots of votes for vampires, I see. I would have to agree. It doesn't hurt that they have that dark mysterious thing going for them too. ;)

    Good luck with the contest, all! :)

    ReplyDelete