Infusing History Into Pulse of Heroes: A Guest Post By A. Jacob Sweeney

Today, we have a guest post by A. Jacob Sweeny as part of the VBTC Romancing Your Darkside Book Tour.

She's going to talk to us about infusing history into her paranormal romance, Pulse of Heroes.

In addition, she's giving away a copy of Pulse of Heroes. Just leave a comment and we'll use random.org to pick a winner. You'll be receiving a physical copy, so the author will be contacting you for a shipping address.

Now on to the guest post:

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There was never a question about infusing history into Pulse of Heroes, as the entire idea for the story began with me wanting to bring ancient history back to life. My intention first and foremost was to bring the subjects of what most people today think of as legends into our modern reality, since the bulk of these tales have their roots in actual historical events. And this was to serve as the backdrop of my romance and very real coming-of-age story of 17-year-old Michelle. The immortals in my novel are the story tellers, and through them we get to learn about so much. Below, an example:

Elliot, our main immortal character, served in the military under King David’s command. Now most people are probably familiar with the legend of how David as a boy toppled the giant Goliath with a small sling shot. Whether this ever happened or not, perhaps we’ll never know. However, as I study archaeology and participate in actual excavations, I get to see firsthand how legends and history collide as we discover more and more. And this to me is the most exciting thing. I wanted to share this with people who would never dream of picking up a history book, let alone a field report from an ancient site. I will give you another example.

I had the unique privilege to actually excavate in the hills of Judea on a site that has been dated to the proposed time of King Saul (David’s predecessor) and King David. It overlooks the valley where the Philistines would meet the Israelites in battle. It also marks the exact place where David and Goliath’s story is said to have taken place. On a clear day one can see the outlines of the cities of the Philistines, now also active archaeological sites, from this hilltop (it is a royal pain in the behind to climb up that long steep pathway every day). The encampment was clearly constructed so as to have an unobstructed view of every side of the great valley as a military vantage point.  The Goliath story might be legend, but the Israelite encampments are not. Knowing this gives the Goliath story a whole new dimension.  I was there. I dug and lifted the broken dishes that these fighting men used to eat their dinners. They were every bit as real as we are today. Just last year, a carving of the name “Goliath” was found in one of the Philistine ruins. Suddenly, the name Goliath itself gains a new reality. We don’t know which Goliath, but the name was evidently used by these people. Another clue pointing to David’s existence has been found carved into a victory stele (a large stone) by Hazael, King of Damascus, or by one of his sons. The inscription is in Aramaic and commemorates victories over local ancient peoples including the Davidic Kingdom. The bracketed areas below denote missing fragments which have been filled in by recognized biblical and ancient near-East text experts.

5: And Hadad went in front of me, [and] I departed from [the] seven[...]

6: of my kingdom, and I slew [seve]nty kin[gs], who harnessed thou[sands of cha-]

7: riots and thousands of horsemen (or horses). [I killed Jeho]ram son of [Ahab]

8: King of Israel, and I killed [Ahaz]iahu son of [Jehoram kin]g

9: of the House of David. And I set [their towns into ruins and turned]

10: their land into [desolation........................]  ( Courtesy of Wikipedia)

This is what I wanted to share with my readers. I wanted to spread knowledge around. And if the reader is interested, all they have to do is search further.

So far I have received nothing but compliments with regards to the way I weave short historical tidbits into the main plot of Pulse of Heroes. The real history also provides a basis for the existence of the immortal characters. I have noticed that many people do not enjoy “high fantasy”, and yet historical reality is just as fantastic. As the saying goes, “Truth is indeed stranger than fiction”!

If anyone is interested, right now there is a continuing discussion on the Pulse of Heroes Facebook page about the historical elements of the novel. You should come check it out - it’s on the left side under the “Discussion” tab.

Thank you for having me here!

A Jacob Sweeny.

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Thanks for stopping by.

Check out AJ's site at http://www.pulseofheroes.com/.

Remember, if you want to be entered for a free chance to win a copy of Pulse of Heroes, just leave a common (preferably with some sort of e-mail address so we can contact the winner).

Guest Post by Kristie Cook: Why we need the escape of paranormal romance

Today, we have a guest post by Kristie Cook as part of the VBTC Romancing Your Darkside Book Tour.

She's going to talk to us about why readers need the escape of paranormal romance.

In addition, she's giving away an ebook copy of her paranormal romance novels, Promise and Purpose. No fancy contest requirements, just leave a comment and we'll use random.org to pick a single winner for both books.

Now on to the guest post:


Why We Need the Escape of Paranormal Romance


Paranormal romance has been around for decades, experiencing highs and lows along the way, but the genre seems to have experienced an explosion of interest in recent years. The Twilight Saga may have played a significant role in grabbing readers who had never read the genre before and made them lifelong fans, but there are a number of series and authors who could have played the same part. I think timing has had a huge impact – when and where our world was when Twilight came out and where it still is as readers continue to devour paranormal romances and contemporary fantasies.

With everything going on in our world, from wars, famines and natural disasters to failing economies, job losses and loss of homes, people are living in survival mode. Our minds are constantly running at full-speed, working overtime to ensure our families stay afloat. Problems bombard us from all sides, but solutions are often out of reach or even non-existent. We don’t know what to do but just keep going as best as we can.

We can’t afford the money and/or time to take much-needed vacations, but the need for escape is even greater than ever. So we escape into fiction – books, movies and television. And many are finding that they want their escape to be just that – a removal from the current world, from normal daily stresses and from having to use our brains too much on genres that require intense focus.

With paranormal romance, we get problems that may be somewhat similar but also different than our everyday human ones. We also get main characters who eventually solve those problems, a relief when we can’t solve our own. We swoon over alpha males because we want someone else to take care of us, although we know in the real-world we’d never put up with their arrogance and control. We take the role of the strong, independent heroine who does things we’d never bring ourselves to do in real life. And we lose ourselves in the heat of the passionate moment.

I love writing this genre because I love reading it. All of these elements come together in stories I wish were written, but they’re not, so I write them. I’ve always enjoyed the foundation and rules of our real-world setting combined with the freedom to incorporate the impossible from the fantasy world. And I’m a sucker for romance and the sexual tension and heat that comes along with it.

Some may say paranormal romance is frivolous or a guilty pleasure. But, really, what’s wrong with a little guilty pleasure, especially in our lives today? Escaping to the insanity of a fantasy world helps to maintain our sanity in our own world. After all, at least we’re not dealing with overbearing, control-freak partners, creatures who want to suck our blood or rip out our throats during sex and villains who can wipe out all of humanity in a half-second. It helps to make our own lives more bearable and we can all use every bit of help we can get right now.

What do you think? Have touched on any of the reasons you read paranormal romance? Do you have anything to add? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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Thanks, Kristie.

Remember to leave a comment for your chance to win  Promise and Purpose.

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Kristie Cook is a lifelong, award-winning writer in various genres, from marketing communications to fantasy fiction. She continues to write the Soul Savers Series, with the first two books, Promise and Purpose, available now and the third book, Devotion, coming February 2012. She’s also written a companion novella, Genesis, coming October 2011.

Besides writing, she enjoys reading, cooking, traveling and riding on the back of a motorcycle. She has lived in ten states, but currently calls Southwest Florida home with her husband, three teenage sons, a beagle and a puggle. She can be found at:

Author's Website & Blog: http://www.KristieCook.com

Series Website: http://www.SoulSaversSeries.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorKristieCook
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/kristiecookauth
Tumbler: http://www.tumblr.com/tumblelog/kristiecook
Google+: https://plus.google.com/102746226001674797330/posts