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 1Entangled 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…
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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.
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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.*
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.
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Thanks,
Tracey D
booklover0226 at gmail dot com
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.
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GFC Anne38
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.
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+1 gfc: erin
efender1(at)gmail(dot)com
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
ReplyDeleteI 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.
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Cambonified(at)yahoo(dot)com
I think that the fae are most misunderstood.
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Skk25@aol.com
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! :)
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alexia561@yahoo dot com
I think demons are the most understood.
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Thanks for the giveaway.
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bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com
I have feeling banshee are misunderstood. I also think selkies and fae are as well
ReplyDeletedebby236 at gmail dot com
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.
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Tweet: https://twitter.com/#!/Rogue237/status/161646949991317507
mljfoland AT hotmail DOT com
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!
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aliasgirl at libero dot it
I think that vampires are the most misunderstood. They get to see so much, see people around them die. Thanks for the chance.
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sariahwalters at gmail dot com
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!
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+1 GFC as MJB
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Thanks for the giveaway!
MJB
msmjb65 AT gmail DOT com
I would have to say harpies especially since I read Thea Harrison's books and they have a harpy in there. She rocks.
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Thank you all for the comments. And thanks to The Qwillery for hosting.
ReplyDeleteLots 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! :)