Hi. So glad you stopped by. My name is Pat Lee and I wanted to talk about how a secondary character in Destiny’s Past, the Sorceress Narena, uses plants as an aid for her powers.
For millennia, plants and herbs have been utilized for more than just cooking. If you check most modern medicines, the basis of their healing properties stems from plants.
Because Narena lived two thousand years ago, she would have had to rely on what was available in her part of the world (Ancient Persia) to help with healing the sick or injured and also any spells she had to cast. For instance, grapefruit seed extract can be used for fighting infection, except grapefruits didn’t grow in Persia, which incidentally is now Iran and Iraq. Instead, I found out that oil from the Frankincense plant can be used for the same purpose.
Another aspect of how my character used plants is in magical herbalism. There is a great website called Anglefire.com that has a vast list of herbs, their magical uses and various preparation methods. For example if you cut and look at the interior of an apple you see a natural pentagram in the positions of the seeds (never considered that!) Apples are sacred to the Goddess of Wicca and represent fertility and sacred knowledge. Or the herb basil, which soothes tempers between lovers and is used in love incenses and sachets. Carry some in your pocket to attract wealth or put it in the cash registers to attract customers. Basil’s mystical properties are love, wealth, exorcism and protection.
Although my research couldn’t find any factual evidence to support these theories, I’m sure many practicing Wiccans and others would find it interesting or helpful.
In Destiny’s Present, the second book of the Daughters of the Crescent Moon Trilogy, Narena becomes the central character and therefore even more research was done when she needed to use plants for spells. I actually found a registered herbalist who is a member of the American Herbalist Guild to verify which plant Narena could use to create a sleeping draught. Hey, it was for a good reason!
The internet is crammed with websites about herbs and their medicinal properties. My experience with herbs and plants has been through a registered naturopath but if you decide to develop concoctions using plants or herbs, make sure you do your research and be careful.
If you have had any success with herbs and their magical usage, I’d be curious, as I’m sure others would be too, about how you made out.
Destiny’s Past
Daughters of the Crescent Moon Trilogy
Book One
Patricia C. Lee
Genre: Fantasy/paranormal romance
Publisher: Phoenix Literary Publishing
Date of Publication: August 22, 2015
ISBN: 9780994851222
ASIN: B014AMVGLU
Number of pages: 332 (print);
Number of pages 271 (ebook)
Word Count: 80, 300
Cover Artist: Taria Reed
Book Description:
No-nonsense medical examiner, Kelly Richards, relies on the familiar comforts of science and scalpels to get her through the day. So when a not-so-dead guy who claims he's from the past lands on her autopsy table, she considers calling the men in white coats to escort him to a padded room. But Jarek’s old-world ways and hot gaze trick her heart into falling for him—a mistake she swore she’d never make again.
When Jarek, Prince of Leisos, discovers someone he trusts has been slowly poisoning him, he travels to the future in search of a cure. Driven by vengeance, he enlists the help of an impudent scientist to return him to his time.
As they try to find a solution, Kelly struggles with her feelings for Jarek while dodging the police and a visitor from her past.
Caught between his growing desire for Kelly and the need to expose his would-be assassin before they strike again, Jarek must decide between forfeiting his ticket home or losing the only woman he’s ever loved.
Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/_gSu2sFO48I
Excerpt:
Kelly Richards
was at her best when surrounded by death. Calm, centered, and confident, she
was exactly where she was meant to be.
She plucked a
pair of surgical gloves from a box on the counter, snapped them on, walked over
to the open file on the desk and glanced at the information. Caucasian male,
mid to late thirties, died of an apparent drug overdose.
Although she
couldn't understand or agree with people trying to find answers in chemical
substances, she felt a momentary pang of sadness at the needless loss of life.
She'd dreamed of
becoming an MD because she wanted to help others. Taught to maintain emotional
distance from her patients, their pain and grief brought her own inner struggle
to the surface—the one buried deep to avoid living it day after day. Unwilling
to turn her back on aiding people, she switched careers and became a Medical
Examiner to assist families of the dead achieve closure.
Working the
evening shift alone at the county morgue was preferable to being with people
who made idle conversation, mainly about stuff she had no interest in. It also
provided a way to prevent coworker's well-meant intentions to set her up. Her
job offered escape from them, allowing her to hide from her past. And herself.
Five metal
drawers occupied the far wall of the room, each containing bodies to be
autopsied. Kelly pulled open the door to number three, rolled out the drawer,
revealing the man she would work on.
Her eyes
widened. Most of the time, the prep crew stripped cadavers of their clothing
before putting them in the cooler, but if the autopsy couldn't be performed
right away, they didn't bother. His clothing wasn't the issue. It was the type
of garments that caught her attention. He wore a short sleeve shirt, almost
like a tunic, made of a fine, silky material. His loose fitting pants were
woven from an odd cloth, not the usual denim or twill. Dust covered dull tan
sandals strapped to his feet.
He was foreign,
exotic looking. Dark brown hair, longer than the norm, barely brushed broad
shoulders. His skin was light bronze, yet the file classified him as Caucasian.
A frown pursed her lips. Odd. The people in admitting didn't usually make
mistakes. This male appeared of mixed Mexican or Spanish descent, maybe Cuban.
She leaned closer. Hmmm. His skin didn't have the ashen grey pallor of death
either. She reached out to touch his arm.
The phone on the
desk screamed two jangling blasts.
Kelly started,
heart pounding against her ribs. Muttering a soft curse, she answered the phone
and gave the caller information on a body she'd autopsied earlier.
She braced the
desk with a trembling hand. She hadn't been here long and working evenings
still made her jumpy.
Her attention
reverted to the file on the body she was supposed to autopsy. What the hell?
The measurements were all wrong. No way was the body on the slab five-five.
More like about six-three. Did she pull the wrong drawer out? The information
at the top of the page confirmed no mistake. There must have been some kind of
screw-up. Surely someone didn't switch bodies? Checking the others would be the
only way to find out.
Kelly marched
back to the bank of drawers. As her hand closed around the handle of the second
one, a wheezing breath not her own interrupted the silence of the room. She
turned in slow motion to the cadaver lying on the slab beside her. Her throat
closed. Similar to a scene out of a horror movie, the dead man's chest rose and
fell. Not the final gasp of air escaping lungs at death, he inhaled and exhaled
in a slow, shallow rhythm.
Grabbing the
edge of the slab for stability, she shut her eyes.
Easy girl. Calm
down, it's just your imagination. When you open your eyes, there will be a dead
person on the slab, and he will not be breathing.
"Oh, for
heaven's sake. This is ridiculous. He's dead."
"Not
yet," the body whispered.
About the Author:
Pat is a playwright and award winning author who has had a love affair with the written word since childhood, many times immersing herself in the stories of Enid Blyton and Carolyn Keene. An active imagination gave inspiration to short stories and her first play as a teen.
Her full-length play, The Truth About Lies, was staged at a regional theatrical competition in 2006. She was selected as "One of 50 Authors You Should be Reading" in 2012. One of her novels achieved a finalist slot in the 2013 International Book Award Contest - fantasy category. She is also the winner of the 15th Annual Writer's Digest Short Story contest for A Holy Night.
Although still in pursuit of a place truly called home, Pat shares her life with her husband and three cats, all of which claim rule over the house at one point or another. Besides dreaming up the next novel, she enjoys traveling, baking, camping, wine, and of course reading – not necessarily in that order.
Website: http://www.patriciaclee.com/
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1 comment:
Thanks Roxanne, for hosting me on your blog today :-)
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