Tarot 101 Circle from TBW

/begin shameless promotion

In case anyone is interested...

Beginning on April 1st, the Tarot 101 Circle will be working through the 22 lessons in "Tarot 101: Mastering the Art of Reading the Cards" by Kim Huggens.  We plan on taking it one week at a time, but participants may move at whatever speed is comfortable for them.  Anyone interested in learning to read the cards and experienced readers of all levels are welcome to participate and share their knowledge!

To join, become a member the Tarot 101 Circle on the Circle of Balanced Witches. Participants will need to have a journal to do the homework in and acquire a copy of the book before the class begins (or soon after).  They will also need a Tarot deck by Week 3.

/end shameless promotion

Giveaways Going on at The Balanced Witch

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to give you a heads up on some phenomenal giveaways going on at my blog, The Balanced Witch.

Spring Fling Giveaway

Spring has sprung down here in SE Texas!  The sparrows greet me in the morning and I can hear a chorus of frogs when I go for my walk each evening.  The Earth Mother has awakened from her Winter slumber.

To celebrate this lovely weather we are having and to brighten the spirits of those still covered in snow, I have put together a giveaway!

This drawing will start with five (5) winners, each who will each receive a $10 gift certificate from Amazon.com.  For each 100 entries, I will add another winner up to 10.

RedWheel / Weiser Book Giveaways

The Balanced Witch has teamed up with the fantastic Red Wheel / Weiser Books to celebrate women and reading by giving away twelve (12) female-focused books!

• The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women
• The 12 Secrets of Highly Successful Women
• A Book of Women’s Altars
• For Goddess’ Sake
• Goddess Bless!
• The Holy Book of Women’s Mysteries
• How to Be a Goddess (Posting 3/19/2011)
• The Woman’s Book of Spirit (Posting 3/19/2011)
• The Triple Goddess (Posting 3/20/2011)
• If Woman Ran the World Sh*t Would Get Done (Posting 3/20/2011)
• Sea Priestess (Posting 3/21/2011)
• Magic When You Need It (Posting 3/21/2011)

Best of luck to everyone who enters!

Harnessing Your Anger

“The world needs anger.  The world often continues to allow evil because it isn't angry enough.” ~ Bede Jarrett

Photos8.com

As with fear, most people think that anger is a terrible and destructive emotion.  They may have been on the receiving end of someone else’s rage and didn’t like how it felt or were programmed that way.  The truth is that it can be negative, but if wielded properly, anger can be an amazing force for good and a catalyst for positive change.

When we are children, we are conditioned to believe that anger is wrong.  A young child who is expressing his displeasure by acting out is having a “temper tantrum.”  The teenager trying to communicate her anger is “acting out” or “talking back.”  The parent is always right and the child is left to suffer in silence, pushing their resentment deeper and creating a generation that doesn’t know how to deal with its emotions, especially anger.

“At the core of all anger is a need that is not being fulfilled.” ~ Marshall B. Rosenberg

Anger should be an indication that something is not right.  It is also the GPS that will lead you to figure out what is wrong and also gives you an idea of what your personal boundaries are.  Others don’t like when we have boundaries, so expect some resistance.  People that have been walking all over us for years are not going to be too pleased at us asserting ourselves or telling them “no.”

Once you have figured out what the problem is that is causing your anger, brainstorm on how to change it.  If it is a person, talk to them about what is causing the anger.  If it is a social injustice or cause, find out how you can get involved and lend your energy to make a positive change on the issue.  The worst thing that you can do is to ignore it and let it continue to boil and fester in your subconscious.

Anger is energy and it is up to you to choose what to do with it.

Do not teach your children never to be angry; teach them how to be angry.  ~Lyman Abbott

Learning from Fear

In my honest opinion, fear gets a bad rap.  We have it for a reason, but we are too petrified to look past the surface at what lies below.  There is much we can learn about ourselves from it if we take the time to look.

Fear is an emotional response to something that might cause us harm.  It is a way of protecting ourselves and triggers the fight or flight response in our physical being.  That being said, fear is there to keep you safe.

When we grow up, we start out with a set collection of fears that have been instilled in us by our parents and other authority figures.  We learn not to talk to strangers or to cross the road without looking both ways.  Some of these early fears are also the result of experience, such as the fear of things that are hot after putting your hand on a car’s exhaust (which hurts, btw). 

Add in a healthy dose of television and our fears increase.  Now we have an irrational fear of sharks (thanks Jaws) and are worried that vampires are going to attack us when we go walking in the woods.

With the invention of the Wide World Web, the globe is shrinking and news travels faster.  Instead of just being afraid of what is our own back yard, we have to worry about all the other evils in the world that are out to get us.

This is enough to leave us completely paralyzed in fear and make sure we never step outside of the house!  Stop and remember – fear is a tool to keep you safe from things that would cause harm to you.  You have to control the fear instead of letting it control you.

So what things can you learn from looking at your fears? 

Examining your fears can help you break some of your bad habits or patterns of behavior.  For instance, if you are afraid of being along, you may be clingy or invade other peoples’ space.  Acknowledging this fear and owning it will help you see this pattern in your behavior.  This is the first step to making a change.

Looking at your fears also helps you to decide which ones are genuine and the others that are superfluous.  I fell down the stairs as a child so I have an aversion to walking up stairs, standing on chairs, and other “heights.”  It wasn’t until I sat down and thought about it that I finally realized where it came from.  On the other hand, my fear of spiders was the result of a coach showing us the movie “Arachnophobia” in high school health class.  This makes for an interesting experience when you have a spider for an animal messenger, which has happened twice I might add.

Another use of your fears is to fuel your creativity.  In author Holly Lisle’s How To Think Sideways: Career Survival School For Writers we learned to use our fears as part of our works of fiction to give it added emotion and intensity.  If you are scared of aliens, have your hero face off against them or your heroine come to terms with being one.  The possibilities are endless.

Here is a little exercise that Holly taught us to come up with a list of our fears called clustering.  Put the word "fear," "Things I fear...," or something similar in the middle of the page and begin to build a network of concepts and ideas from the center point.

This is a cluster that I created last week in about ten minutes.  After I scanned and looked at it again, I saw some stuff was missing so make sure to give yourself enough time.  I recommend working for about ten minutes, taking a break, and then working for another ten or until you feel like you are done.

So spend some time shining a light into the dark recesses of your psyche and examine your fears.  Like with everything else on this path, get rid of the things that are not serving you or causing unwarranted drama.  Get to know yourself better and stop allowing fear to rule you because you are in control.

A Pagan Partnership

Throughout the month of November, the women of eWitch and I will be sharing articles and anecdotes about our personal relationships and how they are impacted by our spirituality.  Since getting back into writing, I have wanted to broach this subject, but have never found the time.  I look forward to reading what our other eWitches have to say about their own relationships.

The perfect place for me to start discussing this topic is with my own marriage.  Mr. Sparrow (aka Danzig) and I have been married for four years.  We have no children at this time.

Danzig is a third generation American.  His great-grandparents came to the United States from Poland and brought their beliefs with them.  While they openly practiced Catholicism, they practiced Witchcraft from their home country in secret.  Danzig had the pleasure of learning from his great-grandmother before she passed away.

I was raised in a Protestant family that has been in America for generations.  My lineage can be traced mostly back to Norway (yay Vikings!) on my Dad’s side, but I have some family that originated in Wales and Germany.  Religion was not consistently a big deal in our home growing up unless my Grandmother, who is Baptist, was around.  I was programmed from a young age that Witchcraft was Evil and that anyone not saved by Jesus Christ was going to Hell.  Oh, how far I have come!

When I met Danzig in 2004, I was coming out of what turned out to be the darkest time of my life.  I was furious at everyone, especially myself.  I didn’t know what to believe and had pretty much shunned Christianity.  There was a gaping hole in my heart that begged to be filled.

Little by little, Danzig introduced me to his Earth-based path.  I soaked the information up like a sponge, quickly beginning my own research into the various practices and paths.  He taught me how to meditate, how to cast a circle, and the basics of protection magick.  He is the one who laid the foundation for my future as a Pagan and Witch.

That being said, I have a unique and wonderful spiritual relationship with Deity that includes my husband.  We each have our own path, but are respectful of the other’s beliefs and work together to honor the Divine.

Next week I will share some ideas of how couples can practice their spirituality together and grow closer in doing so.  Be sure to stop by my blog, The Balanced Witch, to check out the “366 Days of Magick” that is going on all this year.  I also have a giveaway going on now!

Resolutions for a New Year

I hope that each of you and your families had a wonderful Halloween and a blessed Samhain.  Saturday was spent at the zoo and hanging out with friends.  On Sunday, we stuck close to home.  I managed to get some last-minute homework done and snuck in some Halloween artwork.  Mr. Sparrow did a good smudging on our new apartment and some protection work.  Overall, it was a busy, but enjoyable weekend.

As Samhain is known as the Witch’s New Year, my family makes resolutions for the coming magickal year at that time.  We usually write these resolutions down on paper and burn them.  This releases our intentions into the Universe.

My major resolution for this year is to take a trip back to the basics.  Since I have been sitting on the precipice of my 3rd Degree initiation, I have been feeling more spiritually blah than ever.  I’m not sure if it is because I am coming to an end of my “official” training or confusion about where to go from here, but I need something to regain focus.

Another resolution of mine for the year is to write a little every day.  I have wanted to be a professional writer for a while and do quite a bit of it between blogging and writing articles, but it has not been a focus.  Since I began writing somewhat regularly, I have noticed that it is coming easier to me and that I am able to convey my thoughts much more clearly.  I have dreams of writing a Pagan romance and want to be able to make those a reality one day.

In an effort to fulfill both of these resolutions (and because I am a project-aholic) the “366 Days of Magic” was born on my blog, The Balanced Witch.  For the next 366 days, there will be a new post on my blog each day about the basics of Earth-based spirituality and magickal practice.  I just posted the first day and am excited about the next 365!

Did anyone else make any resolutions?

A Fresh Look at Female Archetypes

Any woman who has picked up a book about the Goddess or taken a 101 class has been taught that the three female archetypes are the Maiden, Mother, and Crone.  This idea, the Triple Goddess, is delicately pounded into our heads from the beginning of our training.  Even thought times have changed and we are living longer than our ancestors, modern traditions cling tight to this model for explaining the stages of a woman’s life.

I politely disagree on just the three and offer up an additional two phases…

Maiden

The Maiden archetype is generally depicted in white with long, flowing blond hair.  She is running through a meadow, communing with the animals, and basking in the glow of nature.  She is innocent, not aware of the ways of the world.  She is just coming into her own and at peace with herself.

How many teenagers these days are like that?

In my mind, a Maiden falls in the birth to preteen age group.  She exhibits the youthful innocence that has come to be expected of the archetype and has not yet become worn down or jaded against the expectations of society.

Warrior

I was introduced to the concept of the Warrior phase while working on my degree studies through the Family Wiccan Traditions International (which has since disbanded).  Since I always felt that there was a huge gap between the Maiden and Mother, I quickly folded the Warrior into my own life and belief system.

The Warrior represents women from their teens until somewhere in their mid-twenties.  She is on a quest to discover who she is and what she wants out of her life.  She is learning when to take a stand, fighting fiercely for something she believes in.  She is also learning when to compromise.  She may or may not be in a relationship, but understands that her needs and happiness come first.

Mother

The standard image of the Mother is a woman who is with child or one who is holding a small child in her arms.  She has long dark hair and wears red, for the blood that she has shed.  She is the nurturer, guide, and protector for those to come.

To me, the Mother does not have to actually have children.  She not only nurtures her children (and pets), but herself, her significant other (if she has one), family, friends, and her career.  She is fiercely protective of the ones she loves and guides the younger generations with a gentle, but firm hand.  She is represented by women in their late twenties until early forties.

Queen

I always felt that there was another gap between the Mother and Crone, but never knew what to call that particular phase.  In the SageWoman Magazine issue 74, entitled Visions of the Goddess: Queen, I found what I had been seeking in an article called “Why We Need the Queen.”

The Queen presides over the woman in their late forties until their late fifties to early sixties.  If she has children, they are grown and beginning their own lives.  They are wiser, still have “it,” and pretty much have life figured out.  They are living out their dreams, taking risks, and doing what they want to do when they want to.

Crone

Cloaked in a veil of darkness, the Crone breathes wisdom into the younger generations.  She has lived a long, full life and retains her blood each month.  She has done her duties and now is her time of rest.  Her light still shines, but is dimmed by experience.

With women living longer than ever and more active in their older years (my grandmother is still feisty at 87), the entire image of the crone has changed.  She still clings to her youth (especially if there are grandchildren) and serves as a Matron and respected elder of the family.  She pursues her hobbies, may still work, and keeps busy doing things she loves.  She has learned from experience and applies the wisdom she has acquired, not making the same mistakes anymore.  She is loved and celebrated by all, sought out for council, and living on her terms.

So there they are - my five female archetypes.

"Autumn Bliss" Print and Pendant Winner

And the winner is...

Wicked!!

Please send me an email with your address and we will get the print and pendant shipped your way :)

"Autumn Bliss" Print and Pendant from Sparrow

"Autumn Bliss" by Angelique Mroczka

Winner of this giveaway will receive:

• 1 - 8 x 10 inch print of "Autumn Bliss" from Angelique Art Studios
• 1 - 1 x 2 inch glass pendant of "Autumn Bliss" from Angelique Art Studios

Drawing for this giveaway will occur on Monday, September 6th around 9 am CST.  Entries (comments to this post) must be dated before that time.

You will receive one entry for each:

• Be a follower of the eWitch blog (post a comment to let us know you are a follower).
• Check out the Angelique Art Studios gallery and let us know which picture is your favorite (post comment on this post).
• Retweet or blog about this giveaway (provide Twitter name or link to post in comment).

Good luck everyone!!

eWitch is Giving Back!

Can you feel the magic of Autumn in the air?  The witches of eWitch can!

This week we have three giveaways for our dedicated readers and friends!!

Quotes About Books

A good book should leave you... slightly exhausted at the end.  You live several lives while reading it.  ~William Styron, interview, Writers at Work, 1958

If there's a book you really want to read but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.  ~Toni Morrison

I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves.  ~Anna Quindlen, "Enough Bookshelves," New York Times, 7 August 1991

I find television to be very educating.  Every time somebody turns on the set, I go in the other room and read a book.  ~Groucho Marx

A book must be an ice-axe to break the seas frozen inside our soul.  ~Franz Kafka

To choose a good book, look in an inquisitor’s prohibited list.  ~John Aikin

Books can be dangerous.  The best ones should be labeled "This could change your life."  ~Helen Exley

When you reread a classic you do not see more in the book than you did before; you see more in you than was there before.  ~Clifton Fadiman

He who lends a book is an idiot.  He who returns the book is more of an idiot.  ~Arabic Proverb

The best of a book is not the thought which it contains, but the thought which it suggests; just as the charm of music dwells not in the tones but in the echoes of our hearts.  ~Oliver Wendell Holmes     

Discussion Question: Favorite Book Formats

What is your favorite format for the books you read?  Hardback, paperback, ebook, audio book?

I recently started moving my fiction over to the ebook format, since they have a higher turnover rate in my collection and I am impatient with waiting to purchase the next ones in a series.  With my metaphysical library, which currently consists of 3 shelves, I like to have them easily available for reference.

Two of my hobbies are collecting hardback books of series that I love and collecting signed editions.  I have  half the books in Laurell K. Hamilton's Merry Gentry series and three of the Harry Potter books.  Need to complete those collections.  The crown jewel in my collection is a hardback and signed copy of Sherrilyn Kenyon's "Archeron."

Comment and share with us your favorite book formats!

Change Your Life, One Word at a Time

What are you doing to change your life this November?

Four years ago, I would have just had a dumb stare if someone had asked me that question. Now I know that there is a massive writing competition that can "literally" change your life in just 4 weeks - National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).

Just like those Army commercials, at the end of the month you are a lean, mean, writing machine. Most importantly you have done something for yourself - you are a novelist.

So any of you who have been putting off that novel until you are wiser or "have more time", this is your chance! Take the plunge and sign up for National Novel Writing Month.

http://www.nanowrimo.org

Throughout the month of October, we will be preparing for this event at the Pagan NaNoWriMo-er's Ning.  Learn more about characterization, plotting, and setting.  We will be sharing tips for getting you out of the way of your writing and making the most of your time.  Chat with other budding novelists as well as the ole' pros.  We want to help you meet your goal!

http://paganwriters.ning.com/

p.s. - Your Muse will love you and your Inner Critic will be angry about the sock in his mouth

Interview with Rosa Sophia

How did you end up becoming a writer?

You don't “become” a writer.  You already are a writer.  Even people who don't start writing until later in their life.  They were already writers, they just didn't know it yet. 

I grew up around books.  We weren't allowed to watch TV.  My mother, Ruby Lynn, worked full time, which meant that my brother and I were often at our Grandma Polly's house.  I drew a lot of inspiration from that house.  It was dark and cozy.  I was haunted by words, among other things; at a very young age, I loved Shakespeare and would read the big thick books that my grandma had in her living room.  As a young girl, my career of choice was “famous author.” 

What inspired “Taking 1960”?

Across the creek from my mama's house is an old farmstead that sits on a hill, hidden behind some trees.  Mama told me stories about the house and the people that used to live there.  My mother's stories about that house were a huge inspiration.  Many other aspects of the book are based on stories I heard, or people in my family.

Are you nervous about how the book will be received?

Extremely.  It is now the tenth, and my first book talk is this Friday, the thirteenth.  I want the book to do well, and everyone keeps telling me that it will, but it's harder for me to believe it.  I don't want to be the center of attention (I'm terrified about this book talk), but I also want to make money doing something that I love.  In order to succeed, you have to take risks.  In my mind, this is a huge risk, because I am exposing something that means a lot to me and I will have to accept whatever comes of it.

How do you relax after a successful writing day?

I don't.  I haven't had a particularly successful writing day in a long time.  I had one the other day, when I wrote five pages, but nothing compares to how I used to write.  I wrote Taking 1960 in three months during the summer of 2005.  I don't know what has changed, but I get very frustrated when I go long months without writing a single word.  For me, when I can actually get “on a roll,” there is nothing more relaxing than writing.  Terry Pratchett, one of my favorite authors, said: “Writing is the most fun a person can have by themselves.”  That's the relaxing part.  The stressful part is when I have to stop.

Do you like to read? If so, what are your favorite genres and authors?

I met a writer who didn't like to read once.  Incidentally, he wasn't a very good writer.  I think that writers should try to read all different sorts of things—from fiction to nonfiction—in order to diversify their own writing and broaden their perspectives.  I enjoy reading everything.  P.G. Wodehouse is one of my favorite writers.  My favorite mystery authors are Jeff Markowitz and Bill Crider.  And of course, one of my most favorite authors is J.W. Coffey.  If you get a chance, check them all out sometime. 

Are there any projects that you are currently working on?

My “writing-partner-in-crime” and I are working on a novel together, some of which can be found on the Pagan Writers website.  Look for it under the Columns and Serials menu; it is called Traces.  I am continually working on numerous projects, including the third book in the Dead series, A Message for the Dead.  That series remains unpublished, but I hope to publish it in the near future, beginning with A Siren for the Dead.  Also, Rev. David P. Smith (my agent) and I, plan on collaborating on a novel in the very near future, so we will see how that goes.

How can our readers pick up their copy of “Taking 1960”?

It will be available through the publisher, Dreamz-Work Publications, at the website www.dreamz-work.com.  I plan on eventually selling signed copies through my website, www.rosewrites.webs.com.  It should also be available through Amazon and other booksellers.  Anyone with questions in the future can contact me through my website.

Rosa is also the Editor-in-Chief of the Pagan Writers Community.  Be sure to stop by and wish her luck with her first novel, "Taking 1960."

Excerpt: Taking 1960 by Rosa Sophia

Taking 1960
By Rosa Sophia
Published by Dreamz-Work Productions
Release Date: Friday, August 13th

When Katherine walks into the hallway, it’s always empty.  That’s when she first puts her foot onto the dusty wooden floors.  She sets her eyes on the sun-spotted walls, then the wide old windows with their gossamer curtains.  The vision gives her a moment to collect herself, to stare in puzzlement at her surroundings.  Once she’s become somewhat comfortable in this hallway of what can only be an old farmhouse, she hears footsteps.

The woman comes up the stairway opposite her with both purpose and reluctance evident in her expression.  She always wears the same drab outfit. Her hair is done up in the style of a day long gone and her arms are muscled from various chores around the homestead.

At this point, she always starts to yell.  The thing is, the spectator can’t hear what she’s saying.  The strange woman’s mouth moves soundlessly and the watcher wonders, each time, if she’s yelling at her.  After a few moments, she knows that she is not the subject of this woman’s fury.  The dreamer tries to turn and find the culprit, but she never can.

With the sunlight dancing against the paintings on the far side of the hallway and on the chiseled features of the subject of the dream, the spectator sees how beautiful this woman is.  Is she in her late twenties or early thirties?

Katherine has had this dream so many times that she has gotten used to its oddities.  She waits for the woman to finish yelling, then watches as she rips away the wedding band on her finger, throwing it angrily to the ground.  The woman is on the verge of tears now and Katherine wants to embrace her, tell her that everything’s all right.  For some reason, she feels as though she knows her, but Katherine has never seen this woman before.

The vision makes her body heavy and she can’t move.  Before she can utter words of reassurance, the woman turns and stalks back down the stairs.  That’s when Katherine feels herself begin to wake up.

And when she drags herself out of that deep slumber, she whispers to herself, the same words, each time:

“Something horrible has happened…”

Coming Soon: Taking 1960 by Rosa Sophia

Taking 1960
By Rosa Sophia
Published by Dreamz-Work Productions
Release Date: Friday, August 13th

An envelope addressed to Katherine Maslin stood out amongst the pile of bills. It is a notice from an attorney… the rights to her grandparents’ farmhouse and adjacent property.

She believes that a change will rid her of the strange dreams she’s been having, wherein an oddly familiar woman visits her, begging for her help. But when Kat realizes that the woman in her dream is her dead grandmother, she begins to have doubts about moving to the farm.

Rumors and nightmarish tales fill her mind, stories of the five men who lost their lives in the late 1950s to a heartless murderer. A man had been convicted, but was he the one the police had been looking for, or had he been framed?

Kat is thrown backwards through time on a journey to discover a terrible truth. The ghost of her grandmother is always one step ahead of her, leading the way. But will she find the real killer before he finds her?

Book Review: The Writing Diet

The Writing Diet: Write Yourself Right-Size
Written By: Julia Cameron
Published By: Penguin Group (USA)
Page Count: 256
ISBN-13: 9781615594993
ISBN-10: 161559499X

Publisher’s Comments: Use writing to take off the pounds! Over the course of the past twenty-five years, Julia Cameron has taught thousands of artists and aspiring artists how to unblock wellsprings of creativity. And time and again she has noticed an interesting thing: Often when her students uncover their creative selves they also undergo a surprising physical transformation— invigorated by their work, they slim down. In The Writing Diet, Cameron illuminates the relationship between creativity and eating to reveal a crucial equation: Creativity can block overeating. This inspiring weight-loss program directs readers to count words instead of calories, to substitute their writing’s “food for thought” for actual food. The Writing Diet presents a brilliant plan for using one of the soul’s deepest and most abiding appetites—the desire to be creative—to lose weight and keep it off forever.

My Review: Author and creativity expert Julia Cameron is not a doctor or dietician, but she did notice something interesting about the students in her workshops.  As her students were tackling the blocks to their creativity, they were beginning to slim down before her eyes.  “The Writing Diet” is the product of that observation.

Cameron explains her belief about how people use food to block out parts of their lives.  In many cases, overeating also blocks the person’s creativity and causes them to drop into a deeper food-filled depression.  The author developed seven tools to help get readers back on the path to fulfillment and wellness.

The book is broken up into two parts – the first section explaining the tools while the second part talks about situations you may find yourself and solutions to potential problems you may face on the diet.  Each section is followed up with topics to think about and questions for you to answer for yourself.

What I like most about this book and the diet within is that it was created to be used in conjunction with another food-based diet.  Whether you are already on Weight Watchers, South Beach or doing your own thing from home, the tools in this book will add value to that effort.  Even once you have met your goal weight, extended use of the tools will make sure you stay slim and keep your creative juices flowing.

From Bon Temps to True Blood: The Sookie Stackhouse Novels

About a year and a half ago, my husband and I rented the first disc of HBO’s original series True Blood from Blockbuster.  We sat there in front of the TV together for a few hours, completely enveloped in a reality where Vampires have made their presence known to humans and are fighting for their right to “live” with humans in society.  Without a second thought, we returned the DVD and went to purchase the first season for ourselves.  Once we were done with the first season of the show, I bought and read the novels by Charlaine Harris that the show is based on. 

Since I just finished the latest one, “Dead in the Family,” second season just came out on DVD and with the third season of True Blood starting soon, I thought I would share with you the tales of the fair-haired Sookie Stackhouse and her life with the creatures that go bump in the night.

And please note that the books are nowhere near as racy as the show and that the show does not follow the books exactly.

Dead until Dark
Sookie Stackhouse is just a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. Until the vampire of her dreams walks into her life-and one of her coworkers checks out....
Maybe having a vampire for a boyfriend isn't such a bright idea.

Living Dead in Dallas
This is the second book in Charlaine Harris' popular Southern Vampire Mysteries series. Telepathic vampire maven (and cocktail waitress) Sookie Stackhouse has been tasked with locating an abducted vampire and suppressing an upstart anti-undead religious cult.

Club Dead
Sookie's boyfriend has been very distant-in another state, distant. Now she's off to Mississippi to mingle with the underworld at Club Dead-a little haunt where the vampire elite go to chill out. But when she finally finds Bill-caught in an act of betrayal-she's not sure whether to save him...or sharpen some stakes.

Dead to the World
When cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse sees a naked man on the side of the road, she doesn't just drive on by. Turns out the poor thing hasn't a clue who he is, but Sookie does. It's Eric the vampire--but now he's a kinder, gentler Eric. And a scared Eric, because whoever took his memory now wants his life.

Dead as a Doornail
Small-town cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse has had more than her share of experience with the supernatural—but now it’s really hitting close to home. When Sookie sees her brother Jason’s eyes start to change, she knows he’s about to turn into a were-panther for the first time—a transformation he embraces more readily than most shapeshifters she knows. But her concern becomes cold fear when a sniper sets his deadly sights on the local changeling population, and Jason’s new panther brethren suspect he may be the shooter. Now, Sookie has until the next full moon to find out who’s behind the attacks—unless the killer decides to find her first…

Definitely Dead
Sixth in the Anthony Award-winning Southern Vampire series. Spiked with a frothy fusion of romance, mystery, and fantasy, this bestselling series sends the supernaturally gifted cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse to New Orleans, where she has to deal with the legacy of one of her own family and a host of potentially dangerous characters.

All Together Dead
Betrayed by her longtime vampire love, Louisiana cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse must now not only deal with a possible new man in her life-the oh-so-handsome shapeshifter Quinn-but also contend with a long-planned vampire summit. With her power base weakened by hurricane damage to New Orleans, the local vampire queen is vulnerable to those hungry for a takeover. Soon, Sookie must decide what side she'll stand with. And her choice may mean the difference between survival and all-out catastrophe.

From Dead to Worse
After the natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina, and the manmade horror of the explosion at the vampire summit, Sookie Stackhouse is safe but dazed, yearning for things to get back to normal. But her boyfriend Quinn is among the missing. And things are changing, whether the Weres and vamps in her corner of Louisiana like it or not. In the ensuing battles, Sookie faces danger, death-and once more, betrayal by someone she loves. And when the fur has finished flying and the cold blood ceases flowing, her world will be forever altered.

Dead and Gone
Except for Sookie Stackhouse, folks in Bon Temps, Louisiana, know little about vamps-and nothing about weres. Until now. The weres and shifters have finally decided to reveal their existence to the ordinary world. At first all goes well. Then the mutilated body of a were-panther is found near the bar where Sookie works-and she feels compelled to discover who, human or otherwise, did it. But there's a far greater danger threatening Bon Temps. A race of unhuman beings-older, more powerful, and more secretive than vampires or werewolves-is preparing for war. And Sookie finds herself an all-too human pawn in their battle.

Dead in the Family
After enduring torture and the loss of loved ones during the brief but deadly Faery War, Sookie Stackhouse is hurt and she's angry. Just about the only bright spot in her life is the love she thinks she feels for vampire Eric Northman. But he's under scrutiny by the new Vampire King because of their relationship. And as the political implications of the Shifters coming out are beginning to be felt, Sookie's connection to the Shreveport pack draws her into the debate. Worst of all, though the door to Faery has been closed, there are still some Fae on the human side-and one of them is angry at Sookie. Very, very angry...

If you have read any of these books or are a True Blood fan, we would love to hear what you have to say about the series.

Happy reading!!

Quick Book Talk Tuesday Update

Howdy all!  Sparrow here...

I just wanted to let y'all know that the Book Talk Tuesdays should resume next week.  There are many great books that I can't wait to share with everyone.

The week before last I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).  The doctor has me on some hormones that have completely turned my life upside-down in an effort for us to be able to take back control over my reproductive cycle so hubby and I can have a child one day.  Needless to say, I haven't been feeling much like myself.

So keep turning those pages and I will talk to you guys again next week!!

And the Winner Is...

Congratulations to the winner of Merfolk Monday...

Nydia!!

Please send me an email (serephinas @ yahoo.com) with your mailing address :)