Colleen Houck's Blog, page 53
August 21, 2013
Author's After Dark Book Convention highlights in Savannah, GA
Check out some of the highlights from the book convention and some of the crazy going ons that we experienced. .
The first thing we did was fly out from Portland, Oregon with a connecting flight in Atlanta with our final destination being Savannah, Georgia (I flew out from Tucson, Arizona and caught the second plane with Colleen and mom).
Savannah airport
We took a taxi to the Marriott Riverfront where the convention was held. We had just enough time to settle in our hotel room, yes, just one room. It was a rather tight pinch with three of us. :-) It's been awhile since we've had to share one bathroom with two other girls! And, we had two double beds which no one wanted to share.
The view from our hotel room,
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We headed to the lobby area where there was an informal meet n' greet where they served somewhat less than appealing appetizers. We attended the welcoming ceremony and there were a lot of free romance books and swag decorating the tables that we could help ourselves to. Colleen, my mom and I looked at each other and thought, score!!! There were lots of giveaways where attendees could win lunch with an author. Again, score!!!
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After that, we headed back to our hotel room and ordered room service. We were starving and tired from all the travel (did I mention we lost three hours on the east coast?). Funny side note, when I called my two little boys on the phone to check in and say good night I explained to them that when I flew to the east coast I lost three hours and my younger son, now seven, asked where the hours went. :-)
Thursday morning we attended various panels/workshops featuring various YA and romance authors. There is a pretty new genre getting more and more popular called new adult. We slept in and unfortunately missed the waffle breakfast, which sounded super yum. We were hungry when we went to lunch and had sandwiches and salad. After lunch we attended a YA blogger meet and greet. It was fun to see what it was like reading and writing reviews from a blogger's perspective. I was amazed how much they read! Definite heavy weights! Colleen took a group of YA authors out to the famous Paula Deen's restaurant, the lady and sons. Some of the girls included: Sophie Jordan, Mary Lindsey, C.J. Redwine, Jennifer Estep, Lia Habel, Jessica Sauders, and more. Here's a pic of some of us waiting for the shuttle ride.
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The smell of Thanksgiving hung on the air when we walked through the doors of the lady and sons. We were very excited to eat hot chicken, potatoes and gravy, pulled pork, fried... well.... everything, biscuits, and don't forget the butter. Our cholesterol shot up just at the smell and sight of the food around us. :-)
Colleen ordered the chicken pot pie. The philo crust was buttery and flaky, it melted in your mouth like cotton candy. The creamy chicken pot pie underneath was delicious but in my opinion, there was not enough underneath the pastry goodness!
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Mom ordered the buffet and we all shared some fried okra and fried green tomatoes. The biscuits were obviously delicious. You could taste the buttery richness.
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See the big biscuits being delivered by the waitress? They actually served it with a hotcake or pancake too.
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Connected to the restaurant was a store with bunches of mixes, spices, sauces and dishes. But let's not forget the ooey gooey cake mixes and the butter ornaments. Classic!
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Thought this apron was AWESOME!
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Those are butter cube ornaments! When I saw this I thought, "that's what I've been missing on my tree!"
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Paula Deen seems shorter in real life ;-)
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Lots of fun!
Another highlight from Thursday was the YA pajama party. There were chocolates, book giveaways and finger nail painting. It was fun and silly. I brought my Tiger Ren and Kishan t-shirt!
Friday morning we had a light breakfast with fruit and bagels. We didn't want to miss breakfast again! Sadly though, no waffles or bacon. Afterwards we attended the YA reading featuring Knight, Harris, Colleen Houck, Hieber, Caida, and Smith-Ready. It was an event you fans would NOT have wanted to miss. Colleen shared a sneak peak reading of her new Egyptian mummy book she's currently working on. The best I can give you is a pic,
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I just have to say, it was sooo gooood! And, I'm not saying that because she's my sister!
We also scheduled to attend panels including Dragons and Other Magical Creatures, Post Apocolyptic and You and The Unlikely Hero. We attended the YA Chocolate Party and I must say we were in need of a little pick me up by that point. One tiny complaint, there was not enough desserts at this convention. There, I said it. :-)
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We also had a lot of fun at the Steam Tea event. The host let us pick out or very own tea cup and saucer to keep. Check out the fun centerpieces and costumes!
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When we had some free time we headed down to the prize area where the very talented Jessica Crutchfield was selling her custom designed corsets and evening wear. Check out her website, www.tiesthatbynde.com. You'll be amazed at the quality of her work!
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Our mother is a costume fanatic and she just couldn't resist trying on a bunch. In fact, if she could, she probably would have tried all of them on. :-) She bought one for her personal costume collection.
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Colleen and mom talked me into trying one on and I have to admit, it was quite an experience. OK, is it just me or is that one crazy tiny waist? I think she's holding her breath in that pose what do you think?
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It's AMAZING how many inches it takes off your waist and how beautiful you look in them. It would definitely take some getting used to though. It was a little hard to breathe and your ability to move is quite restricted. For a moment, I felt a little like Scarlett O'Hara. I almost bought one myself. Perhaps, I will.
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Some of the other happenings included the mythology panel,
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and the shifters panel,
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And the chocolate and book giveaways! Definitely one of my personal favorite panels! C.J. Redwine did an amazing job hosting!
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and then there's the elemental ball. Colleen was earth, I was water and our mom was fire. We kinda ended up with the three witches from MacBeth kinda look but, it was lots of fun to play dress up and do crazy make up! The head pieces were really fun.
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Check out some of the other costumes and the line to get in.
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Here's a pic of some of the door prizes. Always love masks. One day, the book convention should host a masquerade ball with the big ball gown dresses, masks, and done up hair dos. We just need our handsome princes there to ask us to dance. :-)
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After the elemental ball, we crashed one of the YA author's hotel rooms and had a little after party, there was some heavy literature readings and lots of laughs! Disclosure, what happens in Author's After Dark, stays in Author's After Dark. :-)
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Then, the best part of the whole convention was Saturday, teen day and book signing!!!
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Colleen LOVES her fans!!!
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One more fun excursion out on the streets of Savannah was a little stroll in the rain to a restaurant called Pirates' House. It's supposedly one of the oldest homes and is located in one of the most historic spots in Georgia. Real pirates frequented there along with a visit from George Washington and James Madison!!
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Look at the beautiful tree lined sidewalks!
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Some background of the area. When General Oglethorpe and his little band of colonists arrived from England in 1733, they came ashore near the present City Hall on Bull and Bay Streets, approximately seven blocks due west of The Pirates' House. There they pitched their tents to found the City of Savannah.
A suitable site of land was chosen and an experimental garden was developed and dedicated as Trustees Garden in honor of Oglethorpe's men whom he considered the Trustees of the New Colony.
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Botanists were sent from England to the four corners of the world to bring plants for the new garden project and they included vine cuttings, fruit trees, flax, hemp, spices, indigo, cotton, olives and medicinal herbs. Their greatest hopes were centered in the wine industry and in the Mulberry trees which were essential for the production of silk. But, both of these crops failed because of the soil conditions and weather. They soon discovered however that peach trees and cotton thrived under those conditions and gave Georgia the peaches and cotton as a great major commercial crop.
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Here's some fun history about Pirates' House. See web for complete history at www.thepirateshouse.com/index.htm.
The Pirates' House first opened as an inn for seafarers and fast became a rendezvous for blood-thirsty pirates and sailors from the Seven Seas. Here seamen drank their grog and discoursed, sailor fashion, on their exotic high seas adventures from Singapore to Bombay and from London to Port Said.
There is a chamber called the Captain's Room where at one time, negotiations were made by ships' masters to shanghai unwary seamen to complete their crews. Stories still persist of a tunnel extending from the Old Rum Cellar beneath the Captain's Room to the river by which these men were carried, drugged and unconscious, to ships waiting in the harbor. The unlucky lad would find himself at sea on a strange ship bound for a port half a world away. As one legend claims, there was a Savannah policeman who stopped by for a friendly drink and awoke on a four-masted schooner sailing to China from where it took him two years to make it back to Savannah.
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Hanging on the walls in the Captain's Room and Treasure Room are framed pages from an early, very rare edition of the book Treasure Island. If you've read this book, you might remember that Savannah is mentioned several times by the classic author Robert Louis Stevenson. In fact, some of the action supposedly happened in this very place. Tis' said that old Captain Flint, who originally buried the treasure, died here in the upstairs room. So the story tells, his faithful mate, Billy Bones, was at his side when Captain Flint said his last words muttering "Darby, bring aft the rum". Even now, many swear that the ghost of Captain Flint still haunts the Pirates' House on moonless nights!!
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Captain Flint, a classic image of a pirate!
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Thanks to Sophie Jordan who recommended this restaurant because it did not disappoint! We had the most delicious pork fried rolls for an appetizer and amazing pecan crusted fried chicken. The ambiance was truly authentic and felt like we were on a pirate ship. The weather added to it too! Apparently Savannah is known to have lightning and thunder storms and flash floods every evening in the month of August. So, as we sat their enjoying our food the rain poured down on the rooftops, allowing constant pounding of water falling outside the windows. It truly added to the experience!!
Here's the fried chicken, mmmm mmm good!
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Then for dessert we had the local pecan pie with ice cream and homemade peach ice cream pie with a graham cracker crust. Trust me, it was worth the calories!
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We checked out the upstairs rooms where they had a souvenir shops. Great food, amazing ambiance, ghost stories, thunder storms, and shopping made for a perfect night out in Savannah!
Well, that about wraps up the highlights of our trip! I hope you got to vicariously experience Savannah and the book convention through us. Stay tuned for a blog all about Dragons!!!
Till next time! ~
Linda Louise Lotti
August 13, 2013
Tips on how to make a Kishan stuffed tiger
But, before we get started on that, just a quick reminder to check previous blogs posted this week announcing the contest winners.
There are a LOT of winners this month so be sure to CHECK to see if you've won!!!
Hurry as a new winner will be selected if you don't contact us back!
And, if you plan on attending the Author’s After Dark convention in Savannah, Georgia, I encourage you to check out the blog where I interviewed with Colleen Houck and review her answers. There will be a little prize given to those who mention the interview blog and can answer a random question! There will also be tons of parties and events with lots of free giveaways and there will be a lot of YA authors to meet. Most of the young adult activities are happening on Saturday the 17th of August so don't miss it!!!
O.K, back to the subject of making a Kishan stuffed animal. . .
Step 1
Buy supplies:
-A white tiger (size you want)
-Black (75) Darma Pigment Fabric Paint
- A wire brush
-A bristle brush
-Rubber gloves
-Spray bottle (mix black fabric paint with water to desired color in bottle) *be sure to test it on white color plush toy before using on your white tiger
-Black gloss acrylic paint for eyes
-Metallic gold acrylic paint for eyes
-Fine paint brush
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Step 2
-Prepare work area in garage or outside, protect table or whatever surface you are working on.
- With rubber gloves on, spray watered down black fabric paint mix on tiger and brush plush fur as you go, working the paint into the fur (may stain clothes so be careful).
- Work color into a small area then move on to a new area on the tiger until all areas of the tiger are colored.
- The white tiger should turn dark grey and the stripes should still be visible.
- When you are satisfied with the amount of color, allow to dry in protected area. *The dye will come off on your hands if it is not completely dry.
Step 3
- Once the fur is completely dry, it is time to paint the eyes. Use the acrylic paints to get the gold color of Kishan with black pupils. Allow to dry.
Step 4
- You should have a finished Kishan stuffed tiger!!! So, snuggle up and enjoy!!
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I hope you have fun making your very own Kishan stuffed tiger!! Till next time!
More winners!
We have a few more winners to announce.
For those who shared and tweeted the Nook announcements on Facebook and Twitter on August 8, the winner is twitter user @LaurenCirig. Congratulations! You won an exclusive edition of Tiger's Voyage.
On Colleen's Egyptian teaser post (did you not just love that sneak peek?!?!), she posted a picture puzzle. Among you all (chosen at random), the winner is Emily G (username botoocean). Congratulations! You won a book or audiobook of your choice.
And lastly (for now!), remember the vase filled with blue and green water beads? Well, there were 630 of those beads. The closest guesses were...
MandyAmour: 658
bullylover17:650
Paisch: 650
brittanypiazza: 648
Tonyac0772: 632
Congratulations! You all won copies of Tiger's Quest in paperback.
All winners, please email me and include your mailing address so you can receive your prize! If you do not email within three days, a new winner will be chosen. Email me at contests@colleenhouck.com.
August 12, 2013
Winner of the Tiger's Curse nook book sale celebration contest announced!
The long awaited moment has arrived!
It is time to announce the winners of this months contest!
But before I do, I want to thank everyone for sharing, liking, tweeting, and commenting on facebook and twitter. There were well over 39,000 on facebook alone who viewed the limited time offer for the sale of Tiger's Curse on the nook.
I also must thank you for all of your comments and for sharing these stories with family and friends! Colleen LOVES her fans!!!
So, without further ado, the winners of the contest are. . .
Jessica Russell
and
Candi Spietz
The winners will receive a prize package including;
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An exclusive edition of Tiger's Voyage
A first edition copy of Tiger's Curse (to share with a friend or keep)
Custom designed necklace and bracelet set (all the way from the Village of Silvanae where Kelsey and Kishan visited the tree nymphs and wood fairies in Tiger’s Quest)
An official fan letter from the desk of Colleen Houck
And there’s more!
Thank you again for everyone’s entries and for your continued support of Colleen Houck and the Tiger’s Saga!
Please check back soon for more contests, teasers from Colleen's new book and fun stuff for the brain and heart!
Attention winners, please respond to my email and include your mailing address so that your prize may be sent to you! Again, congratulations!!! Email me at
lindalouiselotti@colleenhouck.com
Remember, if you do not respond within three days another contestant will be chosen. Congratulations!!
August 10, 2013
I Want My Mummy
Interesting thing. My mom moved in with me and the hubby about a month ago and I've discovered that she has a very interesting vocabulary. What's really shocking though is that most of the phrases and odd words she uses are actually real terms or slang terms that I'd never heard of before. Here is my current list.
Mom Words
KICKY- as in "Hey, Colleen, check out these shoes! They're really kicky!"
Now I looked this one up and here is the online definition.
DEFINITION: providing a kick or thrill : exciting; also : excitingly fashionable
EXAMPLE: Needing one last kicky experience in my life, I decided to try bungee jumping.
HEAVENS TO MERGATROYD - as in "Heavens to mergatroyd! I just filled the car with gas."
DEFINITION: An exclamation of surprise.
ORIGIN: 'Heavens to Murgatroyd' is American in origin and dates from the mid 20th century. The expression was popularized by the cartoon character Snagglepuss - a regular on the Yogi Bear Show in the 1960s, and is a variant of the earlier 'heavens to Betsy'.
MAKE HAY WHILE THE SUN SHINES - as in "Have you started writing yet today? You'd better make hay while the sun shines."
Now I'll have to admit that I thought this had a VERY different meaning. An awkward one but apparently, I was wrong.
DEFINITION: Make the most of one's opportunities while you have the chance.
ORIGIN: This proverb is first recorded in John Heywood's A dialogue conteinyng the nomber in effect of all the prouerbes in the Englishe tongue, 1546:
Whan the sunne shinth make hay. Whiche is to say.
Take time whan time cometh, lest time steale away.
Of course, medieval farmers would be as well aware of the wisdom of not leaving it too late to gather one's hay. Modern machinery and weather forecasting make haymaking reasonably quick and stress-free. Tudor farmers would have taken several days to cut, dry and gather their hay.
THE MAIN DRAG - as in "Are we on the main drag yet?"
DEFINITION: the main street of a city or town.
ORIGIN: The origin comes from horses dragging carts or lumber in the street.
Stay tuned for more special mom phrases in the future. =)
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Egyptian Book Teaser
This segment comes from Chapter 18 which I just completed this week.
"The temple of Kom Ombo was not as well preserved as other archeological sites in Egypt. It rested on a high dune and since we had approached from the south, the Nile stretched out to the east. It looked more like a Greek temple than the Egyptian ones I’d seen.
Several wide columns supported a crumbling upper segment that appeared to be a roof terrace and only a piece of the pylon gateway had survived the centuries. Each column was lit with a soft yellow gleam that gave the whole building a haunted air, especially when the wind picked up and whistled between the open cracks and crevices. It was almost as if the ghosts of priest and pharaohs from the past were whispering in the dark shadows of the columns."
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This week I'm headed to Savannah for the Authors After Dark convention.
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If you live in the area come and find me! I'll be bringing along some of my special editions of Tiger's Voyage to give out to a few of my loyal readers!
Have a great week!
Colleen
August 5, 2013
Contest Giveaway in celebration of Nook book sale of Tiger's Curse!
So in addition to the amazing deal being offered, there’s more! In celebration of Tiger’s Curse, the first novel in the Tiger Series, we are hosting a contest giveaway!
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Here’s the low down, simply go to the Tiger’s Curse fan page on Facebook, find the post mentioning the Barnes & Noble Nook book of TIGER’S CURSE as a Nook Daily Find for special low price of $1.99 on August 8th, 2013, click SHARE, LIKE, and leave a COMMENT and your name will be automatically entered for a chance to win an exclusive Tiger’s giveaway package!
Or, you can tweet the following, “Check out Barnes and Noble Nook Daily Find featuring the TIGER’S CURSE Nook book for a limited time special price of $1.99 starting on August 8th, 2013!” Be sure to share your tweet with me Linda Louise Lotti @LindaLouiseLotti
Giveaway will include an Exclusive Tiger’s Voyage Hardback with official fan letter signed by Colleen Houck, a Tiger’s Curse book (to keep for yourself OR share with a friend), a collectible necklace and bracelet set from the Village of Silvanae, book mark, poster, and more! 
So, don’t delay! Start face booking, tweeting, sharing, and earn a chance to win!! One winner will be announced on Monday, August 12th!
**Your name will be entered one time only for EACH tweet, like, comment, and share! Which means you can earn up to 4 entries! Be sure to check back to tigerscursebook.com to reveal winner and more!
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August 3, 2013
Interview with the Author
And, I encourage you to pay close attention to her answers especially if you plan on attending the Author’s After Dark convention in Savannah, Georgia. There will be lots of parties and events with lots of free giveaways and there will be a lot of YA authors to meet. Most of the young adult activities are happening on Saturday the 17th of August so that's the best day for YA fans!
So, on to the interview.
Getting to know Colleen Houck
Me: What's your birth date?
Colleen: October 3rd
Me: What's your sign?
Colleen: Libra
Me: What is your natural hair color and eye color?
Colleen: Brown hair and brown eyes
Me: What is your favorite color?
Colleen: Blue
Me: No doubt the color of Ren's eyes right?
Colleen: ha ha, probably
Me: What is your favorite food?
Colleen: Cheeseburger (and to make it perfect, it'd come with a chocolate milk shake :-)
Me: What is your favorite smell?
Colleen: fresh flowers
Me: What is your all time favorite book?
Colleen: Gone with the Wind and the Black Stallion series
Me: What is your favorite movie?
Colleen: The first Superman movie starring Christopher Reeves as Clark Kent
Me: What is your favorite t.v. show:
Colleen: Either Lost or Star Trek
Me: What one item would you never travel with out?
Colleen: My hair straightener
Me: Who was your first boy crush?
Colleen: I remember a boy at church in my Sunday School class when I was 9 years old. Not gonna say his name. :-)
Me: Who is your current secret actor crush?
Colleen: Hugh Jackman (quick response)
Me: What is your guilty pleasure?
Colleen: Eating chocolate
Me: Describe your perfect date.
Colleen: A dinner and a movie. I'm a simple girl.
Me: What qualities do you look for in the "perfect guy"?
Colleen: He's gotta have a good heart, a true gentlemen, attentive and thoughtful.
Me: Being a great masseuse wouldn't hurt either right?
Colleen: That definitely wouldn't hurt :-)
Me: Who is your favorite female actress?
Colleen: I'd probably go with Vivien Leigh (the actress from the motion picture Gone with the Wind)
Me: Who is your favorite male actor?
Colleen: Hugh Jackman
Me: What is your favorite holiday?
Colleen: Halloween
Me: What talent would you say you possess? Aside from the fact we all love your talent for creative writing.
Colleen: I think I'm pretty organized
Me: What talent would you wish to have that you don't?
Colleen: drawing
Me: Who's your favorite band?
Colleen: Bon Jovi
Me: What is your favorite song?
Colleen: Oh I have too many I couldn't pick just one
Me: What is your favorite dog breed?
Colleen: Toy poodle
Me: What is your favorite cereal?
Colleen: Grapenuts
Me: What is your favorite dessert?
Colleen: Chocolate fudge cake
Me: What books occupy your nightstand?
Colleen: YA books, all sorts!
Me: What is your favorite mythical creature?
Colleen: The dragon
Me: What is your favorite flower?
Colleen: lily
Me: If you had a super power what would it be?
Colleen: Super speed
Me: If you were a superhero, what would you be wearing?
Colleen: A cape of course! The boots are a must as well as fabulous hair! Colors would be bright red and true blue.
Me: Who is your favorite superhero?
Colleen: Superman. When I was young, maybe 10, I was in the bedroom with my younger brothers and sisters and I told them that if they believed hard enough that they could fly. So one by one, my siblings leaped from the top bunk bed with light in their eyes only to fall and with it their hope of flight. Unfortunately, I got in big trouble when my sister Tonnie fell and broke at least one tooth. She screamed, running to find mom where she quickly ratted me out.
So Tiger's fans, there you have it. An up close and personal interview with Colleen Houck! Remember that if you have the chance, stop by in Savannah for the YA book convention!! It will be so much fun!
July 29, 2013
Egyptian Book Teaser
I wanted to share a little teaser from my writing last week. This is from chapter 16 in the new Egyptian book. Note: I deleted the names to leave it as vague as possible. =) There's also a picture puzzle to figure out at the end. Leave a comment with your finished puzzle time and Suki will choose one person to win a book or audiobook of your choice and FYI I sent her a stack of special edition Voyages, just so you know. ;)
Colleen
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EXCERPT FROM CHAPTER 16
Dust rained down on us as overhead the cave wall bulged. Something moved just beneath the surface. Slowly, the thing hidden writhed and undulated, circling to one side of the cave and then the other like a giant snake slithering beneath the desert sand.
“What is it?” I whispered.
“I don’t know,” he replied.
Just then, thousands of tiny fissures broke in the wall and skinny spaghetti strands poked through and dropped by the hundreds onto the cavern floor.
“Those aren’t—”
“They are,” he answered me. “They’re worms.”
“Umm, yeah, but thousands of them? That’s very creepy. Is this what normally happens when you wake your brother?”
His brother spoke up. “Thousands of beautiful women? Yes. Thousands of insects whose only purpose is to lure fish? No.”
“Guys? They’re still coming.” Luminous, thick worms of all descriptions were writhing in ever growing piles and it wouldn’t be long before we were buried beneath them. “Can we get out of here?” I asked. “You know, before our bones get picked as clean as his were?”
“You are not a very proper devotee to speak of me thus, are you?” his brother commented.
“I never said I was.”
“I don’t think these worms are what we should be worried about,” the doctor interjected.
“No?” he said. “What is your worry then, Doctor?”
Rumbling shook the mountain once again and this time there was a giant crack in the ceiling. Rocks and debris tumbled down completely destroying the sarcophagus and shattering the canopic jars. Out of the fissure emerged a creature that belonged in a science fiction movie—a worm the size of Godzilla. Its grey skin oozed and the whole front half was all mouth with sharp, circular teeth in rows that went back as far as I could see. As if sensing fresh meat, it angled its body towards us and squirmed further into the cavern its gaping mouth opening and closing, the sharp teeth clacking together like scissors.
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Here is a picture that inspired my monster. Have a great week guys!
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July 21, 2013
A glimpse into the mythical world
Let's look at some of the world's mythology from whence so many talented authors have dipped their cups and drunk from.
Introducing the Phoenix
The mythological Phoenix can be found in the mythologies of the Persian, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Chinese, and Phoenicians.
A phoenix is a mythical bird that is a fire spirit with a colorful plumage and a tail of gold and scarlet or purple, blue, and green according to some legends. It has a 500 to 1000 year life-cycle, near the end of which it builds itself a nest of twigs that then ignites both the nest and bird from which a new phoenix or phoenix egg is born.
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Some legends believe they are immortal, some believe they have off spring, and in Egypt, they believe the ashes of the old self are made of myrrh and deposits it in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis (literally "sun-city" in Greek). It is sad that the bird's cry is that of a beautiful son. In some stories they are able to change their form to that of a human.
The Story of the Phoenix
There is a bird that lays no eggs and has no young. It was here when the world began and is still living today, in a hidden, faraway desert spot. It is the phoenix, the bird of fire.
One day in the beginning times, the sun looked down and saw a large bird with shimmering feathers. They were red and gold--bright and dazzling like the sun itself. The sun called out, "Glorious Phoenix, you shall be my bird and live forever!" Live forever!
The Phoenix was overjoyed to hear these words. It lifted its head and sang, "Sun glorious sun, I shall sing my songs for you alone!"
But the Phoenix was not happy for long. Poor bird. Its feathers were far too beautiful. Men, women, and children were always casing it and trying to trap it. They wanted to have some of those beautiful, shiny feathers for themselves.
"I cannot live here," thought the phoenix. and it flew off toward the east, where the sun rises in the morning.
The Phoenix flew for a long time, and then came to a far away, hidden desert where no humans lived. And there the phoenix remained in peace, flying freely and singing its songs of praise to the sun above.
Almost five hundred years passed. The Phoenix was still alive, but it had grown old. It was often tired, and it had lost much of its strength. It couldn't soar so high in the sky, nor fly as fast or as far as it was young.
"I don't want to live like this," thought the Phoenix. "I want to be young and strong."
So the Phoenix lifted it's head and sang, "Sun, glorious sun, make me young and strong again!" but the sun didn't answer. Day after day the Phoenix sang. When the sun still didn't answer, the Phoenix decided to return to the place where it had lived in the beginning and ask the sun one more time.
It flew across the desert, over hills, green valleys, and high mountains. The journey was long, and because the Phoenix was old and weak, it had to rest along the way. Now, the Phoenix has a keen sense of smell and is particularly fond of herbs and spices. So each time it landed, it collected pieces of cinnamon bark and all kinds of fragrant leaves. It tucked some in among its feathers and carried the rest in its claws.
When at last the bird came to the place that had once been its home, it landed on a tall palm tree growing high on a mountainside. Right at the top of the tree, the Phoenix built a nest with the cinnamon bark and lined it with the fragrant leaves. Then the Phoenix flew off and collected some sharp-scented gum called myrrh, which it had seen oozing out of a nearby tree. The Phoenix made an egg from the myrrh and carried the egg back to the nest.
Now everything was ready. The Phoenix sat down in its nest, lifted its head, and sang, "Sun, glorious sun, make me young and strong again!"
This time the sun heard the song. Swiftly it chased the clouds from the sky and stilled the winds and shone down on the mountainside with all its power.
The animals, the snakes, the lizards, and every other bird hid from the sun's fierce rays -- in caves and holes, under shady rocks and trees. Only the Phoenix sat upon its nest and let the suns rays beat down upon it beautiful, shiny feathers.
Suddenly there was a flash of light, flames leaped out of the nest, and the Phoenix became a big round blaze of fire.
After a while the flames died down. The tree was not burnt, nor was the nest. But the Phoenix was gone. In the nest was a heap of silvery-gray ash.
The ash began to tremble and slowly heave itself upward. From under the ash there rose up a young Phoenix. It was small and looked sort of crumpled, but it stretched its neck and lifted its wings and flapped them. Moment by moment it grew, until it was the same size as the old Phoenix. It looked around, found the egg made of myrrh, and hollowed it out. Then it placed the ashes inside and finally closed up the egg. The young Phoenix lifted its head and sang, "Sun, glorious sun, I shall sing my songs for you alone! Forever and ever!"
When the song ended, the wind began to blow, the clouds came scudding across the sky, and the other living creatures crept out of their hiding places.
Then the Phoenix, with the egg in its claws, flew up and away. At the same time, a cloud of birds of all shapes and sizes rose up from the earth and flew behind the Phoenix, singing together, "You are the greatest of birds! You are our king!"
The birds flew with the Phoenix to the temple of the sun that the Egyptians had built at Heliopolis, city of the sun. Then the Phoenix placed the egg with the ashes inside on the sun's altar.
"Now," said the Phoenix, "I must fly on alone." And while the other birds watched, it flew off toward the faraway desert.
The Phoenix lives there still. But every five hundred years, when it begins to feel weak and old, it flies west to the same mountain. There it builds a fragrant nest on top of a palm tree, and there the sun once again burns it to ashes. But each time, the Phoenix rises up from those ashes, fresh and new and young again.
Introducing our next mythological creature,is > El Naddaha
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The legend of El Naddaha (translated: the caller) is somewhat a modern legend about a female sea nymph-like genie, or more commonly referred to as a water spirit. Known as Ginneyya in Egyptian Arabic, she calls men to the Nile, most likely to their death. It is quite popular in the Nile Delta, the northern agricultural-based area of Egypt, typically north to Cairo, where the Nile constitutes a main part of the environment.
History
is unknown when exactly the legend was first told, or what was the incident that caused its rise. The story became popular around the 1950s where people would spend a lot of time by the Nile. The children would play by its shores after school and young men would hang there at night.
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The legends tells the story of an amazingly beautiful female who appears to men walking by the Nile at night. The creature calls a man by name, rendering him speechless, hypnotized, and obediently follows her voice. Most are not able to see her until they are close enough to the Nile. She is described as a very beautiful white female; tall, slender, and with long flowing hair down her back. She stands at the edge of the river in a flowing white semi-transparent dress. Some believe she has a semi-transparent body and is thought by many to be a genie.
In rural Egypt, the men may be called to from their homes while asleep in bed. The affected man may eagerly attempt to go out for her while others would not immediately try to find her. Rather, he'd enter a state of disturbed consciousness for a few nights, after which he would eventually leave late at night. People in rural Egypt believe that a man who is called for by El Naddaha is doomed, curing him from the curse is impossible. Many old citizens believe she consumes or fiercely pulls her victims into the Nile and drowns them. And, the dead tell no tales.
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And, the third mythological creature for this blog is, the Kappa .
A Kappa is a dwarf-like water demon of Japan that resembles a shriveled old-man, with webbed hands and feet, sporting a tortoise shell. An origin for the demons could be they are the ghosts of drowned souls. Any pond or river may have one. They possess immense strength and can easily overpower a human. Although the source of this power comes from the stored water within the dish on their head.
Kappa are typically depicted as a humanoid form and are the size of a child. They have scaly, reptilian skin ranging in color from yellow to green or blue, and have webbed hands and feet. They supposedly inhabit the ponds and rivers of Japan and possess great skills in swimming and wrestling. They are known as pranksters but are devilishly cunning. They can speak and communicate with humans. It is said they take their victims and drown them. Then they drink their blood, eat their livers and gain greater powers by consuming their very souls.
It was believed that if confronted with a kappa there were few means of escape: Kappa, for one reason or another, obsess over being polite, so if a person were to gesture a deep bow to a kappa it would more than likely return it. In doing so, the water kept in the lilypad-like bowl on their head would spill out and the kappa would be rendered unable to leave the bowed position until the bowl was refilled with water from the river in which it lived. If a human were to refill it, it was believed the kappa would serve them for all eternity. A similar weakness of the kappa in some tales are their arms, which can be easily pulled from their body. If their arm is detached, they will perform favors or share knowledge in exchange for its return. Once the kappa is in possession of its arm it can then be reattached. Another method of defeat involves the kappa and their known love of wrestling. They will sometimes challenge those they encounter to wrestle or other various tests of skill. This tendency is easily used against them just as with the bow, by encouraging them to spill the water from their sara. They will also accept challenges put to them, such as in the tale of the farmer's daughter who was promised to a kappa in marriage by her father in return for the creature irrigating the land. She challenged it to submerge several gourds in water and when it failed in its task, it retreated and she was saved from the promised marriage. Kappa have also had an aversion to iron, sesame and ginger.
Kappa are not entirely antagonistic to humankind, however. They are curious and may even befriend human beings in exchange for gifts and offerings. Their favorite meal being small children.
(This image inspired Houck's version of a Kappa in her Tiger series though hers are a bit more frightening!)
Another interesting characteristic is its knowledge of healing medicines and legend states that they are responsible for teaching humans the art of bone setting, for the healing of broken bones. 
Some even go as far as to say that this myth is the source of inspiration used in the popular Nintendo Game, Super Mario Brothers. It is said that the "koopas" in the game are based on these creatures and the mountain with its peak filled with water is "Kappa Mountain".
Well, there you have it. The featured mythological creatures for this week. If you have a particular mythological creature or legend you'd like featured on this web site, feel free to leave a comment and we just may include it in our next featured blog about world mythology! As always, a huge THANK YOU for all your continued support for Colleen Houck's book series! I for one CAN'T WAIT to read her new book series!!!
Till next time!
July 17, 2013
Authors After Dark
I have a book convention coming up that I'm pretty excited about. I haven't been to Georgia in a long time so I'm looking forward to visiting again. If you live in the area try to come see me in Savannah at the Author's After Dark convention. There are a lot of parties and events I'll be attending there and there will be a lot of YA authors to meet. Most of the young adult activities are happening on Saturday the 17th so that's the best day for YA fans.
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I've been hard at work on my Egyptian book and this week I'm writing chapter 16 of an expected 22 or so. Very excited to have you all get to know these characters. Here is an excerpt from chapter 15. For more news on this new book make sure you follow my author page on Facebook. It's just called Colleen Houck.
Excerpt from Chapter 15-
Despite his warning, I stayed outside watching for him, hoping he would return quickly or that, at the very least, our bond would assure me of his safety. But, in a matter of a few moments, the entire house was swallowed in darkness and the sand became brutal as it whipped across my skin. I shielded my eyes and had just decided to give up since seeing even a few inches in front of me was no longer possible, when something clamped down on my arm.
I cried out in pain and glanced down. Tremendous force was crushing my forearm, bruising the muscles and ripping into me, but as far as I could tell there was nothing there, no one attacking. Suddenly, the pressure lifted and a crescent shaped series of deep puncture wounds appeared on both sides of my left arm. It was as if a large creature of some kind had sunk its teeth into me.
To go along with that tantalizing little taste of the new book I give you an inspirational image to go with it...
Speaking of inspiration, I promised you all that I would share my Egyptian sun god inspiration at some point, so without further ado, I give you...Sean O'Pry!
Though he's not Egyptian, this handsome young model has the dark good looks I was looking for in my hero.
Leave a comment to let me know what you think. Hope you all have a great week and I am really looking forward to meeting some of my fans in Georgia in August!
Bhagyashalin! May you be endowed with luck!
Colleen
