With us today is Shelly Holt. I asked Shelly how she came up with the title of Tasting Fire. Here is her response.
Titles are one of the last things I do in writing a book or
short story. How can you give your
creation an accurate name if you haven't been properly introduced yet?
Tasting Fire wasn't always Tasting Fire. It was first called Leopard's Embrace, in
fact on my hard drive are still the first 44 chapters and epilogue labeled as
Leopard's Embrace. I think I went with
Dharma's daughters and then Sacred daughter.
In the end, I had to basically summarize the book in the
title and without giving away the ending (no spoilers here) the basic theme of
the book is about enlightenment, (don't worry, it is a romance and there is
lots of sex in the book.) The book is
about spiritual, social and ecological enlightment, the term Tasting Fire is
referring to the fire of spiritual enlightment.
I used many different theologies to help guide the spiritual
aspects of the plot. Hopefully I did a
good enough job of weaving them into the plot that they don't come off as too
preachy or identifiable. The beautiful
cover art I licensed from talented photographer Michael Tilton Williams is a
representation of the Buddhist deity Yamantaka.
He is known as a protector of dharma and slayer of death. I found the imagery quite appropriate after I
researched Buddhist deities and was inspired by the cover when I decided on my
title.
I'm really proud of the book and believe it will stand out
as a strong, positive, and sexy (did I mention there's lots of sex in it)
original tale that will delight and provoke those who read it.
BLURB:
Shape-shifters
have always walked the earth. Shrouded in myth and folklore, hiding in the
shadows, watching and waiting. Advances in modern science are now about to
reveal them to the world. Kai Tenzin is the self appointed leader of the Pari
people. He and his kind evolved from the most reclusive predators on earth.
They live and hunt in the most fearsome and rugged terrain known to man, the
Himalayas. Kai leaves his small village where the mountains touch the heavens,
determined to do anything to protect his people. When he is forced to enlist
the aid of the beautiful American scientist Dr. Rae Hales, the last thing he
expects to find is a woman who will ensnare his heart and endanger them all.
Their action-packed adventure will take them around the world to discover the
truth behind the legends and reveal the future of humanity.
Excerpt
The short
ride to Kizhi island was exhilarating on the open hydrofoil. Kai helped Rae off the boat as it docked at
the seven mile long island. The tour
group followed their guide off the dock and onto the island. They listened intently as the guide in
stilted English advised them that the site had become a world heritage site in nineteen-ninety. There were more than eighty pieces of wooden
architecture that made up the outdoor museum’s collection. The guide then gestured for the large group
to follow him. The tour group was led up
to a magnificent structure. The center
piece of the collection that was known as The Church of Transfiguration.
Rae felt as
if she had stepped right into a storybook.
The guide started his official recitation on the history of the
structure “the Church of Transfiguration has twenty two onion domes. It was built during the reign of Peter the
Great. No nails were used in the
construction and it was created by using interconnecting wood pieces
only.” Kai stood back taking picture
after picture of the breathtaking silver domes.
The guide then indicated for them to enter and put his finger over his
mouth to indicate silence.
As Kai and Rae walked in they could hear why
the guide silenced them. A trio of
singers were performing a deeply moving mass.
Behind them a gold leaf Russian icon painting glinted in the light that
was streaming in through the dusty windows.
The effect transported the tour group back in time. They were now in a time before digital
cameras, before cell phones, to a time when the Tzars ruled Imperial Russia
with an iron fist.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
My name is Shelly Holt and I live in the middle of the harsh
and unforgiving Mojave desert. I write my stories looking out of a window that
shows sweeping desert views. Outside is a barren and severe landscape, yet
inside my head lives a world filled with exotic shape-shifters come to life,
pulled from the pages of myth and legend, ready to entice and seduce any reader
brave enough to take them on.
It's funny, I never wanted to be a writer! In 7th grade
English, we were given an assignment. We were told to write an original
poem and turn it in the next day. I was determined to turn in not a good
poem, but a great poem. I spent the whole night working on it instead of
watching my favorite show, The Waltons. (Hey! it was 1980.) I
turned it in the next day. Apparently, I succeeded a little too well and
was accused of copying it from a book. (1980 remember, no internet yet).
The teacher stated and I quote "this is too good for a seventh
grader, where did you copy it from?" Well, I didn't write for 30
years after that. In my 40's, after a life changing move to rural Nevada as a
caregiver to my father, I realized I needed a way to earn a little money on the
side. I did some research on the internet and read all about a certain
little book, about a certain little college student and a handsome billionaire
with some ahem! (issues.) I decided after reading that book, I could do
that, and Tasting Fire was born. I'll admit it's been strange revisiting a talent
buried deep inside for so long, forgotten, but apparently not lost. It's been
an important journey and one I am quite thankful for and excited to see where
it takes me.
Shelly Holt
P.S. Mr. Jordan, I really did write that poem!
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shelly-Holt/443904305648848?ref=stream
Twitter
https://twitter.com/ShellyHolt9
Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/Tasting-Fire-ebook/dp/B0098M7OOQ
Shelly will award a $20 Starbucks GC to one randomly
drawn commenter during the tour.
The tour
dates can be found here: http://www.goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/09/virtual-book-tour-tasting-fire-by.html
We were heading for Breaking Dawn when I heard a cat crying. Since we have five cats, I hear cats crying all the time, including in my sleep, so it took me a minute to react. When I did, did I remain calm, cool and collected? Of course not. "I hear a cat. I hear a cat," I start yelling, panicked that a cat had gotten under the hood and was in danger. So the hubby pulls over and says, "Check the trunk."
