ALL HALLOWS EVE 2012 – GUEST AUTHOR: Erica Hayes “Who Doesn’t Love a Fate Worse than Death?” & Giveaway (ends 31/10/12)
Who Doesn’t Love a Fate Worse than Death?
All Hallows Eve: when the worlds of the living and the dead collide. But what if you get trapped on the wrong side?
These days, Halloween is more about candy (lollies! I can say that here ☺) and costumes than communing with the dead. But the real reason we wear scary masks and carve faces into pumpkins? To keep angry ghosts at bay. It’s a ritual designed to keep the dead where they belong. We’re quick, they’re dead, and they want what we’ve got.
The old Irish tale of Jack of the Lantern – as in, Jack o’ Lantern, the face in the pumpkin? – tells that cunning Jack, a thief and a conman, tricked the Devil into promising not to take Jack’s soul at his death. But then Jack dies, and he’s too sinful to go to Heaven. So Jack has nowhere to go. And now he’s endlessly wandering the earth, looking for the place where lost souls go, lighting his way with an ember from the flames of Hell that will never, ever go out. A gift from the Devil, who thinks Jack’s fate a fine joke, thanks very much, and that’ll teach you to mess with me.
It’s the old cautionary tale of the curse of immortality. Plucky Jack learned the oldest lesson in the book: cheat death at your peril. Walking the earth forever, finding no resting place, denied not only life, but the peace of dying… it’s a fate worse than death.
In paranormal romance, we LOVE this ☺ We can’t resist a lost soul. Our immortal vampires are outsiders, stuck forever in time while the world rushes on by. Fallen angels, too, cast out from heaven, cursed to walk the earth in that eternal in-between place, neither damned nor saved.
It’s a heartbreaking, desperately romantic notion. But what I love most about cursed-to-walk-the-earth stories? The cursee has a choice. You can give up, and wallow in your own misery for eternity. Or you can get up, find a purpose, and get on with it, even if it seems hopeless.
That’s what’s cool about Jack of the Lantern – he doesn’t give up. He doesn’t curl up in a beanbag and cry into his beer. He picks up his lantern, and walks on, looking for the place where lost souls go. Because one day, just maybe, he’ll find it.
Because raging against the darkness is better than flickering out. You’ll never cheat fate if you don’t try—and isn’t that what the Devil’s counting on?
So this year, when Halloween comes and we’re celebrating another year in the land of the living, light a pumpkin for plucky Jack. You might be seeing him soon.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Erica Hayes was a law student, an air force officer, an editorial assistant and a musician, before finally landing her dream job: fantasy and romance writer. She writes dark paranormal and urban fantasy romance, and her books feature tough, smart heroines and colourful heroes with dark secrets. She hails from Australia, where she drifts from city to city, leaving a trail of chaos behind her. Currently, she’s terrorizing the wilds of Northumberland. (Photo © Ric Woods Photography).
ABOUT THE BOOK: A seductive fallen angel and a sinfully-sexy medical examiner are fighting for their souls in a glittering, near-future Manhattan… Blind faith is for fools. That’s what Dr. Morgan Sterling believes. And she’s going to prove it by curing the zombie plague ravaging her city’s slums. She’s certain it’s not a sign of the End of Days, but a nasty disease—until an angel appears in her morgue in a flash of glory, begging her to help stop the Apocalypse.
Luniel is not just a fallen angel. He’s a powerful warrior sworn to fight evil in hopes of a chance at redemption. He’s after the demon princes who are stealing the seven vials of holy wrath which, when perverted, will unleash eternal hell on earth. To stop the plague, Luniel needs Morgan’s help, and her faith. But Morgan believes science is their salvation. If the zombie plague is a demonic curse—and if Luniel is true—he’ll have to prove it. Even if he loses his heart to true love or his soul to Hell…
ERICA HAYES ONLINE: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Blog
GIVEAWAY!
Erica is kindly giving away a paperback of Revelation, or an e-book copy if the winner prefers, so long as the retailer’s website will let her gift it to you. Plus a Kindle copy of her vampire short story Hunter’s Blood (it’s set at Halloween!) Again, so long as Amazon will let her gift it.
For entry into the giveaway please answer the following question then fill out the form below: Would you rather die, or walk the earth for eternity? And if you were cursed to remain alive, what would you do with all those years?
This giveaway is International and ends 31st October 2012
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47 Comments
I would only walk the earth for eternity if my friends and family were with me. If they are not I would rather die.
I would travel & read a lot of books!
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I think I would like to walk the earth for eternity…..but like Nina with friend and famely.
I would like to learn new things….and I would have all the time in the world to read all the book I would like to read!!!!
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I think die, Walking the earth for eternity is a long time, and if you are alone…poor
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Honestly I would rather walk the Earth for eternity. There are so many things I won’t be able to see in my lifetime that I could use that extra time. I would read every book I could get my hands on, taste the delicious food of the world, visit all of the special locations. Ugh, there are SO many things I could find to do that would take a huge chunk of the time away. GREAT question!!
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Thanks for a great post and giveaway! Congrats to Erica on the new release! I wouldn’t mind “walking the earth for eternity” mainly b/c then I would have the time to enjoy things that we take for granted and finally be able to travel more. Plus I could watch the world change and finally read all the books in my TBR pile
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Walk the earth, for sure. I’d travel to all the places I’d wanted to see but couldn’t afford to go; haunt libraries and read everything ever written…twice.
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I would walk for eternity, I would learn, and travel and read.
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I would rather die to be honest. And if I’m cursed, well I’ll make the life of the curser hell.
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I’d rather die. I know that sounds bad, but there are too many factors to think about for such a quick answer.
If I had no choice, I’d try to learn as many things as I could. I’m assuming I am healthy and capable…
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An eternal life would be awesome.. But just thinking that I’d be alone.. I think I’d rather die than be all the ages by myself. If I had that curse, I think I would do different things, I’d go all over the world, traveling and staying some time wherever I like. Reading books would be something I’d always do. Maybe I’d get in trouble from time to time just to have some fun.. hehe
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I rather die. I wouldn’t want to live forever and watch everyone I love die. If I lived forever, I hope my soulmate would be with me. Tore923@aol.com
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This is a tuff one. I think I’d like to walk for eternity, I mean, just imagine eveything you could be witness to, but then again eternity is a long time.
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I would walk the earth for eternity. I would then have time to read books and rescue cats.
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I would say I would rather die. An eternity is a long time without rest or peace. But if I had to do it, I would travel and see all the things I want to and have time to read all the books I want to read.
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Walk the earth for eternity and travel
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Honestly, I’d rather die than walk the Earth because I couldn’t stand to see my loved ones suffering because of me or to see them die.
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As tempting as being immortal might seem, I wouldn’t want to see everyone I care pass away.
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Knowing that family and friends would die while I lived on would be hard to bear. As time went on, things that I had enjoyed while mortal would probably seem trivial. I’ll stick with mortality, though I wouldn’t say no to a longer, healthier lifespan.
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Even knowing that it would cause a lot of pain, I think would still prefer eternal life. Why? Because I want to LEARN! It’s a hard thing for me to accept that there isn’t enough time in my life to learn everything that I want to learn, or to do everything that I want to do. Not unless I become a multi-millionaire, and even then, I still doubt I’d fit everything in. Give me eternity any day, so that I could discover everything I want to discover and fill my days with books and academia!
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I think I’d rather die. After all eternity is a long, loooonnnnnnnngggggggggg time if you’re alone!
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I would rather die as the world and society would become more unrecognisable and scarier to me as the years wore on and the “older” I became.
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I think I would die and be at peace than walk forever alone. Eternity is an extremely long time!
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I’d be happy to stay alive – I’d read every book I could get my hands on and travel the world and beyond.
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I would like to walk the earth for eternity! I could learn and do a lot of things, travel all over the world, maybe out of space, it could be really cool!
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Oh, I will definitely rather not die. Eternity can be so much fun, and I’m not a person who intends to wallow in misery. I’ll have a huge bucket list to work with
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I WOULD WALK THE EARTH FOR AN ETERNITY – I WOULD FIND A ROUTINE TO SUIT ME
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I would walk the earth only if there was someone with me to make it worth it!
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I’d rather die than live an eternity. If I were forced to to walk the Earth forever and ever I’d make every evil person’s life a living Hell.
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I’d rather die – don’t think i could be doing with walking the earth for eternity
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I would rather die. Who wants to live forever?
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id rather die , the earth cant sustain us now ,
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walk the world for eternity
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[...] of Shadow City – SF SignalErica Hayes, author of Revelation – All Things Urban Fantasy, Book Chick CityGini Koch, author of Three Card Monte – SF Signal, Readaholics AnonymousHelen Lowe, author of [...]
Die. I don’t want to be the only one left ,it would be lonely.
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Walk the earth for eternity – so much to do and see
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I’d have to die or I’d miss everyone
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I’d walk the Earth for eternity, though I’d definitely do something worth while with the time, help out those in need but making sure to do so without getting too much limelight, also I’d make time to read all my books and grow a library :3
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I would rather live for all Eternity. It’s the only way that I’ll have the time to read all the books on my TBR list, LOL!!
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I’d rather die then live a long cursed life
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I think i will prefer to die, is to sad walk alone in earth.
If i cursed to remain alive, i will do what i do in my life help people.
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Walk the Earth for Eternity. Dying scares me a bit
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Thank you for taking the time and effort to share with us. I am new to this title and will definitely be looking up more on Revelation. Not to be flippant about what some consider a serious question, my answer would be as long as there are good books to read I would walk the earth until I could read no more. Of course if I had superpowers and could save the day occasionally myself, all the better, love a good adventure
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I would rather die, because I believe in reincarnation
Still, if I would be alive many years I would read like crazy lol
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Death i couldnt work for ever!
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I’d so much rather die! It would be a nightmare for me to live eternally and watch everyone I love die. I just can’t imagine it.
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I would rather live a long fulfilling life but die in the end. I
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If I had a choice, I want to pass away when my time comes because I have too many people up in Heaven that I am looking forward to being with again. But if I forced to stay alive, I would use my time to learn many things and try to help people.
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