What makes a hero? by Kat DeFalla || THE SEER'S LOVER #Giveaway

What traits do you think that a good hero needs? We all might have different opinions on this and I’d love to hear from the Snarkology readers on this one. I saw an interview with Kermit and Miss Piggy on You Tube and here were their answers:

• Kermit said a hero needs a superpower
• Miss Piggy said they need a secret identity
• Kermit added that a hero should be “a little bit humble”

Good answers, but I have plenty more! I’d say a hero must have: 

Undying loyalty - I am talking about absolute loyalty here. No if, and, or buts…I mean when you give your word, you NEVER go back on it. EVER. Even if it costs you dearly.

Be a man/woman of action – remember the lines from Finding Nemo:

Marlin: I promised I'd never let anything happen to him.

Dory: Hmm. That's a funny thing to promise.

Marlin: What?

Dory: Well, you can't never let anything happen to him. Then nothing would ever happen to him. Not much fun for little Harpo.

Laziness and inaction abounds. A hero is someone who abhors laziness and does something instead of thinking about it. Now is the time!

A hero is a relentless truth-seeker, never assuming they have all the answers, but continually digging deeper and looking further. Asking more questions! A hero never accepts the status quo or is complacent. 

Honor. Not just the run of the mill honor. I mean the honor code of the ancients that doesn’t seem to exist anymore. A person who does the right thing even if everyone else tell them they are wrong. A person who continually tries to better themselves for the sake of bettering the world and beyond to the point where they might be a person standing alone on their own island because of the shallowness of everyone else…that’s true honor.

And in romance? A romantic hero, finds his soulmate and goes all-in. A hero is incessantly selfless to their lover’s needs. Passion doesn’t wither and fade with time, but deepens and strengths to form an unbreakable bond that is epic and the universe itself hangs on to for strength and power. 

Are there any real heros in today’s world? 

Do these mythical creatures exist and can we find them and live out our own happily ever after? 

I say YES! I’m married to my hero. 

Genre:  Mainstream Paranormal/Paranormal Romance

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

World Wide Release Date:  June 4^th, 2014

Calise Rowe's question of who walks among us leads her into an ancient war between seers and demons.

For years, Calise Rowe has been able to sense unusual energy from certain people, making her believe she's different. She's about to find out she's right. 

After an elderly Latino man is murdered outside her pharmacy, Calise takes his last words to heart. "Find Mary. Mal Pais." 

In the sultry Costa Rican jungles, her search for the truth leads her to Lucas Rojas, a seer of the angels and demons who walk among us. After hiding from his gift for years, he refuses to bring Calise into his dangerous world. Calise falls for the reclusive Lucas who agrees to help her. But unwittingly, he draws her into an ancient war between demons and seers.

Calise's biggest danger comes from her her ex-boyfriend, a fallen angel, or transitor, who will do anything, including consort with demons, to get rid of Lucas and win her back. 

Available for purchase on Amazon Kindle

 

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Review by Melissa Snark:

The cover: This cover cannot pass unremarked upon. Those eyes make my skin crawl. Debbie Taylor is really a remarkable cover artist. The cover makes promises that the story delivers.

THE SEER'S LOVER is an amazing story from Kat DeFalla that is technically "paranormal romance" but it is told in a way that crossed over into horror for me. (Horror suspense, not horror gore.) While the concept of angels and demons living unseen among us isn't new, the author's storytelling ability achieves a sort of "higher concept" atmosphere that is thoroughly unsettling. I really enjoyed the book but I found it a little too scary to read at night.

As I review, I often take notes. Two words kept appearing in my notebook: "well" and "creepy". Like my steaks rare and my stories well done so THE SEER'S LOVER proved to be an entirely satisfactory read. The plot, the writing and characterization are all done well. Descriptions are vivid without being too verbose and the pacing maintains a brisk clip, drawing the reader deeper and deeper. The ending is HEA and yet retains the aura of imminent peril that is integral to the story.

I loved the exotic setting. Mal Pais "Bad Country" is portrayed in a manner that makes it easy for the reader to envision. I especially enjoyed descriptions of the ocean and the sky, as pretty as a picture.

Creepy is one of those overused adjectives with so many variations that it is commonly turned into a combo-adjective. There's creepy-cool, creepy-cute, creepy-weird, creepy-ass, and even creepy-sexy (Dexter, anyone?). Following THE SEER'S LOVER, I'm adding creepy-romantic to my vocabulary even though that probably isn't catchy enough to enter into popular use.

The heroine, Calise Rowe, is intelligent and appealing, and I found I liked her immediately. The story opens with a scary encounter with a demon that sends the heroine questing...from Wisconsin to Costa Rica. (Okay, that was a bit of a stretch for me. I can imagine encountering something terrifying enough to send me running to an occultist or a church, but I can't see myself jumping a plane to South America just based on a statement by a stranger.)  The hero, Lucas, is mysterious and courageous, and the pair shares excellent chemistry. Love scenes are hot but focused more on the emotional aspects of lovemaking than the physical act. 

THE SEER'S LOVER is a great choice for readers who love the thrill of being scared along with the excitement of watching two people fall in love. Word of caution: if you like to read at night, leave on the lights.

Excerpt:

She traced a circle in the sand with her finger.

Why would she disclose her whole existence to someone she’d just met? Someone who talked so little about himself that she found herself talking to fill the void. Saying things she could barely admit in her own head.

His hand covered hers. “I’m lonely, too. Getting to know you this week

has been the brightest point in my life and I don’t want you to leave, but I know the only place you’ll be safe is far away from me.”

She swallowed. He had read her mind.

He lay down on his back and closed his eyes. “Cali, you know when you hear a song for the first time and you kind of ingest it? You can’t possibly know right away that it will be one of your favorite songs for the rest of your life. A classic.”

“Yeah.” She hoped he was going somewhere good with this.

“That first listen,” he continued, “you pick up a little of the melody and some lyrics that catch you. But when the song ends, you have to hear it again because you want to memorize all the words and sing along. After you hear it a few times and learn the words inside and out, then you begin to let the melody seep inside you. Next thing you know, you’ve completely digested the song and find yourself humming it while you are doing nothing, like shaving or driving your car. Finally, the song becomes so ingrained it becomes a part of you. Forever. You can recall it and it’s with you whenever you need it. Am I making any sense?”

She nodded, blinking back the tears fighting to fall.

“Cali, I don’t want you to go back because you’re my favorite song.”

Bio:

Author Kat de Falla was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where she learned to roller skate, ride a banana seat bike, and love Shakespeare thanks to her high school English teacher.

Four years at the UW-Madison wasn’t enough, so she returned to her beloved college town for her Doctor of Pharmacy degree and is happily employed as a retail pharmacist where she fills prescriptions and chats with her patients.

She is married to her soul mate, classical guitarist, Lee de Falla and raising four kids together ala the Brady Bunch.

Author Website

Blog

Twitter: @katdefalla

Facebook

Additional Information:

Visit www.bayafaya.com for FREE music downloads that accompany this book.

A portion of the proceeds from this book will be donated to www.iorphan.org