Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Guest Blogger -- Introducing Eva Gordon

Hey all,

It's time again for a wonderful Guest blogger and this time we have the exciting and prolific Eva Gordon.  

I love her paranormal books and if you haven't had a chance to visit with her, you're in for a special treat. Let's learn a little about Eva before we go any further. 

From her website... 

Eva Gordon writes genre bending paranormal / fantasy / steampunk and historical novels with a strong romantic element. She loves to create stories that combine her passion for mythology, steamy romance, and action/suspense. Her imagination takes her from one universe to the next. Thus far, she has several series lined up as well as single titles waiting in line for production.

So know that you know a little more about his amazing author, let's see what Eva has to say!!!

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The Magic of Owls
by Eva Gordon

I write fantasy/paranormal romance, but spend a great deal of time volunteering at a raptor center where I’ve had the opportunity to work with hawks, falcons and owls. I have degrees in Zoology and Biology, and although I write full time, working with animals has always been an equal passion.

A decade ago on Halloween, as you walked down the streets and to the storefronts, you would see a decorative owl or two. However of late, I see owls everywhere: on mugs, pillows, cards, and even on clothing. You can’t blame all the owl hype on Harry Potter or can you?

Throughout our history and across many cultures, people have had a great fascination with owls. You can spend days, reading about global owl myths and lore. The owl can evoke a series of emotions, from fear to admiration. Owls are associated with witchcraft and therefore a favorite Halloween decoration. In Romania, vampires were known as Strigoli, from the Roman word, strix, which referred to the screech owl. Strega, which is Italian for witch is also derived from the word, strix. They are also associated with medicine, birth, death, the weather, and wisdom. 


According to Paul Johnsgard (North American Owls: Biology and Natural History, Smithsonian Institution Press), Mesopotamian tablets from 2,300 B.C. depict the goddess Lilith as "winged, bird-footed, and typically accompanied by owls," a significant association because Lilith was Sumeria's goddess of death. Pallas Athene--Greek goddess of fertility and power--was also affiliated with the owl, possibly "because of the nocturnal (and especially the lunar) . . . associations between female fertility goddesses and the cycles of the moon."


To the ancient Romans, to hear the hoot of an Owl presaged imminent death. The deaths of Julius Caesar, Augustus, Commodus Aurelius, and Agrippa were apparently all predicted by an Owl.
"...yesterday, the bird of night did sit Even at noonday, upon the market place, Hooting and shrieking" (from Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar")

Fortunately, for me and other owl enthusiasts, owl hooting has not presaged our deaths. Though stumbling over a log in the dark, while listening to hooting can cause injury.

So why has the owl earned a special place in our lore? Allow me to muse.

For one thing, owls are crepuscular, which means they come out at the most mysterious time of the day, twilight. The sun is setting, darkness rises and these nocturnal creatures become vocal and active. Man’s fear of the dark, or night has added to the fear of the owl as a harbinger of death.

Owls look so darn human. This is due to the position of their huge eyes. Unlike most birds whose eyes are on the sides of their heads, the owl’s eyes look ahead as our do, and they have to rotate their heads to see all round them, again, as man does, but owls are a bit better at it, their heads can swivel nearly 180 degrees to each side, adding up to nearly 360 degrees. A pretty freaky thing to see.
           Education Barn Owl          Eastern Grey Screech Owl in Box


Here are some reasons why owls appear supernatural.

They swoop in silently because of downy feathers. Without a warning the owl’s powerful talons silently crushes the mouse.  Fan an owl’s feather compared to another bird’s feather to hear the difference.

Owls have amazing night vision and can see in almost complete darkness.

Their hearing is also superior and they can pinpoint a mouse’s footsteps despite other ambient sounds. At a raptor center, there was one barn owl that was nervous around a handler. It detected that she had a heart murmur.

They have a ravenous (sorry ravens) appetite. Researchers found that one barn owl family can consume 3,000 voles/year. Owls are our best ally in eating rodent pests. The owl regurgitates undigested bones and fur called owl pellets or castings. Finding such pellets might have inspired ancient people to associate owls with death.

Other reasons why owls contributed to eerie legends:

Often owl vocalizations and screeching cans sound very human and even evil. The legend of the Banshee stems from the scream of a barn owl. Trust me, the sound makes your bones shiver. 

Seeing a white owl at night might have been one of the reasons the lore of white ghosts evolved. Even recently, mystery lights can possibly be blamed on owls. Or what about those aliens we call the greys with their owlish faces and huge black barn owl like eyes?

Author with Eastern Grey Screech Owl (look hard to see it)

When not working with animals, I write genre bending paranormal/fantasy novels with a strong romantic element. Alpha heroes and brilliant feisty heroines. HEA with a kick. Erotic paranormal romance to steampunk to epic fantasy. I love to create stories that combine my passion for mythology, romance, and werewolf or animal lore. I like to get my heart rate up so my stories have plenty of adventure, suspense and really bad guys/gals. Escape into my worlds, if you like fantastical worlds, steamy romance and page turning suspense.

Eva’s two latest releases: Stone of the Tenth Realm, an epic Fantasy and Alpha Wolf’s Pet, Trilogy Box Set.

Epic Fantasy. Just Released. The Stone of the Tenth Realm, the story of a young woman who escapes a Nazi concentration camp and stumbles into a parallel world.  #fantasy http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00W5YQ6U2


The Alpha Wolf’s Pet Collection includes the entire trilogy. Each book is a different stage in the romantic relationship between alpha werewolf, Dominic and Mia, his human lover. The danger they face and a twist to the werewolf story. Paranormal steamy romance and page turning suspense. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B014Q9LP18


What a GREAT post!  I love raptors and one of my totems is the hawk, so this blog was of particular interest to me.  And I loved getting to know Eva a little bit more.  If you want to know even MORE about her, see the links below:


And for all her available books, check out these links!!!

Anyway, I'll be back on Friday with some great pics of my time around Austin!

Hugs to all,

CJ England










Follow Your Dreams
http://cjengland.com/wanderingstar/whathappensinmexico.htm