04 March, 2020

#GuestPost :: Communing With the Dead by @ketadiablo


About the Author:
Check out the Author's Amazon Page
Keta Diablo lives in the Midwest part of the United States on six acres of gorgeous woodland. When she isn't writing or gardening, she loves to commune with nature. A pair of barn owls returns to the property every year to birth their young and show them off in the high branches of the oak trees. Nothing more adorable than these white fluffy babies with heart-shaped faces. A lifelong animal lover, Keta devotes her time and support to the local animal shelter. Emma LaPounce, a rescued feline, has been her furry companion for the last ten years.

Keta is an award-winning and bestselling author who writes in several genres: Western Romance, Historical Romance, Paranormal Romance and Contemporary Romance. In a past life, she wrote Gay Romance. Her books have received numerous accolades, including RWA contest finalist, Authors After Dark finalist, Top Pick of the Month and Recommended Review from many top review sites, and Best Romance Finalist from The Independent Author Network.

P.S: For some strange reason, ghosts often show up in her stories.

Find Keta on the Net:

Author Blog * Twitter * Facebook 


Hi everyone, and thanks so much, Deb, for allowing me to visit your wonderful blog again. Last month I did an interview with Deb for my book Moon of the Sleeping Bear, Book 1 and Dark Night of the Moon, Book 2.
Today, I’m featuring my latest New Adult/Thriller: Season, Unforgettable (yes, that is the heroine’s name in the book).
"I thought Season, Unforgettable was going to be a normal chase through fall in love, fight with mom, kind of story, but I was pleasantly surprised when the story changed. Loved the twist as it was quite dark, and unexpected, but worked beautifully for the story.” - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Hang on tight; this ride is full of twists, turns and the power of this author's imagination. I can definitely say, I never thought this tale would unfold the way it did, no cookie cutter writing from this author!" Tome Tender” -  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

So, today’s topic is about Communing With the Dead.

As I mentioned before, I don’t always write about Native Americans and their customs and beliefs, but I have quite a few books in that historical genre. And for some reason, ghosts often show up in my books—even in my contemporary books. I have this fascination with ghosts or departed spirits. That’s probably because as a child I saw them! Yep, you read that right. It’s not unusual. Children and animals can often see ghosts because they’ve never been taught NOT to see them.
Anyway, I saw them. We lived in this very old house when I was three-years old. You know the kind, huge, with lots of rooms, tin ceilings, hardwood floors, thick crown molding and all the other attributes from the era. This house was about one hundred years old when we lived there. My bedroom was off the kitchen, and every night little men would come to visit me. They’d sit between the crown molding and the ceiling and stare down at me. They never spoke, just looked and looked, and blinked…like I was the oddball or something. Maybe they were fairies because I remember they wore pointed shoes, very colorful clothing, with felt hats on their heads and they were very tiny.
But I digress. Every night, I’d call for my mom and tell her, “There’s little men in my room looking down at me.” She was patient and kind (still is at 92 years of age) but said there were no little men in my room. I couldn’t understand, even as a child of three, why she couldn’t see them when they were so clear to me.
We still talk about it sometimes. She recalls the many times I called her into my room and told here I saw ghosts, dead people. There were lots of other incidents, but we don’t have time for that today. Lol. If you’ve also seen ghosts, shoot me an email some time and we’ll chat about our experiences. And, no, I’m not a nut. I really did see ghosts…many times in my youth.
Hey, I’m finally getting to today’s topic: Communing With the Dead!
Let's look at two cultures today (Japan and the Native Americans (First Nation people) who have/had unusual ways of calling forth the dead.
Shamanism is a common term used in a variety of anthropological, historical and popular contexts to refer to certain magico-religious practices that involve a practitioner reaching altered states of consciousness in order to encounter and interact with the spirit world. A shaman is a person regarded as having access to, and influence in, the world of benevolent and malevolent spirits, who typically enters a trance state during a ritual, and practices divination and healing. The exact definition and use of the term "shamanism" has been highly debated by scholars, with no clear consensus on the issue.




Communing with the dead in Japan

An itako is a traditional, blind, usually female shaman from northern Japan. Itako are said to have the ability to communicate with the dead, even to evil spirits due to their intense spiritual power. They also are said to have the power to remove evil spirit from one's body and mind. Usually, older Itakos are considered more powerful than younger Itakos.
In training for initiation, itako dress in a white kimono 100 days before the ceremony. Austere purification is obligatory to achieve an extreme state of mind. Rites where she must pour cold water over herself, usually in the cold of winter, occur and she is required to practice chanting. Three weeks prior to the ceremony, she is not permitted to consume grain, salt, meat and must avoid artificial heat.
This practice is flailing since the turn of the century. Once the itako were a common phenomena, and now that part of their culture is slipping away.


Native Americans: Communing with the dead through the Ghost Dance:

Native American and First Nations cultures have diverse religious beliefs. There was never one universal Native American religion or spiritual system. Though many Native American cultures have traditional healers, ritualists, singers, mystics, lore-keepers and "Medicine People", none of them ever used, or use, the term "shaman" to describe these religious leaders.
With the arrival of European settlers and colonial administration, the practice of Native American traditional beliefs was discouraged and Christianity was imposed upon the indigenous people.
About 1888, a mass movement known as the Ghost Dance started among the Paviotso (a branch of the Pah-Utes in Nevada) and swept through many tribes of Native Americans. The belief was that through practicing the Ghost Dance, a messiah would come with rituals that would make the white man disappear and bring back game and "dead native Americans." This spread to the Plains tribes, who were starving due to the depletion of the buffalo. Some Sioux, the Arapahos, Cheyennes and Kiowas accepted the doctrine. This form of shamanism was brutally suppressed by the United States military with the death of 128 Sioux at the massacre of Wounded Knee.
During the last hundred years, thousands of surviving Native Americans, First Nations youngsters from many cultures were sent into Indian boarding schools to destroy any tribal, shamanic or totemic faith.
All so very interesting, huh? People have been seeing and communing with the dead for centuries.

About the Book:
Finalist Independent Author Network Book Award


Would you forsake your mother to save the woman you loved?

Season Scrimshaw isn't selling the land her parents left her when they died, not even to the gorgeous Rann Brogan who saved her life in the forest. Especially not after she finds out he was in the woods surveying her property.

Rann's mother, Charlotte, owns a large land development company. She wants Season’s property to put up a strip of luxurious, lakefront condos and Charlotte always gets what she wants. She sends Rann on a mission to seal the deal. To say Rann and his mother have had a normal mother/son relationship would be a stretch…a big stretch, but he’s always done her bidding.

This time it’s different. Rann hasn’t been able to get the beautiful Season out of his mind. While on his mission to secure the property, he realizes how much Season loves the land, and…he realizes somewhere along the line, Season has stolen his heart.

He soon discovers his mother will go to any length to get what she wants…including murder. Lives spiral out of control, secrets and lies take center stage. Rann is forced to choose between his mother and the woman he loves.

And he’s forced to become as dangerous and as lethal as Charlotte.

Love a lot of thriller with your romance? Love a lot romance with your thriller? How about suspense, betrayal and murder?

If so, then Season, Unforgettable is the book for you.



Well, that’s it for today, kids. I have a Rafflecopter where you can have a chance to win a $10.00 Amazon Gift Certificate. Sign up for my newsletter to be eligible. We’d love to have you! 



Giveaway:


a Rafflecopter giveaway

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