GtPGKogPYT4p61R1biicqBXsUzo" /> Google+ Urban Fantasy author Laura Bickle- Guest Post & Giveaway! | I Smell Sheep

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Urban Fantasy author Laura Bickle- Guest Post & Giveaway!

Today the Sheep are honored to have Laura Bickle back on the blog. She wrote up a fantastic guest post and is giving away a copy of one of her books to a lucky commenter! Fun taking place below.



The Price of Magic
By Laura Bickle
For me, the most exciting thing about urban fantasy is the idea of magic intertwined with the everyday world. Imagining that there’s a secret supernatural world thriving just beneath the skin of our mundane existence leads to a rich world of “what if’s.” What if humans could bend the elements to their will? What if ghosts wandered, unseen, through hospital corridors? What if oracles can tell the future by looking into a flame or shuffling a deck of cards?
I especially love the idea of magic, of humans being able to touch and manipulate unseen powers. But wielding power would make our heroes and heroines gods, unless the magic has a price. Most epic fantasy literature requires that the exercise of unnatural power has a cost to the user, and that idea has permeated urban fantasy, as well.
Vampires, for example, are given immortality. But they sacrifice the day, and must submit to the bestial act of taking blood from another to gain that power (most of them, anyway). Werewolves fall sway to the unreasoning spell of the beast in moonlight, in exchange for physical power and healing. These costs apply to nonhuman creatures, and we’re familiar with that trading of life and magic.

But what about human heroes and heroines? Does bending the fabric of reality to suit their goals also bring suffering upon them? What do they trade to be able to work magic?
I think that human protagonists must also make a trade; there’s no free lunch in the universe. Even if a magical heritage is forced on them, and not something sought out willingly.
With that in mind, I created my heroines with an ambivalent relationship toward their magical powers. In EMBERS and SPARKS, Anya Kalinczyk is the rarest kind of psychic medium, a Lantern. Where other mediums allow spirits to use their hands and voices to communicate, Anya devours ghosts. It’s a talent she had no choice in - she’s always been a Lantern. And it comes in handy in her nocturnal work as a ghost hunter. But she wrestles with the costs.
The first cost is physical. Devouring a spirit leaves a burn, a scar, on her body. The second is psychological - Anya feels apart from ordinary humans, and can’t make a connection with her fellow ghost hunters. And the last one is spiritual. Anya wrestles with the idea of what happens to a ghost after she incinerates it. Does it go forward into an Afterworld? Or has she killed it entirely?

In DARK ORACLE and ROGUE ORACLE, Tara Sheridan has a more subtle magical ability, but it’s brought her more pain. Tara is an oracle, a criminal profiler who uses Tarot cards to solve crimes. Like Anya, she had no choice in it - it’s a gift given to her by her mother. While pursuing a serial killer with her talents, she was attacked and left for dead. Tara survived, but she was scarred for life and left barren - a very dear physical cost. She exiled herself from society, swore of the cards, and seeks tranquility in swearing off magic - until duty comes knocking. A scientist working with dark matter has gone missing, and the society of oracles to which she belonged desperately needs her help to locate him. Tara must decide whether to pick up the mantle of magic again, to assume the role of oracle, and endure further costs.
Without a price to magic, our heroes and heroines would be gods, immune from the consequences of their actions. We’d all like to think that we’d embrace the reins of power willingly. But I don’t think it would be that simple. By adding a bit of magical karma and conflict to the story, their humanity shines through more clearly.

I'm giving away a copy of EMBERS, SPARKS, DARK ORACLE, or ROGUE ORACLE (reader's choice) to one random winner. More info and free excerpts of the books are here: http://www.salamanderstales.com/index_files/novels.htm
***Giveaway***
To enter, please answer the following questions in the comments below:
1. If you could choose a magical power, what would it be? Would you foresee any costs to having a hidden power in your own life?
2. Please also mention which book you'd like to win and an e-mail address.
The contest closes 12:00 PM EST on Sunday, Februrary 5. Thanks for stopping by!
Laura Bickle (also writing as Alayna Williams) writes urban and young adult fantasy. She’s written four novels for Pocket Books: EMBERS, SPARKS, DARK ORACLE, and ROGUE ORACLE. Both DARK ORACLE and ROGUE ORACLE are National Novel Writing Month books. She has two upcoming YA novels with Houghton Mifflin’s Graphia line in 2012 and 2013, beginning with THE HALLOWED ONES in fall. More information on her work is here: http://www.salamanderstales.com/

36 comments:

  1. I would like telekinesis, maybe. The only problem I would see with it is in the control aspect. There could also be atoll physically.
    debby236 at gmail dot com

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  2. I would love to be able to teleport! I could travel around the world at no cost. But if I had a hidden power I should keep it a secret and I'm not so good at keeping my own secrets! >_<

    Thank you for posting and for the giveaway! :D I would love to win a copy of Emebers. :)

    Giada M.

    fabgiada (at) gmail (dot) com

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  3. Great interview! So excited for the giveaway, thank you!!! I think I would love the ability to travel back in time. The obvious drawback would be affecting the coarse of time, but there are so many things I would love to change and see.
    Dark Oracle sounds fascinating to me, so this is the book I would like to receive if I am drawn.
    Thanks again!!!!
    iluvmik16@gmail.com

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  4. Thank you so much for the post and the giveaway! I think I would love to read in minds, I'm always so curious! But I think it would be very difficult to hide it...

    I would love to win Embers.

    ellana_(at)hotmail(dot)fr

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  5. I would love to read Embers.

    I think I would like to have a time travel power, and the downside to having a pwoer like that is seeing things you might not like when you travel in the future and trying to stop things from happening which could be a bad idea.

    Thanks for the great giveaway.

    miztik_rose@yahoo.com

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  6. Debby, telekinesis would be a lot of fun! I agree that it could be tough to manage. I break enough things accidentally with just two hands. :-S

    Giada, teleportation would really cut down on travel costs! And also motion sickness. Bleh!

    traci16, I'd love to go back in time! Especially to see ancient Egypt. :-)

    Melliane, I agree that it would be difficult to hide knowing what others thought! It would be a great power in a lot of professions, though.

    Mary, I would also be tempted to tweak the past. Just a little. ;-)

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  7. I'd like to have pyrokinesis as an ability

    I loved Embers and Sparks, I want to see more of Sparky!!!!!!!

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    1. Sparky is wagging his tail and says 'Thank you'!

      I think he'd agree with you that pyrokinesis would be very, very cool. ;-)

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  8. I would like to be Omniscient as an ability.
    I would love to win All but I will Choose Rogue Oracle first thx for such an awesome giveaway.
    berrylicious_cutie(at)hotmail(dot)com

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    1. Oooh...omniscience. I'm betting that would trump all other powers!

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  9. Thank you for a great giveaway! If I had a power, I would like to be able to have telekinesis and levitation!

    If I win, I'd like to have Dark Oracle!

    Ann Roberts
    Kyreadinggirl@yahoo.com

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    1. Levitation would be very, very nice. I could have used that today - dropped two bags of groceries, darn it! :-)

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  10. I haven't had the chance to read any of these yet :( But if I could have a power I would so..... Love to have teleportation, no wait.... could I have a power to make my kids obey to do their chores and be good :O Now that power would be AWESOME :D

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    1. forgot my name and email :D
      Beth Fullaway
      bethfullaway@yahoo.com :D

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    2. Ooooh...making people obey! Sign me up! :-D

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  11. My magic power would be to be invisible. It probably wouldn't cost me much.

    I would like Rogue Oracle.

    Thanks for the giveaway.

    bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

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    1. I think that would be my pick. It would make for excellent work as a spy!

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  12. Love the post, and I agree that there should always be a cost to magic. If I were to have a power, it would be to transform into an animal. I think the price to the human side would be in physical energy, needing to replenish by sleeping and eating a lot.

    I'm new to your books, but they sound great. I'd love to start with Ember. :)

    dani(AT)daniharper(DOT)com

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    1. Dani, I'm totally down with that cost. Sleeping and eating are two of my most favorite things! :-D

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  13. I'd like any power that would allow me to have Sparky :) though I think my phone, ipad and computer would probably suffer the consequences. I'd like Dark Oracle gaynol (at) nightheron (dot) com

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    1. Ah, Sparky would definitely love to munch on your iPad! I don't believe that he's ever tasted one before. ;-)

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  14. Hi. Thanks for the giveaway. If I had a magical power, I would like to be invisible. I think it would be cool to be the "fly on the wall" whenever you want or need to be. The consequence of this would be fatigue so naps would always be in order. :) madnzanymomma(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. Oh, and I'm new to these books but would love to read Embers. Thanks again.

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    2. Invisibility would be my favorite, too. Mostly because I'm shy and lurking unnoticed would be a dream come true!

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  15. Teleportation would be great! Imagine never having to sit in traffic again! Though it would be hard to keep it a secret.
    I would like to win the first Oracle book.
    juliecookies(at)gmail.com

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    1. It would be hard to keep it a secret! And if you could bring others with you, they'd forever be asking you for a ride.

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  16. Hm. Super speed I think. Would love to be able to get through all the cleaning and such at home and work really really fast. Would probably end up needing a snack and nap after but I'd be completely okay with that.

    I'd like Embers acade29@gmail.com

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    1. Oooh...I like that. I'm imagining all I could get done with super-speed...a clean house, at last!

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  17. I have to say definately mind-reading. I am totally nosey and then i wouldn't have to worry about asking I would just know :) It would probably back fire on me and I would find out things I really didn't want to know but definately worth it! I would like Embers :)

    kristinaparmenter51(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. Kristina, I suspect my cats already have that power. Good thing they can't talk!

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  18. I would like the power to time-travel. I can travel to the future and learn something from things there as well as the past.

    I would like to win Embers.
    Cambonified[at]yahoo[dot]com

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    1. Na, that would be a really cool power - especially if one could bring artifacts backward and forward in time!

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  19. I just wanted to step in and say I want the power to eat anything I want and not gain weight. :) Thanks for all the great answers guys and especially to Laura for coming back and responding! Big sloppy sheep kisses!!!

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    1. Big sloppy sheep kisses to you, too, Sharon!

      That's also a super power I covet - but alas, I think it's probably even less possible for me than the others...

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  20. And the winner of the contest is Mary! Mary, I'll drop you a line right away. Thanks to everyone who dropped by, and thank you to the Sheep for hosting me!

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  21. Congrats to Mary! And a big thanks right back at ya Laura, we love having you over and look forward to more in the coming months!

    Baaaaa! Sheep out. xo

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