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Tuesday, August 30, 2011

FF: Maria Lima’s Tam Lin!

** Today on Dark Faerie Tales Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguié take on Red Riding Hood and you could win a copy of Damned **

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They'll turn me in thy arms, lady,
An adder and a snake;
But hold me fast, let me na gae,
To be your warldly mate.

All the old stories start off with that stupid phrase: once upon a time. That’s when you know it’s not real. It’s only make-believe. Right? Only, sometimes, make-believe is a substitute for reality. Make-believe is another word for metaphor, for a life-lesson; something that has to be taught in parables and fairy tales, in fables of disappointed foxes, ridiculous rabbits or reluctant heroes.

I’d only been in Rio Seco a few months, a small wee scared child rescued from Faery, when my Aunt Jane began to tell me stories at bedtime. At first, I thought that like the bards Below, she was telling history tales. After all, my mother’s people have been the subject of many a folk tale--some true, some not so much true as bastardizations of half-glimpsed lives written by bards with too heavy a hand on the spirits.

It took several watchings of various Disney films to realize that those particular movies weren’t historical events. There wasn’t actually a hidden princess living with seven wee men--or if there were, she was keeping damned quiet about her non-traditional living arrangements. No one was going to enchant a pumpkin and give me glass slippers and whisk me off to a ball. Totally fine with me. All that girly stuff was definitely for someone else. Not for Keira Kelly. My idea of dress up is adding a nice jacket over my blue jeans and T-shirt.

After realizing this, I began to relax. I didn’t need to learn the tales. They weren’t lessons. I could just cuddle up to my aunt and let her voice wash over me, not paying attention to details, not caring so much about the content of the stories as the feeling of family, of belonging.

I should have listened. In fact, not only should I have paid attention, I should have taken notes, branded the knowledge on my freaking forehead. Sure, I was only a kid. How the heck was I to know that one day I’d need to know? I don’t blame Aunt Jane--she’d had no idea, either.

How could I have expected to fall in love with someone I’d thought to be human, but is actually vampire and other things, as well? Not only that, but because of who he is, who I am and our respective families, I ended up in the middle of a tale worthy of the old bards. Another variation on one of the oldest ballads, to be precise.

Tam Lin, anyone? You know the old Scottish story, right? Tam Lin is a hero/elf knight/lover who ends up captured by the Queen of Faery and is rescued by young Janet (who is pregnant with his child). Tam Lin is to be part of the seven-year teind (tithe) to Hell and the only way Janet can save him is to hang on tight while the faeries attempt to make her drop him by turning him into all manner of horrid beasts. Of course, in the end, Janet prevails and they live happily ever after. Moral of the story? Don’t fuck with Faery.

Yeah, right. Messing about with Faery is now part and parcel of my life. I thought I’d made my own escape thanks to my father pulling me out Below when I was seven. Only, not so much. Turns out, my ties to Faery and the Sidhe were far from cut--only stretched a bit.

The only person who could and has helped me through dealing with the ever fickle Faery? Adam Walker.

I first met Adam during my early days in London. I honestly thought he was human, and therefore utterly off limits for me despite the overwhelming attraction. Sure, I could’ve just jumped his bones and not worried about it, but after my then recent experience with Carlton (ex-boyfriend and absolutely human), I’d forsworn anyone but people like me: supernatural, powerful and nigh 0n immortal.

Discovery of Adam’s vampire nature made some aspects of my life easier, yet, complicated others after I found out I was the heir to the Kelly clan. As heir, one of my duties (though I hoped far in the future) was to pass on my genes. Hard to do that with an undead lover. Vampires aren’t exactly potent. (Though, don’t get me wrong, there is nothing at all amiss with Adam’s performance!)

Just as I was getting comfortable with him, another revelation. Not only is Adam vampire, but he’s full-blooded Unseelie Sidhe and joy of joys, half-brother to the clan lover I’d run away from. Oh yeah, and the kicker? Adam’s heir to the Unseelie throne. I might be half-Sidhe, but my claim to the Seelie court (historic rivals to Adam’s line) is distant and through my estranged mother, cousin to the queen.

I have to admit, when I found this out, I really had to think? Did I want to continue to hang on? To embrace this relationship? Like Tam Lin, Adam’s nature kept changing--at least, to my eyes. He got more dangerous as time went on. Could I handle that? Could I fully embrace everything he was--everything that frightened me? Vampire, Sidhe, royalty...I could handle the first but the other two were my own personal monsters. My own things-that-go-bump and hide out in dark corners.
Leap of faith, anyone? I did it. Somehow, I managed to shake off my trepidation, said goodbye to the fear and held on tight. I can’t deny this past year’s been tough. And unlike Janet and Tam Lin, I don’t think the changes affecting our lives are over. Not even close. But it’s all worth it...I think.

###

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All’s fair in blood and war. . . .

Talk about wedding crashers from hell. Keira Kelly and her sexy vampire king Adam are about to tie the proverbial knot—sort of—when an uninvited blood relative shows up to cast a long dark shadow over the happy occasion. Adam’s brother Gideon comes bearing the one-size-fits-all gift of bad news: an ancient, convoluted Challenge thrown down upon the entire Kelly clan. It seems the dreaded forces of the fae have declared war on Keira’s family, and at stake is the land that is rightfully theirs. But while the Kellys gather their troops in a historic San Antonio hotel to strategize, there’s mayhem back in Rio Seco. The old cemetery is vandalized, fires break out everywhere, and—worst of all—the Kelly clan matriarch and leader, Keira’s great-great-grandmother Minerva, goes missing. Should Keira risk breaking the Challenge rules by returning to her beloved home, or should she continue the waiting game that seems the only other option? With everything she loves, maybe even her life, on the line, she has only one chance to get the answer right.

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Interested in winning this book?

Luckily for you, Maria is offering a copy of any books in the series (so you can pick the first one if you haven’t started yet!), to one lucky winner!

  • This giveaway is open to Internationally

  • To enter, just leave a comment quoting your favorite line of the story

You can to earn an extra entry (1) by spreading the word, please provide link in a second comment

tweet: #FantasticFables Read @theMariaLima Take on Tam Lin legend | Win Blood Sacrifice or previous book in the series http://www.tyngasreviews.com/2011/08/ff-maria-limas-tam-lin.html PLZ RT

Ends September 7th, 2011.

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Maria LimaSometime before the Revolution, Maria Lima was born in Matanzas, Cuba, to a family of voracious readers and would-be writers. After her family emigrated to the United States, Maria discovered the magic of books. She started writing her own stories and has been at it ever since. Her writing turned corporate as she used her journalism degree and cranked out marketing copy, feature stories and book reviews. The fiction muse kept calling and in the spring of 2005, was finally fed as Maria’s first published short story, “The Butler Didn’t Do It” was published in Chesapeake Crimes I and garnered an Agatha Award nomination for Best Short Story. Maria spends most of her days working as a Senior Web Project Manager in the DC area. Her evenings and weekends are spent writing.

Visit Maria

More books by Maria

Matters of the Blood Blood Bargain Blood Kin Blood Heat

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Tynga is a 32 years old mom of two, from Montreal, working as a lab technician in an hospital specialized in heart disease. In her free time, she enjoys reading all things Paranormal and photography.

Follow Tynga on: Facebook | Twitter

51 People left their mark' :

  1. "Moral of the story? Don’t fuck with Faery." - loved it!
    Thank you for the giveaway!
    impy80 at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  2. "There wasn’t actually a hidden princess living with seven wee men--or if there were, she was keeping damned quiet about her non-traditional living arrangements"

    ReplyDelete
  3. Shared on my blog.

    http://jasmynninestuff.blogspot.com/2011/08/tyngas-review-has-great-story-and.html

    jasmyn9[at]hotmail[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  4. "Leap of faith, anyone? I did it. Somehow, I managed to shake off my trepidation, said goodbye to the fear and held on tight"

    OOOOOH! I've had this series on my wishlist and I'm about to cave and get it! My wallet will cry but I won't!

    Thanks for the great post and giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  5. "Vampires aren’t exactly potent." - This cracked me up!

    Thanks for the fable and the giveaway!

    rwschwarz11ATgmailDOTcom

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you for this giveaway :D Can I still enter even though I can't quote a line from the story? Haven't read them yet, but would love to win the first in the series :D
    Love, Carina ~ carina-olsen@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love this: Moral of the story? Don’t fuck with Faery.
    Good story.
    vsloboda(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  8. Favorite line "Don’t fuck with Faery." tlabunski *<
    tweeted at http://twitter.com/#!/Pabkins/status/108622892908019712

    ReplyDelete
  9. "All the old stories start off with that stupid phrase: once upon a time. That’s when you know it’s not real. It’s only make-believe. Right?"

    Loved the story. ;)

    catarina_romeira(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  10. My favorite line of the story was "Vampires aren’t exactly potent. (Though, don’t get me wrong, there is nothing at all amiss with Adam’s performance!)" It made me laugh. Thanks foor the giveaway.

    rachaelmccully@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  11. I also tweeted
    http://twitter.com/#!/ERachaelM/status/108676047951757313

    rachaelmccully@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  12. I liked this one: "Vampires aren’t exactly potent. (Though, don’t get me wrong, there is nothing at all amiss with Adam’s performance!)"

    Great story, I enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to reading more of Maria's books.

    Barbed1951 at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  13. My favourite line "My idea of dress up is adding a nice jacket over my blue jeans and T-shirt."

    Cambonified (at) yahoo (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  14. "All the old stories start off with that stupid phrase: once upon a time. That’s when you know it’s not real." I thought that was hilarious, love her humor! This series has been on my TBR list for some time now, I guess this is the kick I need to read it.

    miss.smileygirlie@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  15. "All the old stories start off with that stupid phrase: once upon a time." I have to agree-it always seems so trite and cliched to start with that. Great fable-thank you!

    mljfoland AT hotmail DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  16. I honestly thought he was human, and therefore utterly off limits for me despite the overwhelming attraction. Sure, I could’ve just jumped his bones and not worried about it, but after my then recent experience with Carlton (ex-boyfriend and absolutely human), I’d forsworn anyone but people like me: supernatural, powerful and nigh 0n immortal.


    katie_tp(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  17. "I should have listened. In fact, not only should I have paid attention, I should have taken notes, branded the knowledge on my freaking forehead." You grabbed me with that one! I'm going to look for these books ~ I love the attitude :-)

    glittergirl54 at ymail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  18. "Moral of the story? Don’t fuck with Faery." I feel like I want this as a bumpersticker for my car. Seriously.

    Thank you for the giveaway!

    twiztidsharkie@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  19. I loved this line: "Could I fully embrace everything he was--everything that frightened me? Vampire, Sidhe, royalty...I could handle the first but the other two were my own personal monsters." Love is about taking chances and accepting the person for exactly who they are. This line is very true.

    angeldream3[AT]gmail[DOT]com

    ReplyDelete
  20. "Vampires aren't exactly potent" - ha!

    I must say, I thought this series was just about vampires. I had no idea it included the Fae also. I'd love to give it a try. I love how these fairy tales are giving us so much more information about the various books.

    jen at delux dot com

    ReplyDelete
  21. "I really had to think? Did I want to continue to hang on? To embrace this relationship? Like Tam Lin, Adam’s nature kept changing--at least, to my eyes. "
    This was my favorite line, and I have to say the ballad of Tam Lin is one of my fav faery tales. Thank you for this adaptation!

    terilhack at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  22. Thank you for sharing the fun giveaway opportunity today. I enjoyed this line "I should have listened. In fact, not only should I have paid attention, I should have taken notes, branded the knowledge on my freaking forehead."

    dz59001[at]gmail[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  23. I laughed at this my favorite line: "I should have listened. In fact, not only should I have paid attention, I should have taken notes, branded the knowledge on my freaking forehead."

    Brilliant!!

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

    ReplyDelete
  24. Favorite line
    "Moral of the story? Don’t fuck with Faery."

    (\___/)
    (='.'=)
    (")_(")

    alterlisa AT yahoo DOT com
    http://lisaslovesbooksofcourse.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  25. http://twitter.com/#!/alterlisa/status/108816925412425728


    (\___/)
    (='.'=)
    (")_(")

    alterlisa AT yahoo DOT com
    http://lisaslovesbooksofcourse.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  26. My favourite is this one: "Moral of the story? Don’t fuck with Faery." :) :)

    Thank you for the giveaway,
    mikki-mano@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  27. +1 for tweeting: https://twitter.com/vojalyn/status/108830773917908992

    Thanks again,
    mikki-mano@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  28. thanks for the giveaway ! I think my favorite quote is "It took several watchings of various Disney films to realize that those particular movies weren’t historical events." It's really true when we're young.

    ellana_(at)hotmail(dot)fr

    ReplyDelete
  29. Oh my gosh! I nearly choked on my coffee out when I read: "Moral of the story? Don’t fuck with Faery."

    Please enter me in the draw, and thanks for the giveaway!

    darlenesbooknook at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  30. +1 for tweeting:

    http://twitter.com/#!/DarleneBookNook/status/108912516817633280

    darlenesbooknook at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  31. Thanks for the giveaway!
    "Vampires aren't exactly potent" made me laugh out loud.

    http://twitter.com/#!/Giselleco/status/108913450574561280

    Giselle Cormier
    cormier.giselle at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  32. "Tam Lin, anyone?" I liked this line because I haven't heard about Tam Lin before! I love learning about stories I'm not familiar with :)

    jwitt33 at live dot com

    ReplyDelete
  33. I tweeted: http://twitter.com/#!/jwitt33/status/108999580334567424

    jwitt33 at live dot com

    ReplyDelete
  34. My favorite, "Moral of the story? Don’t fuck with Faery." Thanks for the giveaway.

    sab5723 at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  35. Moral of the story? Don’t fuck with Faery.

    I laughed so hard when I read that line! Brilliant!


    moiraethefates(AT)gmail(DOT)com

    ReplyDelete
  36. I loved this: Somehow, I managed to shake off my trepidation, said goodbye to the fear and held on tight.

    starlightgirl678 at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  37. Moral of the story? Don’t fuck with Faery.

    Really nothing else I could pick. Thats classic.

    bacchus76 at myself dot com

    ReplyDelete
  38. tweet - http://twitter.com/#!/DonnaS1/status/109851493766664192

    bacchus76 at myself dot com

    ReplyDelete
  39. My favourite line of the story is: "Vampires aren't exactly potent." lol...

    Thanks for the giveaway!

    chibipooh(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  40. Thats easy

    "Moral of the story? Don’t fuck with Faery."

    Chllybrd(at)gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  41. Haha best line ever "Moral of the story? Don’t fuck with Faery"


    Poisnivyred AT gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  42. I'm collecting this series and would love at add another to it. Thanks for the giveaway!!

    Good reading ~ Escape by Fiction

    ReplyDelete
  43. Boy, I hope she can stay with Adam. Their situation seems almost insutmountable.
    marlenebreakfield(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  44. Once upon a time - aren't all stories written with that line in the back of the authors thoughts? ;)

    booksforalleternity at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  45. This one made me laugh:

    Vampires aren’t exactly potent. (Though, don’t get me wrong, there is nothing at all amiss with Adam’s performance!)

    little lamb lst at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  46. Haven't read the series would be nice to get & read book one :D

    GFC: kimyunalesca
    kimyunalesca(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  47. My favourite line, which made me chuckle oput loud: "Moral of the story? Don’t fuck with Faery." :-D

    Haven't read this series yet, but I am intrigued! :-)

    Thank you for the great giveaway!

    stella.exlibris (at) gmail (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  48. My favorite: Moral of the story? Don’t fuck with Faery.

    mmafsmith at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  49. Tweet:
    http://twitter.com/#!/Maria_Smith_76/status/111490999158702082

    mmafsmith at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  50. Favourite line: "Moral of the story? Don’t fuck with Faery"

    spav05(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  51. Tweet: http://twitter.com/#!/Sparima/status/111570320300834816

    spav05(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete