SOME FUN RESEARCH: THE HERBALS I USED IN 'THE TATTOOED WITCH'

I HAVE LONG BEEN A STUDENT OF HERBAL REMEDIES. I’m also interested in aromatherapy and how various scents affect mood. Don’t get me wrong – I’m all for regular meds when I need them – but how we've come by our modern day cures is fascinating. I thought it might be interesting to share some of the background research I did on the herbs and plants I use in The Tattooed Witch. Two of the references I relied upon were The Green Pharmacy by James A. Duke, PhD., and The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy by Valerie Ann Worwood. In order to get a more mystical and magical view on how some plants have been used, I also referred to Scott Cunningham’s pagan Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs. 

1). Lavender: Early in The Tattooed Witch, Miriam presses a mash of lavender into her father's wounds caused by a potro (a rack-like instrument of torture used by the Inquisition to force confessions). Lavender oil is a natural antibiotic and antiseptic. It’s also an effective treatment for minor burns and scalds. A number of varieties promote sleep, although Spanish lavender, which I feature in the photo below, doesn't. It has a more stimulating effect.

2). Garlic: Garlic was used in World War I to treat infected wounds and dysentery. It has nine anticoagulant compounds and has been used for heart attack and stroke prevention (if you suffer from hypertension, stick to your modern meds). In The Tattooed Witch, Miriam finds a clove of garlic and treats Ephraim with it when she runs out of lavender. This is fortunate, for he suffers a shock, which she fears is a heart attack.

3). Datura: In the novel, I use a little poetic license and refer to Datura as Dartura, but it’s basically the same deadly plant. Joachín, one of my favorite characters and Miriam’s love interest, uses it for healing, but it’s also a dream herb. Joachín is a Dreamer; psychically gifted, he dreams other peoples' presents and futures. In the real world, Datura is a dangerous hallucinogen. For centuries, it's been  used in shamanic practices and religious rites (the Aztecs considered it sacred). Its folk names include: Devil’s Apple, Ghost Flower, Jimsonweed, and my personal favorite – Yerba del Diablo, or in Spanish, Herb of the Devil.

4). Willow: In The Tattooed Witch, Anassa, my Diaphani matriarch, chews willow sticks and drinks willow tea in order to relieve her pain from headaches, arthritis, and old age. Willow bark contains salicin. Aspirin is derived from salicylate compounds, and is found in both willow and other plants (Meadowsweet and Wintergreen, for example).

5). Lemon: As well as being a tasty and refreshing citrus, lemon oil has antiseptic and antibacterial properties. Aromatherapists claim lemon oil works as a water purifier. In The Tattooed Witch, Anassa uses the juice in her tea for both flavoring and purification. Here’s an interesting superstition: lemon pie, served to one’s spouse, is supposed to strengthen fidelity. Lemons and oranges weren't originally native to Spain. The Arabs introduced them around the end of the twelfth century, and Spain, in turn, brought them to the new world.

6). Sage: Sage has long been used to treat bacterial infections, bronchitis, and coughs, but it’s better known among Pagan and First Nations communities for its sacred and protective properties. There’s an interesting superstition surrounding sage – it’s considered bad luck to plant it in your own garden. Find a stranger to do it. (Personally, I’ve never had any problems.) In Witch, Anassa uses sage to smudge and ‘ward’ her Tribe after Miriam is attacked by a demon.

7). Oldenlandia or Tongueweed: I came across this herb when I needed a remedy for snakebite. In Witch, Casi Montoya is bitten by a viper; Ephraim, Miriam’s father, calls for Oldenlandia to treat the bite externally. Today, Oldenlandia is used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat sores and carbuncles of the skin. Also known as Snake-Needle Grass, it’s said to lower fever, reduce inflammation, and relieve pain.

8). Oleander: In Witch, this is the plant that Tomás, the Grand Inquisitor, uses to kill Alonso de Santangel. (Not to worry: for those of you who haven't yet read The Tattooed Witch, this isn't a spoiler. We learn that Tomás is the guilty party in Chapter One). Oleander leaves are long and narrow and look similar to willow. The shrub has fragrant pink flowers, although some varieties are white or yellow. All parts of it are extremely poisonous. Apparently, the Babylonians mixed oleander with licorice root to treat hangovers. (Not recommended!)

I recently finished the second book in the trilogy, The Tattooed Seer. It's with my editor, awaiting his suggestions. There are several herbal remedies in it as well, including Rosemary, one of the oldest incenses used and a traditional herb in bridal wreaths, plus Fava Beans – considered by some today to be an aphrodisiac. In The Tattooed Seer, both Rosemary and Fava  (I call them Faba) play their parts.

If you'd like to purchase The Tattooed Witch, you can find the links for buying it on the right, or you can order it from your favorite bookstore. Amazon also includes a free peek of the first four chapters here, plus a five star rating and some great reviews. (Thanks so much, to those of you who've given the book your support.) Finally, if any of you are wondering about the release of The Tattooed Seer, I'm hoping it will be available by summer, 2014.

Spanish Lavender

GOLEM MAGIC

BECAUSE IT'S HALLOWEEN, I THOUGHT I'D DEVOTE A POST TO MAGIC. If you’re familiar with Jewish mysticism and Kabbalah, you may have recognized one of the scenes I wrote in The Tattooed Witch as golem magic. When my protagonist Miriam Medina attempts to raise Alonso de Santangél from the dead, she is actually using a magical system designed to animate a golem or ‘a body without a soul’. 

It’s funny where your research takes you. There is a belief among many different religions that tattoos create spiritual doorways – everything from warnings about demonic interference (Leviticus 19:28 ‘you shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves’ to opposing beliefs like those of the Polynesians who believe tattoos bring spiritual power). Because Miriam is half Jewish and half gypsy, it made sense for me to look closely at Jewish mysticism and magic. It didn’t take long before I bumped into the Sefer Yezirah or ‘Book of Creation’ which offers instructions on how to make a golem.  One way is to fashion a man out of clay, then to write the letters Aleph, Mem, and Tav (meaning ‘truth’) on his forehead, causing him to come to life. To disable such a creature, Aleph is removed, leaving Mem and Tav to spell Met, or ‘death’. Another way to create a golem is to write the name of God on a piece of parchment and place it in the golem's mouth. 

To create my resurrection spell, I used Hebrew letters. But instead of incising ‘truth’ as the original golem spell did, it served me better for Miriam to carve ‘doorway’ on Alonso’s body and use the idea I mentioned above - tattoos as spiritual doorways. After a number of revisions, I decided not to use the actual Hebrew alphabet out of respect for the language, but the Diaphani letters are similar and the meanings remain the same.

In The Tattooed Witch, Miriam carves the word Delev on Alonso. The original Hebrew word is Delet, formed from the letters Dalet (D), Lamed (L), and Tav (T), with a few ‘e’s’ thrown in. What really excited me were the synchronicities I discovered in each letter’s meaning. Although the majority of readers wouldn't recognize them, I always think it's great when a writer can provide that extra layer of meaning in his prose, like offering a treat to those who do see what is hidden from most. 

Dalet (written ד) means door, creation, and/or 'this world in this time’. Early ideas about Creation saw the world as having four states or worlds – in Hebrew: Atzilut, Beriya, Yetzira, and Assiya – or more simply, the elements of fire, air, water, and earth. These elements are also foundational ideas in Pagan and Wiccan ceremonies. The symbolic meaning of Dalet is ‘to enter’ which I thought worked beautifully for the beginning of Miriam's spell. 

Lamed (written ל) literally means ox goad, staff, or prodding stick. After ‘entering’ with Dalet, Miriam ‘goads’ Alonso to approach life’s brink. In Witch, I changed Lamed to Lamet and used a bit of poetic license in describing it as a whip. 

Finally, I altered Tav (written ת) to Vev. I expanded the original meaning, Cross, to Crossroads, which as we all know, is a place of power, destiny, and death. 

In one of the original golem stories, The Golem of Prague, Rabbi Yehuda Loew saves his community from an evil priest who has accused the Jews of the ritual murder of Christian children. This was a common racist ploy played in other parts of Europe, including Spain. Rabbi Loew creates the golem to roam the streets at night to stop those who would set false evidence against his people. If you're interested, you can read the story here: http://www.bibleandjewishstudies.net/stories/The_Golem_of_Prague.pdf 

And if you haven't read it yet, the Amazon.com link below is of the first four chapters (mostly) from The Tattooed Witch. At the end of it, Miriam attempts her golem/resurrection spell. (Spoiler Alert: in the book, the spell goes disastrously wrong.): http://www.amazon.com/Tattooed-Witch-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00DZ25XAC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383162977&sr=8-1&keywords=the+tattooed+witch#reader_B00DZ25XAC 

Happy Reading and Happy Halloween. Keep those golems on their leashes.

SEVEN SPOTLIGHT QUESTIONS - MY WRITING LIFE and THE TATTOOED WITCH

THE FOLLOWING POST APPEARS SIMULTANEOUSLY on Graeme Brown's website on his Author in the Spotlight page. Graeme is a Winnipeg artist and fantasy writer. I met him in Calgary at When Words Collide when we shared a panel on Hybrid books. He interviewed me a few weeks back about my life as a writer and my debut novel, The Tattooed Witch. Today, I'm the featured writer on his blog. I thought I'd share my responses to his questions here.

SEVEN SPOTLIGHT QUESTIONS: 

#1: Why do you write? I think anyone who is creative needs to express that creativity. Another way to put this question is to ask, “What happens when I don’t write?” I can go for about a week at most, before I become disgusted with myself for not writing. Everything else begins to look like fill, or fluff, or a waste of time (especially if I’ve had to tend to domestic needs). The same thing happens when I’m blocked, usually when I’m not sure how to write a difficult scene. That fuels even more self-disgust and a frustrated edginess because I’m not meeting the problem head-on. Writing is my fix that satisfies my need to create. I have other creative outlets, but none fulfill me as much as writing does. When I write, I’m the creator of my world. 

#2: What was your earliest writing experience? My earliest experience was as a nine year-old ghost writer for my seven year-old sister who was supposed to write a story for her Grade Two class. As we talked about her story, I became so enthusiastic about it, I took over the project.  We had no idea this was wrong at the time. (We got an ‘A’, I think.)

#3: Describe a day in your writing life: This is an embarrassing question. I waste so much time dithering about with e-mail and perusing Facebook when I should be focusing on my writing. I blame this on summer, kids at home, grass to cut, other chores, etc. Now that fall is here, I hope to waste less time. A good day starts after I’ve read my mail (around 9:30). I write for about four or five hours, usually finishing around 2:00 to 2:30. Then it’s time to take the dog for a walk or handle family/house requirements. 

#4: What authors influenced you and how? One of the first fantasy books I read as a teenager was The Compleat Enchanter by L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt which included three novellas, The Roaring Trumpet, the Mathematics of Magic and The Castle of Iron. I still love this collection, even though the stories were originally published in 1940/41. I’d never read a fantasy novel before, but I picked it up because I liked the cover (which depicted a guy riding a hippogriff I think - I can’t be sure. Three kids later, I still have the book, but no cover). Reading The Compleat Enchanter started me on my journey as a fantasy reader and then writer. I ran into L. Sprague de Camp at a convention years later, and stammered my thanks for both the book and setting me on my writing career. I’m sure he thought I was deranged. Since that time, I’ve also been influenced by David Eddings (the Belgariad series), Anne McCaffery (Dragon Riders of Perne), and historical writers like Margaret Mitchell (Gone with the Wind), Phillipa Gregory (The Other Boleyn Girl), and Diana Gabaldon (Outlander series). I also adore Scott Lynch and Guy Gavriel Kay.

#5: What are some things you learned to help with your success? Never give up. Like any profession, writing requires an apprenticeship – it takes time (years) to learn the craft. Promote your work, (but be thoughtful about it). Believe in yourself and trust in your voice, especially if you’re delving into unusual or unpopular themes. Trust that you have something worthwhile to say, and say it. 

#6: Describe your writing method: I start with a plot outline, knowing the major points I want to hit. It might take me up to two weeks of scribbling notes and thinking about plot, character, etc. to come up with a decent outline. I know enough not to hurry this process or be impatient with it. The fun and frustration comes when I need to work out lesser points (for example, points b, c, and d, while trying to get from A to E). With the first draft, I edit as I go, tweaking the language, choosing a better word, rewriting dialogue, fixing typos. I will often review a scene I wrote the day before in order to get my mind into the work before moving ahead. Sometimes, at the quarter point (about 25,000 words mark), I may have a brilliant idea for a new character, which means I have to go back to rewrite. This happened in my trilogy’s second book, The Tattooed Seer. Subsequent drafts seem to go in the following stages: 2^nd draft is about structure, what’s working, and what needs to be cut, where major shifts in plot occur, and if they occur in the right places, etc. 3^rd draft is about chapter dynamics (chapter ends to keep the reader reading, combining chapters that are too short, etc.), and polishing – looking for word repetitions (especially on the same page), similar sentence structures that need to be varied, making sure earlier ideas are reflected properly later, and so on. The 4^th draft is the final go-through, where I make sure the book flows, has proper tension, presents strong visuals and has just the right amount of emotional impact. I usually get a better feel for this after some time has lapsed, at least a month. Eventually, the book ends up with my editor, who suggests further changes. Then it’s more tweaking until we’re both happy with it.

#7: Tips for aspiring writers: Write every day. Read critically, paying attention to how the professionals you admire handle plot, tension, dialogue, setting, etc. Read as many ‘how to’ books as you can, because even if you’ve been writing for some time, you can always afford to learn from the experts. Don’t release any work too soon: instead, get constructive feedback from others, especially if they write at a higher level than you do. And always, always – strive to be better.

About The Tattooed Witch: The Tattooed Witch had its infancy in a family myth. For years, my mother’s side of the family contended that their people, the Frankos, were originally connected to Spanish royalty but were kicked out of Spain by the king. The more likely story was that we were either Jews or gypsies who had been forced out of Spain for religious reasons. In 1492, after Ferdinand and Isabella defeated the Moors in Granada (the Reconquista), non-Catholics (Jews, gypsies, and Moors) were told to convert to the true faith or leave. I suspect my mother’s family opted to convert, and then later to flee to Austria (now part of the Ukraine) rather than face the Inquisition. I learned through further research that Franko (or Franco, the Spanish spelling) is a Jewish converso name. As for a possible gypsy link, one of my ancestors, Ivan Franko, novelist, poet, and Ukrainian social activist, wrote in great support of the Roma people at a time when they were much reviled in his adopted land. His outward support may actually reflect a deeper familial connection. 

The Tattooed Witch delves into a number of themes: I wanted to explore the ideas of religious persecution vs. religious freedom, personal spiritual experience, and brushes with the occult. I wanted to paint a bigger reality than what we normally experience with our five limited senses. Finally, I wanted to look at the different kinds of love we experience (physical and emotional/platonic and otherwise), and how love is defined by the people involved. Mix in a little magic, tattoos, flamenco, and history that's reflective of actual people and events, and you have The Tattooed Witch.

Elevator Pitch: When Miriam Medina and her father are accused by the Inquisition of murdering a high priest, Miriam knows justice is impossible. Their accuser, the Grand Inquisitor, is in fact, the real murderer. Miriam’s only hope is to resort to her long dead mother’s magical legacy: the resurrection of the dead through a magical tattoo.  

I've previously posted the first two chapters of The Tattooed Witch on Suzenyms. You can find them here: http://suzenyms.blogspot.ca/2013/08/the-tattooed-witch-first-two-chapters_1.html

If you want to read a bit more, you can read most of the first four chapters at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Tattooed-Witch-Susan-McGregor/dp/1927400333/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379521184&sr=8-1&keywords=the+tattooed+witch#reader_B00DZ25XAC

FINALLY, if you'd like to support me as a writer and haven't yet bought a copy of The Tattooed Witch (you'll have my undying thanks if you do - with all the hundreds of thousands of choices of books out there, it's so important for debut novelists like myself to get as much help as they can), you can buy my book from Amazon, Kobo, or Five Rivers Publishing, below: 
 
For the Kindle at only $3.66 - a steal! Or $19.57 paperback: http://www.amazon.com/The-Tattooed-Witch-Susan-McGregor/dp/1927400333/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379522874&sr=8-1&keywords=the+tattooed+witch
For the Kobo at only $4.99: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-ca/Search?Query=The+tattooed+Witch
For either print or e-books from Five Rivers Publishing - Support your local small press! ($25.99 for print and $4.99 for e-book) Go half way down the catalogue list, and you’ll see it: http://www.fiveriverspublishing.com/p/fiction-adult.html

Thanks for your support! Next post, we're back to regular programming.