As this is Halloween Week, we thought it the best time to talk about Paranormal Romances. Join us all week. We won't bite you...yet!
The idea for Angels Among
Us, my paranormal romance, came to me during a visit to the Metropolitan
Museum of Art in New York City at Christmas time. I always enjoyed viewing the
museum's Christmas tree with its nativity display and ornaments created in
Italy. The ornaments included angels which appeared to fly down or up the tree.
I had been searching for ideas for a story, and as I glanced at one of the angels,
it "communicated" to me about telling a story with an angel as a main
character.
Thus, the idea for Angels
Among Us came about with a character named Eviance Angelique, as the
guardian angel of Kay Lassiter, an artist with psychic abilities. Eviance makes
his presence known to Kay at a crisis moment and acts as a guiding force in
helping Kay find the answers to a life-long mystery about the deaths of her
parents. Eviance also protects Kay from the enemy who returns to fight against
her and her brother, a local detective in their New Jersey community. Eviance
also encourages the romance between Kay and her brother's friend Jake, a
teacher who had once had a crush on Kay.
Long before this inspiration, I had been fascinated with angels.
In fact, my home is filled with angel imagery including statues, pictures,
mugs, and angel pins. I'm fond of reading about angels. This includes readings
from traditional sources such as the Bible and stories of both well-known
individuals and ordinary people who have had experiences with the angelic
realm.
Many years ago, an Irish American woman went to visit her dying
father in County Cavan. Both of her parents were ill, but her father's
condition seemed the worst. One night as she drank tea in the kitchen, a
mysterious light emanated from her father's bedroom. Surprised but not alarmed,
the daughter speculated that her ailing mother might have lit a votive candle
and forgotten about it. The woman went to her father's room, and as she neared
it, the light faded. It went out when she reached the doorway. When she went to
her father's bed, she found him dead. Puzzled, yet not wanting to upset her
mother, she remained quiet about the event. Then she began preparations for her
father's funeral. A day later, the daughter once more sat in the kitchen and
drank her tea. Once again, a light appeared, this time from her mother's room.
She raced toward the room, but the light began to fade. By the time she reached
the doorway, the light went out. She knew that she'd find her mother dead.
Afterward the daughter realized that what she'd witnessed had been the presence
of the Angel of Death and that her trip to Ireland intended as her final visit
with one parent, ended up to be her last with both.
There are happier encounters with angels. In the Bible, the angel
Gabriel, the messenger archangel, delivered the famous message to a young woman
named Mary that she was with child, and that child was the Son of God whom she
would name Jesus. The Three Wise Men had been led by a star and watched over by
the angels on their way to Bethlehem to honor the Baby Jesus. A belief in
angels is not restricted to Christianity, but it is in other religious beliefs
as well.
A student of mine had been traveling with her family when their
car stalled on a road in the middle of a desert. Out of nowhere a truck passed
them. It soon returned. The driver, a young man, got out and talked to her
parents. He helped them with their car and offered words that cheered them.
When he smiled at her and her brother, she felt a warm radiance. The stranger
returned to his truck and left. Shortly afterward a patrol car came and stopped
to check on them. When her parents told the officer of the kind truck driver,
the officer said that there had been no other vehicle on that road which fit
the description of the truck. The family got the help they needed and continued
on their journey without further incident. However, the student remained
grateful to the stranger, an angel of mercy in disguise, who helped her and her
family that night on a deserted road.
According to some sources, the Angel of Mercy is Archangel
Gabriel. However, there are other angels who can be called upon for specific
phenomenon, such as natural disasters. The Angel Zamiel is considered a
protector in the event of hurricanes; Riddia, revered in Hebrew law, wards
against drought; Angel Suiel helps mortals jeopardized by earthquakes; the
Angel of Nourishment, Asda, can be called on to prevent famine; the Angel
Lahabiel assists the Archangel Michael in protection against evil.
From my research on the topic of angels, I learned that angels
co-exist with their mortal counterparts in many ways. There are angels who
appear at the birth of a child. Once more, the Archangel Gabriel plays a role
in both the birth and the death of mortals. He is there to instruct the unborn
child, and at the end of life he is there to welcome him or her into the
transition to the next phase. The Angel Armisael is said to assist in
childbirth. The Archangel Raphael rules over health matters. Raphael also rules
the mental processes, so he is one to be called upon before exams. If you've
lost something, a prayer to the Angel Rochel might help you find it. The Angel
Camael is said to help athletes. For those with a green thumb, assistance is
given by Habuhiah, the Angel of Gardening. In a new business venture? The Angel
Teaoael, once invoked to protect ships with their precious cargoes, is
considered a helper for new entrepreneurs.
What is important in all this is to keep in mind that while angels
are here among us, they are not divinities to be idolized. They do not expect
worship, only gratitude and acknowledgement for what they are.♥
Catherine Greenfeder is a published
author. Her novels include Angels
Among Us, a paranormal
romance; WILDFLOWERS, a western historical romance; award winning paranormal romance
Sacred Fires; and two young adult
paranormal romances, A Kiss Out of Time,
and A DANCE OUT OF TIME, both set at the Jersey Shore. Cathy attributes
her love of writing to growing up in a household of storytellers, especially
her mother who loves to entertain with stories about the past. She is a member
of the New York City chapter of Romance Writers of America, the New Jersey
based Liberty State Fiction Writers, and Teachers and Writers Collaborative. In
addition to writing books, Cathy is a language arts teacher who encourages her
students to pursue their own literary talents. She lives in Nutley with her
husband and their mixed Labrador retriever.
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