Guest Blog & Giveaway: Gargoyle Addiction by Livia Olteano

UFI welcomes Livia Olteano Author of Gargoyle Addiction. Thanks for Joining us!!

The Piatra Gargoyles

I love gargoyles. In our world, they're these grotesque-looking stone beauties who scare off evil spirits. They show up in architecture from way back when, all over the world, Egypt, Greece, sometimes looking like lion heads or even chimeras. Architecturally speaking, they're meant to spout water collected from the roof so it wouldn't go into the masonry of a building, so they're functional art. But it's the symbolism of gargoyles that I find more interesting.

I love the La Gargouille legend, and I actually referenced it in the novel, giving Gargouille's story a bit of a personal spin. They were also used as symbol of a Church vanquishing evil, or keeping it at bay. Gargoyles are guardians that look scary because they fight scary things, I guess. I find them to be fascinating.

We've seen gargoyles as paranormal creatures, maybe being stone by day and turning into living creatures by night, when they'd do their guarding. After all, when would evil come knocking on our doors but at night, right? If you ask me, there's more potential for evil during the day, but then again I've always been a night person.

Anyway, my gargoyles, the Piatra gargoyles, aren't made of stone - at least not in a direct sense. Their characters, their personalities though, do tend to run toward the stone cold and ruthless. As descendants of dragons, gargoyles keep some of the special gifts of their ancestors and live in clans based on that inheritance. A clan, called a Haus, has its own residence, hunting grounds and leaders. There are five clans: Haus of Banix (yellow gargoyles, descendants of yellow dragons), Haus of Cerin (green gargoyles), Haus of Lagus (red gargoyles), Haus of Mera (blue gargoyles), and Haus of Varis (black gargoyles). Yellow gargoyles can move things with the power of their minds. Green gargoyles have the power to shapeshift. Red gargoyles can set things on fire with their minds. Blue gargoyles can mentally influence others, using telepathy or giving someone hallucinations. Black dragons can mirror-walk, they move over certain physical distances while taking just one step (kind of like teleporting, but only over visible distances).

They're very strong, very stubborn creatures that are used to operate not based on love, but on fear and power. They're hungry hunters, feeding on live prey. Their world, Piatra, is one of the seven Otherworlds and perhaps one of the cruelest. It's where Kann Varis comes from when he's summoned into the human world.

How do you feel about gargoyles, architectural or their symbolism?

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Livia lives in Europe where she listens to obscene amounts of music and devours every reading material in sight. When she’s not doing either of the two, she fiddles with anything remotely customizable within reach.

Find Livia and her books

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Gargoyle Addiction
Otherworld Summons #1

 Summonari don’t trust. Under their command, they summon any number of creatures from the Otherwolds—but never trust them outside of the summoning.
Gargoyles don’t love. Fierce descendants of dragons, they function on power and fear—never love.
Karla isn’t the happily-ever-after type of girl. No territory-hungry guy is going to stick flags all over her unclaimed grounds.
Kann’s world is death and betrayal. As Dar Primus of Haus Varis, he’s expected to follow tradition but he’s not your regular gargoyle. In fact, he’s anything but.

One fateful Friday night, Otherworlds collide. Stuck together in one world or another, Karla and Kann face everything from Awakenings and turbulent love to Festnavals and bloodthirsty scorned suitors.
If there’s one thing they can’t escape, it’s the addiction to each other. And they’ve got it bad.

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