Sweetie, Darling, Snookum, Honey-- The power of pet names….
I love pet/nicknames—you know, those special terms
of endearment we use to identify someone special or the ones we love, whether
husband, wife, sister, brother, boyfriend or girlfriend.
When I was in high school, our inner circle had
names for each other. Only those in the
group used them. It was an expression of
friendship and the bond we had growing up.
Even within my family, my sisters and I had “pet names.” Each had their own origin, whether a funny
story, memory, or quality of an individual.
The meaning often is only significant to those who are close to the
individual. We used to call my younger
sister, Susabelle. My older sister was
called Bird (my mother’s reference for Lady Bird Johnson). I was Jeannie Bean that got shortened to just
Bean in high school. I don’t get to talk
to my high school friends as much I like, but my best friend still calls me by
my nickname. I smile now when I hear her
say it. It brings back wonderful memories.
Pet names have always been part of my personal
relationships. One boyfriend always
called me “pumpkin.” Why, I’m not sure,
but I know I didn’t look like one.
Regardless of the reason, the name always made me feel special. Pet names are selected by those around
us. It just happens – it gets used once
and then sticks, often for a lifetime. Now
whether the person likes it or not is irrelevant – LOL.
In my latest novel, Soul Awakened, my hero, Bakari,
calls Kendra “Parvana.” It is the
Egyptian word for butterfly. Kendra has
a small birthmark on her hip that vaguely looks like a butterfly, but the word
Parvana has deeper meaning for the hero.
After being imprisoned for five long years in darkness, Kendra is
Bakari’s first vision of freedom. She offers
him a life free of pain and suffering, not to mention her potential to become
something so much more.
So, in honor of pet/nicknames names around the
world, I will give one lucky commenter an e-copy of Soul Awakened.
To enter, please share your pet name or a pet name
you use/used for someone else. If you
care, please share the origin of the nickname (for anonymity purposes, please
do not use full names). Leave your email
address in the post.
Book Blurb:
LOVE
FOR BLOOD OR HONOR
Kendra,
an Egyptologist and demi-god in waiting, is the key to unlocking Bakari, the
Egyptian God of Death, from his cursed slumber. Desperate to free him, she
inadvertently binds herself to the god with a spell that only death will undo.
To save Bakari from himself, she may have to sacrifice her innocence, and possibly
her soul, before he becomes his family’s worst enemy.
HAUNTED
BY SINS OF THE PAST
Bakari
awakens to a world at war and a beautiful woman who has tethered his soul to
hers. In the wake of his self-destruction Kendra is his only hope of salvation,
but another has vowed to keep Bakari from the one thing he craves most-- his
Parvana. His butterfly.
EXCERPT
from Soul Awakened, Chapter 15
Can
you die twice? Fractured in a multitude of pieces, his
soul had been thrown across the room and crushed. If he physically could not
pull himself together, what made him think he could ever pull his mind to where
it belonged? He had truly found Duat.
Hell.
Why
was he so surprised to wake up here? He deserved it, did he not? The pain and
agony were his only friends, settling into the hole that once was inhabited by
his spirit. A spirit that would ignite his chest no more. Whatever fight he had
left with his last hope. His butterfly. Gone.
He
should have retreated back to the cell of his captivity. He had taken a few
steps in the darkness, but then it hit him. Why bother? A death would be
kinder. Turn his power inward and exhaust his own light.
A good
plan up to the point his butterfly materialized nearby, a hallucination
certainly manifested by his insanity. Her beautiful naked form hovered and
bounced with the beat of her wings. A part of him grieved that he would never
be able to hold her or touch her soft curly hair. Or taste the sweet nectar of
her blood. His body numbed the hunger and pain. He knew death well and welcomed
it. But, his butterfly had other plans.
His
Parvana landed with feathery lightness onto his chest and spilled her hair over
the vestige of his withered muscle and bone. The shock of heat hit him like a
blast of super-heated air from an explosion. His chest burned with a rekindled
fire. His hallucination took physical form. Kendra had come to save him after
all.
Purchase
Links:
Amazon:
Bio: In
her pursuit of a nursing degree, Jean Murray aspired to see the world and
joined the Navy. At the end of 2011 she said a heart-breaking goodbye to her
Navy family and retired after twenty years of military service. Although her
dreams of writing full time have yet to come true, she continues her writing
journey and draws inspiration from her travels abroad. She enjoys spending time
with her family and of course, writing about the “Carrigan sisters and their
mates, Gods of the Underworld,” to bring you the next installment of the Key to
the Cursed series.
Author
Jean Murray brings a wonderful new spin to the paranormal world with her
Egyptian Underworld gods. She broke
ground in the paranormal romance genre with Soul Reborn and now continues the
Key to the Cursed journey with Soul Awakened.
See what readers and reviewers are saying about her new book ~ http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16484518-soul-awakened?auto_login_attempted=true
For
more information about Jean Murray:
Web
Address: www.jean-murray.com ; www.keytothecursed.com
Blog
Address: www.wickedromance.wordpress.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/wickedromance
Don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to win!
Hi Jean, thank you for coming to Happily Ever After Thoughts. When I was growing up my last name was Brous, so the kids on the bus called me brussel sprout. It was all in fun and I didn't mind, but what was really funny was when my little sister, 7 years younger, went to first grade. She was petite and had bright blonde hair. The kids on the bus decided she had to be Little Corn :-) Poor girl. What they didn't know was at home we called her Janine the string bean :-}
ReplyDeleteThanks for joining us on Happily Ever After Thoughts, Jean! It's lovely to have you here.....
ReplyDeleteI've been called a few things (some not so good) but my father called me 'Mouse' for many years and my husband still calls me Babe.
Marie
Hi Alexis and Marie.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for having me. You have a beautiful site.
Love your stories.
Jean
I'm often referred to as "Mess" by my wife for a variety of reasons... often with the possessive (as in 'my mess'). I make them, I am one, I can make her one emotionally (in good ways she assures me), and so on along similar lines. It fits.
ReplyDeleteShe's 'Fates'... master of all, whimsical, in control but not over bearing... which fits her as well.
I also occasionally use Darlin'. I keep that one in reserve for special occasions though because for whatever reason it never fails to make her smile and giggle and swoon a little, and I don't want to lose that effect through over use.
Hi Anthony.
DeleteI love that you and your wife have a sense of humor. I think you have to have that in a marriage. What great nicknames!
Jean
Nice excerpt. Don't use/have a pet name
ReplyDeletebn100candg at hotmail dot com
Hi BN100.
DeleteNo worries, always nice to see you :-)
Jean
I used to be called Pumpkin in high school - often shortened to Punkie. It was meant in a fun way. I kind of liked it.
ReplyDeletemarypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Hi Mary!
DeleteI love when they shorten nicknames. Some of my military co-workers used to call me Ski. Short for a long polish last name. They were happy when I married a Murray. LOL
Jean
I did not have a nickname in school, but my best friend was called Bluky because of her beautiful blue eyes.
ReplyDeletebhometchko(at)hotmail(dot)com
Hi BookLady.
DeleteNicknames are often highlight a quality we or others have. When you see her do you still use her nickname?
Jean
I didn't realize that I call my grandson a nickname until he announced during dinner one day that "Grammy says I'm a sweet pea." Apparently sweeter than the peas on his dinner plate, because he refused to eat them. Lol.
ReplyDeleteGreat cover on the new book, Jean. Looks like Tut in all his glory. Have you ever been to Egypt? What got you interested in this topic?
Lyndee,
DeleteThat is such a great story. We call all our boys Bub or Boo all the time. It comes naturally. My sister's in-laws when their daughter was young could not say Grandma, but would call her Gogger instead. It stuck, now the entire family calls her Gogger.
No sadly, I have not been to Egypt, closest I came was Bahrain. I would still love to visit, but for now I get my Egyptian fix at the museum. I've always had a love for the ancient Egyptian culture. It was one of the exhibits I could spend hours in. When I was looking for a series idea, I naturally gravitated to it. I'm so glad I did :-)
Jean
Hi Jean,
ReplyDeletewhen i was very little my grandma called me violet eyes because they were so blue they looked purple,now they are just a dark blue.
everyone else calls me by name or sometimes they call me ,sister or sis.(oldest girl so i got alot of things like:"sister,keep an eye on the little kids and/or tammy i'm cold,he took my --- , make him give it back sissy! LOL!
about a thousand variety of that.
tammy ramey
trvlagnt1t@yahoo.com
Hi Tammy!
DeleteGrandma's a great for nicknames. What a wonderful memory!
I've heard others use sissy quite a bit. Thank you for sharing.
Jean
I don't have a nickname but my kids in school are called little wood or little timber because of their last name (Smallwood). My youngest I nicknamed minnie me (she acts like me) my son is (Spanky-when he was a baby he looked like Spanky off the Little Rascals) and my oldest is sissy.
ReplyDeletebmack31919 (at) yahoo (dot) com
Nightowl,
DeleteLove it. My oldest son who is now 7 used to call his brother's name twice, Liam was always Liam Liam.
We still use it sometimes, and get a great laugh out of it.
Thanks For sharing.
Jean