Paranormal Perceptions ~ Creating the Sary
The Paranormal Perceptions series was created to gather some of the most interesting authors that are using paranormal elements in their stories. Every author has their own perceptions and provides their own insight on all things paranormal, ranging from urban legends and paranormal research, to myths and inspirations. This week on the guest series is author of Colors Like Memories, author Meradeth Houston. (@Meradeth Houston)
Hello! Thanks so much for hosting me today! I thought I’d touch on one of the topics that is central to the characters in my book, Colors Like Memories: the Sary.
The Sary are of my own creation, so googling them probably won’t yield much, however they have their roots in several different concepts. The first of these is stillbirths. I don’t know why this caught my attention from a young age—probably visiting the cemetery that was around the corner from my best friend’s house. We would sneak in through a hole in the fence that let out right in the middle of the child’s burials. I was always struck by those children with a single date listed, and how they had died before they even had a chance to live. I couldn’t, and can’t, fathom the pain of their parents, or what that soul must have gone through.
Another underlying theme is the breath of life. This is something that comes up in a variety of religions, and make obvious sense when you think about it—without breath we are technically not alive. But if we never really draw breath, and we’re never technically alive, how is it possible to really die? Do those souls travel the same paths the rest of us do? What might make them different?
So the question of whether a being can die if they never really lived was one that I kicked around a lot. It left me thinking that maybe these souls did have another role in this world. And because I’ve always liked the thought of guardians (angels, or otherwise), the two kind of found harmony with one another. Hence, the Sary were born. They are the souls of those who died before they were born and had a choice to make: return to their creator, but never lay claim to a body, or return to earth as a guardian for those souls about to take their own life.
For Julia, the main character in Colors, it was a tough choice. The role of the Sary is not an easy one, but the ability to feel, touch, see, and experience true love was enough of a temptation that she joined the Sary. Sticking with that choice is a whole other matter J.
Inquiring minds wish to know: have you ever wondered about the breath of life? Wished you had a guardian? Speak up with a comment—I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Meradeth’s never been a big fan of talking about herself, but if you really want to know, here are some random tidbits about her:
She’s a Northern California girl. This generally means she talks too fast and use "like" a lot. When she’s not writing, she’s sequencing dead people’s DNA. For fun!
She’s been writing since she was 11 years old. It's her hobby, her passion, and she’s so happy to get to
share her work!
If she could have a super-power, it would totally be flying. Which is a little strange, because she’s terrified of heights.
www.meradethhouston.blogspot.com
https://twitter.com/#!/MeradethHouston
www.goodreads.com/book/show/13030422-colors-like-memories
http://www.shelfari.com/books/28925571/Colors-Like-Memories