The Care and Feeding of Eidolons
Hey there. This is your friendly
neighborhood Eidolon speaking (not that you'd care in the slightest).
I'm not going to tell you my name, because that would give you power
over me—and that would leave me hungry. (You'd just love that,
wouldn't you? Never giving a thought to another's suffering. How can
you live with yourself?) Just call me . . . I don't know . . . the
stomach-clenching thoughts that keep you up at night. A little wordy,
but I like it.
I'm an Eidolon. Some humans call us
"guilt demons," but we're way more than that. (So typical
of your kind to reduce a complex, multi-dimensional creature to a
two-word label.) Eidolons do feed on guilt, it's true. It's the
tastiest human emotion, after all. But our appetites happily feast on
a whole buffet of feelings: anxiety, regret, worry, remorse,
self-doubt, with a dollop or two of fear, misery, and grief as a
garnish. If something's troubling you, an Eidolon is close by,
smacking its lips. You can be sure of that.
All human beings have Eidolons—unless
they're some kind of sociopath. (You've wondered about that, haven't
you? Whether there's something wrong with your ability to feel for
others. And with good reason, I'm sure.) Sometimes we're nestled in
your gut, sometimes we're just beyond your shoulder, waiting for a
chance to move in. Even Vicky Vaughn, who's a pretty fair demon
fighter, has an Eidolon. I know, because it's me. She conjured me
when she had some questions about what was going on in the demon
plane. To do that, she thought back to everything she'd ever done
that made her feel guilt or regret. How could I resist a meal like
that? Of course I came. And I'm hanging around, too. Vicky may be a
decent demon fighter, but I'm not so easy to get rid of. Not while
there's a gourmet meal of troubled emotions to be had.
Some of you out there are probably
dealing with Eidolons of your own. Rather than trying to annihilate
us (do you have to be so violent?), you could try to get along
with us. In fact, you might even want to take care of us. Love your
Eidolon and . . . well, you Eidolon won't do a damn thing for you.
But so what? A demon's gotta eat.
To keep your Eidolon fat and happy,
check out the following tips. (Not that I expect you to. I know what
you're like. You'd rather read the latest celebrity gossip or see
what the Duchess of Cambridge is wearing or play some stupid online
game than find out how to care for a creature whose very well-being
depends on you.)
Don't go easy on yourself. Do
you really think you deserve a break? Why? When's the last time you
gave somebody else any kind of break? What makes you think you're so
damn special? In fact, refusing to go easy on yourself isn't good
enough. You need to be hard on yourself. Remember: Nobody else can
judge you as harshly as you judge yourself. So do the job right—your
Eidolon will belch with gratitude.
Focus on the fact that things will
probably get worse. Some kind of optimist, are you? Well, knock
it off. That glass isn't half full. Not only is it half empty, the
water is evaporating from it even as we speak.
Sweat the small stuff. Stress
builds character. Everyone knows some bliss bunny type who goes with
the flow and feels happy no matter what. Don't you just hate
people like that? (Go on; you can admit it. Nobody's listening but
me—and I'm in the mood for a snack, anyway.)
Don't waste time sleeping.
You've heard the statistics: People spend up to one-third of their
lives snoozing. Unconscious. Snoring. Drooling on the pillow.
Instead, you could be lying awake, awash in anxiety, giving me a good
meal.
Blame yourself.
Because really, if you look at it objectively, it's all your fault.
(You know what I'm talking about.)
DO NOT THINK HAPPY THOUGHTS.
Ever. That Pollyanna crap gives us indigestion.
So quit being so
selfish, wanting a happy, well adjusted life. Instead of focusing on
your own mental health and well being, give in to guilt. To remorse
and regret. Your Eidolon will never thank you for it (that's not our
nature), but you can bet we'll reap the benefits.
___________________________________________
DARKLANDS,
the fourth novel in Nancy Holzner's Deadtown series, is now
available. For information on Nancy and her books, visit her website.
You can also find Nancy on Facebook
and Twitter.
And visit her Kickstarter
page
to find out about her plans for a Deadtown prequel!
By Nancy Holzner
Book #4 in the Deadtown series
Genre: Urban fantasy
Publisher: Ace
ISBN: 978-1937007706
ASIN: 1937007707
Number of pages: 336
Word Count: Around 110,000
Blurb/Book Description:
They call it Deadtown: the city’s quarantined section for its inhuman and undead residents. Most humans stay far from its border—but Victory Vaughn, Boston’s only professional demon slayer, isn’t exactly human…
Boston’s demons have been disappearing, and Vicky’s clients are canceling left and right. While fewer demons might seem like a good thing, Vicky suspects foul play. A missing Celtic cauldron from Harvard’s Peabody museum leads her to an unwelcome conclusion: Pryce, her demi-demon cousin and bitter enemy, is trying to regain his full powers.
But Pryce isn’t alone. He’s conjured another, darker villain from Vicky’s past. To stop them from destroying everything she loves, she’ll have to face her own worst fear—in the realm of the dead itself.
Boston’s demons have been disappearing, and Vicky’s clients are canceling left and right. While fewer demons might seem like a good thing, Vicky suspects foul play. A missing Celtic cauldron from Harvard’s Peabody museum leads her to an unwelcome conclusion: Pryce, her demi-demon cousin and bitter enemy, is trying to regain his full powers.
But Pryce isn’t alone. He’s conjured another, darker villain from Vicky’s past. To stop them from destroying everything she loves, she’ll have to face her own worst fear—in the realm of the dead itself.
Author Bio:
Nancy Holzner grew up in western Massachusetts with her nose stuck in a book. This meant that she tended to walk into things, wore glasses before she was out of elementary school, and forced her parents to institute a “no reading at the dinner table” rule. It was probably inevitable that she majored in English in college and then, because there were still a lot of books she wanted to read, continued her studies long enough to earn a master’s degree and a PhD.
She began her career as a medievalist, then jumped off the tenure track to try some other things. Besides teaching English and philosophy, she’s worked as a technical writer, freelance editor and instructional designer, college admissions counselor, and corporate trainer. As Nancy Conner, she writes how-to and reference books on topics ranging from classical mythology to using Office 2010.
Nancy lives in upstate New York with her husband Steve, where they both work from home without getting on each other’s nerves. She enjoys visiting local wineries and listening obsessively to opera. There are still a lot of books she wants to read.
She began her career as a medievalist, then jumped off the tenure track to try some other things. Besides teaching English and philosophy, she’s worked as a technical writer, freelance editor and instructional designer, college admissions counselor, and corporate trainer. As Nancy Conner, she writes how-to and reference books on topics ranging from classical mythology to using Office 2010.
Nancy lives in upstate New York with her husband Steve, where they both work from home without getting on each other’s nerves. She enjoys visiting local wineries and listening obsessively to opera. There are still a lot of books she wants to read.
Website: nancyholzner.
Twitter: http://twitter.com/
Thanks for inviting me to visit Mama Knows Books! I was going to write a post about how to get rid of guilt demons, but then this guy muscled in and took over. :)
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