Good day, my fellow book people. There are many cultures and religions that teach and believe in reincarnation. I’ve often heard, growing up in the Black community, that someone was an “old soul” and had obviously been here before. Today, I’m pleased to welcome author Anna Belfrage who explores the idea of reincarnation in her series, The Wanderer, with the latest release A Flame Through Eternity. Ms. Belfrage will be discussing the notion of reincarnation and second-chance romance. Thank you, Ms. Belfrage, for stopping by and visiting with us today, I look forward to hearing your thoughts on these subjects. Without further adieu, I give you Anna Belfrage.
Reincarnated lovers – putting a spin on “second chance” romance
There is something rather intriguing about the idea of reincarnation. Imagine being given an opportunity to try again, rectify past mistakes. Assuming, of course, that the reincarnated person remembered what their mistakes were the first time round.
This was the premise for my series The Wanderer, the last installment being A Flame Through Eternity. Unfortunately for my male MC, he remembers every single fruitless life he’d led, desperate to find the woman he loved, betrayed and lost in that very distant first life. I wonder what that would do to a person—to have memories of so many existences one doesn’t quite know which are valid for which life. I imagine it takes a person of great spiritual strength to not go crazy under that pressure.
Now my Jason progresses upwards with each life, learning the hard way to become a better person. His antagonist—a soul as old as he is, just as burdened with the memories of multiple lives—has rather gone the opposite way. Where Jason wants to make amends, Sam wants revenge for the wrongs he perceives Jason has done him. What Sam wants, Sam usually gets.
Personally, I believe that if there are people who leap from life to life, they are mostly unaware of their previous existences—precisely for the reason that otherwise they’d probably have spent their lives in an institution somewhere, their mental equilibrium shattered by unwanted and confusing memories. Accordingly, my female MC has no memories of Jason or Sam or of the little place on the southern coast of the Black Sea where she lived out her very first (and far too short) life. But Helle has dreams, recurring vivid images that have her sitting up in bed as she tries to understand why her heart is breaking with grief, a yawning sensation of loss engulfing her as she whispers “Jason”. Not that Helle has any idea who this Jason might be…
When I was younger, I was fascinated by the stories of people who one day woke up and insisted they were someone else. Boys who began speaking ancient Persian, women who wept as they named the children they’d seen die in plagues and famines. I suspect there is little truth in most of these stories, but I can’t help wondering if some of them aren’t genuine. I especially remember one of these stories (as I recall, I read it in Reader’s Digest, and yes, I know this does not qualify as a verified source, but I loved those booklets, inhaled my way through them). A young man living in a modern Brooklyn woke up one day and insisted he had to travel to the Middle East. In fluent Arabic, he explained he had to go and find his wife, assuring her he was still alive, still here. His present-day parents were desperate. In a twist of ironic fate, they were Jewish and knew for a fact that no one had ever spoken Arabic to their son. And yet, here he was, word-perfect in a language no one had ever taught him. Creepy stuff, hey?
The story obviously left an indirect impact on me. My Jason refers to one life as a minority Greek living in Smyrna (present-day Izmir) just as the Ottoman Empire crumbles and is replaced by a nationalistic Turkish state ruled by Atatürk. In that life, Jason sees his Greek family destroyed by the uncontrolled Turkish soldiers. In his first life, however, Jason detested the Greek colonists who made their way along the Black Sea coast. I suppose my take on reincarnation is that, if it is possible, it has as its purpose to broaden our human experience and allow us to experience life from various points of view. Just like Hinduism and Buddhism teaches, with each life a person would acquire more wisdom and better karma until achieving a state of spiritual purity that allows for eternal peace as part of the brilliant whole.
In A Flame Through Eternity, all Jason wants is to finally get his chance at a Happily Ever After with his Helle, the woman he has pursued in life afterlife. Since they met up in the here and now in A Torch in His Heart, their life has been something of a rollercoaster, elation, and joy at finally being together balanced by the blackest of fear that this time too, their ancient re-born antagonist Sam Woolf will find a way to destroy them, squashing that dream of a long and happy life. Jason’s and Helle’s story is a steamy, contemporary romance with paranormal ingredients and a lot of action. But at its core lies a genuine interest in what makes us human, how we evolve as spiritual beings and whether or not we do, in fact, get more than one shot at this marvelous business called life. I hope some readers will discover those deeper depths and be as titillated by the notion of reincarnation as I am!
A Flame Through Eternity, Book Three in The Wanderer Series, by Anna Belfrage
ISBN: 9781838593759 (paperback)
ASIN: B081J54L18 (Kindle edition)
Publisher: Troubador Publishing
It started 3,000 years ago. It ends now. Who survives the final confrontation?
According to Helle Madsen, being the protagonist of a time-spanning epic love story has some things going for it, primarily Jason Morris. Because seriously, meeting up with your fated lover after 3 000 years apart is not bad—at all. Unfortunately, where Jason goes, there goes Sam Woolf, yet another very, very ancient acquaintance—with the fundamental difference that Sam is not into Happily Ever After. He’s into destruction, more specifically of Jason and Helle.
Helle may believe in second-chance love, but she sure doesn’t believe in reincarnation. Okay, she didn’t believe in stuff like that until she met Jason Morris a year or so ago. By now, she has accepted that sometimes impossible things are quite, quite possible—like an ancient princess being reborn as an ambitious financial analyst.
Finding Jason was like finding the part of her that had always been missing—a perfect match. But handling Sam Woolf, the reborn version of their ancient nemesis is something of a trial. No sooner do you have him well and surely beat, but up he bounces again. Sheesh, will it take an oak stake to permanently rid their lives of him?
Sam Woolf is a powerful adversary. Too powerful, even. Jason and Helle will need help from unexpected quarters to finally bring this tangled, ancient love-and-hate triangle to some sort of conclusion. Question is, will they survive the experience?
Purchase Links: #Commission Earned IndieBound | Amazon | Amazon Kindle | Barnes & Noble | BookDepository | Books-A-Million | !ndigo
Meet the Author
Had Anna been allowed to choose, she’d have become a professional time-traveler. As such a profession does not exist, she settled for second best and became a financial professional with two absorbing interests, namely history, and writing. These days, Anna combines an exciting day-job with a large family and her writing endeavors. Plus she always finds the time to try out new recipes, chase down obscure rose bushes and initiate a home renovation scheme or two.
Her last release, A Torch in His Heart, was a step out of her comfort zone. Her most recent release is A Flame Through Eternity. Having previously published historical fiction & historical romance, with this first book about Jason and Helle Anna offers a dark and titillating contemporary romance, complete with a time-slip angle and hot & steamy scenes.
Connect with the author via her Website, Facebook, or Twitter.
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
Instagram Tour
Monday, February 10th: @thereadingchemist
Monday, February 10th: @mixed_matched_socks
Wednesday, February 12: @livingmybestbooklife
Friday, February 14th: @books_with_bethany
Saturday, February 15th: @sincerelykarenjo
Sunday, February 16th: @sarahandherbookshelves
Tuesday, February 18th: @nurse_bookie
Wednesday, February 19th: @simplykelina
Friday, February 21st: @_ebl_inc_
Review Tour
Monday, February 17th: Bewitched Bookworms
Tuesday, February 18th: Nurse Bookie
Tuesday, February 18th: The Book Diva’s Reads – Author Guest Post
Wednesday, February 19th: Stranded in Chaos
Friday, February 21st: Living My Best Book Life
Monday, February 24th: Cheryl’s Book Nook and @beastreader
Wednesday, February 26th: Openly Bookish
Thursday, February 27th: Sincerely Karen Jo
Thursday, February 27th: Audio Killed the Bookmark – Author Guest Post
Friday, February 28th: @falling4romance
Monday, March 2nd: @barr_bookworms
Wednesday, March 4th: From the TBR Pile – Author Guest Post
Friday, March 6th: Treestand Book Reviews
Friday, March 6th: Broken Teepee
Monday, March 9th: What is That Book About – Author Guest Post
Tuesday, March 10th: Jathan & Heather – Author Guest Post
Wednesday, March 11th: @balancingbooksandcoffee
Friday, March 13th: The Lit Bitch – Author Guest Post
Monday, March 16th: The Sassy Bookster – Author Guest Post
Wednesday, March 18th: Read Love Blog – Author Guest Post
Monday, March 23rd: Book Fidelity – Author Guest Post
This guest post and tour brought to you by TLC Book Tours
The Book Diva's Reads 
thank you for allowing me to expound on this fascinating subject!
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Thank you for featuring this! Sara @ TLC Book Tours
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