A-Z Blog Hop: Uriel

Uriel, whose name means “fire of God” or “God is my light” is one of the most important angels. He has been described as an archangel, a seraph, and a cherub. He is usually depicted as one of the four primary angels along with Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. Though he’s not official by Catholic standards, he is in many Jewish texts.

Uriel is portrayed as stern and punishing. According to Enoch he is the head of the seven archangels. He supposedly presides over Tartarus or Hell, where he punishes sinners by burning them in everlasting fire and hanging blasphemers by their tongues over unquenchable fires.  And most people think angels are kind.

But, Uriel is not all fire and brimstone. It was believed that Uriel gave the gift of the Qabalah to humanity, along with the Metatron. He led Abraham out of Ur and has interpreted prophecies for the good of humanity. He revealed heavenly mysteries to Ezra and has answer deep questions about evil and justice. He also serves as a guide to luminaries.

So, do you have a favorite angel?

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A-Z Blog Hop: Sefer Raziel

The angel Raziel stands on the peak of Mount Horeb (where the Ten Commandments were given to Moses by God) and proclaims the mystical secrets to humankind. According to lore, the he created the first book ever written. The Sefer Raziel is made of sapphire or “angel’s tears” and is one of the most important texts on angel magic. It reveals secrets and mysteries of creation, including the wisdom of the 72 letters of the name of God and its 670 esoteric mysteries, and 1,500 keys, which were not even given to the angels. It also contains information on the five names of the human soul, the seven hells, the divisions of the Garden of Eden and the types of angels and spirits that have dominion over things in the world. Jealous angels coveted the Sefer Raziel and many thefts were attempted.

An excerpt of the Sefer Raziel

In actuality, it is believed that the Sefer Raziel was written in the 13^th century by different anonymous writers. The Jewish mystic Eleazar of Worms was believed to be one of them. In the Middle Ages, the book was highly revered and it was believed that mere possession of it would prevent fire. By the 19^th century, there were 25 editions of it, though probably not in sapphire.

So you know of any old occult texts? Heh, can you tell me where I can get a hold of them, especially ones I precious gems?

A-Z Blog Hop: Runes

Odin (Woden), the supreme god of the Norse pantheon wished to obtain mystical knowledge. He impaled himself on Yggdrasil, the World Tree with his own spear and hung there for nine days and nine nights. As he neared death, 18 runes appeared to him. As he grabbed the last one, he died.  He decided to share the secret of runes once he was resurrected.

Runes have been used for a variety of magical work including healing, divination, charms, and spells. In the Dark Ages magicians inscribed spells made of runes on wands, swords, chalices, and stone tablets to accomplish whatever they desired.  They could be used as amulets for protection or even inscribed on buildings. Runes also had the power to keep the dead in their grave, or to resurrect the dead. Divination was one of the most important uses. The runes were cast and their meanings were interpreted by readers. Because of this, runes were associated with the Norns, the three Fates of past present, and future.

Runes were almost snuffed out along with other pagan practices during the 14^th century when the Inquisition began their crusade. A law was passed in Iceland in 1639, forbidding anyone from using runes. If you did, you were considered a witch and treated accordingly.

German occultists revived interest in the early 20^th century. They associated runes with racial supremacy. When the Nazis came to power, they adopted two runes that are now infamous: the swastika, the rune of Mother Earth and hammer of Thor, and the sig or S rune, which became the trademark for the SS.

Today runes are popular for divination, like tarot cards. Do you have a method of divination that you like?

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A-Z Blog Hop: Nephilim

Angels descended from heaven to watch over humanity. As they did this, their lust for human women grew and they bred with them. The result was the Nephilim, who were supposedly giants.  Nephilim means “fallen” or “those who were cast down.” In Genesis 6:4, however, it’s suggested that the Nephilim were around before the angels descended.  It states: “They were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown.”

God grew angry at the corruption that spread from cohabitation of angels and man. He decided to destroy not only the humans but all life on earth. He chose Noah and his family alone to survive the Flood. And it rained for forty days and forty nights.

However, not all the Nephilim perished. They have been mentioned throughout other books in the bible. In numbers that are the Anakim, so big that the men are like grasshoppers. Enoch 15:8-9 states that they shall be called evil spirits on earth and they will dwell both on earth and in the earth, making them demons.

Nephilim play a large part in the book I’m currently writing (Book 2 of the Van Helsing Organization) but they are not the giants as mentioned in the bible. Nor are they evil. They can be the children of angels, but some can also be considered the children of other pantheons. The Greek heroes would have been Nephilim in my mythology.

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A-Z Blog Hop: Magic

The word magic is common in our age; for me it’s more common than for others. But it means different things to different people. Most view it as fantasy or fraud, only to be ridiculed. Others hold to the tradition that it is the heart of all esoteric traditions and is found in religious teaching.  Here are some of the ancient traditions that gave Western magic its roots.

Assyrian/Babylonian Magic: So this is close to where it all began. Humans began with offering prayers up to spirits or gods for protections. Incense, whispers and chants were often used in conjunction to this. When they began to get results the practice became more refined. They expressed the power in the natural word such as stones and in the stars themselves. Gods were attributed to celestial bodies and used in forms of magic. To them, magic was complete order, there were no accidental happenings.  Numbers played an important part in their magic. In fact the tower of Babylon was built with specific specifications. You traveled through seven steps, of stages of wisdom and knowledge. One you finished the final stage you could obtain the eighth stage, which was the eternal and divine.

Egyptian Wand showing the procession of gods

Egyptian Magic:  This was a major development in most Western Traditions. It was practiced by priests and included the arts of spell casting, divination, necromancy, making talismans and amulets, and magic in medicine. The Egyptians believed that illness was the cause of demons and thus the cures involved exorcisms. One of the most important parts of Egyptian magic was the proper use of words and names of power.  Most incantation involved a string of names, not all of them in the same language.

Greek and Roman Magic: In a culture that thrived on gods, daimones (spirits), celestial intelligences, and the dead, magic was rich in Greece and Rome. Their magic was of sympathetic bonds that enabled magic at a distance. It was the Hermetic principle “As above, so below” which means that the microcosm reflects the macrocosm.  Though all magic arts were practiced, the Greeks devoted great attention to destiny, the prophecy of oracles, and astrology. Both Greeks and Romans practiced divination and Oneiromancy, the magic of dreams. Thurgia was an exalted form of magic that that had religious overtones and was akin to ritual magic. Many practitioners believed that through Thurgia, they could bring divine powers to earth and ascend their souls to heaven.

Jewish Magic:  Most of the magic was borrowed and adapted from other cultures such as the Canaanites, Babylonians, and Egyptians .Most of it was concerned with protection from demons and gaining blessings. Most of the magic was attributed to the wisdom of King Solomon which was the basis for the Key of Solomon, one of the most important handbooks for Western Magic.  Angels were belived to be the ones who taught humans magic, mainly the Watchers. The magic was organized into systems to conform to Old Testament laws forbidding sorcery. The names of God and angels were incorporated into the incantations. This later became the Kabbalah or Qabalah.

Symbol from the Key of Solomon

There are many, many more magical traditions out there. Many borrow and build on the others until we have what is Western magic today. You can say that Wicca practices a mix between high magic (ritual or ceremonial magic) and natural magic (magic using herbs, metals, stones and such), while, from what I understand, orders such as the Golden Dawn stick more to high magic.

Do you have a favorite magic tradition?

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A-Z Blog Hop: Kappa

Hokusai, detail of a bestiary drawing showing a kappa

In the depths of Japan’s bodies of water lives an imp known at the kappa. It looks like a monkey with a beak that is the size of child with webbed hands and feet. On its back is a tortoise shell and it has a protrusion that hold a jelly substance that is the source of its power.

Portrait of one of the kappa in front of JR Tono Station in Iwate Prefecture, Japan by Iwatebud

The kappa enjoys luring people into deep treacherous waters so they drown. Then the imp enters the boding and devours its blood and organs. It especially likes the liver. Some stories tell of the kappa losing its arm. It will promise people favors, such as not attacking local villagers or teaching someone to heal, in exchange for its arm back.

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A-Z Blog Hop: Iblis

In my April post for D, I mentioned Iblis being the name for the Devil in Islam. And as the Devil has many tales so does Iblis.  His name is Arabian for despair.  He is described as the father of the djinn and an angel.

The Qur’an mentions his name nine times, seven of which are in reference to his fall from Allah’s grace. One states he was one of the djinn and he broke the Lord’s command. Another says he was treated as an angel. When Allah created Adam, he ordered the angels to bow down and worship him. Iblis refused because Adam was made of dust and beneath Iblis, who was made of fire. Allah curse Iblis and booted him from heaven. Hmm, sound familiar anyone? Iblis managed to persuade Allah to delay any other punishment until judgment day. So, he was allowed to roam the earth and lure men to si so he may destroy them.

In an alternate version, Allah sent his angels down to Earth to destroy the djinn for rebelling against the divine laws. The angels won the war, killing many of the djinn. They captured Iblis and took up to heaven to be “educated.” The remaining djinn formed a new nation and Iblis left heaven to become their king.

In another legend, Iblis promised any animal who carried him into paradise three magical words that would bestow immortality. The serpent agreed and carried Iblis in his mouth. Iblis, being djinn, was made of smoke, so this was easy. Iblis spoke to Eve through the serpent’s mouth and convinced her to eat from the tree of knowledge.

I always find connections between religions of different cultures fascinating.  It proves to me over and over how connected we are, despite distance and limited means of travel in the past.  Are there any stories that you have heard from different countries that are connected?

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A-Z Blog Hop: Hand of Glory

Fair warning:  this post is going to be gruesome. This is a gross little magical item that comes in handy for thieves. A Hand of Glory is the severed and preserved hand of a criminal that can render people powerless in fear or make people fall asleep. It allows thieves to break into houses.

The grimoires of witches stated that the right hand of a murderer should be cut during a lunar eclipse. Of course, those come around less than a blue moon, so as a backup, you cut off the hand while the corpse still hung on the gallows. The hand was wrapped in a piece of the corpse’s burial shroud (if they had one) and drained of blood. Then it was placed in an earthen jar and pickled in a mix of saltpeter, salt, and pepper for weeks. Vervain was wrapped around the hand and it was baked, either in the August sun or an oven. The hand was dipped in wax so the fingers could be burned like candles, or the hand was fitted with candles to burn.

Picture by Marcel Trindade

The hand of glory is burned to cast a sleeping spell on a house. If the thumb didn't light, then someone in the house couldn't be enchanted. According to lore, the only thing that could extinguish a hand of glory was milk. Yep, milk is good for many things besides building strong bones. Another way to protect you home from thieves armed with a hand of glory is to spread ointment made from the blood of screech owls, the fat of white hens, and the bile of black cats around every entry.

So, are they any magical items that you like in particular?

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A-Z Blog Hop: Golems

There are legends of golems throughout the world. The roleplaying game, Dungeons and Dragons, has golems of many varieties, from flesh to stone to metal. Golems supposedly came from kabbalistic tradition, though there have been tales of the creation of being from magic in other cultures like the ancient Greeks and Egyptians.  According to kabbalistic lore, a golem is an artificial living creature created using the sacred names of God.

One of the most famous legends about the golem is from Prague.  A Rabbi used his magical prowess to combine the four elements fire, water, air and earth to give life to a sculpture made out of mud. The golem, Joseph, was created to protect the Jewish people of Prague against Anti-Semitic attacks. He was even given a special amulet that made him invisible.

There is a lot of conjecture about the size of the golem. Some say he was huge, while others say he was normal sized. Apparently, he was hard to tell apart from humans, except he couldn't speak. This was probably because in order to give him life, a clay tablet had to be inserted into his mouth.  There are tales that he started out small and grew to a huge size. He did indeed grow stronger. And with more strength he became harder to control and grew destructive.

Old New Synagogue in Prague by Petr Broz

One day the people found the golem destroying the Rabbi’s house while he was in the synagogue singing psalm 92. The Rabbi rushed home and removed the tablet from the golem’s mouth. He never revived him again. The golem was supposedly placed in the attic of the synagogue.  The stairs were removed and entrance was forbidden for centuries. However, when the attic was explored but no golem was found.

Are there any tales of created life or golems that are your favorites?

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A-Z Blog Hop: The Flying Dutchman

Beware on the high seas for the Flying Dutchman, mateys. All right, it’s not actually Davy Jones’s ship, but it is a rather famous ghost ship with several variation of the legend.

In the Dutch version, Captain van Straaten vowed to sail around the Cape of Storms, now known as the Cape of Good Hope during a bad storm. The ship was lost and it is said the ship and its crew of dead men are condemned to sail the spot forever.  Seeing their ship during stormy weather is an omen for disaster. The Germans say the Captain was named von Falkenberg and the ship can be seen in the North Seas. In this tale, the Devil visited the ship often and played dice on deck with the captain for his soul. The captain lost, of course, and was condemned to sail the seas for eternity. Hmm, now I see where the movie got the dice game. In the British version, the ship was sailing in the Cape of Good Hope and a storm arose. The crew begged the captain to turn to a safe port, but he refused. He challenged God to sink his ship. Instantly an apparition appeared. The captain told it to leave, but it remained. So, he drew his pistol and fired on it. The gun exploded in his hand. Then the apparition cursed him and his crew to sail forever. In another legend, a goddess appeared on deck and was mistreated. So, she cursed the ship to sail until the end of days.

In 1923, a ghost ship believed to be the Flying Dutchman was seen by four sailors at the Cape of Good Hope. According to the fourth officer, it was seen 15 minutes past midnight, which is supposed to be the witching hour.

Have you ever seen an apparition? Perhaps not a ghost ship, but something else?

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A-Z Blog Hop: Empusa

Long ago when the world was a lot younger that it is now, the Greeks walked around in their togas wax rhetoric and worshiping their gods. They didn't speak of the things below out of fear it would bring their attention. One of things was the empusa.

The empusa is considered to be a vampire but is more of demon because it is not undead. It has no shape of its own; instead it has many guises, such as a beautiful young woman to lure its prey. It enters the body of its victim and consumes the flesh and blood.

The most known story appears in The Life of Apollonius of Tyana by Philostratus.  Apollonius was a philosopher and willworker who was believed to have performed great feats of magic.  The story starts out with a young man named Menippus who met a beautiful woman as he walked along the road to Cenchreae. She was an empusa, of course, and he fell under her spell. Apollonius was skeptical and attended their wedding. She claimed to be the owner of the gold and silver trappings of the house as well as the servants. Apollonius revealed that she was a vampire intent on devouring Menippus. It broke her spell and all her gold, silver, and servants disappeared.  She weeps and begs Apollonius not to reveal her true identity but he does with his awesome powers. She admits that she was luring Menippus in order to eat him. And so he is save from a horrible fate.

Are there any types of vampires or demons that are your favorites?

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A-Z Blog Hop: Devil Made Me Do It

Grab your crosses and bible folks. Today we’re going to be talking about the Devil. Now, before you get upset it’s always good to know your enemy. You can fight against it better if you have knowledge. So, let delve into the depths of darkness and meet the Devil.

So, the term devil is derived from the Greek diabolos which means slander or accuser. This word actually came from the Hebrew word Satan. Now, according to Hebrew lore, Satan was an angel, the tempter of humans. The Devil evolved over the centuries from Satan, Lucifer, and the pagan deities Pan or Cernunnos.

In many religions evil is represented in the form of gods that are not wholly evil. As Christianity spread, these gods became devils or evil and were some of the beginnings of the Devil himself. For instance, The Egyptian Set personified more of a dark side than many of the other. As the evil brother of Osiris, her represents chaos and destruction. Added in were a few demons from other cultures, like the offspring of Tiamat from Mesopotamia.

One of the most interesting predecessors would be Angra Mainyu or Ahriman of Zoroastrianism. He is the personification of evil, the exact opposite to Ahuru Mazda or Ohrmazd who is the personification of all good. It is said that Ahriman will be defeated by the coming of the Savior. Yes, there are a lot of parallels between this, Judaism, and Christianity.  Even Islam has something like it. It is a Djinn known as Iblis. Both Zoroastrianism and Iblis will have their own posts later this month.

In the New Testament of Christianity the Devil becomes more personal and is represented as an antagonist of God. He has legions of fallen angels that are not turned demons and is poised to wage war on God. Jesus, the Son of God, is sent to Earth to defeat him since the Devil had power over the physical world. In Revelations it is said that Christ will return to defeat the Devil and bind him for a thousand years before destroying him. And thus, the dualism of Christianity has come to be, with a god of light and and god of evil and darkness.

In A Prescription for Delirium, devils are the Fallen Angel. Yes, Lucifer is among them, so he can be considered the Devil, but the book doesn't focus on him. The difference between demons and devils in the book is their origin. However, it doesn't

 matter as much to Gabby. She’s willing to kill both and in large numbers.

I love hearing from you. Are there any gods from mythology that you think may have attributed to the Devil?

Do you like stories about angels, demons, and the supernatural? Pick up a copy of "A Prescription for Delirium" available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.

A-Z Blog Hop: Curses

I’m sure you can all imagine an old crone hunched over a small doll or figurine, muttering as she lays a curse upon her victim. Well, the thing is it wasn't just witches that cast curses. A curse is a type a spell intended to bring misfortune down upon someone else. This could be bad luck, harm, illness, and sometimes death. Though anyone can lay down a curse, the most dangerous were those laid by someone in authority, like a priest or priestess, someone with magical skill, or someone who had no other way to see justice done, like women of the poor.

Curses could take effect immediately or lie in wait for years. Some have even been laid upon families, affecting generations. Deathbed curses are the most effective, since the curser’s life force goes into it. A lot of victims are not told they are curse so they won’t find a witch to remove it for them. However, having the victim know can be just as deadly as the curse itself because the victim can cause his own demise.

Witch Dall Curse by Malcolm Lidbury

Curses call upon supernatural powers to effect a harmful change. The most known way of cursing someone is with a figure or effigy that represents the victim. These could be of wax, cloth, wood, or clay and had something associated with the victim attached to it such as hair, nails, clothing, or even dust from his footprint.  The effigy was melted or burned and as this happened the victim would suffer and die when the figure was destroyed. Sometimes the figures were stuck with pins, knives, or thorns. I think most of us have seen movies with the voodoo dolls. In Ireland there were cursing stones that were turned over as a curse was recited.

Though Wiccan practitioners frown upon curses today, other practices still use them. My main character Gabby in A Prescription for Delirium had the curse of immortality put upon her. Have you ever heard of interesting stories about curses?

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A-Z Blog Hop: Beelzebub

People often mistake Beelzebub as another name for Satan, or Lucifer. Actually they are three separate entities. We’re going to focus on Beelzebub for this post. He is a Prince of Demons. There is some contention to whether or not there are other princes.

Beelzebub is a distorted version of the Canaanite god “Baal-zebul” which means “Lord of the Divine Abode” or “Lord of the Heavens.”  His name got twisted to mean “Lord of the Flies” and he became a demon. The Prince of Demons had been depicted as a giant fly or a huge monstrous creature that sits upon a giant throne.

So, where did he get his title? According to Hebrew belief, he was the Prince of Demons during the time of Jesus. The Pharisees actually accuse Jesus of exorcizing demons in Beelzebub’s name. At the time, it was believed that the only way to expel unclean spirits was through pacts with demons.

Solomon supposedly bound Beelzebub at one point, with the help of his magical ring. It is from Beelzebub that Solomon learns that demons supposedly live in stars. Beelzebub claimed to be the chief angel in heaven and the last of the fallen ones.  Solomon told him to cut stone, to which the demon protested that it’s such a menial task for so great a demon. Solomon offered him his freedom if will tell of other heavenly things. Beelzebub told him he could strengthen his house by burning oil of frankincense, myrrh, and saffron and lighting seven lamps during an earthquake. Solomon didn't believe him and ordered him to cut marble.

The Gospel of Nicodemus, an apocryphal text, describes how Beelzebub came to rule over Satan. Supposedly, Satan bragged that he was going to take Jesus to Hell after his crucifixion.  Satan wanted revenge for all those embarrassing moment he lost to the Son of God.  You’d think he would have learned. Beelzebub knew that Jesus was too powerful and begged Satan not to do it. But, evil is arrogant. So, Jesus arrived. Beelzebub pushed Satan out and barricaded the gate. That didn't stop the Holy One.  He trampled Satan, broke the barricade and released the trapped saints with a word.  They immediately went to Heaven with him. Yes, Jesus pwnd Hell. Afterwards, Satan told Beelzebub that he would serve him forever.

Beelzebub was also popular in stories of witchcraft (the bad kind) and of witches having orgies with him.  Beelzebub is also said to rule over Gluttony, the fifth of the Seven Deadly Sins., which means he plays a pretty powerful role as a ruler of Hell in my mythos for A Prescription for Delirium. All in all, Beelzebub is a pretty powerful demon, but he did start out as a god.

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A-Z Blog Hop: Angels Among Us

“And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!” –Hamlet by Shakespeare

We all know of angels right? Those invisible beings that watch over (or interfere, depending on your view) us throughout life.  They are the beings that mediate between us and God, and minister everything in the natural order of the universe.  Though angels exist in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, they are connected helping spirits in mythologies throughout the world. Actually, the term angel stands for one class in the Angelic Orders. Today, we’ll just stick with the Christian version, because the others would make this more confusing.

Angel’s main job is to serve as messengers between Heaven and Earth.  Those prayers you whisper with your hands clasped and your eyes closed are delivered to God by angels.  They then give God’s answers in the form of inspiration. They also serve as Guardian Angels.  In Christianity, Angels are the lowest order of angels.  I know, it’s confusing, but have you read old Christian texts? They’re not exactly clear.

The next are the archangels, who serve as liaisons between God and mortals and are the supervisors of guardian angels. It is said that the archangels are the guardians to heads of state and other important figures. They are also in charge of heaven’s armies against the legions of Hell. Three of the most popular archangels are Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael.

Principalities are the seventh highest order of angels. They watch over entire nations. Each principality is assigned its own nation to look after. Supposedly, they can help humans call on secret powers (superpowers anyone?) and help subdue others.

The Powers are responsible for fighting evil spirits who seek to cause mayhem through humans. They protect the divine plan initiated by the Dominions (we’ll get to them) and performed by the Virtues (they’re next).  Pretty much they seem to be the Navy Seals of angels.

The Virtues primary duty is to perform miracles on Earth. They also provide grace, courage, and valor. God governs the seasons, elements, and heavens through the virtues even though lower angels have direct responsibility for the tasks.

The fourth highest order is the Dominions. They proclaim the orders of God and regulate the duties of the other angels. You could say they’re middle management.  They are also the angels of mercy.

Next up, the thrones are God’s living beings of justice and authority. Interesting enough, the thrones are depicted as wheels with many eyes and reside in the cosmos where material form begins to take shape.

The Cherubim are not the cute little cherubs you see pictures of. They guard the way to the tree of life in the Garden of Eden. They’d be God’s secret service so to speak. Cherubim have four faces and multiple sets of wings. Do you Zachariah in Supernatural? The way he described himself, he would have been a Cherubim.

The highest order is the Seraphim. They are the caretakers of God’s throne and shout praises of "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. All the earth is filled with His Glory." The Seraphim have six wings, two cover their faces, two cover their body, and two cover their feet.

So, there you have it. Heaven runs a lot like a nation, with the lowest order still the hardest working one.  Are there any particular orders you like best? In A Prescription for Delirium, my order of angels is really different from this. There are seven archangels and the rest of the Host is under each of them.

Do you like stories about angels, demons, and the supernatural? Pick up a copy of "A Prescription for Delirium" available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.