M.J. Rose

Thank you to author David Toussaint for answering this week’s Reincarnationist Q&A:

What is your most marked characteristic that you believe could be a hold over from a past life?
Talent and the need for adoration.

What is your principle defect that you believe may be inherited from a previous incarnation?
Gluttony. I’m sure I was filthy rich.

Which of your favorite heroes do you think you could have been and why?
Charles Dickens, because when I read him, I know him. I’ve never even been to England. Vincent van Gogh, because I fell in love with his paintings when I was in grade school, and my mother is a wonderful painter—my drawing talent ends at those Hangman figures. And some incredibly wonderful gorgeous Cuban gay man who had his own “harhim.” Because my lust for Latins is eternal and Divine.

What three people from history would you like to have over to dinner for a discussion about reincarnation? Marilyn Monroe, because I want to thank her, and to let her know we love her. And I’d kill to know what her personality is like when she’s not “being” Marilyn. Madeline Kahn, because we need someone that talented to grace our planet again. And Shirley MacLaine, when she does go, so she can tell me how the whole thing’s working out.

What do you think happens when we die?
I think “die” is a human phrase that doesn’t translate into the answers of life and death. We can’t understand death—nor life, for that matter—we can only try and figure it out on a human, mortal level. That’s why none of the answers people come up with make sense. All we can do is live in and for the present.

When you come back next time, who (or what!) would you like to be? Myself, only sexier, smarter, richer—in other words, Jake Gyllenhaal but with more acting talent and fuller lips.

You can find David’s book TOUSSAINT here.

“David Toussaint’s tremendous wit and sharp social commentary are genius. Fans of David Sedaris will adore Toussaint’s charm, edge, and take on life.”
— New York Times bestselling author, Lisa McMann

Thank you to Melissa Martin Ellis for answering this week’s Reincarnationist Q&A!

Author of THE EVERYTHING GHOST HUNTING BOOK, Melissa has collected photographs of unexplained and paranormal phenomenon for decades and is an avid paranormal investigator.

Q: What is your most marked characteristic that you believe could be a hold over from a past life?
A: I believe my obsession with books, writing and art are all a holdover from a past life in India, where I died around the age of eight, just as I was being taught to read by a teacher who came to our village. I have always been very focused on books and reading, and have always wanted to be a writer.

Q: What is your principle defect that you believe may be inherited from a previous incarnation?
A: A deep sense of insecurity, and a feeling that everything hangs by a thread and can be snatched from me at any moment. The child I mentioned was so proud to be learning to read, his grief at dying was heightened by the sense that he had almost gotten there, had almost reached his goal, only to have it cruelly snatched away.

Q: Which of your favorite heroes do you think you could have been and why?
A: I have no sense whatsoever of having been a hero or famous person in a past life. My husband, on the other hand, has always reminded me of Mark Twain, a writer and person whom I greatly admire. He has the same dry humor and ironic worldview. It doesn’t hurt that he’s a writer, too…and his name is Mark.

Q: What three people from history would you like to have over to dinner for a discussion about reincarnation?
A: I would love to have dinner with Mark Twain, Albert Einstein and Oscar Wilde—I mean, can you imagine that conversation? Twain and Wild would probably take opposing sides of the argument and Einstein would have to moderate. I’d just sit back and enjoy the show,

Q: What do you think happens when we die?
A: I think we get a life review which gets us up to speed on how we did as human beings. Did we give more than we took, did we make a difference in the world? I think that is why we are put here, to evolve and to learn. Until we do that, we just keep coming back…which isn’t a necessarily a bad thing, but it certainly isn’t the goal. As the George Harrison song says, “Give me love, give me love, give me peace on earth, give me light, give me life, keep me free from birth.” We need to learn what and who we truly are and then we’ll stop being reincarnated.

Q: When you come back next time, who (or what!) would you like to be?
A: A writer and artist, naturally—and hopefully someone who makes a difference in the world.

Melissa Martin Ellis’ Links:

Writing & Photography Website
www.mellissart.com

Everything Ghost Hunting Book
www.facebook.com/pages/Talking-About-The-Everything-Ghost-Hunting-Book/248021918686?ref=mf

FaceBook
www.facebook.com/?ref=home#/profile.php?ref=profile&id=558817663

MySpace
www.myspace.com/melissamartinellis

Twitter
www.twitter.com/Mellismart

Writer’s Group Website
www.newportroundtable.com

Thank you to author Hope Tarr for answering this week’s Reincarnationist Q&A!

Hope Tarr is the award-winning author of more than a dozen historical and contemporary romance fiction novels. Look for “Tomorrow’s Destiny” in a Victorian Christmas anthology with her bestseller buddies, Jacquie D’Alessandro and Betina Krahn. Hope’s most recent book is: TWELVE NIGHTS, Harlequin Historical Blaze, Dec 2009 ISBN#: 978-0373795161

THE QUESTIONS:

What is your most marked characteristic that you believe could be a hold over from a past life?
Compassion, most definitely. I did a past life regression about five years ago and instead of being regressed to my most recent life, the practioner guided me to recall the life most pertinent to the lessons to be learned in my present one. I was “John” and I’d lived (and happily survived) the American Civil War, instead dying of “natural causes,” i.e., a cancer in my mid-sixties.
In this life as “Hope,” I’m a huge “feeler,” so much so that I have to take care to protect my emotional boundaries. That said, being able to walk in the shoes of others, to empathize rather than simply sympathize, has also proven to be a big asset in my writing life.

What is your principle defect that you believe may be inherited from a previous incarnation?
According to my astrologer–he did my first natal chart in 2003 and annual followups since–in all my past lives, I’ve suffered from a polarity in my intimate/romantic relationships. Loving someone has been associated with my abandonment of path and purpose, shame and loss, betrayal…Well, you get the picture. Think of my soul as the Jennifer Anniston of the galaxy. Pretty and talented and successful though she is, when it comes to love, that girl can’t seem to catch a break.The good news is that my stars, so to speak, are aligned to afford me multiple opportunities to get “it” right this time around, to heal the rift within my soul, and to balance loving someone passionately and fully with loving and respecting myself.
And so I don’t believe it’s a coincidence that in this life I’ve been drawn to romance fiction, first as a reader and for the past decade as a writer of more than a dozen novels.  Likewise, it’s no coincidence that I was born under the Sun sign of Libra (the eternal quest for balance–remember those scales) under Venus. I believe all of these circumstances are part of my soul’s mission to work out this whole love thing in a positive way so I can move on not to Rest in Peace but to tackle the next lesson.

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