Why Red Hair Rocks

I should know. I’ve been one for forty years now. I even have three red-haired offspring to perpetuate the species, lol. Despite the teasing and bullying I might have suffered over it through my school years, I’ve learned to appreciate it. For example, I’m one of only 1-2% of the world’s population who has it. And before you think ‘ha, you’re welcome to it!’ consider this fact. Red hair is a recessive gene ie both parents need to carry it to have red-haired children. 40% of the population are carriers, so there’s a fair chance that if you have a redhead anywhere in your ancestry, you could carry that gene too. Even if you and your partner don’t have red hair, your child might. Isn’t that amazing?

In medieval times--a level of civilization similar to the one in which we first meet the two main characters in Keir--red hair was seen as ‘a mark of a beastly sexual desire and moral degeneration’ (taken from Wikipedia). Red hair and green eyes were thought to be the sign of a witch, a werewolf or a vampire. (I can personally testify that I am none of those things, and anyone who dares to argue will find themselves cursed for the whole of eternity! Oh, um, sorry about that…)

But Keir wonders if that’s the reason why Quin--the red-haired woman thrown into his cell--has been imprisoned, thinking her ‘too frail a thing to justify sharing his punishment’. Having been discriminated against himself because of the colour of his skin, it gives them a common background but doesn’t immediately foster any fellow feeling in him toward his new cell mate. Later we learn that it was, in fact, her questions regarding the legendary Blue Demon that landed her in the cell, but even then the colour of her hair is noted as an oddity and commented upon.

Despite a history of discrimination against red hair through the centuries, it’s one of the most common hair dyes bought by women around the world – about 60%. Red hair maintains its natural color longer than other hair types, going blond rather than ‘gray’. Vincent van Gogh, Queen Elizabeth I and Boudica, Queen of the Iceni who fought the Romans, were all redheads. And despite the persecution, and the rumour going around, there’s no scientific evidence that the red hair gene is dying out. So red hair will keep on rocking, just like my heroine in Keir.

To find out how much my red-haired heroine rocks, I have a copy of the ebook up for grabs for one lucky commentator. Just tell me what colour you’d like your hair if you could choose any one at all, and your email address. There’s also a special grand prize on my blog to celebrate Keir’s release on the 7th May and you can check out the other blogs on the tour here for more chances to win. All prize draws will take place after midnight 14th May BST in the UK. And if you can’t wait until then to know if you’ve won a copy, all new titles at Lyrical Press Inc are 30% off for the first week after release.

Keir - a science-fiction romance available 7th May 2012 from Lyrical Press Inc:


Blurb:
Outcast. Cursed. Dying. Is Keir beyond redemption?

For Keirlan de Corizi--the legendary 'Blue Demon' of Adalucien--death seems the only escape from a world where his discolored skin marks him as an oddity and condemns him to life as a pariah. But salvation comes in an unexpected guise: Tarquin Secker, a young woman who can travel the stars with a wave of her hand.

But Quin has secrets of her own. She's spent eternity searching through space and time with a strange band of companions at her back. Defying her friends' counsel, Quin risks her apparent immortality to save Keir. She offers him sanctuary and a new life on her home world, Lyagnius.

When Keir mistakenly unleashes his dormant alien powers and earns instant exile from Quin's home world, will she risk everything to stand by him again?



BIO:
A stay-at-home mum of three who spent twelve years working as an Analytical Chemist in a Metals and Minerals laboratory, Pippa Jay bases her stories on a lifetime addiction to science-fiction books and films. Somewhere along the line a touch of romance crept into her work and refused to leave. Besides torturing her characters, she spends the odd free moments trying to learn guitar, indulging in freestyle street dance and drinking high-caffeine coffee. Although happily settled in historical Colchester in the UK with her husband of 18 years, she continues to roam the rest of the Universe in her head.

LINKS:
Blogsite: http://pippajay.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @pippajaygreen http://twitter.com/pippajaygreen
Facebook: Keir - Beyond Redemption (book page) https://www.facebook.com/pages/Keir-Beyond-Redemption/114058821953752
Pippa Jay (profile) https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001581482219
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5054558.Pippa_Jay

Book trailer: