Character Interview – Lacey James – Suspense/Thriller

CHARACTER NAME Lacey James

Tell us a little about yourself.

Hi! My name is Lacey James and I come from a small town in Oregon that most of you have never heard of. It’s called Sweet Home. It’s located at the southeast tip of one of the most fertile spots in the state, the Willamette Valley, which is famous for its hazelnut crops not to mention wine. I’m and mom and a cop, which is challenging to say the least.

Is your life now as you envisioned it? If not – then why?

Throughout my childhood in Sweet Home, I dreamed about being somewhere else—anywhere else. When my husband was first deployed to Fort Hood, Texas, I followed. My daughter, Harper was just little, and Flynn wasn’t born yet, and I couldn’t stand the thought of being away from Caleb, but life on the base was hard, and with Caleb working much of the time, I felt cut off from my family. Isolated. And I missed feeling as if what I did made a difference. I spent a year living in limbo. After Flynn was born, I made the gut-wrenching decision to move back to Sweet Home, knowing that at least there, I would have the support of my family. I went back to work at the Sweet Home police department, and while that was hard on my marriage (long distance relationships are tough in any circumstance), the satisfaction and stability I gained from my job made me feel more like myself than I had in years. I know people will judge me for moving my kids away from their father, but I believed it was the right move for us. Even after everything that’s happened, I still do.

Would you die for those you love?

Absolutely. No question. As a cop, I make life and death decisions every day and have had to face down armed suspects who have threatened not just my safety, but the safety of those I love. I have never hesitated to put myself in harm’s way when the safety of others is at risk.

How do you think others see you?

Driven. Committed. Tenacious. Caring.

Who is your greatest friend?

Oh, this one’s easy. It’s my cousin and best friend, Amber. Amber and I are the same age and grew up together in Sweet Home. She’s always been there for me, and since moving back to Sweet Home, she’s become like a second mother for my kids. I love her like she was my sister. Can’t imagine what my life would be like without her.

How do you define ‘heroism?’

This one’s tougher, but I’d say that heroism is standing up for what you know is right. Protecting others. In some cases that means putting the safety and care of others before yourself.

Tell us about your family?

I have two amazing kiddos. Harper, my daughter is the oldest. At eight years of age, she’s smart, a little bossy (I wonder where she gets that from) and is the family reporter. If anything goes on in the family, I can count on Harper to tell me the news. Flynn is two years younger than his sister and loves everything to do with the outdoors. He’s curious and fearless and is a dead ringer for his father. I already told you about Amber, who is my rock. Then there’s Caleb. We’ve been together for the past ten years, and though things have sometimes been rocky, until now, I never doubted that we belonged together. But sometimes partners drift apart. Time will tell if the bond we share through our love and our children, will bring us back together again.

What is your greatest skill/asset?

I never quit. I believe that there is always a solution if you work hard enough to find it.

What is your greatest weakness (we won’t tell)?

I worry that I’m not enough, that I can’t be a cop and the kind of mother I want to be. I’ve also been told that I’m a little hard-headed and may not always ask for help when I should.

What is your greatest fear?

Balancing my job as a cop with being a mom has never been easy. I worry that with all the hours I spend working to keep the citizens of Sweet Home safe, that I’m short-changing my kids. That said, my biggest fear is that I somehow put my kids in jeopardy because of my job.

What do you think of your author/creator?

LOL.  Chris is alright. Sometimes it’s a pain to have her delve as much into my head, into my emotions as she does, but it helps others see me as a fully formed human with incredible strengths, but weaknesses as well. She likes the action of a police procedural, which has put me and my colleagues in serious jeopardy more times than I care to count! I like that she spends time introducing her readers to the Pacific Northwest. It’s such a gorgeous place, and she’s quick to see the funny side of smalltown life.

For the author:

Books in which this character appears:

The Lacey James Series includes:

Book 1: Find Her: https://www.amazon.com/Find-Her-Lacey-James-Mystery-ebook/dp/B09KMHFG42/

Book 2: Save Her: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09KFYLRT3

Book 3: Tell Her: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09PQ6LLJ5

Book 4: Hide Her; https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B2CLT9V1

Bio;

Chris Patchell is an award-winning USA Today Bestselling Author who started writing to curb the homicidal tendencies she experienced during her daily Seattle commute. She writes gripping suspense thrillers with romantic elements set in the Pacific Northwest and believes good fiction combines a magical mix of complex characters, compelling plots, and well-crafted stories.

Connect with Chris through her newsletter to learn more about her latest works and author happenings.

Website: https://www.chrispatchell.com/

Facebook: (3) Chris Patchell | Facebook

Instagram: Chris Patchell (@chrispatchellauthor) • Instagram photos and videos

Goodreads: Chris Patchell (Author of In the Dark) | Goodreads

BookBub: Chris Patchell Books – BookBub

Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/Chris-Patchell/e/B00QPACUI4

Character Interview with Vampwitch Alice Quinn, Hunted (Vampwitch Novel, Book #1), by Kathleen Harryman

Character Interview with Vampwitch Alice Quinn

Bio: Alice Quinn lives in York, England. After watching a fire demon kill her mother, she moved in with her aunt, half-brother Julian, and super-hot alpha werewolf, Ethan Jefferies. Before the death of her mother, Sophie Quinn, Alice was your average human, working in a deli and dreaming of a better life. Things have changed, if supernatural creatures aren’t trying to kill her, they’re determined to control her—in the name of keeping her safe.

Tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Alice Quin, and I am a Vampwitch— half witch and half vampire. Vampwitch—it sounds cool, unless, of course, you’re the one who is the Vampwitch. Life is complicated when you are half of something. An anomaly that shouldn’t exist.

Up until Mum died at the hands of a fire demon, named Arison, I thought I was a regular human. But then I didn’t know monsters of the supernatural kind really existed either. Now I’m stuck with a dad, Nathaniel Quinn, who I wish had stayed dead, not undead, a half-brother, and master vampire, Julian Quinn, who thinks he knows what is best for me, and an aunt, Mum’s sister Dorothy, I disappoint on a regular basis.

My best friend, Polly Palmer, is the only one of us celebrating my new supernatural powers. But then she thinks I can go around zapping people like superwoman and fly through the sky on a broomstick. Superwoman had it a lot easier, I can tell you.

There is this group of supernatural beings called MAMS (Magic Against Mixed Species – kind of a dumb unoriginal name if you ask me) that want to kill me. They don’t like the fact that Mum and Dad did the nasty and produced me. Apparently, I weaken the whole supernatural species.

Is your life now as you envisioned it? If not – then why?

Before Mum died, I was between jobs. I’m not sure how I envisioned my life to be before I became a Vampwitch. Something regular, I guess. A dog, a house, doing a spot of painting—I like to paint, not that I get the chance now. Maybe having a bit of fun before I got old. I’ve always wanted to travel. Visit far out places. Take a trip to the Amazon, or travel to the North Pole.

Now, with MAMS out there, and having to cram twenty-five years of supernatural knowledge in less than a few weeks, all I want is to make it to twenty-six.

Do you believe in monsters?

I never used to. Before my Vampwitch status, monsters were bad people who got locked up in prison. Now I know monsters exist because I’m one of them.

Do you believe in magic? How do you feel about it?

Even before Mum died, I believed in magic. Maybe not the kind of magic that supernatural’s have, but yeah, I believed. Earth is a magical place, if we open our eyes, and let it sweep through to our very core it can make us whole, removing our woes for a while.

I’ve always had a fascination with folklore. We seemed to appreciate the earth so much more when we believed in the Fae, creatures like the Selkie and Demi Gods then we do now. My Granddad is the Seelie King, so maybe my fascination with folklore stems from him. Not that we get on. For me, he’s just another relative that has come out the woodwork.

Would you die for those you love?

In a beat. There isn’t a day that goes by that I wish Arison had killed me, not Mum. We might not always get along, but Dorothy, Nathaniel, Julian, Oliver, Seberg, Polly, Ethan, Arthur, and Jack, are my family now. I’m not about to let them die because of me. So, if it comes to it, yes, I will die for those I love.

Who is your greatest enemy?

If you had asked me that question when I first learnt about my supernatural heritage, I would have said MAMS. Now, I’d tell you, my greatest enemy is me.

Tell us about your family?

Before, when Mum was alive, there was just the two of us. Now I’ve an aunt, Dorothy, mum’s sister, a Master Vampire for a dad, and half-brother, oh, and a granddad who doesn’t like me. But you know, I’ve also learnt recently, that family isn’t just about blood ties. Jack, who is a ghost, Arthur, an annoying, biscuit stealing gnome, my best friend Polly, and Ethan, who is an alpha werewolf, they are all my family. We don’t always like each other, but I know they’d do anything for me, and I’d do the same for them. But that’s family for you, life is filled with grey areas when it comes to family.

What is your greatest fear?

Being dead. I’m the first of my kind. No one knows if I’ll survive the transition to full vampire, or if I’ll become some crazy killing monster with no conscience. Then they’ll have to kill me for real, and there’s no more Alice Quinn.

I’m twenty-five, I don’t fancy ripping people’s hearts out and calling it fun. I’m not a violent person. When my brother, Julian asked me if I knew any fighting moves, I showed him my warrior two pose, he didn’t find it funny. But that’s as violent as I like to get, so turning into a monster, brings me out in hives. Not literally.

Do you believe you will be successful in your quest?

I hope so. Since embracing my inner Vampwitch I’ve learnt a few tricks. Of course, there is the fact that I’m unpredictable. Supernatural creatures don’t like that. They think magic gives them the ultimate power. A bit of cunning can out whit magic. Well, that’s what I’m hoping.

If I survive the death threat from MAMS, and don’t turn into a blood craving monster, my next quest is for everyone to stop calling me a Vampwitch and start seeing Alice Quinn again. It’s like I’ve lost my own identity. Everyone keeps saying I’m special, I’m not, I’m just a woman who wants to be able to make her own choices and live as normal a life as possible, without it being a big deal.

Hunted – A Vampwitch Novel (Book 1)

Link: http://mybook.to/HUNTED-BK1

Author Bio: https://www.kathleenharryman.com/author

Swift Six Character Interview – KaLeah Trapper #Fantasy

Swift Six Character Interview

Character Name: KaLeah (Kah-Lee-Ah) Trapper

Which book/world do you live in? I live in Belarone Kingdom on Planet Naldash, that was once inhabited by dragons.

Tell us about yourself: My father taught me to fight and hunt, although none of the other village girls can do these things. I am happiest in my single, undisturbed, and routine life. All I want is to get back to the life I have always known.

What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses? I am very stubborn and determined in my focus to fight and be generally unladylike. I’m very protective, much to my surprise, and end up saving a very important person multiple times (even though this person annoys the spirits out of me).

Name three important people/creatures/institutions in your world (such as lovers, pets, government institutions, leaders, gods etc). I grew up on the far edges of Belarone Kingdom, ruled by the king, his sons, and daughter. I never thought much about the royal family until they enslaved me in their castle. All I want is to find my father and go back to our small village. Our world was once inhabited by dragons, and they have annoyingly started speaking to me. Growling, more like.

What does ‘heroism’ mean to you? I used to only see the king’s men as heroes, but now… my view has changed. I didn’t feel like a hero, at least, I didn’t volunteer to be one. I guess it just means seeing someone as worth saving and making decisions to keep them out of danger.

What do you think of your ‘creator’? The dragons came first, but I didn’t believe in them until they started haunting me. I was more frustrated than frightened. I know I should be afraid of the creators, like everyone else is.

Give us your favourite piece of advice: If you stop fighting, you die. So, for dragon’s sake, keep fighting.

Links to book

https://amzn.to/3BTMN4z – Book 1

https://amzn.to/3BPVfBI – Trilogy

Swift Six Character Interview – The Unnamed #ScienceFiction

Character Name:

My name isn’t mentioned anywhere.

Which book/world do you live in?

I live in the year 10.000.002 in a small house we share with my wife Trudy and our pet frog Rupert. Like everyone else, I keep a battered time machine in our garage. Since I’m constantly busy with work, we don’t travel much.

The university I work at is run as a for-profit corporation, where science and progress are just side-effects of a cut-throat fight for personal advancement and prestige. At the university, there’s a lab where scientists grow universes to experiment upon. There’s an old, baroque-like fountain spewing streams of time instead of water in the university’s courtyard. There is also a site with portals connecting different universes, much like the Four Corners Monument in the US. It’s frequented by tourists taking selfies with a hand in one universe and a leg in another. Everybody keeps a time machine in a garage.

I relate the time travel history in one of the appendixes.

Tell us about yourself:

My name is not important. Neither is what I do — I’m an investigative ontology researcher. It’s a field you’ve probably never heard of, at a comparatively undistinguished university you’ve definitely never heard of.

In my line of work, I periodically declare scholarly pronouncements in the form of scientific articles no one has any interest in, except my fellow academics who cursorily thumb through and subsequently evaluate my work based on their ever-fluctuating level of pettiness and professional jealousy.

Long story short, I’m an alcoholic …

What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?

I’m persistent, I’m an idealist, and, despite all evidence pointing to the contrary — I’m exceptionally good at what I do. You’ll have to take my word for it. As for weaknesses, I’ve none. I do have a nemesis, though — Scott — my ex-PhD fellow student, currently a quantum semantics investigator at the Bauer-Richter Academy of Speculative Sciences — our direct competitors.

Here’s Scott’s short bio. Not long ago, Scott bursts out of an abyss of ignorance and joins the ranks of our university as a PhD student. He spends his time doing absolutely nothing apart from toadying to our supervising professor. All the while, he turns my life into an unendurable Gehenna. The reason? No reason at all. Eventually, Scott defects to Bauer-Richter, taking with him many collectively developed ideas, which he then claims as his own.

Now I’m left to fight for the scientific truth, which I will, whatever it takes.

Name three important people/creatures/institutions in your world (such as lovers, pets, government institutions, leaders, gods etc).

Here are the three characters living in 2022 who caused the Great Convergence.

Larry: a highly-regarded professional art critic who projects his frustrations onto the artworks he doesn’t even bother to see. Unbeknownst to him, Larry is a singular. A singular denotes an object or a person that can only inhabit a single universe at a given moment. In other words, only one version of Larry exists in the whole multiverse. Larry often switches between several universes wreaking havoc as he goes. Larry’s spontaneous flings between different realities are exacerbated by the crude creations produced by a tormented sculptor — Geoffrey.

Geoffrey: an aspiring — yet essentially talentless artist living in denial. Geoffrey’s sculptures, he cranks out to impress a girl he fancies, act as interdimensional portals, swapping things and people between realities. All of this happens without Geoffrey’s knowledge. A series of seemingly-random occurrences culminate in creating a perfect inter-dimensional portal connecting all the universes in existence. Geoffrey’s perfect portal brings about the most dramatic transformation of the multiverse — the Great Convergence.

Timothy: a genius astrophysicist suffering from severe schizophrenia. Timothy fights a host of his versions from alternate realities — who want to take over his universe. It remains unclear whether Timothy’s versions are real or exist in his imagination. One way or another, Timothy’s actions bring about a real-life catastrophe no one could have prevented.

What does ‘heroism’ mean to you?

Perseverance in the face of adversity. I’m not afraid of hard work, however daunting the task at hand. I believe in the triumph of science and that it’s possible to learn the principles governing the Great Convergence. To master the quintessence of existence. Unearth the building blocks of nature. Look into the eyes of the beast. Hypnotise it. Discover … everything!

What do you think of your ‘creator’?

What creator? I’m not a character in a book. Unlike fictional characters, I control the reality around me. Everything I do has a real impact on the real world.

Give us your favourite piece of advice:

Keep fighting the good fight. You’re always right, and everyone else is wrong. If you do, the truth will prevail!

Links to the book:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B099Z5KH33

*****

Swift Six – Character Interview – Barte #Fantasy

Character Name

My name is Barte son of Moshere. And no, there are no commas. That name, my friend is my title, though I believe my guardians should have included more surnames just to make it difficult for the common people to remember.

Which book/world do you live in?

I live in the books the author titles Sword of Cho Nisi. She really should have called it Sword of Casdamia as my empire is larger, stronger, and much more fitting than that tiny little island in the middle of the Nisi Sea. Did you know the natives walk barefoot on that island? I was there once but I don’t remember much. I was blind at the time—under the curse of that evil wizard Skotádi, the murderer of my parents. I’d rather not talk about it.

*Fiddles with his falcon’s breast feathers and kisses the leather helm over its head.

Too traumatic for me. Too much blood. They know I get sick at the sight of it, yet they made me go there anyway. *shudders.

Tell us about yourself:

I’m the emperor of the greatest nation in the world. Casdamia is my charge and someday I hope to conquer all the lands. Perhaps. Well, maybe not. Seems like such an effort.  I would like to have Tellwater Valley within my borders though. No finer wine in all the land comes from Tellwater and I hate to say it’s ruled by Potamia and that young scallywag son of a king, Barin. He’s not an altogether rotten chap, but the commoners speak way too highly of him.

My father was the emperor Moshere. He was the grandest of all warriors and provoked fear throughout the land. Part of that was Skotádi’s doing. They were in cahoots for most of the battles, but something happened, and the dark wizard changed. He cursed my father and my mother and when I was an innocent young child barely out of my nightcap, he burned them to a crisp. Magic did it. A cruel inhumane bolt of magic.  *He breathes a sigh and fans himself* I will never forget, nor forgive. And I trust no one because of it. Only my Allat. *Kisses the falcon again.

What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?

Strengths? *He laughs and takes the falcon’s headdress off. Strengths, the man asks. Yes. Well, my strength is in my army. They’re a cruel lot. I’ve been working on them. You should see their black Armor and green plumage. One look and you’ll be quivering in your boots, my dear fellow. No one messes with the Dark Army!

As for weakness, well, I must admit I retch at the sight of blood, but that shouldn’t make any difference. I don’t really need to be on the battlefield, you know. That’s what soldiers are for.

Name three important people/creatures/institutions in your world (such as lovers, pets, government institutions, leaders, gods etc).

Does me, myself and I count? Oh, I know. You’re looking for something beyond Rigelstaff.

I heard a rumour that Barin the king of Potamia, has a lover, the daughter of one of his barons he exiled. Seems that her father was slain in my kingdom. I’m not sure whether to laugh or cry about that one.

And his wizard Kairos made a pet of a skura. Had me fooled for months. I’m the one that taught him falconry and to think he took advantage of my blindness and tricked me into thinking he was training a falcon. No wonder the man stunk every time he came around.

King Tobias’ gods died with him. That’s what I’m told. They put a monument for them in the palace garden.

And the fool who married the Tobian Princess, the man who was once king of Cho Nisi? Gossip is spreading that he handed his throne to the village elders. Imagine that! A whole conglomerate of natives sitting on a throne. Barefoot, no doubt.  *Snickers and kisses Allat. The Fool will lose the island.

What does ‘heroism’ mean to you?

Heroism is what Allat is to me. *He holds the falcon close to his heart.  My hero. The only friend I have. The only creature I can put my trust in. Allat is my hero. He hears my deepest thoughts and keeps them secret. He does what he’s told. He even found the murderer of my parents for me, and nearly lost his life doing so.

What do you think of your ‘creator’?

Hmpf! Poor choice of main characters.

Give us your favourite piece of advice:

Stay to yourself. There’s not a soul on this planet you can trust, not even the trustworthy ones. Unless of course they have some fashionable Armor to sell you or some delicacy for your kitchen. Still, don’t trust them.

Links to book

https://books2read.com/ap/nBvawn/DL-Gardner

https://gardnersart.com

Swift Six Character Interview – Jane #Fantasy

 

Character Name: Jane

Which book/world do you live in? Why don’t you ask the author?!

I had quite a normal life on earth! And what did she do?! Throw me head over heels into this, this- what should I even call it?! Ha! I don’t know the name of this world… Damon is the name of the land we left on our way north, but that’s as much as I can say…

Tell us about yourself: I was working as an emergency room nurse for about seven years. I loved my job! Loved my staff, the work, the crazy hours. Sounds crazy? Maybe, but I truly felt alive every time something entered through the doors!

I practiced martial arts since high school. It’s a mix of Aikido and Jujitsu. I feel it gives me the best of both. Love my sensei! Really, he is like a father figure to me. A father I never had…

What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses? You know this is really hard to answer… do you ask all characters these questions? Okay then, let’s see…

Strengths- I think fast, I can take in quite a lot of information and come to the right conclusions real quick. I have good intuition.  I take my job seriously, actually most things I put my mind to. I am not afraid of hard work or getting my hands dirty.

Weaknesses- well, I guess I am not the best judge of character, and after being hurt in the past, I have a hard time putting my trust in others. I think sometimes I bite more than I can chew and swallow.

Name three important people/creatures/institutions in your world (such as lovers, pets, government institutions, leaders, gods etc). My world? I really can’t say which is my world… but just for the sake of this interview, let’s say it’s this world I am now stuck in.

Owen- my anchor and connection to this world. I have no idea why we keep hurting each other… why do we act so stupidly around one another…?

Lord Kiran- saved my life. More than once. I owe him at least that.

A certain creature, but I will not name it. I shudder just being reminded of it… it’s a type of entity, but I can’t say much more. Only that we’re not on best terms…

What does ‘heroism’ mean to you? Heroism? I don’t know. I don’t like referring to someone or being referred to as a hero.

I was called a hero several times in the ER, but I don’t think myself as one. I was just doing my job. I enjoyed doing it and I dare say I was quite good at it.

But I guess it might mean giving something of yourself for the good of others without expecting to be repaid.

What do you think of your ‘creator’? If you can hurl her also into this world, I will gladly show her, in person, what I think of her! What do you think  I might think of her after everything she put me through?! My intuition says it’s not getting better in the sequel, and as I told you before- I got good intuition…

Give us your favourite piece of advice: Right now it would probably be-

Don’t go training in the ruins of old watchtowers.

But as I built everything in my life by myself, I guess my advice would be- trust your arms, for they will always be by your side. Trust your legs, for they will support you and finally your fingers, because you can always count on them!

Yeah! Always loved that one!

Links to book

https://amzn.to/3uOWtJh – Jewels of Smoky Quartz

Swift Six Character Interview – Lev

Character Name:

I ain’t telling you my name. Don’t look at me like that. Fine, it’s Lev and I already know who you are. And where you live.

Which book/world do you live in?

You with the magistrates, or something? I’ve had enough of you masked pricks to last a lifetime. I don’t have to tell you about nothing. As far as I can tell, it’s none of your business, mate.

Tell us about yourself:

What do you want to know? I’m best thief in Nordturm. But I’m not all bad. I’ve taken a few green kids under my wing, shown them the ropes. Take Fedor here. When I first took him in, he didn’t know a dip from a con job, and now look at him. He’s almost passable. What? It’s true.

What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?

Mate, trust me. I don’t have any weaknesses. As for strengths…that’d be telling, wouldn’t it? I aways say you never let a mark know what you’re good at. Not that you’re a mark, or anything. You seem alright. You just can’t be too careful with some of the arseholes you get around here.

Alright, alright, I’ll give you one. I can do locks. Put a lock in front of me and I’ll crack it in seconds. Even the new ones.

Name three important people/creatures/institutions in your world (such as lovers, pets, government institutions, leaders, gods etc).

Seriously? I don’t have time to go through all that crap. All I know is you keep an eye on the docks, you avoid the watch, and you keep your head down when Patrov’s lot are knocking about.

Now, if you’re looking for some fun, you might want to go down to the Rusty Sail. Right at the back of the commercial district, past the docks. Backroom’s always a bit dodgy with the plez-heads, but they do a good ale, and you hardly get any crap from the bouncers.

And, then, between you and me, you might want to pay a visit to The Clam. Tara’s my favourite, but they’ve got something for everyone, if you get my meaning. It’s not as pricy as Regret-me-not, but you won’t end up with the pox like you do at some of the grubbier places.

The only thing I’d say is to watch out for bloody wyverns. I hate those scaly bastards.

What does ‘heroism’ mean to you?

No one wants another hero. Heroes never did nothing for no one. I’m about loyalty, me. I look out for my crew and they look out for me. We made an oath in blood and that’s worth more than any hero thinking he’s all that.

What do you think of your ‘creator’?

I didn’t have you down for a priest. Trust me, you want to get as far away from those bastards as you can.

Give us your favourite piece of advice:

If someone calls a thirty-three, you do one. No arguments.

Speaking of doing one, it’s been a pleasure, mate.

Links to book

 

Dawn of Assassins by Jon Cronshaw

https://www.amazon.com/Dawn-Assassins-Book-assassin-fantasy-ebook/dp/B09PNJQCRF

Get the free prequel novel at https://joncronshaw.com

Swift Six Character Interview – The Girl #Sci-fi #Fantasy

Character Name: The Girl (I have several aliases depending on the situation)

Which book/world do you live in? I live in the Sunspear world. I have been on this journey from the beginning and still remain despite close calls.

Tell us about yourself: I usually avoid this question.

There’s only two people left that know who I am and that’s Alika and Alena.  I wish they didn’t know. I’m always afraid of putting them in danger, but it can’t be helped.  My parents are both dead. Their death haunts me for different reasons, one I grieve still and the other I wish it had come sooner. You must think me a horrible person for saying such a thing, but if you knew the truth maybe you wouldn’t think so.  Perhaps you still would. I’ve seen close up the ugliness of the Black Dragon, and so I fight them. However, my past requires I battle differently.  I routinely rotate between a number of roles to get the job done. I’m the shipping dealer, the disguised Black Dragon soldier, the security advisor, and the list goes on. You’d think I would be confused, but I keep it straight. Part of it is I have to.  Survival is a strong motivation.  It’s a deadly game I play. So, one day I’m Chris the shipping dealer, another day to another person I take on another random name for my shipping cover, then another day I’m Kate the advisor, and then another day Dante calls me …  (She shakes her head). I still can’t understand that one, how he sees me like that.  Alika tells me Dante sees clearly when it comes to me, that I’m one with the distorted vision on that one.  He hasn’t convinced me yet.  Of course, no one sees the images I do, the gift from the Ancient One.  I tell myself it’s a gift, and it is because it helps us in a lot of ways.  Yet, there are images I can’t get out of my head, that I can’t unsee.  Honestly, it scares me to death. It’s something that you can’t extinguish with a sunspear blade like a Black Dragon agent.

What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?

 Strengths, huh?  I’m excellent in a fight, but a give a lot of credit to my teachers, Alika and Alena.  I can also get into about anything electronic; it’s invaluable in the operations we carry out, with hacking into systems and creating clearances.  I’m always had a knack for it, just like my… well I guess that kind of stuff isn’t passed down in genes, but sometimes it feels like it.  I can play whatever role needed or at least so far, I’ve been able to. Some are harder to reconcile than others once the scene is played out, but I have to bury it and move on from the aftermath. There’s a line, and certainly I’ve walked it more than once now. Honestly, I’m certain I’ve stepped across it. Beyond those, strengths get hard to find if the truth were told with my vision, but others disagree with my assessment. Alika and Alena frequently tell me I’m my worst critic, that I don’t see this incredible person I am. It’s easier just to nod and pretend to agree with them those times.  They already know that’s all I’m doing.  They try to convince me I’m not to blame for everything I place on myself.   I see the failures though, the ones I didn’t make it in time to save, like my … (She looks down momentarily). I guess that’s one of my weaknesses. Any victory is swallowed up in the memories of what I couldn’t change, of what the Black Dragon has taken away.  It drives me to never let them have victory again and that means protecting those around me at all costs. I vow never to fail them again, and that’s a good thing. However, sometimes the anger boils to the surface faster than I realize, and it consumes me all over again. Regrettably anyone in the path of it feels its fury, and I hate it about myself.  I don’t know how many times I’ve had to beg for Alika’s forgiveness, but thankfully he never gives me what I deserve for how I act. Instead, he gives me a hug and affectionally calls me by the name he uses on me still, his child. I’m grown now, but I’m okay with that name, because I still feel like a child in so many ways.  That desire to protect those around me and to fight for them is also what gets me into many of the messes I find myself in.  Even though we go in with a plan for an operation, I’m impulsive and change the game plan on my own.  If that means it’s my last stand so that someone I care about survives, I’ll make that trade any day.

Name three important people/creatures/institutions in your world (such as lovers, pets, government institutions, leaders, gods etc).

I consider Alika and Alena my family now.  Alika is an Elder, one of those called to the task of training sunspear-bearers.  However, he’s so much more than that to me.  He’s shown me the love of a father, but never been afraid to challenge me at the same time when he knew I was moving into dangerous waters.  Alena, a spear-bearer herself, has helped trained me, but more than that she is the sister I never had.  She has seen me through the darkest moments of my world and been the shoulder I cried on.  They both continued all the teachings of the Ancient One. The Ancient One is this other one in my world that some days it’s a wonder He doesn’t leave me be.  Somehow though as many times as I come unravelled, He’s there to reassure me I’m still His and that He has me in His hands.  As far as my world, I’ve seen different landscapes at various points in my life.  I’ve lived as a child in a household that seemed to the rest of the world as normal and played my role to survive. Then when it fell apart to the outside world finally, I became formally accustomed to a new world, one that frequently saw the inside of bars as a shipping dealer.  Then there’s the other side of me, the other world I found myself drawn into or better yet, the person I found myself drawn to.  That would be Dante.  I saw him in the visions and tried to tell myself that’s all it was.  I knew better. I had admitted the truth to myself long before he understood. It scares me to death though even as I long for every moment I get with him.  If anyone finds out what he means to me, what’s growing between us, what will be the price? If something happened to him because of me, that would be it. The final blow in my world.

What does ‘heroism’ mean to you?

A hero… I guess for a lot of people it’s measured in how many kills you make with a blade. If you took a poll in many of the places I hang out, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s your top answer. It’s a pretty shallow measure though. Not to say those good with the blade don’t qualify. I mean, those I consider closest to me now are all masters with a blade.  Yet it’s their heart and spirit that’s behind the blade that makes them a hero.  It’s why they swing the blade repeatedly and keep getting up to battle again that gives them the title.  Yet there’s those that never swing a blade, and yet they are heroes as much as the others.  I watched that battle too, the one who is bent over from wounds of battles and yet struggles over and over again to one’s feet until the strike of the death wound.  What the two have in common is what is heroism.   It is the willingness to give of oneself, to put it all the line, in order to stand up against the darkness and to protect others.

What do you think of your ‘creator’?

Liz, as we know her as, is a lot of things. Somebody else asked Dante and I about Liz recently. She’s a lot of things. She pushes herself hard and keeps to an insane schedule.  It’s no surprise then how she pushes us.  I’m grateful for the splashes of down time she does give us. I’ve learned to treasure that time with Dante (she smiles).  She does put us through a lot though, and I guess in some ways for that I could say I didn’t like her too much sometimes. I can’t though, because she never has us go through it alone.  She’s steadfast and has proved herself a true friend. She fights beside us, reminding us we’re stronger than the battlefield in front of us. Sometimes that means being the shoulder to cry on.  She gets that battlefield too, and it doesn’t scare her. She listens to us too, willing to help, but still lets us direct our own way. Honestly, I can’t blame her for the mishaps, because I do rush into things a fair amount of the time, especially when it involves people I care about.  Liz gets me though, and I can be me with her too. There are other people it feels similar with, but Liz really does know all my secrets after all.  Sometimes there’s parts of me that I don’t like, that I can’t imagine how anyone would still stay if they knew all of it. Yet, she does, because she doesn’t leave those she cares about. But I guess that’s what it comes down to with Liz.  Even though we go through a lot of stuff with her, she loves us as we are and so we trust her. Because we’ve seen her heart, and so we’re not afraid of the journey ahead since she’s traveling with us.

 

Give us your favourite piece of advice:

That’s a tough one. I’ve been given so much training and words of wisdom already in my small number of years. Some I try to practice because they really are wisdom, but I find I’ve regrettably failed at keeping those at crucial moments. Others I’ve practiced not as much for their true wisdom, but to survive in the situation I found myself.  It’s not a noble reason to follow it, but sadly it’s what I had to do. I suppose one of the best pieces of advice I ever got was from Alika.  “Do not fear what is ahead. You are equipped for the path you chose.  Remember who you are and cling to that truth.”  It is the moments that I have strayed from that path, forgotten who I am, and believed the lies of the darkness that I have paid the price.

Links to book 

https://books2read.com/TheSpinningOfDeception

https://books2read.com/Deceptions-Hold

https://books2read.com/ShadowedBonds

Social media links for author

https://elizabethlavender.net

https://twitter.com/Elavenderauthor

https://facebook.com/elizabethlavender.author

https://instagram.com/elizabethlavender.author

https://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Lavender/e/B07ZLS4G93

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/elizabeth-lavender

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19685019.Elizabeth_Lavender

(13) Elizabeth Lavender | LinkedIn

 

 

Swift Six Character Interview – Henry Fitzroy#Vampire #Paranormal #HistoricalFiction

Character Name

Henry Fitzroy – formerly Duke of Richmond, bastard son of Henry VIII

Which book/world do you live in?

Anarchic Destiny – Book 2 of the Naturae Series

Tell us about yourself:

‘Dying’ when I was 17 was a trauma, but I was told if I became a vampire, I would still be able to fulfil my destiny to be King. Annoyingly, after I said yes to being made vampire, my half brother Edward was born, so I had to wait, hidden and captive for another 17 years, until he too died in 1553. But, when I found out about his plans for succession, I realised I’d been forgotten. I was no-one. I have to find my place in this new world, find a way to fulfil my destiny to rule.

What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?

I didn’t realise how liberating it would be to give up my soul, and so I would say my greatest strength is that I have no compunction about doing what is necessary to achieve my given purpose. I’m also super-fast, super strong, and, depending on the day or how I feel, super compassionate. Perhaps that is my weakness, but I still feel for the humans, even though most of my kind view them as fodder.

Name three important people/creatures/institutions in your world (such as lovers, pets, government institutions, leaders, gods etc).

The institutions in my world are the structures which enable people like me to rule – the Church, although I have wavering affiliation to it, and the monarchy. I’m ambiguous as to which of these institutions should remain once I get into power. On a personal front, I have few friends. Those I can count are Thomas Fairfax, a daemon, and, I suppose, my half sister, Elizabeth. She knows who and what I am, and means a great deal to me, possibly because I cannot influence her as I can mere mortals. She has the potential though, to be great, I have always sensed this about her and I hope that in the future our two realms can grow closer in proximity. Naturae is where I will set my sights though, the home of the fae.

What does ‘heroism’ mean to you?

I have thought a great deal about this, and my opinion of what it means to be a hero, and a leader, was largely influenced by my father, Henry VIII. He had his flaws, to be sure, but he was driven to greatness by passion. A desire to grow his influence, be the best. However, I am of the mind that life should be preserved where possible. I regret losing my mortal life, and mourn the loss of my soul. I am not about revenge, or killing for the sake of it, but rather, people should be allowed to choose how they live, not die because of what someone else thinks. I think that makes me quite heroic, I will always stand up for liberty. That is my passion.

What do you think of your ‘creator’?

She tries hard to make me into a sympathetic character, although I know at times I may make some choices which ordinary people could view as morally wrong.

Give us your favourite piece of advice:

Life is short, for humans. Make the most of it, live how you want to and with honesty and you will have no regrets when it is over. If, like me, you are destined to live a long life, then there is even more reason to be true to yourself, because hiding who you are will cause you untold miseries which you have your whole life to regret.

Links to book

www.books2read.com/anarchicdestiny

 

Swift Six Character Interview – Dorcas #YoungAdult

Swift Six Character Interview

Character Name:  Dorcas

Which book/world do you live in?

“I’s is livings in the lifer world with the Cracklocks.  They’s is my friends, and I has beens with them for a longs time now.”

Tell us about yourself:

“I is a Brownie, or ‘nim’, if’s you is using the olds way of speaking.  We is considered to be ones of the most helpful faeries; we’s help out in the home and looks after the family in returns for a little food. I’s been helping the Cracklock family for many years.  Hundreds of years, if the truths be told.  I’s cooking and cleaning and helping’s to look after the children’s.”

What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?

“Oh, you’s! I is not boastings about me, you silly! I’s not one for tattle telling stories.  But if you’s is insisting, my weaknesses is cakes.  Big cakes and biscuits.  Looks at my belly!  It is too bigs, but its has saves me’s before.  When the redcaps came, they’s spears couldn’t get through my blubber guts.  So Elsie says.  I’s don’t let it slows me down none, anyhow, beings a bit bigger.  Everyone should’s be happy with how’s they are, I is thinking. And if you’s is big like me’s, then all good’s.  It show’s you is loving life’s.

For my’s strength, it has to be’s my loves for the little ones. The children.  I’s not letting anyones harm thems whilst I is in charge.  You see’s this rolling pin? Granny gaves it to me.  Come’s back when you summons it.  And I is pretty good with it; many a beastie and bumper it has whacked.  I is not havings no bullying of my charges, I can tell’s you. Anyone is trying that, then they is getting a thumping.”

Name three important people/creatures/institutions in your world (such as lovers, pets, government institutions, leaders, gods etc).

“This is difficult’s for me to answer.  There are many importants things to keep an eyes out for.  The Seelie and Unseelie Courts; they is not liking us mixing withs the lifers.  But they makes some exceptions for the Cracklocks, particularly of Bartholomew’s line.  The others are too bads to mention.  I’s is loving my adopted family; Jacksie my sweets boy, Elsie my old friends who’s I lives with before and poor Sammy, who’s can’t see the Fae like the others cans.  And we is trying to find David for a long time now; I is hoping that we can save’s him soon. Also, now’s I has a boyfriend too’s!  Gnorbitts is nice, but he sometimes drinks too much beers.  Especially when he is being with Popple.  Those twos are bad influences on each other.  Such a mess they’s is leaving; last times they burned popcorns on the stoves, and left it for me’s to tidy.  I makes them get up even though they have hurty heads and cleans it all up.  Or they is in much troubles.”

What does ‘heroism’ mean to you?

“I is no hero, dearies.  I just does what needs to be done.  And if I has to crack noggin’s to do’s it, then I does.  Like that Lisovyk monster, well, there was no ways it was going to eat Jack and Jimmy’s now, was there?  Or that Jailer in the Catacombs.  He was a nasty man; too nasty, treating the Faes like that.  He was gettings what he deserved, and no mistakings.  I is not standing for it; my’s family is what is importants and old Dorcas isn’t having no nonsense where they’s is concerned.”

 What do you think of your ‘creator’?

“Mister Deegans? Oh, he is alrights, I is thinking. Blathers about a bits when he’s is writings us up; we’s is having to give him a poke sometimes in the night to make him write faster; puts some ideas in that mushpot of his.  But he is nice; he is trying his hardest we is knowing, and we’s helps him where we can’s.”

 Give us your favourite piece of advice:

“You’s should stay away from the other Cracklocks.  They is bad Cracklocks; tainted with evil.  They’s is killing Fae just because they’s is not understanding us.  I is having nothings to do withs them, and you’s shouldn’t neither.”

 

Links to book

I is in the Cracklock Saga books.  There is threes of them now and Mister Deegan has finished the fourth and is writings the fifth.  You’s can find them at:

Book 1:  Fae or Foe?        https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09G9RNMMS

Book 2:  The Lost and the Departed.  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09KNDM9YZ

Book 3:  Alice and the Mirror Glass.   https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09QJ2TV9S

I is in all of them’s.  And I’s is getting in some right scrappy scraps, I’s can tell you!