Which book/world do you live in? I live in The Crystal Pawn and The Ivory Queen. I will also be in The Ebon King. They are all set in and around the land of Keyralithsmus.
Tell us about yourself: (Name, race/species, etc.) – I’m originally from earth in upper New Hampshire near Lake Sunapee. I always thought I was fully human, but it turns out I am part Shaper clan on my father’s side. I am 26 years old, and artist, and like L.A.R.P.ing and other fantasy-related activities.
I’m an adventurer – why should I recruit you to accompany me? I have a good way with people. I am open and honest, and am not going to just tell you what you want to hear. In fact, I will often tell you what you NEED to hear. I also have somewhat of a clue in how to use a sword.
Tell us about your companions? How do they see you? – My companions see me as honest and caring. Some of them are not what you might call the typical travelling companions, but they know that I want the best for them and we are all working towards the same goal in the end.
What’s your most heroic exploit to date? I found a way to call the dragons and got them to help save the kingdom.
What’s your greatest failure? One of my dearest friends perished along the way, and I was unable to save her.
Where do you think you’ll be in a decade? Hopefully not the queen! I would like to settle down and enjoy life with my husband, without the pressures of the crown.
Do you have a great love? (This could be a person/trait/item) – I do, and right now, I am needing to figure out how to rescue him. It’s a bit complicated, though.
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!
Character Name: Adelei aka Iliana Poncett of Alexander
Which book/world do you live in? The Boahim Trilogy, beginning in Book I, Amaskan’s Blood
Tell us about yourself:
I serve Anur, God of Justice, first and foremost, but beyond that, I’m fairly simple. I enjoy weapons-work and hunting, as well as working with my battle steed, Midnight. I’m nineteen but some days my years stretch further in the distance than I’m capable of seeing, which is a polite way of saying I feel old. Perhaps it’s the killing. I know I only kill when Anur requires and only to serve Justice, but the blood never leaves you.
What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
I feel that my strengths lie in my ability to deliver Justice swiftly and without…complications. Where others might worry about taking a life, I understand my role in the grand picture set by the Thirteen (the gods). My greatest weakness is my past. I love my adopted family, especially Master Bredych, my father, but he lied to me about my birth family. Sometimes it’s a challenge to know who to believe.
Name three important people/creatures/institutions in your world (such as lovers, pets, government institutions, leaders, gods etc).
The Order of Amaska (including my adopted father, Master Bredych)—they took me in and made me who I am; King Leon Poncett III, my birth father; and Anur, God of Justice, may I find the way.
What does ‘heroism’ mean to you?
It means standing up for what is right and defending those unable to defend themselves. Heroism also means ensuring Justice is served. Always.
What do you think of your ‘creator’?
I have thirteen. While my life is Anur’s, I’m not as fond of the others. They aren’t always as fair and just as He.
Johnny Lupul, although I was McPherson most of my life. Lupul is my birth name before I was adopted in Romania and brought to the US.
Which book/world do you live in?
The Werewolf PI series. Book 1 is Johnny Lycan and the Anubis Disk. Book 2 (December 2022) is Johnny Lycan and the Vegas Berserker
Tell us about yourself:
I’m just an average 30- year-old mook from Chicago. I grew up in the burbs, then kicked around for a few years working construction and collecting debts for a bookie. Now I’m trying to get my own Location and Retrieval business going. Oh, and I’m a werewolf. Have been my whole life. That can make things a little tricky.
I spent my life thinking being a Lycan was like a learning disability—they kept me on Ritalin and thought I was just hyperactive. That led to a lack of self-esteem and a major problem with authority. Until lately, I was convinced the world was completely sane and I was the weirdest thing out there. I’m finding out that’s not true, and being a werewolf may be the most normal thing I have to deal with.
What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
You’d think that having a slobbering rage monster trapped inside you is a pretty big weakness and it can be. I’ve learned to tap into Shaggy—the other side of me—to sense danger and help me physically when I need it. It turns out I may be smarter than I’ve been led to believe, but my mouth keeps getting me in trouble. Also, I’m not the brightest bulb on the tree but God knows I try my best.
Name three important people/creatures/institutions in your world (such as lovers, pets, government institutions, leaders, gods etc).
I’m not much for institutions. Schools, religion, even my adoptive parents have left me feeling adrift.
I have an adopted family—my best friend Bill and his Romani grandmother—that mean the world to me. Bill is gay but smarter than me and keeps me grounded. Gramma is a dirty old lady with more secrets than I’ve got.
I rely on my main client for steady employment I suppose. Oliver Cromwell is a creepy rich guy with a habit of collecting arcane relics and making me feel like an idiot most of the time. He’s not warm and fuzzy, but the checks don’t bounce.
The only relationship in my life that’s lasted or really helps is Shaggy. The Lycan inside me keeps me out of trouble or gets me into it depending on the time of the month and the stage of the moon.
What does ‘heroism’ mean to you?
Heroism? Hell, I don’t know. I guess it’s doing the right thing even when it can get you killed. Heroes are famous, good looking, morally upright people who defy the odds. I’m not heroic, I’m just the right combination of lucky and dumb. Sometimes it works out.
What do you think of your ‘creator’?
Wayne Turmel is okay for an old, cis-het, white guy. He cusses less than I do, and keeps inventing messed-up situations I have to get out of, which makes me wish he had less faith in me. He used to live in Chicago, where I’m based, but left for Vegas. How do people live there? Chicago’s a pretty good place to be if you’re a werewolf. Half the year the weather’s perfect for wearing a fur coat and there’s plenty of green space, even in town. You can find a deer when you need to kill something in a hurry to take the edge off.
Give us your favourite piece of advice:
Not a lot of 30-year-olds listen to classic rock, and people make fun of me for it, but I think Mick had it right… you can’t always get what you want, but sometimes you get what you need.
Oh, and no matter how bad things get, never let Shaggy run the show.
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.
I am a world-renowned field mechanic. You might not have heard of me, not yet at least, but I’m the best in the business at what I do. Any terrain in the world—I’ll keep your expedition on the move. I grew up on a small, isolated Scottish island, so naturally I couldn’t wait to get out and see the world. Everyone said I couldn’t do it, my own father even said so, but I’ve proven them wrong. I’ll keep proving them wrong.
Recently I’ve been hired by a secretive billionaire who claims to have invented time travel and requires my services. First man to set foot in another time? To walk around in the time of the dinosaurs? Now, that has a nice ring to it.
What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
Strengths? Well, we’ve already covered that I’m a fearless explorer and a master mechanic, but what are the qualities that drive those? Determination—you don’t get as far as I have by giving up when the going gets tough—and sheer, unfiltered bravery. Some have called it stupidity, but what do they know?
Weaknesses? Now, this is just between us, right? I have a reputation to uphold, after all. I can’t read especially well. I know now that I’m dyslexic, but as a child, my peers had another name for me—stupid. I guess you could say that gave me some self-doubt and maybe I over-compensate, but when a teacher tells a young boy that he’ll never succeed in life, that sticks with him. I’ll show them they were wrong about me. I’ll show them all.
Name three important people/creatures/institutions in your world (such as lovers, pets, government institutions, leaders, gods etc).
As far as my personal life goes, I’ve always been somewhat of a loner. The closest I have to a friend is my buddy Ed. If I’m being honest though, I think he holds me back. He means well, but I can’t always play it safe—I’m more ambitious than that.
Neil Armstrong is my inspiration. The first man to walk on the moon—that will always be incredible. I mean, can you imagine? He was a hero, a rock star. I used to stare up at them moon and then back down at the muddy old farm of my youth. God, how I wished to be up there instead. I want to do what he did. I want to be the first.
Despite my grand ambitions, I do have some humbler pursuits. When I do have some down time I like to unwind with my trusty VW Beetle. It’s a simple machine, but it helps me to relax. I could take the whole thing apart and rebuild it in a couple of hours which is oddly therapeutic—as is the burble of its flat-four boxer engine.
What does ‘heroism’ mean to you?
To be a hero is to be successful. Most people’s heroes are so because they’re the best at what they do. They’ve reached the top, they are rich, famous, and respected. They’ve made it.
What do you think of your ‘creator’?
He’s pretty unambitious, really. Writing a book? It’s been done—nothing special. I bet it doesn’t even get made into a movie. Come back to me when he’s spent three months in Antarctica.
Give us your favourite piece of advice:
Never back down, never quit, never wait for tomorrow. Success doesn’t wait for anyone, you have to take your chances, no matter the cost.
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!
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.
I live in SPACE ACADEMY DROPOUTS, a story of adventure and romance and not at all a story about how I got dragooned into service with Space Fleet’s intelligence service after I dropped out because I was expendable. My world is the utopian Community, of which Earth is a new puny member, and it is a truly good organization that never does anything shady to preserve the seemingly idyllic life of its citizens. No sir.
Tell us about yourself
I, Vance Turbo, HERO OF SPACE FLEET, am the nephew of legendary Space Fleet Captain Kathryn Tagawa. Yes, Vance Turbo is not my name. Shocking, I know. I am a genius and quite good at what I do and what I do is be a wiseass. I didn’t ask to be dragooned by Division Twelve but I’m doing my very best to try to stop some weapons of interstellar destruction from falling into the hands of terrorists. But hey, no pressure.
What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
As yes, I am a genius (allegedly). However, my greatest ability is to be able to snark my way through the most traumatizing as well as distressing encounters that would drive most people to space madness. I can usually think my way around most problems rather than solving things with fusion pistols or barrier shields. I’m also stuck being the only sane man on my starship of weirdos and outcasts.
Name three important people/creatures/institutions in your world (such as lovers, pets, government institutions, leaders, gods etc).
In addition to my Aunt Kathy, I am closest to my crew (even if they don’t appreciate me). The closest of the crew to me is probably the ship’s AI, Trish. Trish was designed for a top of the line warship and is one of the most powerful machines in existence but somehow got stuck with the tugboat we’re operating. My next favourite person is Hannah O’Brian, a mercenary demihuman bounty-hunter who is the most competent person onboard but has the military discipline of a wild T-Rex—which she hunts on her home planet. Finally, the third person I care for most is my ex. Which is not a state I’m used to. Lieutenant Leah Mass, who is a biomodified human with telepathy and every bit as determined to be a star in Space Fleet as I used to be. Except she’s become an agent of the intelligence service and I’ve become a dropout.
What does ‘heroism’ mean to you?
Heroism means doing your duty to your crew and then your mission. I dropped out of Space Academy because I couldn’t deal with the responsibility. Because of my carelessness, another student was killed even if I was cleared of all culpability. However, since I’ve been conscripted, I now have to do the best job I can because people are counting on me whether I want them to or not.
What do you think of your ‘creator’?
CT Phipps? I’m uncomfortably stuck with him.
Give us your favourite piece of advice:
There is no job too large or too important not to run away from. Too bad I can’t seem to follow it properly.
Library of Erana 