#CharactersTell Side Character Week - Interview with Thompson Kross

We start up another week in this first month of summer with a new interview! As always, the third week is dedicated to Side Characters, and for tonight we have quite the intriguing guest. I have to admit, I didn't have the pleasure to speak with a full-bloodied knight yet, and this was a pleasant first!

Tonight's guest is Thompson Kross, a Knight of the Kingdom of Erdoria and Lord of Karkoss, who's sworn to protect Princess Amarette - who seems to have put him in a bit of a problem, despite being a lovely woman.

Quite the intense gaze too!

He comes from Charlotte Ducharme's fantasy novel "The Last Dragon Rider" - Charlotte is a lovely woman who seems to have a very interesting, fantastical world to give us access to through her writing!

You can find her on Twitter following this link (where you should totally follow her!) https://twitter.com/Charleywriting

She also has a blog where she covers a number of aspects of writing - not only technical, but emotional as well, as for example some suggestions to get over self-doubt. You can check it out following this link! https://charleywritesblog.wordpress.com/

But let's get to know Thompson, shall we?

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And here we are at the third week of June! Damn, the time seems to fly during the summer… but that ain’t stopping us! We’re back to the Side Characters as per usual, and tonight we have another interesting guest - would you please introduce yourself, your book and your author to our audience?

Alright, hello I am Thompson Kross, Lord of Karkross and I suppose a side character of The Last Dragon Rider, although last time I checked knights were often the main heroes… But I guess the hero is the beautiful Marvelle, who is a Dragon Rider so it is fitting. My author is Charlotte Ducharme.

Oh my, hello there! By the way you’re describing yourself and your world, I dare say we’re venturing into some unusual territory here - can you please tell us a bit more about the world you live in?

I have been told my world is different than yours. I come from a Kingdom called Erdoria that split apart in rebellion from our mother Kingdom, Khelan, centuries ago. We follow King Rohar and I serve his daughter, Princess Amarette, as her sworn knight and guard. It is not the only Kingdom though, there are many others, my ancestors from one called Eskar, but I have never left my Kingdom before.

The life of a knight seems pretty interesting there. How did you end up in that position? Is that something you always strived on? Or was this something you wouldn’t have expected?

I was actually born into the position as a Lord which gave me access to combat training. Through that I learned that my love was the sword, and I wanted to become the best knight that Erdoria had ever seen. I swore my vow to become a knight also to give my sister the proper title of Lady of Karkross, giving up my own birthright. She was far more suited for the role than me. But I suppose I always have wanted to be a knight.

I’m glad you found your life’s calling then. Is it all you expected it to be? Or are there some sides of it that you discovered you might not agree with? Sometimes we idealize or think about a position so much we can’t see its drawbacks after all…

It is far more complicated than I initially thought, especially when it comes to vows and honor. Sometimes it can be difficult to decide what is the right thing to do, what is the honorable thing to do, and which path I should follow… I love what I do, I love protecting the Princess, but such questions can keep me up at night.

Have you ever found yourself disobeying or ‘forgetting’ your vows for something you found morally more righteous? For example turning a blind eye as a starving kid ‘borrows’ some bread, or something along those lines.

… Sometimes it can be hard to decide on what I should do in those situations. When one starts to pick and choose which rules to obey and which to break then what is the point of such rules anyway? I am only human however… Some rules are too strict, and in some cases it is higher justice to not allow a unjust punishment to take place… that is all I will say on the subject though, as to not dishonor my family.

Completely understandable, indeed. I imagine honor is one of the most important things for a knight. Let’s change the subject a bit - tell us about your protegee. You say you protect Princess Amarette, right? What sort of person is she?

Princess Amarette is… she is the jewel of our Kingdom. She is patient, and kind, although quiet. Personally she has always treated me with respect and she is someone that I would be glad to give my life for.

I’m definitely glad to hear that...it does sound like there’s something more underneath that response, but I won’t be prying too much. Is there anyone you really can’t stand, instead?

Her uncle, Prince Tirius. I would never say it to his face, but there is something about the man that bothers me, let alone that he hates me. He calls me a “vapid nobleman” I’ve heard. I don’t quite care enough to give him a response though.

Some people really don’t even deserve the time of day to respond to them. Tell us about the story - how did you get involved into it?

What happened was that the Princess was set to be married to Prince Corrad of our mother Kingdom, Khelan. Although she “disappeared”, most thinking she was kidnapped. I went with the Lord of the Valley of the Dragons Marc Lavelle to go and look for her in the Draconic Forest, only to find that the Princess was in his castle with his sister, they had run away with the help of another girl and were in hiding to escape the marriage… I had taken vows to protect the Princess, which is how they got me looped into their foolish plans.

Wow. That does sound like quite the complicated situations to be in. But… vows aside, do you agree with her? Do you think she’d be happier with someone else than with Prince Corrad?

It is not for me to say. My Eskarian culture puts different emphasis on different matters. We find it important to let a lady choose who she wants to marry. Things are not the same in Erdoria. If the rumors are true and Prince Corrad is as dangerous as some say, then I do not think that she should be forced to marry him. But… I am not the King, and so it is not my decision to make. All I can say is that I would not let my own sister marry him.

I think that definitely says a lot… since we’re speaking about love, by the way. I don’t know if you’re aware, but we’re currently in Pride month. How does your world fare in that respect? Is there acceptance for different kinds of relationships?

As with most things, it does depend on the culture. I have heard in the culture of the Islands they are alright with it, my friend Tario says that his family accepts it fine with his brother. In Eskar where my culture is rooted it is not something we speak about often, although it isn’t shunned as far as I know. In Erdoria it seems to be much the same way, no one truly speaks of it, although I do not see such relationships often.

I understand completely. And I can definitely imagine how, in a culture where succession to power seems to be coming through bloodlines, things might be a bit more complicated as well. Are you aware of any instances when that happened? We swear we won’t tell you told.

Not in our Kingdom, although there is another Kingdom called Ilnya with a famous tale of two Lords who ruled together. It was said that their love was strong. One of the Lords fathered a bastard and the two named that child their successor. So it is not unheard of. But as you said it would be very complicated. Such matters are already complicated. But that Kingdom seemed to make it work without issue, if the story was a true one.

That’s very nice to hear, that they managed to make it work! And what about you? Are you interested in someone? And...have you ever had interest for someone of your own gender?

I have never had true interest in my own gender as I have with women, although there are many fine looking men around me. But no, at the moment the most beautiful person I can see is Marvelle Lavelle. My heart is hers if she wishes.

My my~ And by someone who takes vows and their word as seriously as you, that might make for quite the intriguing story! Anyway… unfortunately we’re getting out of time for tonight - is there anything you wish to say to our audience? Anything at all!

Hm… Well I suppose all I would say to them is to enjoy their lives. Life is meant to be lived and we were created to enjoy the world we live in. Perhaps that was too deep and you were looking for something more common. I’m not sure, I am not used to being interviewed!

Who knows, perhaps this will become more common in the future~ But that was a wonderful message. Thank you so much for coming tonight! It was a pleasure having you!

Thank you for giving me the time to speak! You are a wonderful interviewer, this was pleasant.

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And that does it for this week's blog interview! I have to say, talking with him was quite the interesting experience, and it's always nice to see someone who takes values like honor and duty so seriously.

As always, a reminder that YOU can have YOUR characters interviewed on this blog too! Just send me a message on Twitter! You can find my profile on the sidebar, or follow this link: https://twitter.com/m_arbanassi

Thank you all for coming around! Come back next week to meet a new Background Character!

Toodles~

TIOGAIR

Book pitch:

It's 2067. 

It's been 3 years since the Gatecrash, the cataclysmic event that mutated a quarter of the human population.
Magic - known as Ether - returned to the world, and monsters roam again in the wilderness, crossing the portals opening to unknown worlds that appear throughout the globe. 

As a constant reminder of this event stands the azure sphere of chaotic energy, glowing in the hills northeast of ex-Colorado Springs, now rebaptized Cerulean Springs due to that unending glimmer: a city that changed its face just as quickly as its name, becoming an enormous metropolis with its own dark sides in the span of a few decades.

These sudden, worldwide changes caused chaos at first - but, with the 'humanitarian' support of the corporations, the flash-fire riots were quelled, and the population settled - the rise in power and standing of the corps being just a side effect, of course.

Society evolved, assimilated the new and adapted: from fear to unease, from unease to new business venues and research fields, just as it did in the last decades with the blindingly fast development of technology and the discovery of the almost mystical Essences. After all, what's a new weirdness in a world where mechanical implants are common and the body is nothing but a canvas to change and adapt to one's wishes?

Despite all this, certain things never change: there's still the need for shadowy figures able to do things that others wouldn't.
Zoe is one of them: a mutated human - a Gatecrasher - and a combat mage by trade, introduced into the life of an underground mercenary after the Gatecrash riots.

She's minding her own business between jobs, when the disappearance of a woman working in her favorite Pleasure House pushes her to go on the hunt to uncover the dancer's fate - free of charge.

Once on the trail, though, she will quickly realize she might have bitten more than she can chew: what started as a simple investigation will bring her to uncover darker and more dangerous secrets, forcing the Irish mage to use all her tricks and delve into the dirtiest parts of Cerulean Springs to keep her word, while trying to keep sane indulging in the pleasure of the flesh.

One of the ways she keeps her mind busy from the painful memories of a past she's still trying to cope with.

My experience writing it

This is my second novel!

And...it's been quite a surprise, really. Last year I was working on Elemental 2 and I was starting to get a tad burned out (I was coming out of translating, formatting, etc Elemental 1, and the whole publishing thing, which can be somewhat stressful), so I decided to write a short just for the heck of it.

Just for kicks, I decided to make it an erotic short.

In the meantime I was continuing to promote Elemental on Twitter, where I've seen some erotic books being promoted.

And that was pretty much the moment I decided I wanted to try my hand writing something that still had erotic contents, but had a serious story and well rounded characters into it.

I had the Cerulean Springs setting in mind for quite a long time now, and I always had an intention to write in that universe. And I thought to myself "Why not now?"

Soooo... I did!

I wrote the first draft in about a month or so. I was completely engrossed in the story, and in the end I got this missing person thriller going, with some spicy elements to it - elements being the keyword since in the end the erotic parts are more tied to character fleshing out and development than the story itself. It's a story about someone who's extremely sexual, but the driving plot is actually something much darker and 'detached' from sex, to the point that in one specific pitch (which I still hold dear to this day!) I've been told the naughty bits took too much of a backseat to the story for that house. And that was the most brilliant and helpful rejection letter I received, one that I still am thankful for.

This experience helped me cement my views on sexuality in fiction, which I talked about in detail in this blog post.

And in the end, Tiogair had its big launch party during #MCchat on Twitter last week!

There are a lot of projects I'm tying to this universe as well - one that I'm currently working on a Tabletop Roleplaying Game based in it, still in the works - and I do intend to write more stories in this setting, along with Elemental 2.

Where can you find it?

First, a warning: Tiogair contains mature themes that place it in the 'adult only' category (graphic sex and violence, use of substances, foul language). With that out of the way you can find it through these links:

English Versions:

- Tiogair - Kindle eBook

- Tiogair - POD Paperback on Amazon

Italian Versions:

- Tiogair - Kindle eBook

- Tiogair - POD Paperback su Amazon

Goodreads:

- Tiogair page (all editions available)

#CharactersTell Antagonist Week - Interview with Bernard Griffin

Well hello there! Sorry for the day of delay, but yesterday my twitter feed was getting hijacked by Zoe to host #MCchat.

But now that we're back, there's no time to dilly-dally around! We've got an interview to have!

Today on the hot seat we've got an antagonist, in line with our second week of April's questions.

Only true gentlemen have portrait frames

Our guest for the night is Chief Inspector Bernard Griffin - a man of refined tastes, a warrior, a hunter and a naturalist. Truly a gentleman.

He comes from the novel "For The Next Killer Who Dies". It's the tale of a political uprising, written by Sam Amenn, also known with their pen name Alexander Phoenix.

Here's Sam! The phoenix is
holding the camera, ofc.

Sam is a lovely person that I got to know from Twitter (where you should totally follow her, using this link).

She has a blog as well, "Pepper Writes", where her lovely Phoenix assistant talks about the writing journey they're doing together! You can find her blog through this link here.

Her story can be found on the dedicated site of the book, that is easily reached with this link!

But, let's get to the interview, shall we?

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Well, here we are for another interview! It’s April and the good season continues to roll in, but today we’re talking about antags...so we’ll see how ‘good’ the season will be~

Speaking of which! Would you please introduce yourself, your novel and your author to us?

Bernard: I’m Chief Inspector Bernard Griffin and I appear in Kingsley’s memoir For the Next Killer Who Dies. From what I understand, Kingsley Montivelo wrote it with assistance from Sam Amenn.

Oh dear! A joint venture! Interesting! But let’s talk about you - that’s quite the impressive title you’ve got there. What are your duties as the Chief inspector? Can you tell us for which government you work? Is it based here on our earth, or somewhere else?

Bernard: I’m not from your world, although we, apparently, share many similarities. I work for the Shivian government. Shiva is a country known for its wealth, power, and colonial territories. It is a republic, but only for a select few. As chief inspector, I am in charge of keeping law and order. I’ve had many assignments all over our empire, but, the memoir focuses on my time in the Killbraugha, one of our many colonies that border Shiva. While in the Killbraugha, I was charged with destroying the separate movement that called itself the Ilkhatal Freedom Movement.

You do seem to realize there is some sort of disparity into your government, telling us that it’s a republic for a select few. And we all know colonialism does bring with it it’s own fair share of problems. Is this what puts you on a collision course with the Main Character? And what are your thought on the situation of your government?

Bernard: I am a realist. I don’t like pretending my government is perfect, because it prevents me from understanding my targets, which interferes with my duties. To answer your question, yes, Kingsley, the Main Character, as you call him, is one of the leaders of the Ilkhatal Freedom Movement and it is my job to stop him and his fellow separatists. How I feel about my government matters very little. I was a former soldier and now I am a civil servant. My job is to serve my government to the best of my abilities.

And does this understanding of your enemy ever put you into difficult situations? How hard is it to both try to do your duty and have to see things from their perspective?

Bernard: It was difficult during some of my other assignments, when I was younger, but not so much in the Killbraugha. At least...I can understand the Ilkhatal Freedom Movement without getting lost in their logic. The true difficulty comes from dealing with my superiors. They don’t understand how Kingsley and the others think. They believe the Ilkhatal can be cowed into submission with empty threats and mass demonstrations. They don’t understand how Kingsley and the others have changed the art of guerilla warfare.

You seem to have quite some respect for the man’s tactics. Do you reckon in another life things might have gone differently? What are your thoughts on their movement, what keeps you fighting them? Where do you think they are wrong in their ideology or actions?

Bernard: No, I don’t think I would have made different decisions in another life. I do respect the movement, as I respect all my foes who put up a fight, but it is the respect one has for a clever rat that has invaded your house. You know, inevitably, the rat will fall for one of your traps and everytime it escapes, it is only buying time, but you cannot help respect its cleverness and tenacity. As far as I why I continue to fight, I can’t stand hypocrisy or the violation of our laws. Without laws, civilization cannot stand, and when the movement partakes in assassinations, bombings, and general acts of terror, it is not only an attack against our government, but against civilization as a whole.

That’s absolutely understandable. After all, such tactics are still putting in danger peaceful people who want to just live their lives. Anyway, let’s try to lighten up the mood a bit, shall we? Since it’s the good season, can you tell us something about the wilderness and the natural wonders of the country you’re stationed in?

Bernard: Yes, if there’s one thing I appreciate about the Kilbraugha, it is its natural beauty. Some say it’s a backwards country because it has not yet been blighted by large cities, factories, and things of that nature, but that’s not true. It is still primitive, but only in the sense that the Ilkhatal are more respectful of nature then we, Shivians, are. It is a country of rolling hills and thick forests and is surrounded by two massive mountain ranges, one from the south and the other from the west. Occasionally, when I feel my men and I have earned it, we go hunting in the forests.

Oh, so a man that not only has a sense of duty but enjoys the wilderness and the camaraderie of his unit! Lately we’ve been talking a lot about camping and such. What do you tend to hunt? Are there any weird animals in your country? Any particularly edible?

Bernard: I prefer to hunt deer, but they are sacred in the Killbraugha and so our government banned us from hunting them. This means we’ve had to settle for boar, which is fine, but can be tough if you don’t know how to prepare it. Weird animals? Not so much in the Killbraugha, although they have odd bird life that I’ve only just started hunting and cataloguing. Some are delicious, others are not.

Very interesting! I’d love to see your journal with the entries on the various species you’re cataloguing! And back to a more calm life, is there anyone waiting for you at home when you finish your work day?

Bernard: Thank you. I am hoping to donate my journal to our natural history museum, along with a few specimen I was able to preserve. And, no, I never had the time nor the inclination to marry or start a family. I am also an only child, whose parents passed away long ago.

Oh. I am sorry about that, my condolences anyway. But. I’m afraid that for tonight we might be running out of time - anything you’d like to say to our audience? You have free reign.

Bernard: Oh, really? This wasn’t as painful as I imagined it would be. I suppose it would be my duty to end this interview with a general warning: be wary of anything Kingsley says or writes. I haven’t read his memoir yet, but I know the man, and he is an unreliable narrator who only preserves the facets of the truth that will make him look like an innocent martyr.

Always the problem with history being written by just one side. Thank you very much for coming, Chief Inspector Griffin! I’m sure we can’t wait to see more about you in this upcoming work! It’s been a pleasure, and please, have a good night!

Bernard: This has been tolerable, so thank you for that. Have a safe and good night.

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And that does it for this week! As always, a friendly remainder that YOU can have YOUR characters interviewed on this blog!

Just send me a message on Twitter and we can set up an interview!

Next time on this blog - With the release of Tiogair, all the details you'd want, where to find it and my experience writing it!

Toodles!

The Heart's Delight

Foreword: In preparation for tomorrow's #MCchat on Twitter and the launch of Tiogair, here's a little story to know where the chat is taking place - The Heart's Delight, Cerulean Springs most prominent Pleasure House, for the night made into a normal nightclub for all the characters to meet up.

Needless to say, this is an 'alternate universe', non-canon with Tiogair, since it requires quite a bit of dimension hopping and time-space continuum breaking. Enjoy!

And remember: #MCchat is tomorrow, and along with Zoe, the other guest bartenders are gonna be:

-Thierry Adler, the smart-ass warlock from Avrin Kelly's 'Trigram' novel and

-Hayden Howell, the tough Charleston homicide detective from Hollie Hausenfluck  Deja Vu!

And you can see them both in the upcoming novella Coup De Grăce

Come one come all, let's get our characters together!

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There was still a bright daylight when the tigress walked towards the short corridor at the corner of the three story building. With the lights still on, she couldn’t see well the neon lights of the Pleasure House’s insigna: hanging over the corner entrance, it was a big red heart with the ‘Heart’s Delight’ stylized logo inside it. It was hugged by a buxomy pink feminine shape and a blue, buff, sultry shape, outlined in neon.

With her Augmented Reality vision on, the tigress spent just a second to admire the animated figures in that virtual layer, sensually hugging and caressing the motionless neon outlines, with their hands under the heart doing unspeakable things.

The tigress opened in a grin, shaking her head and heading inside. The corridor was dark, the spotlights on the floor that would usually give some atmospheric, warm glow unlit.

The small nook for the bouncer was empty, since the place was still closed to the public.

She sent a short message to the people inside, trying not to spend too much time outside and give people the wrong idea, and the sturdy, big wooden doors were opened from the inside by a muscular man dressed in a black shirt and jeans. The most prominent feature of his bald head the mechanical third eye in the middle of his forehead, scanning her mercilessly as always.

“Still no chrome, housecat?”

“Oh, feis ort Ludwig. It’s way too early for me to answer that question.” she greeted the head bouncer, shaking her head and moving inside.

“I’m just saying. Lots of redecoration to do for tomorrow. You could have used the boost in strength.”

“I can bloody move shit with my mind. I don’t need implants for that.” she replied in a showily annoyed tone. It was a typical conversation opener for them, the man trying his best to convert people to mechanical prosthetics - of which he already had quite a few.

“Bah. Suit yourself, housecat. If you’re looking for Paula, she’s in her office, sorting the invitations and the organization for tomorrow.”

“Thanks.” the tigress replied, taking off her jacket and remaining in her hoodie and cargo trousers. Considering she was going to help with the redecoration, at least she wanted to be comfortable.

Holding her jacket, she took a moment to appreciate the place. Despite being a regular, it was always a pleasure to be in the nightclub - the tall ceiling had soft, moody lights, giving the dark red decor of the walls, interrupted by tall windows capable of obscuring at a simple command to give a fumé effect. The ground floor was peppered with circular tables and comfortable chairs, surrounding the various pole-dance stages where the entertainers would present themselves. The AR integration was still showing the night before’s schedule and ratings to have some private ‘fun’ with them in the upper floor rooms, accessed from the stairs on the far right corner of the spacious floor. A longer catwalk and circular, bigger stage was dead center in the far side of the room, with the DJ booth closeby, used for main events.

On the lefthand side of the room there was the long, old-style wooden counter, with a glass countertop. A vast array of liquors was standing on the shelves mounted in front of a mirror.

Avoiding the various stools, the tigress waved at the other workers still redecorating for the big event night, the buxomy demoness making sure the access to the upper floor was closed. It was a somewhat clean event after all.

Zoe moved behind the counter, opening the door to the office - the difference was stark. Where the public space was atmospheric and geared towards entertainment and sensuality, the office was brightly lit and functional. Behind the glass desk there was the bulky shape of Paula, her muscular body relaxed on the comfortable office chair and her mechanical arm tapping its finger on the desk surface. A small icon in AR over her head indicated she was in a call, so the tigress took the time to check the protection seal she traced some time ago.

Luckily, the potted plant wasn’t there anymore, so she simply checked the runeset for any smirch or imperfection.

Satisfied, she simply waited for Paula to finish her call.

“I told you I need the catering by tomorrow, and if you know what’s good for you, you better get it. I swear, I paid good money for it, you don’t want to screw this up. Clear? Good.”

With a huff, the bodybuilder-built woman closed the call, readjusting her neon pink hair flowing down the right side of her head, the left side partially shaven in a stylistic haircut.

“Fucking unprofessional people. Speaking of which. Hey Tiogair.”

Zoe gave her a deadpan stare. “Haha. Hey. So, getting everything ready?” she asked, settling the jacket on the coathanger and sitting on the guest chair in front of the desk.

“Girls and boys have their couple days off, catering is gonna come through even if I have to go kick their ass personally and I arranged transportation for those guest bartenders...Thierry Adler and Hayden Howell. They seem nice. You three are gonna go along well.”

“I still can’t believe ISSTAR managed to pull this stuff off. We’re talking full dimensional hopping here.”

“I guess someone up there really wants to showcase their tech. And hey, this means more people will get to know our stories, doesn’t it?”

“Well yes, that’s true. Gonna bet on me on the next popularity polls?”

“I wouldn’t be caught dead doing that after last time. Sorry, Tio.”

“Bitch.”

Paula chuckled, and gave her a long stare, with a creepy smile on her lips. Zoe frowned.

She didn’t like that expression.

“You know” the Pleasure House owner started. “Funny thing you should say that now. ‘Cause I was just about to say that tomorrow you have the first two hours shift behind the counter at the event.”

The tigress laughed heartily, shaking her head. “Hah! Right, and there I was getting worried. Good one.”

“I’m not kidding, Tio.”

“...what.”

“You know” Paula continued “interesting byproduct of ISSTAR doing this whole thing? I saw that interview you had on...Twitter? That’s what’s called, right? That social media. That stool isn’t going to pay itself…”

“B-But it’s the big night!” Protested Zoe, taken aback by those news.

“I know. And I thought, what better way to have people like you and get to know you than you actually serving some drinks. And in the meantime repaying my stool.”

“It wasn’t my fault, that asshole was harassing me!”

“And that is why I have security staff. You broke the no violence rule, and you destroyed property. You’re covering first shift.”

The tigress tried to find some other point to counteract. She suddenly widened her eyes. “I can’t mix a drink to save my life!”

“Nice try, but no. You’re gonna log on the AR assistant. It’s gonna be easy as pie.” before the tigress could rebuke, Paula rose her mechanical hand with her index up. “Or, I tell Aisha about it.”

That last threat made it. With a defeated huff, the tigress slumped back on the chair. “Aight. Boss. Just this time, though.”

“Good girl.” Paula chided with a satisfied grin.

Zoe sighed. And smiled herself, shaking her head. At least it would be an interesting night.

#CharactersTell Main Characters Week - Interview with Sarin and Levi

Hello there people!

It's April, and with April come a number of good news! But first things first - we've got our first interview of the month! And no, it's not an April's Fools (I've never been good with pranks anyway...)

Such a lovely smile and eyes too!

Tonight we've got a double interview! Our guests for the night come from "Beasts & Burdens", a New Adults Romance Novel currently available on Wattpad (you can find it here!)

The author of Beasts & Burdens is Amina Leeds, a lovely person you can find on Twitter (and that

you should totally follow through this link!)

Tonight's guests are Sarin and Levi. They live a very interesting life, tied to two motorcycle gangs that do seem to have some history between each other... gangs and characters aside! (and they are quite nice and gorgeous!) But let's get them on the stage shall we?

Here we go!

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Hello there! And happy Easter, if you celebrate it! It’s an holiday *and* April’s fools at the same time, but we’ll try to stay serious. At least as much as we can.

Speaking of which, welcome to the interview, you two! Would you mind giving us a quick introduction of yourselves, your book and your author?

Here's Levi. My my~

Hi! I'm Sarin Heyman. I am one of the main characters in the novel Beasts & Burdens. It is a New Adult Romance that is centered in the outlaw motorcycle world. My author’s name is Amina Leeds and the book is offered through the Wattpad app for the time being. Oh! And I should point out that I am 20 and I live in the fictional town of Northridge, North Carolina. I'm also a Nightmare Assassin.

*laughs* She talks fast, sorry bout that. She gets excited… I'm Levi James, but my road name’s Phantom. I'm 22 years old and I am the Treasurer for the Devil's Henchmen MC in Northridge. Our two clubs are bitter rivals, but me and Sarin got a complicated past. I work as a mechanic when I'm not running guns and Sarin's a tattoo artist for her club.

Oh my! Both of you belonging to motorcycle clubs? That’s… not really a common point of view. I have to admit I’m quite curious about it. How did you two end up in your respective gangs? Was it a goal for you, or did it happen somewhere during your lives?

Levi: My pops, Rotten, is the Prez of my club and my older brother, Jacko, is the Veep, so I grew up in this life. It was never a choice to be anythin’ but a Devil. I'm not sure I'd even know a life outside my club. I prospected when I was 18 and set up a new charter in Florida that year, before I returned to Northridge as the Treasurer.

Even with such a sweet expression,
Sarin has some tricks up her sleeve!

Sarin: My story is a tad different. My grandfather, Gas Mask, started the Nightmare Assassins when he came to the states from a small Hawaiian island. When he died of cancer, my father, Beast, became the President. I am not a member of my club, like Levi is. I'm a woman, so I'm property. I can't hold a position of authority, but I can be claimed and wear the patch that way. It may sound harsh, but it's how it is in this world. I've lived this life all my life and it's all I know.

That’s definitely a much different life from the ones most people are used to… I’ve noticed a wide array of pictoresque names. How are they chosen? And Sarin, if you were to have one which one would you like?

Sarin: My grandfather named me after the nerve agent, sarin gas. He believed that an MC woman needed to be silent when needed, but always deadly. I wouldn't change my name to a road name, because being Sarin, for me, is much more. It's not only a piece of my heritage, but it's a reminder of my secret place in my club. I will always be the fierce protector that I need to be.

Levi: Road names are weird. You get one when you prospect. My father got his road name Rotten, because let's face it, he can be really vicious. My road name’s Phantom. It was kind of a joke at first, because when I was around 15, I crashed my fixer upper bike into a tree and got this really jagged scar on my jaw. Our enforcer, Reaper, said that all I needed was a white mask and I could be in an opera. So, Phantom it was.

As part of motorcycle gangs, you guys should have seen a lot of beautiful places along your roadtrips… Is there a favorite? And is there any place with significance for you both? I mean, with the good season rolling in, I can imagine a lot of sightseeing might happen!

Levi: I've been all over the country. The open road is the best. The wind in your face, the scent of the ocean and the tar on the road. I can't imagine bein’ stuck in a life without the freedom. Honestly, my favorite place is Northridge. We're right on the upper bay, so we get the ocean and the cliffs, along with some denser forest more inland. It can get hot here, but nothing super brutal cause you got the ocean air to cool ya off.

Sarin: I tattoo, so I've been different places on the convention circuit. Sturgis is fun when the big rally happens and you get all the bikers from all around the country rolling in. It can get really wild too. I want to go to Amsterdam. It's been my dream to go there and work in a shop for like a month, just spreading my art around. As for a place that's significant to both of us… Hmm… Probably Blair’s Bluff.

Levi: Yeah. The bluff… it's where we would sneak off to when we were young. You can see across the ocean from the cliff and our tree is there, with our names carved in it. Good times.

That’s...actually really sweet. I can’t wait to read and know if you’ll get to see that place again!

But! It’s Easter, so let’s talk surprises. A secret about the other each. We won’t tell anyone, promise!

Levi: A secret about Sarin. She's a huge open book, except where our relationship is concerned, so that's a hard one. I do know that she hides pebbles in her saddlebag on her bike. She doesn't think we know that she's a secret rock hoarder, but she puts them in her garden when no one's looking.  Have no clue why, just somethin’ she’s done since she was like six.

Sarin: I refuse to dignify that with an explanation, Levi. I like pretty things! Ok, since we are telling secrets… Want to explain about your secret obsession with Brittney Spears? He has like tons of hers songs in a secret workout file on his phone… Do you think you're toxic?

Levi: I refuse to allow you to insult Brittney like that. I may be all man, baby, but there is a time and a place for a good playlist…

My my, I love these sort of secrets. I might do dual interviews a bit more often for this sort of stuff… Anyway, I’m afraid we’re getting short on time! Anything you two want to say to our audience? Whatever you want!

Levi: I guess… Just thanks for includin’ us and hopefully you'll check out the book. Our author is really great at making a story that's got really good romantic moments, paired with lots of tension. She knows the outlaw culture, so it's pretty true to how things go. Hopefully, she writes us a happy ending

Sarin: Yeah! Our book is free to read and I think people will fall in love with the characters. So far, the response is good. I hope everyone enjoyed sitting down with us, even him… *points to Levi and giggles* Take care and Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to you too! And it’s been a pleasure to have you both on this blog! I’m utterly intrigued, and I’ll definitely check you guys out! Have a nice day!

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And this concludes our first interview for this month! I'll take this occasion to remind you that we'll have some VERY important news coming later tonight, so be sure to check Twitter!

And speaking of Twitter, you can get YOUR characters interviewed! Just send me a message on Twitter (for which you can find the link on the right side bar!) and we'll sort the date and the character to interview!

See you soon!