L.J. Charles's Blog
July 19, 2011
An Interview With McKenna Fin (Lifethread)
{Character Interview} McKenna Fin. Read or she might snip your Lifethread
Date Posted: May 19th, 2011
Written by Aimee Category: Aimee, Character Interview, Support
Lifethread by L. J. Charles
McKenna Fin (the main character in Lifethread by L.j. Charles) offered to meet me for an interview anywhere I chose. I’ve picked a crowded bookstore so that I have some sort of assurance of being able to walk out of it … alive. Yes, I value my lifethread just that much.
She’s come today dressed in her favorite outfit: blue jeans, a long-sleeved black t-shirt, and her Doc Martens, and is sitting across from me, poised on the edge of the couch, a book titled Knife Skills, Illustrated in her hand. I’m already starting to wonder if I should hold this interview at all! Think young and dangerous. What if I ask the wrong question?
Well … here goes.
Aimee: So—coughs into hand—MacKenna Fin. Fifty years in high school. That must hurt. I kind of liked high school, but 50 years is a bit much. Or do you just love it?
MacKenna: The thing is, Ms. Laine, I’m not allowed to talk about my life, or you know, I’ll never actually have one. She points the edge of the book at me and eyes the distance between us. It’s odd that you know about my 50-year history in high school. No one knows that except…oh, no. Who’ve you been talking to?
Aimee: I hear … stuff … wherever. Rumor has it, you’re kinda in love with this Nathan Quinn guy. Don’t you think that’s a little—taps temple— stupid?
McKenna: She jumps off the couch, towering over me. You know, not a smart thing to refer to a Fated priestess as stupid. Just sayin’.
Aimee: Okay, you’re right. My apologies. Let’s get back to Nathan. No, let’s talk about Fate. The Fates, in particular … your ‘Fate’. You work for one of them. Do you have to get her coffee? Take notes for her? How does that work for you?
McKenna: It’s nothing like that. She shrugs before settling back on the edge of the couch. You’re really not supposed to know about us priestess types. The Fates, yes. Everyone knows about them, and, well, I shouldn’t say anything, but since you’re not asking about Nathan…no coffee, no notes. It’s more like a save the world kind of job. Coffee would be good though. Smells like hazelnut cream in here.
Aimee: I sniff the room. I’d say it smells more like burnt coffee. Too bad we didn’t pick a Starbucks—Insert self-conscious laugh—So, what can you tell me about the Fates? If I’m not supposed to know about you, nor ask about you, let’s go up a level in the mythological hierarchy of life. Give me one good thing about the fates. Yours in particular.
McKenna: My Fate is Atropos. She’s responsible for cutting lifethreads—ending human life. Scary, but not really. Atropos is all about balance and keeping things orderly. Thing is, she’s the most…ah, intimidating of the Fates. Probably has to do with the scissors, but she’s almost always the spokes-fate when us priestess types are called before the tribunal. Huh. Shouldn’t have mentioned that. She takes out her blade and caresses the flat, glowing surface.
Aimee: See why we’re in this coffee shop? Luckily people are milling about so I’m hoping if this chick across from me gets any fiestier, I can run. Uh, okay. No more mention of … your role. C’mon though, you gotta tell me why after all this time you’d fall in love with a human. I mean, aren’t there thousands of other fish in the sea? Or does that show my age?
McKenna: She twirls hair around finger. Yeah. Your age is definitely showing, but seriously, Nathan is…different. And humanity is priceless. There just isn’t anything more special than humanity, well, other than my sisters and Nathan, and stuff. She curls back corner of the couch. Nathan is awesome. He gets me. Enough said.
Aimee: I lean forward all serious like. If humanity is the most special thing around, why do you let anyone snip lifethreads at all?
McKenna: Balance. You’re a grown up. You should know this. Life is a circle and the severing of lifethreads allows the circle to flow. Really, if you don’t get it by now, you may never understand. Even the energy from demon lifethreads is necessary to maintain the balance. I just learned that, though, so I don’t expect you to know about it. Oh, and another thing. She scoots to edge of couch. No one let’s Atropos do anything. Not even Zeus is crazy enough to challenge…oops. Probably it’s time for me to go.
Aimee: I wave my hands in the air. Fine, fine. Mums the word on the whole Atropos, priestess, Zeus, life snipper gig you got goin’ on. I personally think Zeus is a bit of a jokster myself. Why else would he create so many contradictions? But I digress …
McKenna: Hmmm. She leans forward to whisper. You’re right, but I wouldn’t say that where people can hear you. You never know who’s listening.
Aimee: So … leave us with one piece of advice on cross-species relationships. Give us something good we can chew on.
McKenna: She’s got a big grin now. I’m going to earn my humanity, so Nathan and I will have a normal, human relationship. Sort of. There will always be the…odd twists, but you asked for something to chew on. Respect. For the whole cross species thing to work, you really need to respect each other. Like with me and my sisters. We all have different, um, gifts, but we love each other so we’re tolerant of the stuff we don’t understand. Mostly. I really gotta go.
Aimee: She stands and leaves before I can get another word in. I watch her saunter out and think, oh to be that young again … then again, she’s technically older than me. Ha! I’d stick out my tongue at her, but … well … she’s probably see it and I’d be doomed.
I hope you enjoyed this little character interview. Want to know more about Lifethread? Here’s what you’ll find on the back cover:
McKenna Fin is armed, dangerous, and in love for the first time. She’ll do anything to earn her humanity… except the one thing the Fate’s require.
Stuck in her senior year of high school until she earns her humanity, McKenna Fin is responsible for cutting the lifethread of demons, and protecting teens from being possessed. To celebrate her fiftieth year of apprenticeship to the Fate Atropos, McKenna is given a new responsibility, and possibly a quick way to earn her humanity—severing the lifethread of deserving humans. Her first assignment: Nathan Quinn.
When Nathan becomes a primary demon target and gets sucked into Tartania, McKenna’s duty as a Fated priestess demands she follow. McKenna can rescue him, no problem, but then she’d have to cut his lifethread. And he’s the one and only guy she’s been attracted to since forever.
The demons consider Nathan one of their own and fight to keep him. The time limit on Nathan’s life is about to run out, and McKenna has to make the decision: sever his lifethread, or battle demons, defy the Fates, and keep him for her own.
Date Posted: May 19th, 2011
Written by Aimee Category: Aimee, Character Interview, Support
Lifethread by L. J. Charles
McKenna Fin (the main character in Lifethread by L.j. Charles) offered to meet me for an interview anywhere I chose. I’ve picked a crowded bookstore so that I have some sort of assurance of being able to walk out of it … alive. Yes, I value my lifethread just that much.
She’s come today dressed in her favorite outfit: blue jeans, a long-sleeved black t-shirt, and her Doc Martens, and is sitting across from me, poised on the edge of the couch, a book titled Knife Skills, Illustrated in her hand. I’m already starting to wonder if I should hold this interview at all! Think young and dangerous. What if I ask the wrong question?
Well … here goes.
Aimee: So—coughs into hand—MacKenna Fin. Fifty years in high school. That must hurt. I kind of liked high school, but 50 years is a bit much. Or do you just love it?
MacKenna: The thing is, Ms. Laine, I’m not allowed to talk about my life, or you know, I’ll never actually have one. She points the edge of the book at me and eyes the distance between us. It’s odd that you know about my 50-year history in high school. No one knows that except…oh, no. Who’ve you been talking to?
Aimee: I hear … stuff … wherever. Rumor has it, you’re kinda in love with this Nathan Quinn guy. Don’t you think that’s a little—taps temple— stupid?
McKenna: She jumps off the couch, towering over me. You know, not a smart thing to refer to a Fated priestess as stupid. Just sayin’.
Aimee: Okay, you’re right. My apologies. Let’s get back to Nathan. No, let’s talk about Fate. The Fates, in particular … your ‘Fate’. You work for one of them. Do you have to get her coffee? Take notes for her? How does that work for you?
McKenna: It’s nothing like that. She shrugs before settling back on the edge of the couch. You’re really not supposed to know about us priestess types. The Fates, yes. Everyone knows about them, and, well, I shouldn’t say anything, but since you’re not asking about Nathan…no coffee, no notes. It’s more like a save the world kind of job. Coffee would be good though. Smells like hazelnut cream in here.
Aimee: I sniff the room. I’d say it smells more like burnt coffee. Too bad we didn’t pick a Starbucks—Insert self-conscious laugh—So, what can you tell me about the Fates? If I’m not supposed to know about you, nor ask about you, let’s go up a level in the mythological hierarchy of life. Give me one good thing about the fates. Yours in particular.
McKenna: My Fate is Atropos. She’s responsible for cutting lifethreads—ending human life. Scary, but not really. Atropos is all about balance and keeping things orderly. Thing is, she’s the most…ah, intimidating of the Fates. Probably has to do with the scissors, but she’s almost always the spokes-fate when us priestess types are called before the tribunal. Huh. Shouldn’t have mentioned that. She takes out her blade and caresses the flat, glowing surface.
Aimee: See why we’re in this coffee shop? Luckily people are milling about so I’m hoping if this chick across from me gets any fiestier, I can run. Uh, okay. No more mention of … your role. C’mon though, you gotta tell me why after all this time you’d fall in love with a human. I mean, aren’t there thousands of other fish in the sea? Or does that show my age?
McKenna: She twirls hair around finger. Yeah. Your age is definitely showing, but seriously, Nathan is…different. And humanity is priceless. There just isn’t anything more special than humanity, well, other than my sisters and Nathan, and stuff. She curls back corner of the couch. Nathan is awesome. He gets me. Enough said.
Aimee: I lean forward all serious like. If humanity is the most special thing around, why do you let anyone snip lifethreads at all?
McKenna: Balance. You’re a grown up. You should know this. Life is a circle and the severing of lifethreads allows the circle to flow. Really, if you don’t get it by now, you may never understand. Even the energy from demon lifethreads is necessary to maintain the balance. I just learned that, though, so I don’t expect you to know about it. Oh, and another thing. She scoots to edge of couch. No one let’s Atropos do anything. Not even Zeus is crazy enough to challenge…oops. Probably it’s time for me to go.
Aimee: I wave my hands in the air. Fine, fine. Mums the word on the whole Atropos, priestess, Zeus, life snipper gig you got goin’ on. I personally think Zeus is a bit of a jokster myself. Why else would he create so many contradictions? But I digress …
McKenna: Hmmm. She leans forward to whisper. You’re right, but I wouldn’t say that where people can hear you. You never know who’s listening.
Aimee: So … leave us with one piece of advice on cross-species relationships. Give us something good we can chew on.
McKenna: She’s got a big grin now. I’m going to earn my humanity, so Nathan and I will have a normal, human relationship. Sort of. There will always be the…odd twists, but you asked for something to chew on. Respect. For the whole cross species thing to work, you really need to respect each other. Like with me and my sisters. We all have different, um, gifts, but we love each other so we’re tolerant of the stuff we don’t understand. Mostly. I really gotta go.
Aimee: She stands and leaves before I can get another word in. I watch her saunter out and think, oh to be that young again … then again, she’s technically older than me. Ha! I’d stick out my tongue at her, but … well … she’s probably see it and I’d be doomed.
I hope you enjoyed this little character interview. Want to know more about Lifethread? Here’s what you’ll find on the back cover:
McKenna Fin is armed, dangerous, and in love for the first time. She’ll do anything to earn her humanity… except the one thing the Fate’s require.
Stuck in her senior year of high school until she earns her humanity, McKenna Fin is responsible for cutting the lifethread of demons, and protecting teens from being possessed. To celebrate her fiftieth year of apprenticeship to the Fate Atropos, McKenna is given a new responsibility, and possibly a quick way to earn her humanity—severing the lifethread of deserving humans. Her first assignment: Nathan Quinn.
When Nathan becomes a primary demon target and gets sucked into Tartania, McKenna’s duty as a Fated priestess demands she follow. McKenna can rescue him, no problem, but then she’d have to cut his lifethread. And he’s the one and only guy she’s been attracted to since forever.
The demons consider Nathan one of their own and fight to keep him. The time limit on Nathan’s life is about to run out, and McKenna has to make the decision: sever his lifethread, or battle demons, defy the Fates, and keep him for her own.
July 2, 2011
My First Paranormal Experience
Why I Write Paranormal Fiction
It happened one summer...
A good friend of mine—I’ll call her Piper since I followed her blindly into the obscure world of the believe-it-or-not—invited me to attend a conference.
We worked together in the corporate world, so when she explained that it was a spiritual retreat and that it would be a week of new and unusual experiences, I took her at her scientific word. And thus began my first "encounter" with weird, sort of exciting, and somewhat scary phenomena.
We arrived at the almost deserted college campus a day early because Piper was teaching a workshop, her first, and she was concerned that everything be in place before she began to teach.
While Piper and I unloaded the car, a woman in a wheelchair approached us, waving, smiling, and obviously happy to see Piper. Nitya was introduced to me as a gifted visionary and teacher. I only saw a curly head of blond hair and a great deal of energy packed into a tiny body. She seemed...normal, and since visionary stuff was bogus, I innocently went through the nice-to-meet-you routine.
Nitya had just begun to practice angelic alignment work and wanted to share this experience with Piper. Immediately.
I, totally new to metaphysical work, naively accepted their invitation to watch the process of Piper's allignment. We were able to use an unoccupied sitting area furnished with a sofa and some chairs. Piper took a seat on the sofa, Nitya facing her in the wheelchair.
Not wanting to intrude, I took a chair off to the side, curled up and settled in, eyes wide open, to watch my first metaphysical demonstration. As Nitya began to work, breathing and weaving her arms around Piper in a complex and quite beautiful choreography, my thoughts went awry: This is really strange. What the heck am I doing here? Should I leave? And then the biggie—Would I miss something important if I left?
My assigned dorm room was across campus, in a huge unoccupied building and escape seemed a better option than hanging around these strange people. I tried to slid to the edge of the chair in preparation for a unobtrusive exit, but my body was suddenly too heavy to move.
I told myself that my muscles had turned to lead because my body knew it would be rude for me to just walk out. Truth: the room seemed to be moving and I was too scared to twitch, much less get up and leave, and if I was being held there, paralyzed by the scene in front of me, I seriously didn't want to know it.
This whole demo business had become way more paranormal than I bargained for.
The room seemed to become lighter and brighter, and I noticed a peculiar pressure building in my head. The cold chill of fear slithered through my body. I couldn't leave. Couldn't even move. Time had been suspended. Well, maybe not suspended, but definitely something funky was going on.
I tried to talk myself through it: You can handle this. It's a little strange, but nothing that unusual. And remember, this is a spiritual conference and things are supposed to be slightly different from the ordinary.
Nitya began to chant. From my scared speechless perspective, this was nothing short of a miracle—to be able to produce musical sounds, seemingly out of the blue, while she waved her hands around and the room turned icy cold. Not. Normal. Nope, we'd done gone and moved into someplace "other."
And I wanted out.
Not that I could move, but still.
And why did Piper and Nitya seem to be all cozy and comfortable? How come they weren't freezing their butts off ? My mind played with the scientific fact that it was August—in North Carolina—and hot enough to whip up some barbeque on the sidewalk. Too. Weird.
I shut my eyes and pretended I was home with a normal kitchen where I could pour a Diet Coke and read a good romantic mystery.
The chanting stopped.
My eyes fluttered open to discover a very large angel hovering around Piper.
Had I fallen asleep? Was this "situation" some kind of surreal dream?
My eyes snapped shut and I took inventory. Breathing? Check. Shivering? Check. Sane? Nope. I'd lost it.
I sucked in a breath and opened my eyes. Sure enough there was an angel—ghostly pale energy, human body shape (more or less), glistening, vibrating, flowing, peaceful, bright—everything human art depicts except for the wings. No wings. More like energetic arms that seemed to surround Piper. And no halo. How could it be an angel without a halo?
Whew. Had me fooled there for a minute. I did not see angels. Angels belonged in heaven, safely tucked away where God could keep an eye on them.
As a kid I thought it would be cool to see my Guardian Angel. Say hi, whatever. But I wasn't a kid anymore and this was what? My imagination in overdrive?
I explained it to myself: You're stressed from work and haven't been getting enough sleep. This is just a minor breakdown that'll be over as soon as they're done playing with...uh...whatever it is they're doing. Then you can laugh about how you imagined seeing angels and chalk it up to your newly developed metaphysical imagination.
Ha.
They did finish. And I could move, but not with a whole lot of umph in my step.
Oddly enough, our after-party conversation wasn't focused on teasing me about my imagined “sight.” It was a profound and genuine sharing of their experiences in this work of the angels.
Three things passed through my mind, none of them comfortable. I had to sleep, by myself, in that empty building across campus. I was scheduled for a private session with Nitya in two days. My life would never be normal (Sanity is overrated, right?) again.
Have you had a paranormal experience?
It happened one summer...
A good friend of mine—I’ll call her Piper since I followed her blindly into the obscure world of the believe-it-or-not—invited me to attend a conference.
We worked together in the corporate world, so when she explained that it was a spiritual retreat and that it would be a week of new and unusual experiences, I took her at her scientific word. And thus began my first "encounter" with weird, sort of exciting, and somewhat scary phenomena.
We arrived at the almost deserted college campus a day early because Piper was teaching a workshop, her first, and she was concerned that everything be in place before she began to teach.
While Piper and I unloaded the car, a woman in a wheelchair approached us, waving, smiling, and obviously happy to see Piper. Nitya was introduced to me as a gifted visionary and teacher. I only saw a curly head of blond hair and a great deal of energy packed into a tiny body. She seemed...normal, and since visionary stuff was bogus, I innocently went through the nice-to-meet-you routine.
Nitya had just begun to practice angelic alignment work and wanted to share this experience with Piper. Immediately.
I, totally new to metaphysical work, naively accepted their invitation to watch the process of Piper's allignment. We were able to use an unoccupied sitting area furnished with a sofa and some chairs. Piper took a seat on the sofa, Nitya facing her in the wheelchair.
Not wanting to intrude, I took a chair off to the side, curled up and settled in, eyes wide open, to watch my first metaphysical demonstration. As Nitya began to work, breathing and weaving her arms around Piper in a complex and quite beautiful choreography, my thoughts went awry: This is really strange. What the heck am I doing here? Should I leave? And then the biggie—Would I miss something important if I left?
My assigned dorm room was across campus, in a huge unoccupied building and escape seemed a better option than hanging around these strange people. I tried to slid to the edge of the chair in preparation for a unobtrusive exit, but my body was suddenly too heavy to move.
I told myself that my muscles had turned to lead because my body knew it would be rude for me to just walk out. Truth: the room seemed to be moving and I was too scared to twitch, much less get up and leave, and if I was being held there, paralyzed by the scene in front of me, I seriously didn't want to know it.
This whole demo business had become way more paranormal than I bargained for.
The room seemed to become lighter and brighter, and I noticed a peculiar pressure building in my head. The cold chill of fear slithered through my body. I couldn't leave. Couldn't even move. Time had been suspended. Well, maybe not suspended, but definitely something funky was going on.
I tried to talk myself through it: You can handle this. It's a little strange, but nothing that unusual. And remember, this is a spiritual conference and things are supposed to be slightly different from the ordinary.
Nitya began to chant. From my scared speechless perspective, this was nothing short of a miracle—to be able to produce musical sounds, seemingly out of the blue, while she waved her hands around and the room turned icy cold. Not. Normal. Nope, we'd done gone and moved into someplace "other."
And I wanted out.
Not that I could move, but still.
And why did Piper and Nitya seem to be all cozy and comfortable? How come they weren't freezing their butts off ? My mind played with the scientific fact that it was August—in North Carolina—and hot enough to whip up some barbeque on the sidewalk. Too. Weird.
I shut my eyes and pretended I was home with a normal kitchen where I could pour a Diet Coke and read a good romantic mystery.
The chanting stopped.
My eyes fluttered open to discover a very large angel hovering around Piper.
Had I fallen asleep? Was this "situation" some kind of surreal dream?
My eyes snapped shut and I took inventory. Breathing? Check. Shivering? Check. Sane? Nope. I'd lost it.
I sucked in a breath and opened my eyes. Sure enough there was an angel—ghostly pale energy, human body shape (more or less), glistening, vibrating, flowing, peaceful, bright—everything human art depicts except for the wings. No wings. More like energetic arms that seemed to surround Piper. And no halo. How could it be an angel without a halo?
Whew. Had me fooled there for a minute. I did not see angels. Angels belonged in heaven, safely tucked away where God could keep an eye on them.
As a kid I thought it would be cool to see my Guardian Angel. Say hi, whatever. But I wasn't a kid anymore and this was what? My imagination in overdrive?
I explained it to myself: You're stressed from work and haven't been getting enough sleep. This is just a minor breakdown that'll be over as soon as they're done playing with...uh...whatever it is they're doing. Then you can laugh about how you imagined seeing angels and chalk it up to your newly developed metaphysical imagination.
Ha.
They did finish. And I could move, but not with a whole lot of umph in my step.
Oddly enough, our after-party conversation wasn't focused on teasing me about my imagined “sight.” It was a profound and genuine sharing of their experiences in this work of the angels.
Three things passed through my mind, none of them comfortable. I had to sleep, by myself, in that empty building across campus. I was scheduled for a private session with Nitya in two days. My life would never be normal (Sanity is overrated, right?) again.
Have you had a paranormal experience?
June 5, 2011
Smashwords
The Lifethread books and my new release, The Knowing, are now available on Smashwords at http://goo.gl/egri7
Happy reading!
Lucie j.
Happy reading!
Lucie j.
May 19, 2011
Character Interview
McKenna Fin (the main character in Lifethread by L.j. Charles) offered to meet me for an interview anywhere I chose. I’ve picked a crowded bookstore so that I have some sort of assurance of being able to walk out of it … alive. Yes, I value my lifethread just that much.
She’s come today dressed in her favorite outfit: blue jeans, a long-sleeved black t-shirt, and her Doc Martens, and is sitting across from me, poised on the edge of the couch, a book titled Knife Skills, Illustrated in her hand. I’m already starting to wonder if I should hold this interview at all! Think young and dangerous. What if I ask the wrong question?
Well … here goes.
Aimee: So—coughs into hand—MacKenna Fin. Fifty years in high school. That must hurt. I kind of liked high school, but 50 years is a bit much. Or do you just love it?
MacKenna: The thing is, Ms. Laine, I’m not allowed to talk about my life, or you know, I’ll never actually have one. She points the edge of the book at me and eyes the distance between us. It’s odd that you know about my 50-year history in high school. No one knows that except…oh, no. Who’ve you been talking to?
Aimee: I hear … stuff … wherever. Rumor has it, you’re kinda in love with this Nathan Quinn guy. Don’t you think that’s a little—taps temple— stupid?
McKenna: She jumps off the couch, towering over me. You know, not a smart thing to refer to a Fated priestess as stupid. Just sayin’.
Aimee: Okay, you’re right. My apologies. Let’s get back to Nathan. No, let’s talk about Fate. The Fates, in particular … your ‘Fate’. You work for one of them. Do you have to get her coffee? Take notes for her? How does that work for you?
McKenna: It’s nothing like that. She shrugs before settling back on the edge of the couch. You’re really not supposed to know about us priestess types. The Fates, yes. Everyone knows about them, and, well, I shouldn’t say anything, but since you’re not asking about Nathan…no coffee, no notes. It’s more like a save the world kind of job. Coffee would be good though. Smells like hazelnut cream in here.
Aimee: I sniff the room. I’d say it smells more like burnt coffee. Too bad we didn’t pick a Starbucks—Insert self-conscious laugh—So, what can you tell me about the Fates? If I’m not supposed to know about you, nor ask about you, let’s go up a level in the mythological hierarchy of life. Give me one good thing about the fates. Yours in particular.
McKenna: My Fate is Atropos. She’s responsible for cutting lifethreads—ending human life. Scary, but not really. Atropos is all about balance and keeping things orderly. Thing is, she’s the most…ah, intimidating of the Fates. Probably has to do with the scissors, but she’s almost always the spokes-fate when us priestess types are called before the tribunal. Huh. Shouldn’t have mentioned that. She takes out her blade and caresses the flat, glowing surface.
Aimee: See why we’re in this coffee shop? Luckily people are milling about so I’m hoping if this chick across from me gets any fiestier, I can run. Uh, okay. No more mention of … your role. C’mon though, you gotta tell me why after all this time you’d fall in love with a human. I mean, aren’t there thousands of other fish in the sea? Or does that show my age?
McKenna: She twirls hair around finger. Yeah. Your age is definitely showing, but seriously, Nathan is…different. And humanity is priceless. There just isn’t anything more special than humanity, well, other than my sisters and Nathan, and stuff. She curls back corner of the couch. Nathan is awesome. He gets me. Enough said.
Aimee: I lean forward all serious like. If humanity is the most special thing around, why do you let anyone snip lifethreads at all?
McKenna: Balance. You’re a grown up. You should know this. Life is a circle and the severing of lifethreads allows the circle to flow. Really, if you don’t get it by now, you may never understand. Even the energy from demon lifethreads is necessary to maintain the balance. I just learned that, though, so I don’t expect you to know about it. Oh, and another thing. She scoots to edge of couch. No one let’s Atropos do anything. Not even Zeus is crazy enough to challenge…oops. Probably it’s time for me to go.
Aimee: I wave my hands in the air. Fine, fine. Mums the word on the whole Atropos, priestess, Zeus, life snipper gig you got goin’ on. I personally think Zeus is a bit of a jokster myself. Why else would he create so many contradictions? But I digress …
McKenna: Hmmm. She leans forward to whisper. You’re right, but I wouldn’t say that where people can hear you. You never know who’s listening.
Aimee: So … leave us with one piece of advice on cross-species relationships. Give us something good we can chew on.
McKenna: She’s got a big grin now. I’m going to earn my humanity, so Nathan and I will have a normal, human relationship. Sort of. There will always be the…odd twists, but you asked for something to chew on. Respect. For the whole cross species thing to work, you really need to respect each other. Like with me and my sisters. We all have different, um, gifts, but we love each other so we’re tolerant of the stuff we don’t understand. Mostly. I really gotta go.
Aimee: She stands and leaves before I can get another word in. I watch her saunter out and think, oh to be that young again … then again, she’s technically older than me. Ha! I’d stick out my tongue at her, but … well … she’s probably see it and I’d be doomed.
She’s come today dressed in her favorite outfit: blue jeans, a long-sleeved black t-shirt, and her Doc Martens, and is sitting across from me, poised on the edge of the couch, a book titled Knife Skills, Illustrated in her hand. I’m already starting to wonder if I should hold this interview at all! Think young and dangerous. What if I ask the wrong question?
Well … here goes.
Aimee: So—coughs into hand—MacKenna Fin. Fifty years in high school. That must hurt. I kind of liked high school, but 50 years is a bit much. Or do you just love it?
MacKenna: The thing is, Ms. Laine, I’m not allowed to talk about my life, or you know, I’ll never actually have one. She points the edge of the book at me and eyes the distance between us. It’s odd that you know about my 50-year history in high school. No one knows that except…oh, no. Who’ve you been talking to?
Aimee: I hear … stuff … wherever. Rumor has it, you’re kinda in love with this Nathan Quinn guy. Don’t you think that’s a little—taps temple— stupid?
McKenna: She jumps off the couch, towering over me. You know, not a smart thing to refer to a Fated priestess as stupid. Just sayin’.
Aimee: Okay, you’re right. My apologies. Let’s get back to Nathan. No, let’s talk about Fate. The Fates, in particular … your ‘Fate’. You work for one of them. Do you have to get her coffee? Take notes for her? How does that work for you?
McKenna: It’s nothing like that. She shrugs before settling back on the edge of the couch. You’re really not supposed to know about us priestess types. The Fates, yes. Everyone knows about them, and, well, I shouldn’t say anything, but since you’re not asking about Nathan…no coffee, no notes. It’s more like a save the world kind of job. Coffee would be good though. Smells like hazelnut cream in here.
Aimee: I sniff the room. I’d say it smells more like burnt coffee. Too bad we didn’t pick a Starbucks—Insert self-conscious laugh—So, what can you tell me about the Fates? If I’m not supposed to know about you, nor ask about you, let’s go up a level in the mythological hierarchy of life. Give me one good thing about the fates. Yours in particular.
McKenna: My Fate is Atropos. She’s responsible for cutting lifethreads—ending human life. Scary, but not really. Atropos is all about balance and keeping things orderly. Thing is, she’s the most…ah, intimidating of the Fates. Probably has to do with the scissors, but she’s almost always the spokes-fate when us priestess types are called before the tribunal. Huh. Shouldn’t have mentioned that. She takes out her blade and caresses the flat, glowing surface.
Aimee: See why we’re in this coffee shop? Luckily people are milling about so I’m hoping if this chick across from me gets any fiestier, I can run. Uh, okay. No more mention of … your role. C’mon though, you gotta tell me why after all this time you’d fall in love with a human. I mean, aren’t there thousands of other fish in the sea? Or does that show my age?
McKenna: She twirls hair around finger. Yeah. Your age is definitely showing, but seriously, Nathan is…different. And humanity is priceless. There just isn’t anything more special than humanity, well, other than my sisters and Nathan, and stuff. She curls back corner of the couch. Nathan is awesome. He gets me. Enough said.
Aimee: I lean forward all serious like. If humanity is the most special thing around, why do you let anyone snip lifethreads at all?
McKenna: Balance. You’re a grown up. You should know this. Life is a circle and the severing of lifethreads allows the circle to flow. Really, if you don’t get it by now, you may never understand. Even the energy from demon lifethreads is necessary to maintain the balance. I just learned that, though, so I don’t expect you to know about it. Oh, and another thing. She scoots to edge of couch. No one let’s Atropos do anything. Not even Zeus is crazy enough to challenge…oops. Probably it’s time for me to go.
Aimee: I wave my hands in the air. Fine, fine. Mums the word on the whole Atropos, priestess, Zeus, life snipper gig you got goin’ on. I personally think Zeus is a bit of a jokster myself. Why else would he create so many contradictions? But I digress …
McKenna: Hmmm. She leans forward to whisper. You’re right, but I wouldn’t say that where people can hear you. You never know who’s listening.
Aimee: So … leave us with one piece of advice on cross-species relationships. Give us something good we can chew on.
McKenna: She’s got a big grin now. I’m going to earn my humanity, so Nathan and I will have a normal, human relationship. Sort of. There will always be the…odd twists, but you asked for something to chew on. Respect. For the whole cross species thing to work, you really need to respect each other. Like with me and my sisters. We all have different, um, gifts, but we love each other so we’re tolerant of the stuff we don’t understand. Mostly. I really gotta go.
Aimee: She stands and leaves before I can get another word in. I watch her saunter out and think, oh to be that young again … then again, she’s technically older than me. Ha! I’d stick out my tongue at her, but … well … she’s probably see it and I’d be doomed.
May 13, 2011
Especially for Goodreads giveaway participants
Hi everyone.
I want to thank all 600 people who have signed up for my 3-book giveaway on May 15th.
Since there are 600 of you and only 3 books available, I'm lowering the price of the digital edition of Lifethread on both Amazon and at Barnes & Noble to 1.99 starting tomorrow, May 14th.
Thanks for your support!
L. j. Charles
I want to thank all 600 people who have signed up for my 3-book giveaway on May 15th.
Since there are 600 of you and only 3 books available, I'm lowering the price of the digital edition of Lifethread on both Amazon and at Barnes & Noble to 1.99 starting tomorrow, May 14th.
Thanks for your support!
L. j. Charles
May 10, 2011
Movement
When my characters get stubborn, or too demanding, and I can’t figure out what would be the worst possible thing to do to them, I walk. When I lived in North Carolina, it was easy to steal a quick fifteen minutes from their demanding attitudes, and settle our issues offline…so to speak.
Things are different in North Dakota. Not as hectic as the chaos of the Raleigh/Cary area, but, oh, there’s movement and lots of it. Wind. The stuff never quits, and in the winter, hearty gusts are accompanied by snow, sleet, and all manner of body-numbing atrocities. Winter, by the way, lasts until May. As a fairly new transplant from the south, I’ve been hiding from North Dakota winters, ignoring the pleas of my characters to puh-leeze get out and move so I can hear what they’re trying to tell me.
But I couldn’t hide forever, not from the insistent voices of my characters, and definitely not from the bathroom mirror.
My Big Jeans had reached an uncomfortable snugness when the epiphany hit. I got on a friend’s treadmill. Oh, I’d had gym memberships, gone the route of aerobic classes, step classes, and all that sort of thing, but never touched the…machines. Too big, too heavy, too intimidating, and you had to go to a gym where people watched while they waited for their turn with the monsters. But alone in my friend’s house with the treadmill—pure joy.
My husband, sweetheart that he is, tried to drag me to the YMCA. Not one of his better moves, but he made up for it and came through with a Nordictrack. Best Valentine’s Day present, ever, never mind that it arrived in April. It resides in the basement, and we’ve become BFF’s. If I’m stuck on a plot point, need to listen to, or argue with my characters, I hit the treadmill and walk it out. Doesn’t matter if there’s twenty inches of snow in the driveway because I have my machine. And smaller jeans.
What do you do when the literary, or other, doldrums strike?
Things are different in North Dakota. Not as hectic as the chaos of the Raleigh/Cary area, but, oh, there’s movement and lots of it. Wind. The stuff never quits, and in the winter, hearty gusts are accompanied by snow, sleet, and all manner of body-numbing atrocities. Winter, by the way, lasts until May. As a fairly new transplant from the south, I’ve been hiding from North Dakota winters, ignoring the pleas of my characters to puh-leeze get out and move so I can hear what they’re trying to tell me.
But I couldn’t hide forever, not from the insistent voices of my characters, and definitely not from the bathroom mirror.
My Big Jeans had reached an uncomfortable snugness when the epiphany hit. I got on a friend’s treadmill. Oh, I’d had gym memberships, gone the route of aerobic classes, step classes, and all that sort of thing, but never touched the…machines. Too big, too heavy, too intimidating, and you had to go to a gym where people watched while they waited for their turn with the monsters. But alone in my friend’s house with the treadmill—pure joy.
My husband, sweetheart that he is, tried to drag me to the YMCA. Not one of his better moves, but he made up for it and came through with a Nordictrack. Best Valentine’s Day present, ever, never mind that it arrived in April. It resides in the basement, and we’ve become BFF’s. If I’m stuck on a plot point, need to listen to, or argue with my characters, I hit the treadmill and walk it out. Doesn’t matter if there’s twenty inches of snow in the driveway because I have my machine. And smaller jeans.
What do you do when the literary, or other, doldrums strike?
May 3, 2011
Invitation to a Free Read
It was my pleasure this week to accept an offer from OnKindle to publish Lifethread: Mistake, my short story in the Lifethread series, as a free read.
OnKindle is a great website that offers short stories, a listing of the current free books that are available on Amazon, and a listing of the top selling books.
http://www.onkindle.com/
To celebrate this occasion, I've made the digital edition of Lifethread, the novel, available to Amazon customers for .99 (this week only).
I'd be happy to answer questions and chat about Mistake or Lifethread.
lucie j.
OnKindle is a great website that offers short stories, a listing of the current free books that are available on Amazon, and a listing of the top selling books.
http://www.onkindle.com/
To celebrate this occasion, I've made the digital edition of Lifethread, the novel, available to Amazon customers for .99 (this week only).
I'd be happy to answer questions and chat about Mistake or Lifethread.
lucie j.
Why I Wrote Lifethread
I like teens. Spending time with them, listening to their discussions, and watching the twists and turns of how they explore life is fun. And anything paranormal and mystical fascinates me. Oh, and romance. Love is what makes us human. And I’m a writer. So, a Young Adult, paranormal romance? What could be better?
Choosing a mythological background for my characters slipped into place when I was loitering in the Young Adult section of the local bookstore. Although the Fates have long been a part of human existence, as I read back cover blurbs and flipped through pages, I found nothing that involved their mythology. In that moment, the background for LIFETHREAD was born.
The Fates provided the perfect setting for my young adult heroines to question and challenge established beliefs. The power and depth of ancient legend created a strong and multi-layered tapestry in which to weave the threads of my story, and the Fates’ responsibilities—creating life, determining destiny, and ending life—represent human transitions perfectly. The weight of their responsibilities also provided my characters with excellent opportunities to break the rules. Teenagers vs. the ancient and established tradition of the Fates. It worked for me. My heroines, McKenna, Shea, and Merritt, continually surprise me with their ingenuity and humor as the pages of their stories unfold.
I’m a complete pantser, so when I started writing I only knew my character’s names, which Fate they were apprenticed to, and that McKenna demanded I write her story first. Understandable since she’s responsible to Atropos and severs the lifethreads of demons. I wasn’t about to argue with her blade. McKenna’s story flowed from my imagination to the keyboard almost effortlessly. We had such fun getting her into, and out of, trouble that I barely realized it was work…until I started on the second draft. That’s when the complexity of her personality started to shine, and make me sweat. One of my more stubborn characters, McKenna.
Not to be outdone, Shea and Merritt have demanded their own stories. Currently, Shea and I are writing Lifethread: CREATION, and are discovering that of the three priestesses, she’s not really “the good one” after all. Merritt has been tapping her foot in the background of my mind, impatiently waiting for Shea to get out of way so that I can begin the more important task of writing about her in Lifethread: DESTINY.
Guess I better get back to it!
What makes you select one book over another when you’re wandering the aisles of your favorite bookstore, or cruising the selections of ebooks at Amazon and Barnes & Noble looking for the perfect read?
Lucie j.
Choosing a mythological background for my characters slipped into place when I was loitering in the Young Adult section of the local bookstore. Although the Fates have long been a part of human existence, as I read back cover blurbs and flipped through pages, I found nothing that involved their mythology. In that moment, the background for LIFETHREAD was born.
The Fates provided the perfect setting for my young adult heroines to question and challenge established beliefs. The power and depth of ancient legend created a strong and multi-layered tapestry in which to weave the threads of my story, and the Fates’ responsibilities—creating life, determining destiny, and ending life—represent human transitions perfectly. The weight of their responsibilities also provided my characters with excellent opportunities to break the rules. Teenagers vs. the ancient and established tradition of the Fates. It worked for me. My heroines, McKenna, Shea, and Merritt, continually surprise me with their ingenuity and humor as the pages of their stories unfold.
I’m a complete pantser, so when I started writing I only knew my character’s names, which Fate they were apprenticed to, and that McKenna demanded I write her story first. Understandable since she’s responsible to Atropos and severs the lifethreads of demons. I wasn’t about to argue with her blade. McKenna’s story flowed from my imagination to the keyboard almost effortlessly. We had such fun getting her into, and out of, trouble that I barely realized it was work…until I started on the second draft. That’s when the complexity of her personality started to shine, and make me sweat. One of my more stubborn characters, McKenna.
Not to be outdone, Shea and Merritt have demanded their own stories. Currently, Shea and I are writing Lifethread: CREATION, and are discovering that of the three priestesses, she’s not really “the good one” after all. Merritt has been tapping her foot in the background of my mind, impatiently waiting for Shea to get out of way so that I can begin the more important task of writing about her in Lifethread: DESTINY.
Guess I better get back to it!
What makes you select one book over another when you’re wandering the aisles of your favorite bookstore, or cruising the selections of ebooks at Amazon and Barnes & Noble looking for the perfect read?
Lucie j.
