Alex James Kylar Interview

Art by James Vallesteros

Hello Alex, Thank you for stopping by to answer a few questions. Can you describe yourself in 3 words?
What? [Half-laughs in disbelief] OK, this isn't what I expected. Uh ... eighteen, male, AK.

Can you tell us a little bit about what you do?
Basically, I'm an AK. That stands for 'Angel Killer'; it means I'm someone who kills angels. Most people don't know that angels have invaded our world, and are feeding off humanity. I mean, literally feeding. And when they do, they cause something known as 'angel burn' - the human perceives the angel as being beautiful and kind, even as they're being harmed by it. So the other AKs and I are trying to stop them, any way we can. If we don't, humanity's not going to survive this.

How was it like growing up in camp?

It was great. I think some people have this idea that I had a deprived childhood or something - I totally didn't. I loved being part of a team and having a real purpose; I loved learning how to fight angels like my dad. Plus, it was like the ultimate childhood: hanging out in the desert and learning how to shoot, drive, go camping...it was great.

How would you describe your feelings for Willow?
[Long pause; finally Alex shakes his head] I can't describe my feelings for her. She's just...everything.

What was the first thing that popped into your head when you first saw Willow?
I had gone to her house to scope her out, because I'd been told that she was an angel and had to be destroyed. Then I sensed there was something strange about her energy - it wasn't pure angel; I'd never felt anything like it before. So, you know, I should have been totally in work-mode; I had no idea what I was going to be facing. But when I first saw her lying there asleep on the sofa, I just thought ... 'Holy Christ, she's beautiful.' [Laughs] Then I shoved it away and got really professional again.

What were you thinking during your drive down to New Mexico?
Which part of it? It was a long drive. [shrugs] I don't know. I was thinking about the drive, about keeping us both safe. And trying not to be too distracted by Willow, I guess. [grins suddenly] She's pretty distracting.

How shocked were you to learn Cully's betrayal?
It wasn't a betrayal. Cully would never have betrayed us. He had angel burn; there's a big difference. Anyway - no, I wasn't shocked; I've seen it happen before. Way too many times.

How cute was Willow's purple skirt! What are your thoughts?
Anything she wears looks great on her. But yeah, she looked really cute in that.

I thought it was really great to see you bond with Willow playing quarters. What were you thinking that very moment? And to think she almost beat you.
Total beginner's luck. As for what I was thinking - probably something like, "Pay attention, you jerk, or you'll lose the game." I was trying not to notice how gorgeous she was. Or admit that I was falling for her.

I know this might be hard to answer, how much do you miss Jake?
[terse] A lot.

Other than coffee, what's the one thing you can't live without?

Willow.

Wait, how much coffee do you drink a day?
[smiles] OK, now you're sounding like Willow; she's always teasing me about that. I don't keep count, OK? Enough to keep me going.

Thank you for coming by to answer a few questions. Is there anything you want to tell us about the upcoming adventure in Angel Fire?
[looks like he can't decide whether to be amused or irritated] 'Adventure,' right - you make it sound like we're hunting for buried treasure or something. [shrugs] Willow and I go to Mexico City and meet up with some other AKs. We're still fighting the angels; our plan is to do away with the Seraphic Council. And ... a lot of stuff happens that we didn't expect.

[Author's note: Ha! No, I didn't think he'd mention Seb in answer to that - and sure enough, he didn't. ;) Thanks Jean, great interview!]

(Jean - Ha! I figured!!!)

Lee Weatherly was born in 1967 and grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. She lives with her husband in Hampshire, England, where she writes, goes on walks, tries out new recipes and has a cat named Bernard.

L.A. Weatherly is the pseudonym for Lee Weatherly. You can follow her on Twitter at @LA_Weatherly

        

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Character Interview with Ren

Art by James Vallesteros

What did you think of Kelsey when you first met her?
I thought she was lonely and was looking for something though she was unaware of it. She seemed to be a lovely wisp of a girl visiting me from a dream forgotten.

Why do you think Lokesh is so obsessed with Kelsey?
He desires to possess all he cannot have and especially wants to hurt me. Lokesh sees me as the one thing that prevents him from achieving his goals and he knows it will destroy me if something ever happened to her.

What is your favorite place you have visited? Why?
I’ve seen many beautiful places and have been inspired by brilliant vistas but there is no place on Earth more brilliant, more beautiful than Kelsey Hayes. My favorite place is wherever she is.

How is it for you to be living in this day and age compared to you own time period? Do you find a lot of things strange or can you easily adopt?
People are the same in any time—they laugh, they love, they strive to provide for and protect their families. This doesn’t change. Only the means by which they accomplish these things changes. I don’t find the new technologies strange; they simply become a new field of study for me.

What was it like not being able to remember Kelsey, looking back on it?
It was like being in a waking dream. I knew something was very wrong with me but I couldn’t quite figure out what it was. My mind felt as if someone had wrapped it in a blanket. I felt smothered.

Kishan and you don't have the best relationship; but how much more tension is there now that your both going after Kelsey's affection? How does that make you feel?
I cannot fault my brother for his relationship with Kelsey. I was the one who placed her in his care. To his credit, Kishan has not pushed her or sought more than she was willing to give, but I’ll admit there are times I wish I could dissolve the connection between them. Make no mistake, I will continue to fight for her affection every hour of every day, but should she choose him over me, I will respect her wishes.

INTERVIEW WITH KELSEY

What do you like and dislike the most about Salem or Oregon as a whole? 

The only thing I dislike about Oregon is that India is too far away.

Your journey has taken you to many exotic locales. Places most of us only dream about visiting. What has been your favorite place so far? 
Tibet was a place I’d like to visit again when the curse is behind me. There is something special about the place. It feels like a part of the world and yet otherworldly.

Do you still remember the first time you and Ren kissed? Yes, we want details...please. ;)
How could I forget something like that? I’d never kissed anyone before and it was like we became a part of each other in a new way. I wasn’t wholly myself after that. I knew a piece of me would belong to him forever after that first kiss. I’ll admit that it scared me a little. I wasn’t ready for the intensity of his feelings. He was ready to declare his love for me to the world. His personality is to hold nothing back, but I’m more reserved. To me, our first kiss was a baby step. That’s one of the reasons I tried, but failed, to keep my distance for a while.

You've encountered several creatures along the way. Is there one that's really stuck with you or frightened you more than the others?
There is nothing I’ve fought that compares with the giant shark. I’d take a Kraken or a Kappa any day of the week before getting in the water with a shark again. It freaks me out just to think about it. Still, the worst monster I have faced is the human, or mostly human, Lokesh. The shark just wants to eat but Lokesh wants to devour for no other purpose than to amuse himself.

Can you tell us one thing about the men in your life that only you would know?
Ren likes to leave me little notes and poems. I find them on my breakfast plate, tucked in my blanket, on the bathroom sink, and under my pillow. Most of them are about me but some are just pieces of other things he’s been working on, a lyric, a couplet, or just a few lines in free verse. It’s hard to control my pulse when Ren’s around. Sometimes I can feel his presence in the room even when my back is turned to him. I get an allover tingly feeling any time he’s near me. Sometimes that happens when I just think about him.

Mr. Kadam is the sweetest man. He never thinks of himself. When we eat lunch together he makes my favorite dishes instead of his own and he bought a whole shelf full of books that he thought I might be interested in reading. I often find surprises in my room—little presents like a particular bath soap or a barrette for my hair that used to belong to some duchess or another—things he thinks I will like.

Kishan notices everything. If I’m feeling sad he suggests going for a walk together or a swim. Kishan is a great listener and he manages to get me to share things I’d normally keep to myself. He’s been very sympathetic about the emotional turmoil I’ve experienced and he doesn’t push me, he just provides a very muscular shoulder to lean on. I don’t know what I would do without him. When he holds me in his arms I feel safe and loved.

You can purchase Tiger's Destiny at the following Retailers:

        

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Helen Hamilton Guest Post

Helen Hamilton

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in meeting Lucas?

Where to start? I guess the most glaringly obvious thing that I learned when I met Lucas was that I’m not entirely human. I always sort of knew that I wasn’t. Not many teenaged girls can pick up a car, or outrun…well, anything really. When I met Lucas I learned that I was a Scion—the half human, half divine children of the Greek gods.

But, funny enough, that wasn’t the most surprising thing I learned.

The most surprising thing I learned was that I’m a mushy, lovelorn, wuss who can’t seem to stop thinking about a guy that she can’t have. I really wasn’t expecting that one. All my life my best friend Claire has teased me for not swooning over every hot guy that came to the island on vacation, or that lived on Nantucket with us year round. I just didn’t get the appeal. Sure, I’ve seen plenty of good-looking guys and thought that they were attractive, but I’d never really felt attraction. That certainly changed when I met Lucas.

At first it was more of a murderous rage sort of attraction, but that’s pretty normal I’ve come to learn.  Half of Jane Austin’s lovers in her books start off wanting to strangle each other, although Lucas and I are the only two I’ve ever heard of that actually tried to do it. Nearly got him, too.

Then it all changed. And it was like everything was so pretty all of a sudden. The sky, the water, the smell of the air, the feel of the clothes on my back—all the everyday stuff that you normally brush past without noticing became beautiful. Lucas Delos lived in the world so the whole world was precious to me.

It was wonderful. For about two days. Then it all went to hell.

The most surprising thing I’ve learned since meeting Lucas is that love absolutely blows, and that I—me, the girl who never had a crush on anyone before—am a lovesick sap.

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Book Nerd Guest Post

I was supposed to be a boy.

At least, my mother was convinced I was going to be a boy when she was pregnant with me. She claimed that I "carried" like a boy, but since I'm the youngest of eight, and I have six sisters and only one beloved brother, it is reasonable to assume that my mother was simply suffering from a massive case of wishful thinking. Whatever the reasons, my parents were so convinced I was going to be a boy they had even decided on a boy name for me—Joseph.

But I'm a girl.

My mother, always a frugal woman, figured, why throw out a perfectly good name just because the gender's wrong? She put a handy "ine" on the end of Joseph, and I'm rather glad she did. I like my name, or at least I realize it could have been much worse. They could have been planning on calling me Ralph or something. Not much you can do with Ralph.

I grew up surrounded by women.

And not just normal, average women, either. My sisters are, without exaggeration, a pack of Amazons. They are all tall. They have masses of thick hair, gigantic smiles, ringing laughs, and unfortunately for me, they all have fiery tempers. You see—I'm not only the youngest, but the smallest as well. I also happen to be a natural wiseass. Not a healthy combination.

Lucky for me, I'm fast.

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Can true love be forgotten?

As the only scion who can descend into the Underworld, Helen Hamilton has been given a nearly impossible task. By night she wanders through Hades, trying to stop the endless cycle of revenge that has cursed her family. By day she struggles to overcome the fatigue that is rapidly eroding her sanity. Without Lucas by her side, Helen is not sure she has the strength to go on.

Just as Helen is pushed to her breaking point, a mysterious new Scion comes to her rescue. Funny and brave, Orion shields her from the dangers of the Underworld. But time is running out—a ruthless foe plots against them, and the Furies' cry for blood is growing louder.

As the ancient Greek world collides with the mortal one, Helen's sheltered life on Nantucket descends into chaos. But the hardest task of all will be forgetting Lucas Delos.

Josephine Angelini's compelling saga becomes ever more intricate and spellbinding as an unforgettable love triangle emerges and the eternal cycle of revenge intensifies. Eagerly awaited, this sequel to the internationally bestselling Starcrossed delivers a gritty, action-packed love story that exceeds all expectations.

Josephine Angelini’s Starcrossed was placed amongst my favorites of 2011. The sequel, Dreamless, continues the remarkable story of Helen Hamilton, a Descender who can go into the Underworld and the Scions’ only hope to defeat the Furies. But every time she descends, a piece of her is left behind in the Underworld. Helen feels hopeless in her mission as she’s in the Underworld searching and destroying Furies. Her hope is restored once she meets Orion. The highly interesting Orion added depth to the story and easily became one of my favorite characters in the book.

Josephine is such an incredible writer. Starcrossed was beautifully written but Dreamless manages to take it a step further. It is amazing how she crafts a story that feeds readers’ desires to want more. The character development is simply brilliant. Although they are fictional characters, the life she brings into each of them made them feel real with real personalities and real problems. The vivid descriptions of Helen’s emotions felt so genuinely real that just thinking about her pain was excruciating. Helen has grown a lot since Starcrossed as she’s more open to fighting and defending without using her abilities.

Sequels tend to be fillers or just a bridge to the final third book. However, Dreamless delivered powerful and important events that enriched the story. Equipped with Josephine’s masterful writing etiquette, it has all the perfect ingredients for an awesome book. The retelling of Greek Mythology is nothing new. It is quite difficult to twist and bend stories already been told but Josephine manages to create her own amazing story using heroic mythological characters. The writing is so incredible that it felt like the story came to Josephine naturally. If Dreamless is what it is, an amazing sequel that fully satisfies, book three will deliver the knockout punch that will crown the Starcrossed series as a beautifully written piece of literature.

You can purchase Dreamless at the following Retailers:

    

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And now, The Giveaways.

Thank you Josie & James for making this giveaway possible.

1 Winner will receive 1 Helen Poster & Bookmark by James Vallesteros.

10 Winners will receive one Helen Hamilton Bookmark by James Vallesteros.

1 Winner will receive a complete Dreamless Swag by Josephine Angelini.

(Dreamless Book, Signed Bookmark & Helen Art Bookmark).

5 Winners will receive one Signed Dreamless Bookmark by Josephine Angelini.

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