My Interview With: Challa Scott (RUNNER'S MOON: CHALLA)

LM: Today we're getting to meet Challa, from RUNNER'S MOON: CHALLA, book four of the "Runner's Moon" series. Hello, Challa! Thank you for joining us!

CS: Hello, Linda. Forgive me. I'm nervous.

LM: That's understandable. Don't worry. The readers just want to learn a bit about you before your book comes out on March 15th next year. Now, your back history is a bit different from the other Ruinos we've met. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

CS: Well, I was born on the Arra ship. I have no memories of Barandat. My parents were taken prisoners by the Arra. Actually, they were not mates when they were kidnapped. It wasn't until the Arra began to force all the unmated Ruinos to have sex that my mother and father found each other.

LM: And you were not their first born, am I correct?

CS: That is right. I don't know what happened to my first two siblings. At least, Jebaral told me I was Heela and Doon's third child. After I was born, the Arra took me away from them, so I never got to meet them before they died.

LM: I'm sorry to hear that. That's so sad! So, not only have you never seen your home world, you've never gotten to know your parents either!

CS: But I have Jebaral, and Tiron, and Simolif, and their life mates. They are my family now.

LM: (laughs) And we'll leave the reveal about you and the other Ruinos for the readers to find out in the next book! Thank you, Challa, for allowing us to get to know you better.

CS: You are very welcome. I've enjoyed it.

My Interview With: Compton Scott (RUNNER'S MOON: CHALLA)

LM: This is a special treat! I'm getting to interview two new people--the next hero and heroine from my Runner's Moon series. Today we're getting to meet Compton Scott, from RUNNER'S MOON: CHALLA, book four. Hello, Compton! This is quite a surprise and a pleasure!

CS: Hi, Linda! We're more than happy to be here!

LM: Okay, since readers haven't been introduced to you yet, we have to be careful not to spoil anything. But we can give out the facts that you're an Army veteran, and Challa is Ruinos.

CS: That's right. I was wounded in action overseas and given a medical discharge. I live in a small town over on the east coast, and that's where I met Challa.

LM: (laughs) A small town that's not Tumbril Harbor.

CS: Right. It's called Cooper. And it's more inland. Not right on the coast.

LM: You're a small town boy, born and bred, who entered the military right out of high school, right?

CS: Exactly. My folks were farmers before Dad died. Mom passed away when I was stationed overseas.

LM: And as of this interview, you and Challa have made a home for yourselves. But I'm sure the readers won't be surprised to learn that.

CS: No. But I'm sure they're gonna get a kick out of our story, and all the problems we had.

LM: Especially when the Arra showed up.

CS: Oh, shit, that was some scary stuff, that's for certain!

LM: I heard Challa loves the homestead, even though it's surrounded by farmland rather than forest.

CS: There's not a governmentally protected forest like Flatlock, but there's miles and miles of undeveloped land. Lots of natural land and trees and all for her to run in. Plus the house is a few miles from town, so the isolation gives her that added protection.

LM: She doesn't have a job at this time, does she?

CS: No. After she got away from the carnival, I convinced her to stay home and get to know the place first. Get to know the town and the people in it. After all, I grew up there and I know everybody. Once she feels settled enough, if she decides she wants to work somewhere, that's okay.

LM: What do the town folk think about her? Of course, no one in Cooper knows she's an alien.

CS: You're correct. Word got out she used to be with the carnival, but that's all. With her accent, she's obviously a foreigner. (laughs) But she's winning over the folks here.

LM: Well, Compton, I want to thank you again for letting us get a taste of who you are, and what Runner's Moon: Challa is about. I know the readers are anxious to read your story.

CS: Thank you for having us, Linda.

Runner's Moon: Challa, book 4 of the "Runner's Moon" series, will debut on March 15, 2010.

Well, Hell...

I think the one thing authors fear more than people plagerizing their books is for someone to get the same plot idea as they do and have their final product come out first.

I'm not saying "Carny", premiering Sat. the 25th on the SciFi Channel, has the same identical story line as my Runner's Moon: Challa (book 4). It doesn't, but there are a lot of similarities.

So I'm coming out to announce to my readers that I have never heard of this movie before I started Challa. I had been wanting to use the carnival and sideshow attractions idea for a book of mine ever since the series "Carnivale" was on HBO - except set it in modern times, not the 1920s.

Regardless, it looks so strange to see a green-skinned creature growling and hissing from inside its cage, like a scene in my book come to life.