Guest Post by Jen Printy

In this guest post, paranormal romance author Jen Printy interviews Artagan, one of her characters from her paranormal romance novel, My Soul Immortal (Fated Eternals, #1).

Book description:
An endless love, for an endless price.

Jack’s immortality is exposed when he prevents a liquor store heist, forcing him to flee to protect his secret—a secret not even he understands. But when he meets Leah Winters—a mirror image of his decades-lost love, Lydia—his very soul is laid bare. He begins to question his sanity. Is she real, and if so, what does that mean for Jack and his secret?

Jack’s not the only mystery man in town. A stranger named Artagan hints at knowledge Jack is desperate to possess. But can he trust Artagan, or does the dark newcomer harbor deadly secrets of his own?

As Jack’s bond with Leah grows, so does the danger to her life. Jack must discover just how much he is willing to risk in order to save the woman he already lost once.

Interview with Artagan:

Jen: I’m here with Artagan, a character in my book, My Soul Immortal. He’s graciously agreed to come talk to us today.

Artagan: Thank you for having me.

Jen: What’s one thing you've ever done that you’re least proud of? And why?

Artagan: Well damn, you don’t pull any punches do you? Seems we both know I’ve done too many I’m not proud of; maybe a better question is to name one thing I am. That would be revenging my Olluna’s death. And why? Because all they deserved to meet their maker in such a way—frightened and in pain. Most don’t. But then again, deserve doesn’t usually have anything to do with it.

Jen: So it sounds like most of the time you don’t enjoy what you do. How many gatherings did it take before your responsibilities didn’t repulse you?

Artagan: I’m not sure if the repulsion ever goes away completely, at least for me. This isn’t the life I chose. Damn Brennus. Anyway, I’ve found it best just to do my job and not over analyze things.

Jen: Really?

Artagan: Yes. Next question.

Jen: Very well. I know Death gave you the scar across your right cheek. What did you do to earn it?

Artagan: A few year back, things got hot and heavy between Kemisi and me. She believed we were exclusive, but I never gotten the memo. Death of course sided with his daughter.

Jen: Has Kemisi ever forgiven you?

Artagan: Not completely, no. Not that I blame her.

Jen: Do you believe Jack will be able to forgive you when he finds out what your actions have caused?

Artagan: No comment. Next question.

Jen: Seems the next three questions are one this same topic, let’s move on to the rapid fire round, all right?

Artagan: We can give it a shot.

Jen: Favorite brand of scotch?

Artagan: Easy one. Macallan.

Jen: Neat or on the rock?

Artagan: Neat, but if you’re buying, anything will be fine.

Jen: Ass or arse?

Artagan: I suppose that depends if you want to pronouns it properly or not. Arse.

Jen: Blonde or brunette?

Artagan: I’ve never been a fussy man.

Jen: Favorite pick-up line?

Artagan: I usually find it’s not the words, but the delivery. The right tone can make a cheesy line as sound alluring.

Jen: Well, that’s all the time we have today. Thanks for being with us, Artagan. I hope that you’ll agree to join us again to promote book 2 in the Fated Eternals series.

Artagan: Thank you for having me. It’s been an experience. And no promises.

LINKS:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ILXSNOI/

Barnes & Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/my-soul-immortal-jen-printy/1118731993?ean=2940148329886

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id824242895

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20727560-my-soul-immortal

Book Page on RAP: http://redadeptpublishing.com/my-soul-immortal/ (Note: The tour stops are listed here, as well as the contest.)

Author page on RAP:  http://redadeptpublishing.com/jen-printy/

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CHARACTER INTERVIEW: Bedlam from Raising Chaos

Jane Colt, protagonist of my sci-fi series, sits down with Bedlam, the chaos demon from Elizabeth Corrigan's "Earthbound Angels" urban fantasy series.

Hi everyone, it's Jane Colt. I'm here with Bedlam, the star of "Raising Chaos", and managed to convince him to talk about himself for a few minutes.

So, Bedlam. You're a chaos demon. How did that happen? Does being a demon automatically make you evil, like everyone assumes?

Well, I’ve always been the angel of chaos. I’m not quite sure how that happened. Just, you know, was born that way. Or begotten. Or something. I’m sure I must have witnessed an angel birth at some point, but I don’t really remember how that worked.

As for the demon part, well, God ticked me off. And I was still ticked off when Lucifer and his crowd decided they wanted to stage a coup. So I thought, Hey, why not? It may not have been my smartest move ever. But Khet always says it doesn’t make me evil, per se. But, you know, it doesn’t win me any good points either. So, you know, I try to be good. Usually I fail.

You seem to have a pretty close relationship with Khet, the titular oracle from "The Oracle of Philadelphia", and you go through a lot in "Raising Chaos" to try to help her. How did you two become so close? Why would you go through so much for her?

Ask the girl who became a fugitive because her brother was framed for murder. And <spoiler> becomes a total fugitive again so her robot boyfriend doesn’t become a dissected science experiment </spoiler>. And you’ve only know them for, what, twenty-two years, tops? I have known Khet for 3200 years. And in all that time she’s been nothing but loyal to me.

Plus, you know, she’s my only friend. If she were gone, I’d have nobody.

I must say, after finding myself in the middle of a dangerous adventure, I'm totally over the whole risking-my-life thing, and I'd be completely fine with spending the rest of my life in a safe spot. I guess it's a little different for an immortal, but, without giving away too much, would you go through everything you went through in "Raising Chaos" again if it weren't Khet's life at stake?

Um. Go through a series of tests invented by psycho Spear protectors that risk the lives of thousands of people? When I could be hanging out and listening to P!nk? I’m not a total idiot, you know.

What's your favorite spot on Earth?

The diner, of course. Khet’s diner. I mean, sure, the food sucks. And the coffee is always stale. And she won’t hire a cleaning staff. And the people who come in there are sketchy on the best of days. But it’s where I live. It’s where Khet is. It’s my home.

The guy I'm dating is really into religion – he's a seminary student – and he got me thinking more about that stuff than I care to admit. So I can't help wondering, as a demon, what's your take on all this God business? Have you met Him?

Okay, so, yes, technically, I have met God. And I vaguely remember him speaking to me once. Something along the lines of “It doesn’t matter that Keziel doesn’t love you because I do.” Blah-blah-blah. I shut that out. And Him. Cuz I didn’t want to hear it. I think he used to talk to me a lot before that? But I don’t remember it, because… Well, have you ever gotten so mad that you used all your powers to flood rivers and blow up mountains? Cuz when you get that mad, it kind of blocks out everything else, including the past. But I know God exists. And once upon a time, I existed to do his bidding. And now… I kind of miss it.

Someone told me that in your world, angels (including fallen angels, like you), can only fall in love with one person, and they can't ever stop loving that person. Call me a romantic, but that sounds pretty awesome. What's actual eternal love like?

Yeah, it’s awful. I mean, Jane, you’ve dated lots of guys. Probably even thought yourself in love with one or two of them. And now you probably think he’s a total jerk. But if you were an angel, you’d still be in love with him. The thing is, we live forever. And ever. And ever. Generally, anyone you know is going to do something to majorly tick you off in that time frame. So you’d like to say sayonara. But if you’re an angel, you can’t. You’re stuck with them. Even if they’re raging bitches who decide they would rather marry the most uptight doofus in Heaven than you.

You've been around a long, long time. I've only been here for twenty-some years, but I've concluded that people suck, and that's never gonna change. How about you?

What? No! People are awesome! They at least make some attempt to be creative. Try hanging around demons for a  few millennia if you want to see beings who suck.

Sorry about all the philosophical questions – this is what happens when you date someone who thinks too much! Getting back to the fun stuff… What's the craziest thing you've ever done?

Oh. Wow. The craziest thing I’ve ever done? Probably inventing natural disasters to spite my ex. And then there’s falling in love with her in the first place. But you probably want a funny story.

Well, I once was determined I would figure out how to blow up a balloon from inside my throat. So I kept swallowing all these balloons… And this story really isn’t all that interesting. But it was pretty crazy.

And…

You know what? Screw it. You got me in a funk with all those serious questions about my deep-seated emotional problems. I have nothing funny for you.

Aw, sorry about that. Okay, next question: Have you ever had worshippers?

Yup! For the most part, the gods of polytheist cultures are representations of the various angels. Hermes and Mercury, from Greek and Roman mythologies, respectfully, were a mix of me and Raphael (though how they got us confused, I’ll never know). The Egyptians didn’t like me much. I was Apophis there. And the Norse reeeeeeeally hated Loki/me.

Wow, that's pretty cool. Alrighty, it's been fun, but I've got a starship to catch. Thanks for stopping by!

Find Raising Chaos at the following locations:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

iTunes

Find Elizabeth Corrigan online:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Enter the Chaos tour giveaway here (raffle at the bottom of the page).

CHARACTER INTERVIEW: Sheldon Zimmer of Space Games

Today’s guest is Sheldon J. Zimmer, Hollywood director and producer. Mr. Zimmer’s latest credit is the reality TV series, “Space Games,” which is set aboard the International Space Station II. The show is currently airing on Zero-G-TV.

Hi Sheldon! Welcome to Zigzag Timeline. What’s going on in your life? What do you do for a living?

Eh? You’re kidding me? You never heard of me? Maybe if you’d done your homework BEFORE the interview you’d have learned that I’ve directed and produced over twenty major motion pictures, a few indies, and now a hit reality TV show called “Space Games.” I’m getting ready to call a quits soon, though … retire somewhere outside of Hollywood. Say, you ever done any acting? Turn and look to the side. Not bad.

Sheldon Zimmer

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? Is it anything like what you’re doing now?

My father was jeweler in Jericho, New York, where I grew up. He wanted me to take over the family business, but I flew out to Tinseltown instead, where I waited on tables and wrote scripts until I made it big. Dad called me a putz; I told him he had no vision.

What’s something people would be surprised to know about you?

Kat Turner had the hots for me back in the day, not the other way around like everybody thinks. I was just startin’ out in the business, a slick young stud in his twenties, and she came on to me like Jane Fonda came on to Anthony Perkins, tackled me on the audition couch, and well…

Tell us about your friends. Who do you hang out with?

I wouldn’t call him a friend, but I hang out with my assistant producer Morty Friedman quite a bit. He comes over, and we spend hours reviewing tape, strategizing and arguing… Sheesh, the guy’s only been in the business for a few years and he thinks he knows everything. Let me tell you something, little lady, he doesn’t know squat. He didn’t even want to cast Robin for “Space Games.” I told him I was gonna make her a star. The rest is history. Nuff said. Quick, what other questions do you have for me? I’m a busy man.

If you could bestow a superpower upon one of these friends, who would you choose, and what would you give them?

I’d probably give Robin a stronger stomach or prescribe her some sort of super-antiemetic. She puked in the centrifuge, she puked in the shuttle simulator and she puked in the Microshuttle. It really set us back in terms of filming, production schedule, and what not. Messy business, and the cleanup wasn’t pleasant, or so I’m told.

What do you do for fun?

My work is my fun… Uh … lemme see … Oh! I take yoga classes. The only thing is, the last time I went I nearly hocked up a lung right on the mat. It turned off all the hot-lookin’ broads in the class, and I wasn’t able to book a single audition after that. Some day, I gotta quit the cigars and booze, but they help me think. You know what I’m sayin’?

What do you hope to be doing in ten years?

Ten years? I’m seventy-two, I’m not sure I have ten years. I’ll probably be resting comfortably at the Temple Beth-Israel Cemetery in Chula Vista.

Or maybe sooner...

What?

Nothing. If you could go back in time and change one thing, what would it be?

I’d probably go back and try to save Marilyn, treat her like the lady she was, sweep her off her feet and sweep all those maggots out of her life. What a waste. Yeah, as Elton John said, “I would have liked to have known [her], but I was just a kid.…” Actually in `62, I was just being born.

What are you planning on doing next?

“Space Games” is it for me, Miss Fang. I think I told you that once or twice already. It is Miss, isn’t it? I’ll tell you, you’re gonna make some poor sap a tremendous ex-wife some day. But the teleplay writer … uh, what’s his name? Lombardi … Dan Lombardi, or something or other. He’s not bad. He thinks out of the box and knows how to set audiences up for a real shock time after time. That seedy schlock-meister’s gonna make it if only he would stop wasting so much time playing games.

All right, you old grump, get outta here.

Space Games, a pulp sci-fi novel by Dean Lombardo, is available on Amazon. 

Website: http://www.deanlombardo.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeanLombardo1

Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dean-Lombardo/365281923557248?fref=ts

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/879479.Dean_Lombardo

Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Dean-Lombardo/e/B00DLNBEZS/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1379284340&sr=8-1

Dean's blog site: http://authordeanlombardo.wordpress.com/

CHARACTER INTERVIEW: Travis Archer of Shadow of the Wraith

Travis Archer, hero of Ross Harrion's action-packed space opera Shadow of the Wraith, answers a few interview questions from the spaceport.

Hi Travis! Thanks for coming by. It's not every day I get to sit down with a space adventurer. So, what’s going on in your life? What do you do for a living?

I’m a space cowboy. Except there’s no cows or horses involved. Okay, more accurately, I’m a bounty hunter. But a freelancer, not one of those glorified assassins. Means I can be sure everyone I go after has done something very naughty.

As for what’s going on, I don’t really know. That’s generally how I live my life (not knowing what the hell’s going on), but at the moment, it’s more uncertain than usual.

I have a ship that technically isn’t mine and could severely damage the Alliance if word of its origins got out. I’m under investigation by the Alliance for a whole host of charges. This regardless of the fact that we and that ship have saved the galaxy twice in very quick succession, I might add. Well, kind of. Despite the investigation, the Alliance isn’t slow to take advantage of us and the Wraith, and are throwing missions at us like birdseed.

This is Juni, Travis's... assassin friend.

And then there’s Juni. Probably shouldn’t talk about that or I might find a knife at my throat.

Still, at least life isn’t boring.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? Is it anything like what you’re doing now?

I wanted to be Clint Eastwood. Yes, they’re all very old films now, but you point me to a modern actor who can match him.

Actually, it would be more accurate to say that I just wanted to be normal when I grew up. No more being the outcast with the dead alien dad. No more being the angry psycho who you’d better not cross or you’d get thrown through a wall.

And no, normal is nothing like what I’m doing now. But now I am grown up— Did you just hear a snigger outside the door? …Now I am grown up, that’s okay.

What’s something people would be surprised to know about you?

Well, word is spreading now I’ve been in the limelight a little bit, but most people still don’t know. I’m only half human. I’m half Necurian. Yes, those unsociable hermits who can read your thoughts and throw you about the room with their minds.

Tell us about your friends. Who do you hang out with?

I’m not sure ‘friends’ and ‘people I hang out with’ are necessarily synonymous. Let’s see… Well, there’s Jay. He’s okay, but the less said about him the better. I suppose you could stretch the term ‘best friend’ to fit him. Then there’s the Twins. They’re not actual twins, but they act like it. Zak is our pilot, and the most unusually…nice Izarian I’ve ever met. Jindor is our version of…who’s that donkey that used to hang around with that talking bear? Arkuun-Marl. Well, I don’t know what to say about him. I say ‘him’; he’s actually a rob—

[Travis breaks off. There's a knock at the door, accompanied by an unintelligible, synthetic-sounding voice. Travis turns to to the door with a scowl.]

Shut up and go away, robot! This is MY interview!

Okay, fine, he’s an android. And the single most irritating thing to ever cross the stars.

Lastly, there’s Juni. Again, for the sake of safety, I’ll say no more about her.

They are my crew, my friends and, unfortunately, my fami— Wait, I forgot the doctor. Freeman. I don’t really know him that well, but he has saved my life a couple of times and he’ll complain if I don’t mention him.

I’m making it sound like I have a ship full of children, aren’t I? But with the absence of Clint Eastwood, there’s no one I’d rather have on my ship than them.

If you could bestow a superpower upon one of these friends, who would you choose, and what would you give them?

Just one? That’s difficult. I suppose I’d nominate Jay. And I’d give him the amazing ability to shut the hell up.

If he wasn’t around at the time of superpower distribution, it would be the robot. I’d give him an off switch. Though I’m not sure that counts as a superpower.

What do you do for fun?

That’s a surprisingly difficult one too. I used to go to shooting ranges and we’ve got flight simulators in the dock we’re using. But after recent events, shooting things in or out of a ship doesn’t appeal to me much. I don’t have much time for fun at the moment anyway. With all these missions and requests for aid, and a whole Alliance crew in my ship to deal with, I’d settle for a relaxing game of Scrabble.

What do you hope to be doing in ten years?

Relaxing beside my pool. Perhaps with my own private fleet to send out across the galaxy helping people and making me money. Mostly helping people, of course…

If you could cross over into another reality, where would you go, and why?

A god once told me that I’m destined to be a ‘hero’ again and again. But that isn’t the great, rose-tinted thing is seems. The reality isn’t what I wanted and looked for. There’s a lot of danger and misfortune to go with that. And I don’t mean for me.

So I’d quite like to cross into a reality where I’m normal. Where I’m not a ‘hero’ (not my words). Just to see what it’s like. To see what life is like there.

But I guess then I wouldn’t be me.

If you could go back in time and change one thing, what would it be?

I think I’d go back and stop my father from being killed. He was murdered doing what Necurians like to do most: promoting peace.

I don’t remember him and I always wondered what it would be like to have a father. It would be nice to have one. Especially one that can teach me about these abilities I’m having such trouble with.

Perhaps my mother would have died a little happier if he’d been around. I wonder now and then – particularly lately – what he’d have made of me. And what I’d have turned out like.

Anyway…

What are you planning on doing next?

I’m planning on getting through the Alliance’s investigation unscathed, and without losing the Wraith. Then I’m planning to get us a better system of doing things so that it doesn’t feel so much like work.

Then I’m going to settle down and work out how to properly control my abilities without losing so much energy that I pass out. That would be nice.

And throughout all that, I have to try to work out what’s going on with Juni. That’s the most frightening prospect of all.

Thanks for coming by, Mary. Sorry you had to come all this way just to talk to me, but I’m too busy at the moment to leave the dock for even a few hours. I’ll get Zak to take you home if you want.

Thanks, Travis!

Read about Travis' high octane space adventures in Ross Harrison's sci-fi novel, Shadow of the Wraith, available at:

Lulu Marketplace (hardcover) 
Amazon US (Kindle e-book)
Amazon UK(Kindle e-book)
Smashwords (multiple e-formats)

RELATED:
Review of Shadow of the Wraith
Review of Shadow of the Wraith's sequel, Temple of the Sixth
Review of Ross Harrison's steampunk short story, Kira