Axis and Ayn Join Us for a Chat
Characters created by Lyra Shanti
Axis, the magical sphinx type creature in Shiva XIV interviewing the series protagonist, Ayn.
Axis: Hey, everybody! I’m here with Ayn, who is basically a God-
Ayn: No, I’m not, Axis. Please, don’t start the interview like that.
Axis: Sorry… but that’s what a lot of people think you are. Certainly the priests of Deius thought that of you.
Ayn: Well, they were wrong.
Axis: (sigh) Ok, anyway… Ayn, let’s start by me asking you something I’ve always wanted to know since the first day we met.
Ayn: What’s that?
Axis: Oh, should we talk about the weird way we met when you thought you were having hallucinations?
Ayn: No, Axis, just ask the question. Come on, concentrate.
Axis: Sorry! So, I wondered from the start why you wear your hair so long. Is it a Deiusian custom or something? Does everyone have such long hair, even the males?
Ayn: Well, not everyone has long hair, but it’s definitely a tradition in the Holy City, mainly in the temple and the palace. Why? Do you not like it?
Axis: No, I love it! I just wondered.
Ayn: Maybe you should grow yours really long too. (smirk)
Axis: I don’t think I’d pull that look off… not with my thick gold hair and all. I’d look silly. Your straight black hair looks wonderful though.
Ayn: (laughs) Thanks. Are we done talking about fashion now, Axis?
Axis: (bashfully) Yeah… um, anyway… So, what’s it like being The Bodanya?
Ayn: It’s… a lot of pressure.
Axis: What exactly is a Bodanya?
Ayn: I guess you could describe it as the term for “messiah,” coined by The Dei, who are the holy priests of the temple of Deius. I’ve been told since I was a small child that I would somehow balance the universe, which they feared was on the edge of doom because of rampant illness and environmental calamity.
Axis: Wow! I can’t imagine having that on your shoulders at such a young age. What did you do? How did you handle it?
Ayn: (shrugs) I didn’t really. (Slightly laughs) I guess I just tried my best to study, please my Lans (teacher priests) and do whatever I can to connect with The Un.
Axis: The Un is a shortened name for the universe, right?
Ayn: Yeah, well, it’s also a shortened name for the Un-Ahm galaxy, which is our planet’s galaxy.
Axis: Oh! Right! Anyway, next question! Do you dream about being something other than the Bodanya? Do you want to be something else?
Ayn: I’d love to be a musician and singer, but I can’t ignore my destiny.
Axis: You play the flute, right?
Ayn: Yes, I do. I love music so much. I feel most myself when listening or playing a lilting Deiusian folk tune.
Axis: Do you write your own music?
Ayn: Yes, quite often.
Axis: That’s wonderful! So, if you could stop having to be their messiah, you’d be a rock star?
Ayn: (smirks) Next question, Axis. Just so the readers know, no matter how much Axis grows, he always has the mind of a little boy. He isn’t being serious.
Axis: (giggles) Yes, I am! I’m always serious.
Ayn: (shakes head) Mmm, hmm.
Axis: So, what’s your favorite food?
Ayn: You know the answer already, but I’ll say it: MahMah stew is the best food in the universe.
Axis: You’re so predictable, Ayn. Don’t you like anything else?
Ayn: Hmm… I really like root vegetables with Deisuian spices. I also really love sweet bread.
Axis: You know, on Kri, they have these wild mushrooms with spiced cheese stuffing. I think you’d love those.
Ayn: How do you know about Krian food, Axis?
Axis: Oh, I just know these things. I’m a magical cat-bird, after all.
Ayn: (smirking) That’s your answer for everything, isn’t it?
Axis: Yeah, well, if you got it, flaunt it.
Ayn: Huh? (Suppressing laughter)What are you even talking about?
Axis: I’m not really sure, to be honest. Interviews are hard!
(Both break out laughing)
Ayn: Alright, cat-bird, let’s go get something to eat. All that talk of stew and sweet bread made me hungry!
Axis: Yeah! And stuffed mushrooms! Let’s go!
You can learn more about the world of Shiva XIV on Lyra Shanti’s website.
Artwork of Ayn by Julia Takagi
Artwork of Axis by Jennifer Juniper Varon
E.A. Copen
by JC Steel
Favourite quote or tagline: “There’s some good in this world, and it’s worth fighting for.” (J.R.R. Tolkien, The Two Towers)
In the beginning…tell me what made you decide to start writing?
I don’t remember. I wrote my first book when I was 3 with crayons and printer paper. It’s just always been a part of who I am.
Are there any authors or artists who influence(d) you?
Oh, lots. I’d say the top five are Patricia Briggs, Jim Butcher, Charles Dickens, Stephen King, and Margaret Atwood.
Tell me about your book / series.
- Give me a one-line ‘hook’ line: A federal agent solves paranormal crimes on a supernatural reservation in Texas.
- Tell me more: Judah Black is an agent working for BSI—the Bureau of Supernatural Investigations, which polices supernaturals. While her every day job is solving crimes, each case seems to bring her closer and closer to uncovering a truth her employers don’t want her to discover. It’s X-Files meets Anita Blake.
How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
Dozens and dozens. At least three for every one I’ve finished.
What’s your opinion on the practice of ‘banning’ books?
I don’t think books should be banned. Books that challenge our perceptions and make us a little uncomfortable are the most important of all. That said, I’d consider it an honor to have something I wrote on a banned book list. It means I’m doing something write. Well-behaved women rarely change history, after all.
Dan Bradfield from The Heir by Lynne Stringer
from Working Title Blogspot
This interview is with Dan Bradfield from Lynne Stringer’s novel The Heir (Verindon #1). Dan is a student at the prestigious Enterprise Academy in Connecticut and is from a wealthy family. At least, that’s what everybody at the school thinks, including Sarah Fenhardt, who’s secretly in love with him. Although sometimes she thinks there’s more to him than that …
Q1: What is the very best thing about being who you are and living where you live?
The best thing about who I am is the fact that I’ve been trained well and am confident in my abilities and myself. I know how to do my job, and yes, I do mean my job. I may be in high school at the moment, but it isn’t really me, if I can put it that way.
The best thing about where I live is that I know it’s definitely the safest house around, which is necessary, since we could encounter difficulties from … some people.
Q2: Do you have any really good friends or really bad enemies?
I don’t know if I’d consider the members of my squad my friends. I guess most people would think that but it’s different for people of our kind. As for Sarah, I can’t possibly consider her a friend, considering the differences between us. They are insurmountable.
When it comes to enemies, there are many of them. Most I have encountered are dead now but I imagine there will be more to take their place. It’s a by-product of this line of work.
Q3: If you could be anyone else in your world, who would you be and why?
High Commander Denzik. Continue reading …
Also on Working Title Blogspot:
Interview of Diane Newby from My Undead Mother-in-law
“Hi. This is Sam Melvin lead investigative reporter of the Midley Beacon. Andy Zach, author of the zombie documentaries Zombie Turkeys and My Undead Mother-in-law asked me to interview Diane Newby, the zombie heroine whose adventures Andy details in My Undead Mother-in-law.”
“Diane, welcome to our blog.”
“Thanks so much Sam! Although we’ve known each other for years, I’m still excited as a school girl to be interviewed online!”
“Yes, we met years ago. Why don’t to tell everyone about how we met?”
“It was soon after I turned zombie, along with my husband George, my son Donnie, er, Donald, and his girlfriend Maggie. I had my non-zombie son-in-law Ron Yardley and daughter Karen over for Valentine’s Day dinner. Donnie and I got into a little dustup and Ron blogged about it, which caught your interest in our family.”
“Um, yes. For our audience’s information, the ‘little dustup’ involved lots of blood and dismemberment and cracked plaster. That certainly got my attention. Not much was known about human zombies at that point, and I and the readers of the Midley Beacon we dying to know more.”
“That was the first time we met, Sam. You interviewed me and my family about our life as zombies.”
“Yup, why don’t you tell our blog readers what it’s like to be zombie? ”
“Why, we’re just like normal human beings! We hold down jobs and go to church like any normal Americans. We just happen to have glowing red eyes. And we’re twice as strong as we used to be. And we move twice as fast. And we can regenerate lost limbs and heads.”
“Other than that, you’re perfectly normal?”
“Perfectly!”
“So, you don’t think you’ve changed at all since you’ve become a zombie, your personality, I mean?”
“Oh, I notice I’m a little more emotional, I guess.”
“Like how?”
“I seem to lose my temper more easily. But most of the time, I feel happier than I ever had before!”