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| September 12th New Release |
Joyce Dipastena, author of Medieval romances, has some thoughtful questions about my character, Athena Gray, who is featured in Death Cheater, an inspirational paranormal. Before I tell you all about Athena (with her dry wit and resolute courage), let's talk a little about Joyce, who recommended I share more about Death Cheater and the new sequel, Cheated, coming soon:
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| Joyce DiPastena; Medieval Romances |
Joyce DiPastena dreamed of green medieval forests while
growing up in the dusty copper mining town of Kearny, Arizona. She filled her
medieval hunger by reading the books of Thomas B. Costain (where she fell in
love with King Henry II of England), and later by attending the University of
Arizona where she graduated with a degree in history, specializing in the
Middle Ages. The university was also where she completed her first
full-length novel…set, of course, in medieval England. Later, her fascination
with Henry II led her to expand her research horizons to the far reaches of his
“Angevin Empire” in France, which became the setting of her first published
novel, Loyalty’s Web (a 2007 Whitney Award Finalist). Joyce is a
multi-published, multi-award winning author who specializes in sweet medieval
romances heavily spiced with mystery and adventure. She lives with her two
cats, Clio and Glinka Rimsky-Korsokov, in Mesa, Arizona.
Her newest title, Loving Lucianna, will be
available in October 2014.
Website: http://www.joyce-dipastena.com
Amazon Author Page:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoyceDiPastena
Now, here's some facts about Athena Gray, who battles evil spirits and spooky ghosts in the Death Cheater series:
1)
What is the name of your character? Is
he/she fictional or a historic person?
Athena Gray is a high school student struggling to cope with the death of her grandfather and the fact she has nobody left in her life but a sister. Her name connects her with her hometown of Omega. I chose the surname "Gray" because not everything in life is black and white.
2) When and where is the story set?
The stories of Death Cheater and Cheated take place in the fictional setting of Omega, Tennessee. Set southeast of Memphis, this old Southern town is based on the actual location of Henderson, Tennessee, near the Pinson Mounds State Archeological Park. Visit Pinson's park here.
3) What should we know about him/her?
Athena never knew her father, and her mother and grandfather have passed away. She's always had the strange ability to bring small animals and insects back to life by touching or even wishing it, but her paranormal powers increase as she nears adulthood, inviting paranormal activity interested in what she can do.
4) What is the main conflict? What messes up his/her
life?
In Death Cheater, Athena must deal with a dark spirit that tries to blackmail her to use her gifts for evil. In my new release, Cheated, Athena has the unwelcome spirit of a girl who has passed over, stalking her for personal revenge.
5) What is the personal goal of the character?
Athena just wants to graduate from high school and help support her sister and take care of their family home. She wants to ignore her death cheating gift, but it will take courage to face down those forces that want to interfere in her life.
6) Is there a working title for this novel, and can
we read more about it?
The sequel to Death Cheater is Cheated, and it will be available September 12th. You can read more about it right here!
7) When can we expect the book to be published?
September 12th. It will be available in both print and electronic formats at leading online bookstores.
Notice: I am tagging the following 3 authors to participate in the Meet My Character Blog Tour. Just follow this blog post as an example. Readers, check them out!
Gail Pallotta:
Laurean Brookes: http://laureanslore.blogspot.com/
Piper Huguley: http://piperhuguley.com/
Stay balanced,
~Danielle Thorne
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| Click to find out more! |
In answer to my thoughts, something nearby snapped. I bit my bottom lip and tried to breathe normally. When I turned around, the surprise of seeing a small, pale girl standing at the clearing's edge almost made me fall back onto the rock again.
"You," I said, like we were in some kind of detective novel.
She said nothing but continued staring with large, gray eyes. I watched the atmosphere around her blur in and out like a wormhole and realized this was the ghost from my cell phone picture. She was the same girl I'd noticed watching me from the woods at the season's first ball game. Except she wasn't really a ghost. Or was she?
"Who are you?" I asked. I really needed to know, and for the first time despite my Poppy's former warnings to not issue invitations to supernatural visitors, I wanted to know.
"Athena," she answered in a quiet whisper.
I didn't know if she was answering me or addressing me. "Who?"
Her mouth twitched slightly at the corners, but her eyes remained dead and cold, sparking off and on with a shimmering light.
"What do you want?"
Her expression flickered for a quick second before she caught herself. This ghost was playing it cool.
"I don't know who you are, and I don't care," I lied. "Go away and leave me alone."
She laughed, and it was in a creepy, low tone. To make things feel worse, she still hadn't smiled or stopped glaring at me with those dead eyes.
"You cheated," she said, after I decided not to say another word.
A wary tremor ran down my backbone. I'd heard this before. She shimmered like a desert mirage. The power of her glittering appearance waned.
I caught myself biting my lip again, hard. I fought to not feel afraid, fought not to speak.
"Cheated," she repeated in an angry whisper, and her blue life light flickered once more and then went out, like someone had blown across a candle's burning flame.
Available Now!
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2 comments:
Danielle, congratulations on a sequel to Death Cheater. I believe there are evil forces (Satanic ones) as well as good ones (God-sent angels) all around us.
Christian author Frank Peretti addresses these spirits in his incredible books.
Thank you for sharing these intriguing tidbits. Id be interested to know what spurred your imagination to write these stories.
BTW, the first thing I noticed was the setting of this story. It gave me an eerie chill to discover it takes place about 40 miles northeast of Hickory Valley, where I was born Hickory Valley.
Oh, wow, I didn't know you lived so close by! All those years I visited there... Yes, I believe we have both good and evil forces rooting us on. I also believe that good and God will win in the end. A popular quote says, "The winner had already been decided. All you need to do is pick what side you want to be on."
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