It’s
Friday! We’ve been busy this last month reading and writing. I just helped one
of the community services I work with and bought school supplies. I can’t
believe it’s almost time for school to start. Today, my guest, Lily Raine shares
a character interview with us. Anastasia, Ana for short has a lot to share.
What are your favorite scenes
in your book: the action, the dialog or the romance?
What with running away from demons and accidentally turning
bears into humans, there was quite a lot of action. But my favorite scene in
the book is finding comfort in a place you wouldn’t have thought possible. The
scene where Daniel told me he loved me without actually having to say the words
was my favorite part. It was where I realized how much someone could care for
you without needing anything in return. His caring nature will only continue to
support and protect me.
Do you like the way the book
ended?
There was some closure about who the leader of the Demon
Organization, Destria, was but not enough for me to be fully satisfied. I know
there will be two more books, so I am sure to find the answers I need
eventually.
Would you be interested in a
sequel, if your writer was so inclined?
There will definitely be a sequel and then one more book. I
think I’m ready to get back into my story and see where the writer takes me. I
know there is more developing to do with my relationship with Daniel. And with
the Demon King still at large, we need more time to find him.
What is your least favorite
characteristic your writer has attributed to you?
My ability to learn languages and remember words and pictures
usually serves me well, but it also tends to isolate me from people. Despite
living in a gated community near New York City and engaging in dance lessons, I
don’t have many friends because my intelligence makes me come across as
strange.
Do have any secret aspirations
that your author doesn’t know about?
After losing my mother and father at a young age, I know how
important family can be. If my uncle had taken my sister and I into his home, I
don’t know what would’ve become of us. Yet, he’s never held that over my head
or insinuated we are any less his family. If I could, I would want to adopt a
child one day and give them that same sense of family.
What is your greatest fear?
Losing my cousin and best friend, Mason. After losing my
mother, I couldn’t bring myself to speak. I conveyed my feelings through other
avenues, like dancing, but actual words wouldn’t come to me. Mason’s
persistence at getting me to speak and always standing by my side, even against
blood thirsty mermaids, is the reason he’s my rock.
Who was your first
girlfriend/boyfriend and what do you like most about them?
Daniel. I met him at Joya Del Mar Arts Academy when I got
roped into going snorkeling with my cousin, Jo, and her two friends. He was on
the same boat as us. Daniel is the most caring individual I’ve ever met. His
ability to play music as though it were his friend is remarkable and his
British accent is cute too.
What other profession would you
like to try?
I want to be a genetic scientist. Mason has always been
somewhat sickly and I want to try and find a cure. Then I can help other people
whose lives are destroyed by senseless violence.
Back Cover Copy:
Anastasia has always been different, and not just because
she knows over fifteen languages and prefers to be alone. After she was
attacked while visiting family in Russia over seven years ago, Ana has been
able to heal rapidly amongst other things. Unable to accept her own
immortality, despite increasing proof, she goes away to Joya Del Mar Arts
Academy with her two cousins, Jo and Mason. Instead of worrying about recitals
and dance steps, Ana discovers a secret world of demons, mermaids and angels. Their
only connection however, seems to be an increasing need to find her so that the
demons can force Ana to bring back their master. After transforming a bear into
a human boy, Ana can no longer hide her abilities and struggles with the idea
that she is not human, although she does not know what she is.
When a mysterious man in a mask continues to stalk Ana
with the intention of getting her to eat a blue flower, Ana gets the sinking
suspicion that the man in the mask is the same young man who destroyed her life
seven years prior. When Ana discovers a secret lair hidden beneath the waves
where the demons are regrouping, Ana realizes she has a terrible choice to
make. Sacrifice her life and the life of the mermaids who fuel the underwater
power source, or escape and allow the demons free reign to destroy the human
world. But if Ana chooses to accept her immortality, then the life of her
cousins and boyfriend, Daniel, will forever be compromised.
Review:
“I was awed by the writing from this very
talented author. This is the first YA I've read and I was hooked, especially by
this author. The plot was complicated and moved along very well. The characters
were well developed. My only problem with the book was that it ended. Now I have
to wait for the next book in the series.” - 5 Star Amazon Review Starla K.
Criser
Buy Links:
Excerpt:
Coldness
spread through my body like a disease when I saw a faint blue color glowing
from the woods. It alighted brightly and then dimmed down before becoming
completely aglow again.
Without hesitation, I ran
towards the light, feeling the heavy pressure of my shoes thumping against my
back.
I felt tricked. Each time
I neared the blue light, it was extinguished and then relit farther away from
where I was standing. Taking a deep breath, I looked at the trees around me and
stayed completely still so I could catch movement.
I realized I had gone in a
sort of circle chasing the light, but there was a faint directional pattern it
seemed to prefer. Acting quickly, I ran in the direction I thought the blue
light would appear, stumbling over roots.
For being a small island,
the woods were intricate and I was already far away from the road. Regaining my
composure, I felt my hands stinging where I’d braced my fall and tried to pull
myself to a sitting position, but my legs were tired from hours of dancing.
“Oh, Aria,” The voice was
deep and firm. My legs trembled and my fingers twitched in anticipation. “Don’t
you want to look at me?”
I started to shake my
head, but curiosity made me gave in.
He was abnormally tall. I
would guess he was well over six foot, but he was extremely slender. With the
right leverage, a person might think they could knock him over. But I saw the
sturdy muscle wrapped around his arms, abdomen and legs underneath his tight
outfit.
He wore dark pants, dark
shoes, and a white shirt with a tie. Over his ensemble was a dark vest and
attached hood, a kind of look a modern day Jack the Ripper would wear. His hood
was down, exposing a curly black hair and fair skin. His mask was of a kind of
monster. Around the bulging eyes of the mask was a type of skeleton, but the
cheeks looked like a hollowed out animal. His eyes were a deep purple.
“Do I know you?” I asked
quietly as I found my footing and pulled myself up. I wrapped my hands around
my bag protectively. I felt foolish for thinking he wanted a pair of Pointe
shoes.
The man nodded before
walking along the small clearing I had followed him to. “You used to know me.”
My heart became cold. I
tried to imagine him without his demon mask. Tried to put a knife in his hand
and a scar in the corner of his mouth, but he didn’t feel the part.
“When?”
“Thousands of years ago.”
I wondered if he was sick
and had escaped from somewhere. Or if he was simply a very rich teenager who
enjoyed dressing up and frightening young women. I knew it wasn’t uncommon in
Bay Shore for bored young men to do so.
To disguise my fear and
slight confusion, I spoke with logic. “Human life doesn’t extend that far.”
He stopped moving and
placed one hand inside of his small vest pocket. “Who said you were a human?”
I stared blankly at him.
“What are you then?”
“You know several
languages don’t you?”
I blanched, suddenly
angry. Hidden beneath my bed in locked chests were books about medicine,
animals, languages and mathematics. There was no way he could know what I
studied unless he’d violated my privacy. I took a breath and stepped away. “How
do you know?”
“I know a lot about you.”
My foot touched a branch I
carefully stepped over. “Why?”
“Would you like to see
something?” He asked, changing the subject abruptly. Before I could respond, he
had withdrawn his hand and was waving a kind of orb in front of me. A bluish
glow surrounded the orb, making it impossible for me to see what it actually
looked.
“What is that?”
“You’ll find out.” He
whispered softly, replacing the object inside his pocket and once again casting
us into darkness. “You see, I’m going to let them find it. Shouldn’t take them
long to figure out what it is.”
I was so confused about
what he was saying, I didn’t realize he’d strode towards me. With him standing
clearly in front of me, I felt my body shiver, his height immense.
“I have to test you. I
have to make sure.”
I gripped my bag tightly
again, prepared to swing if he came much closer. “You speak in riddles.”
He tipped his head to the
side and from underneath his mask, I could see a faint smile. “And you speak
denial.”
There wasn’t
enough time for me to react and before I could even swing my bag around, I felt
his hand close around my throat. Screaming would be pointless and would raise
my pulse to an even higher rate. I closed my eyes, willing my heart to flow to
a natural rate, slowing my anxiety. I heard him whisper one last word before
the grass beneath me felt weightless. “Aria.”
About Lily Raine:
Lily
Raine, author of the Anastasia Series, is happy to be part of World Castle
Publishing. Lily lives in Michigan where when it's not cold, the weather and
the lakes are beautiful. Lily married her best friend, Thomas, when she was
eighteen years-old. They live together with their two cats, Misaki and Mason.
Lily
enjoys biking, swimming, dancing, painting, and going anywhere there are
animals. She is currently working on her Master's Degree from Wayne State
University. Afterwards, she hopes to own her own practice.
Lily
loves young adult novels, particularly ones with paranormal elements. She also
really enjoys LGBT literature with young adult characters and wishes there were
more with paranormal aspects.
Feel
free to send an e-mail to anaraine@rocketmail.com
Social Media contacts:
Twitter: @AuthorLilyRaine
