I hope you'll stick around for all the fun, enter the Rafflecopter giveaway and read the book. For now, here's the info, a special character interview (courtesy of Lucas Starr form "Taming Darkness," available next month!) and a peak at the prizes I have ready for you!
The
Dark-Haired Man is interviewed by Lucas Starr (of the upcoming “Taming
Darkness”)
Wrapping
myself up in a veil of black smoke I left the comfort of my lair. The party was
in full force, the burning fireplace, the flowing liquor and the scandalous
women, but I have an important engagement. I am on my way to meet someone who
has intrigued me for some time now. He is known as The Dark-Haired Man, and he
is a force to be reckoned with.
Appearing
on the beach, his beach, to be exact, I take in a breath and
feel the salty air enter my body. The beach is empty, and I make my way to the
shore, pulling a lit cigarette from mid air and taking my first sweet drag. Out
of the corner of my eye I see a shadow approaching. He is walking toward me
with strong, determined steps. His face is serene, his eyes dark and
determined. I knew in that moment, we would get along.
I offer him
a cigarette, but he only moves his head slightly in a no, his eyes locked on
mine. Gesturing to the rock formation that stretched it’s hand out into the ocean, we took our
seats. The jetties are sharp and hard, but it doesn’t bother us. It’s time to get down to business, I need
to find out more about this Dark-Haired Man.
1. So, you are a Phasm. I’ve
been around longer than time existed and this is new information, even for
someone as well cultured as myself. What are the advantages for being such a
being, and where do you get your power from?
Ah, I see you are
as direct and, pardon the pun, pointed as ever. May I answer your last question
first? Yes? Thank you – Phasms
are older than mankind, older, my dear friend, than you. We are beings formed
of emotion itself – the
emotions of man, in God’s
image, of course. That is where we draw our power and that is what makes our
power limitless. As man feels, man gifts us with the ability to feel. As man
hates, or loves, the strongest of those emotions feed to us a surfeit of power.
Man can no more control his simple, reactive nature than he can pull the tide
from the sea, thus it is left to us, to the Phasms to rein in the impulses they
eschew and utilize them for our own good. As to the benefit, surely you can
appreciate the ability to draw power from a source of such Infinite Potential?
2. Describe yourself to our readers. We know you as, “The
Dark-Haired Man.” But there’s
so much more. How do you feel about being known as this mysterious man, and
what would you like us to know that we may not know?
We all wear many
guises, do we not? We choose the form, the likeness and the garb that suits our
purpose, as I chose to appear in this form. I fear I’m the least mysterious of my kind,
having chosen to reveal myself to others here, on this plane of existence. Not
to bore you with braggadocio, but I am the first of my kind to develop such
abilities. It takes a great deal of power to appear as I do in this time and
place. Would you not agree this reflects a consummate level of skill? As to
what I’d like you to know
that you may not, I believe it’s
that I too am susceptible to deep, moving emotions. I love, I laugh and I live,
as few before me have. I harvest from a wellspring of deep feeling, and seek
only to share the richness of those feelings with the one I love. So you see,
in reality, I’m
quite kind and generous, extremely affectionate and most respectful of the
emotions of others.
3.
Why the beach? You could meet her anywhere. --I know of
some excellent private lounges if you are interested-- Here, the sand, the
seaweed, the desolation? What is it about this place that makes it the meeting spot for you and Kelsi?
(Lets out a low
laugh and gestures around him) Ah, yes, the beach. Think of it – the endless cycling of sand and sea,
the inevitable pull of gravity’s
tides. The beach has such symbolism, such strength and power. And yet, the
stark desolation often found here, the solitude and relativity of such a
massive entity as the ocean mirror nicely the same traits of my kind, of the
emotions that give rise to our existence and to the ever changing nature of our
being. It’s
also a rather nice analogy for the fruitless pursuit of man to harness that
same power. And Kelsi rather likes it here. Such a shame she doesn’t see the parallels – she’s really rather hard to impress at
times.
4. Let’s talk about Kelsi for a minute. You
have some power over her --Nicely done, by the way-- You have managed to weave
your way into her thoughts, and dreams at a time of her life where she was the
most vulnerable. Some would perceive
this seduction to be cruel, how do you respond to that?
I am beside myself
with sorrow over Kelsi’s
unresolved needs and I wholeheartedly disavow such nonsense! How can it be
cruel to give what one needs in order to move past such torrid, tragic loss?
How can it be cruel to deny one’s
self one’s
deepest feelings? Are not all true emotions a balance of two strong states of
mind? Is not love only truly felt when it is balanced by loathing? Is not joy
only experienced against the reflection of despair? I seek only what is best
for Kelsi – true
illumination of the multitude of emotions. Poor thing, she never had a chance
to understand this facet of existence before I met her.
5. Without giving too much away, I’m
going to ask a difficult question. There are rumors that Kelsi brought you to
her. Could you exist physically without Kelsi, and just how far are you willing
to go to obtain her?
Ah, how shall I
reply? Truly you ask a significant question. Let me say only that Kelsi
completes me, as I complete her. We are two halves of a whole and we can no
more exist without another as the tides can exist without the pull of the moon.
Yes, I’ve lived (pardon
the expression) long before Kelsi was born, but did I truly live before I
gathered her grief unto myself? Can I truly go on living without drawing from
the exquisite panoply and depth of emotion that girl wields inside herself? Can
any of us, of any species, truly give up the one thing that completes us and
ensures we exist with the fullest meaning of the word? Can we? Can you? I think
not. I will give up all the power I have gathered to bind myself to that sweet,
tender girl. All of it, for a temporal life of true sensation and feeling.
Though in reality, time has little or no meaning to my kind (laughs).
About the Author
Barbara
was born and raised in Southern California, but left to explore the world
courtesy of the U.S. Navy. After traveling the world, she forced herself to
live a humble life in in San Francisco, New York and Norfolk, Virginia. She now
calls San Diego home and you won’t pry her out with a crowbar.
She
would be the first to tell you her husband,
Henry, is the inspiration for all the romance, and the real Charlie - who is as
cute as he sounds in her books - is a terrorist. When not working for the U.S.
Navy, she can be found running, reading or writing. She firmly believes a well rounded diet consists of coffee,
scotch, chocolate, popcorn and Luna Bars.
In that order.
She's
a graduate of CUNY and Penn State - and manages to write a decent line here and
there despite those burdens.
Social Media Links - I love hearing from my readers!
Email: bgarrenwrites@gmail.com
www.bgarrenwrites.com
Now, here's a glimpse at some of the prizes available if you enter the Rafflecopter, below!
No comments:
Post a Comment