On tour now is Feather Stone and she's come by today to chat a bit about her book, The Guardian's Wildchild. Sounds like a fascinating read, so let us welcome her and open our minds to a new world.
MK: “The Guardian's Wildchild is a story that's unlike anything you've
read before. It's not a typical romance story of starry eyed lovers in the
throws of passion.”...so what kind of story is The Guardian’s Wildchild?
FS:
While reading The Guardian's Wildchild you’ll escape to a world you’ve never
been before. You'll experience enticing
plots and become a willing prisoner in your chair. And the characters? You've never met more sinister villains or
gifted souls – all in a conspiracy to change the world from the stage of the
Pacific Ocean.
The
setting is primarily on a cruise ship converted by the American Navy to
function as an armed supply ship carrying weapons and mysterious boxes for
Admiral Garland. You’ll enjoy intrigue
and fall in love with an alpha male, Captain Waterhouse. Ladies, get ready for the challenge to melt
the heart of a rulebook toting naval captain bent on revenge, eyes dark as sin,
and a body to go with his rigid demeanor.
It’s
the year 2040 and humanity has recovered from the Great Quake’s devastation
worldwide twenty years earlier. An
energy crisis now casts a shadow on the planet’s future.
Enter
Madame, a woman without conscience. She
watched a South American tribe use crystals to turn water to sweet red
wine. Madame believes she’s on the verge
to becoming as powerful as a god. In an
alliance with Admiral Garland, she’s poised to take control of the planet.
Magic
is woven throughout the pages, drawing you deeper into the world of the mystic
Guardians. Powerful and benevolent, they remain hidden from civilization. In the hopes of protecting the sun crystals,
Sidney Davenport leaves their safe haven to stop Madame.
Through
their powers of clairvoyance and space/time travel, they watch as their Sidney
struggles against being consumed by fear - and her attraction to the man who
holds her life, and the future of humanity, in the palm of his hand, Captain
Waterhouse.
If
Captain Waterhouse’s troubles seemed overwhelming, his disciplined life is
about to unravel upon receiving a prisoner for execution – Sidney
Davenport. Little does he know he’s met
his match! He soon discovers her people
call her “Wildchild” for good reason.
She detests rules.
Upon
learning that Madame has a trump card, a fallen Guardian by the name of Frank
Butchart, the conflict appears insurmountable.
Captain Waterhouse is determined to get his life back at any cost,
including his integrity. Sidney must
make a choice that could destroy what she values most. To remain divided, Sam and Sidney will surely
be destroyed. To join forces is unacceptable.
Or is it?
You'll
cry and you'll laugh. And, you will not
be prepared for the ending.
MK: What kind of research was involved for the series? Did you
find it became easier with each book?
FS:
As most of the story takes place on a naval ship, I needed to interview people
who had experience serving on a military ship.
Fortunately, I had a wonderful friend, Bill Stevenson, who served on a
destroyer during WWI. Through him I learned about rank, military protocol, and
the typical life of a seaman in relationship to his commanding officers. I also have acquaintances who currently serve
in the Canadian Navy.
I
also needed experience in being on a ship.
In 2008, my husband and I went for a cruise in the Mediterranean –
really tough research work (lol).
Much
of the story revolves around the Guardian’s paranormal abilities. Both my mother and I have had a lot of
experience in this area, being gifted in space/time travel, telepathy, and
other events which simply don’t have a worthy description in the English
language.
MK: Do you have a
favorite character in The Guardian’s
Wildchild? Who and why?
FS:
You’d think my favorite would be one of the two main characters, Sidney and
Sam. However, my favorite would be a
toss-up between Lorna Paddles, the Medical Assistant, or Danik Davenport,
Sidney’s brother. They were a relief to
the heavy and dark aspects of the story.
Both of them were gifted with a remarkable and enduring sense of humor,
even in the darkest of circumstances.
Even as much as I loved them, my hat goes off to Sidney and Sam. They went through hell and made huge
sacrifices to defeat the most wicked of all the characters, Captain Butchart.
MK: Without giving it all away, please tell us a little something
about how Sidney
and Samaru are going to get through their biggest challenges.
FS: In a nutshell, Sidney had to rethink and
readjust her aversion to rules, and yet remain true to her qualities as a
unique character. Sam, had to soften
just a smidgen, and let go of his strangle hold on the military rulebook. They could see that if they joined forces
against their common enemy, survival was possible. It was a huge change for both of them. Both had to risk the pain of leaving the life
they once enjoyed.
MK: What has been your greatest writing challenge?
FS:
My greatest challenge was to put down on paper descriptions and scenarios about
evil. My belief is that if you focus on
the darker aspects of our being, you risk bringing that energy into your
physical life. I decided to take a
course at the University of Alberta Extension on this aspect of writing. I was terrified. Finally came the day when I was required to
write a sample for the next class. It
was to be over the top evil.
Driving
home from that class, I thought about the assignment. My palms were sweating, my breath came in
short gasps. The vision of evil began
descending, stealing its way into my psyche.
By the time I arrived home, the force of darkness had me in its grip
like the hungry lion latched onto the gazelle, wide-eyed but blind with fear.
When
I returned to the next class and read my assignment, my classmates became
silent as death. It was truly a
masterpiece of evil. To my relief, I
escaped the lion’s claws and survived dark forces.
MK: What has been your greatest pleasure in writing this book?
FS:
Normally, I think an author might say that the greatest pleasure was finding a
publisher willing to launch your manuscript into the hands of the world’s
readers. That is truly a sublime
experience. However, the joy I felt in
writing the story was far above anything else I’ve experienced. It was a journey into the unknown, creating
something mysterious, even bizarre. Hour
after hour, I never knew where the story was going to take me. As the intuition and inspiration flowed, I
became a witness to a world I’d never been before.
MK: What is about a paranormal story that drew you to that
genre?
FS:
The Guardian’s Wildchild grew out of a paranormal experience I’d had. For a brief moment, I had been teleported to
a ship. I stood at a railing as the ship
slipped through the waves. The moon
skipped over the peaks of the white caps, kissing each with its silver
light. Beside me was the captain, silent
and strong. I felt his despair though no
words were spoken.
The
experience was so profound that it followed me for days after. I decided to write about it, hoping the
exercise would dissipate the energy of having shifted so clearly to another
time and place. Instead, I became more
enamored by the story, searching for answers of who the captain way. With each question I asked, I received
answers from a disembodied narrator. I
became a slave to a story which unfolded effortlessly for five years.
MK: What is your favorite
non-writing pastime?
FS:
Oh, you shouldn’t have asked that. I’ll
shorten the list for sake of my readers’ limited time. Currently, I’m knitting an afghan that’s
nearly completed for a friend. I’m
blogging daily in the effort to get the message about my book out there in
cyberspace – and learning a lot about emarketing in the process. I walk my sheltie, Jasper, and if the weather
is acceptable to my cat, Leo comes along.
Currently,
I’m doing research for my next book’s story which takes place in the Middle
East. Reiki and Shamanism are two
practices that I hold dear to my heart.
When the ground thaws, I‘ll be out in my flower beds digging and
planting. When I find time, I love to
paint with watercolors. I’ve learned to
speak French, Spanish, and a tiny bit of Japanese. I play the piano and the accordion, and a bit
of the guitar. Shall I stop there?
MK: What do you have in store next for your readers?
FS:
Next in store for my readers is “Cursed
Angel”, a working title. It still
involves the paranormal but the characters and setting is completely different
from The Guardian’s Wildchild. In fact,
I’ve gone from being in the ocean so travelling over the desert. Another difference is that the passion has
been turned up several notches. And,
again, the ending will be unpredictable.
Below is an excerpt, a scene where in the dark street, the two main
characters have just been in a battle against a killer - unedited.
Abdul-Muqtadir ran up and inspected the
body of Captain Khizar. “Got him right
between the eyes, Lizzy. Great shot!” he
said grinning at her. She was kneeling
on the pavement, vibrating with shock.
“Course, I got him first right through the temple.”
The
moment felt surreal. She had killed again. And Hashim, was he really
dead? Abdul-Muqtadir helped her stand up. “You okay?” he asked.
She nodded, “I think, maybe.” She looked about, still trembling like a
leaf. It felt like a nightmare,
unreal. “Hashim?”
Abdul-Muqtadir ignored her and set about
ordering the men to pull up the vehicles to their location. He returned to Captain Khizar’s body and gave
it a nudge with the toe of his boot.
“Yep, he’s good and dead.”
Eliza turned back to see where Hashim had
fallen. Like a ghost in the night, he
was standing a half block away from her.
She could see his silhouette, a halo of light surrounding his head and
shoulders. His face was dark, except for
the sheen of sweat on his forehead. He
straightened his shoulders and began walking in her direction clutching his
AK47. She took a few steps toward
him. The cool night air made her
shiver. From the dampness of her clothes,
she thought.
Finally, Hashim was standing in front of
her. She crossed her arms, still holding
her gun cradled in the crook of her arm. He held out his hand, “Give me the
gun.”
She looked him over. His flak jacket was torn. Blood was flowing from his left arm and hand,
along the barrel of his gun, and dripping onto the pavement.
“You need medical attention.”
“You’re a mess,” he said looking over her
disheveled hair and torn blazer. “I need
to apprehend that gun.”
She tucked a strand of hair behind her
ear. “You worried I might shoot
you? I did have some pretty nasty
thoughts about you over the past couple of hours.”
“Nasty?
I’ve just saved your butt again, Miss Eliza. Now hand over that piece.”
“Or else?”
She raised her eyebrows.
“I might have to get rough.”
“Promise,” she said with a sultry smile.
He shook his head. “You keep up that casual attitude and you’ll
end up dead.”
“You’re the one that’s bleeding.”
He stepped into her space, put an arm
around her waist and yanked hard. Her body
was crushed against his. “Eliza,” he
whispered. “Don’t you ever run off
again! You hear me?”
She saw his eyes were mixed with anger and
relief. “Uh huh. You stop being such a grouch and I’ll stand
on my head for you.”
A crooked smile slowly eased across his
face and nodded. “That’s a deal.” He released her and stepped back.
Readers! Would you like to share a paranormal experience you’ve
had, or heard about? What are your views on man’s ability to have special powers?
· Visit Feather Stone!
