Dreams are often hidden desires… even if they are terrifying.
Is
there deliverance or the end to his immortal existence at its conclusion? Each
revelation offers hope. Yet Michael’s last words doggedly remain “Let me die.” His
original reasons for the singular battle are noble. One is retribution. The
other is love.
Good
morning, Michael Malone. Let’s begin with where you are from. I was born in London, England in 1663. I was sired at
the age of twenty-seven in 1690 in the British Colony of New York.
Tell
us a bit about The Vampire’s Retribution. I had a very personal reason for destroying three evil
sorcerers, which is how the first book in The Champion Chronicles’ Series begins.
They then opened a portal to flood the human world with hell-beasts. Needless
to say, this didn’t sit well with me. So I battled them, and finally, when the
portal closed, I was deviously poisoned and held in a cell deep below the city
streets. As my sanity slipped away I was guided by a heavenly entity who
allowed me to fantasize about redemption. Eight days later, my beloved Guardian
took my human son under her protection and then she rescued me.
What
did you think the first time you saw Alana? Ah, an interesting question. I watched my Guardian called at the tender
age of sixteen to her mystical mission. My first thoughts were to protect the
new Guardian of Souls during her ten-years of mystical service to the
Georgians. But Alana was different. Much different. She was stronger than any
Guardian gifted with mystical strength. What I didn’t expect was to fall deeply
in love with her. Didn’t expect that at all.
What was
your second thought? That
Alana was unique among women. Also, unique among other mystical warriors who
destroy vampires as well. And this intrigued me. She came off very bright yet
stubborn. I liked those qualities, and she wore them in a fascinating way.
Do you
feel it was love at first sight? Yes,
absolutely. Yet I dismissed my attraction to her for five years. I simply could
not justify loving her.
What do you like most about her? There is nothing about Alana that I don’t like. What I like most is that she is a loving woman, a genuine person.
How would you describe her? My Guardian is like a Mediterranean princess, a beautiful Italian woman with lovely hazel eyes full of depth and wonder. She often describes herself as a few inches above five foot tall and full of curves. But it is her inner beauty that captures my very soul.
How
would Alana describe you? I suppose Alana
would describe me as a commanding vampire who masters the beast-within me. Of
course, I am the anomaly, mystically enhanced. Other than that, she is aware of
my arrogance, often alluding to my eyes as dark-espresso and my features as
handsome.
What
made you choose protecting innocents for a career? Career? It is more likely the solitary purpose to my existence.
Since I mastered the beast-within my soul in 1890 I have protected innocents slated
for death by other vampires. I suppose this is why the Georgian Council
considers me a Champion.
What
is your biggest fear? I fear very
little with one exception… and it is not the wooden stake or silver sword. It
is the loss of Alana or Lukas, my human son.
How
do you relax? There is little
downtime for one such as I. Yet I suppose spending time with Alana and Lukas would
be the best answer.
Who
is your favorite fictional character? I
have read many novels and plays throughout the centuries of my existence. It
would be too difficult to choose one, although many of Shakespeare’s flawed
heroes remain my favorites.
What
is the best piece of advice you ever received? Be true to oneself.
Thank
you for this time, Michael. Now we’d like to chat with Micki.
What
movies or books have had an impact on your career as a writer? There are many books that have had an impact on my
career as a writer. I love the long, languid writing found in the Outlander
Series by Diana Gabaldon as well as the scruffy descriptions and snappy dialogue
in J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood Series. Going back further, I
was totally intrigued by Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire, and not
by Lestat. I was drawn to Louis. Other story tropes left an impression on me,
going back to reading Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. I’m skipping
all over the decades here, aren’t I? Books leave a lasting impression on me,
more so than movies. It’s the writing styles of so many wonderful authors that make
an impression on me.
Is there an event in your private life that you were able to bring to this story and how do you feel it impacted the novel? Well, obviously the whole vampire thing is my imagination. All of my life impacts the stories I write. The sad times, devastating moments and the joys I’ve experienced. Marriage, motherhood, the relationship with my parents and my sister… it all fills my heart when I write a story.
And just as different relationships
leave a lasting impression on us all, I hope to represent many facets of love
and acceptance in my novels. Michael experiences the ups and downs of being a
good parent, the importance of true friendships as well as romantic love with Alana.
These are all part of life. I tried to explore the depths of emotion in someone
who shouldn’t be able to feel them. And Michael’s journey will continue into
very uncharted territory in the next few novels in the series.
Tell
us a bit about your publisher: how did you hear about them and what influenced
your decision to submit to them? In
2006 when I wrote the first version of Michael’s story, I queried dozens of
agents and publishing houses. A lot of it was snail-mail back then. Months
later, three publishing houses expressed interest in my first novel. I went
with The Wild Rose Press because I liked the feedback and the personal tone of
their original request for a full manuscript. My editor, Callie Lynn Wolfe, was
very supportive, a great collaborator. She answered every question with
patience. We hit it off well and she took on a very green writer who hung on
her every comment. By the third novel in 2010, I knew what I was doing. As the novel
released, I was on a different career path as a school administrator. Promoting
paranormal romance didn’t quite jive. Then my rights reverted back to me years
later.
I wasn’t writing novels anymore. Didn’t
write again, in fact, until a year after retirement in 2020. It took a while to
clear my head, especially after my first bout with COVID. I started a story
featuring one of the minor characters in Book I. Martine literally had one line
of dialogue. That she was now in her thirties started me thinking. Then I hit a
major snag and closed the word document.
Frustrated, I started to revise Book
I, and then it hit me. Michael’s son Lukas would also be in his thirties now. Then,
all the interesting what ifs started to slam into my brain. Book IV of The
Champion Chronicles was born. But the original trope had to change a bit. While
updating the first three novels, I queried Night of the Crescent Moon
with TWRP. I also emailed Callie… after well over a decade. When she asked for the
manuscript, I worked off my nerves by revamping the previous books with the
hopes of releasing them with fresh titles and new covers.
Still with me here? I truly hope so
because I received contracts for all four novels. It made sense to start over with
Book I to expand the paranormal world I built. There are also four more novels in
The Champion Chronicles to submit for publication.
After well over a decade without one
creative sentence about vampires, mystical warriors or witches, I finished
three new novels in a year and I’m currently working on Book VIII. TWRP feels
like home to me, and it is a true blessing to continue to collaborate with my
original, fantastic editor Callie Lynn.
What
book[s] currently rest on your TBR pile? I’m an eclectic reader. I can finish a book in two days or take weeks
reading only a chapter at a time. I just finished J. R. Ward’s Lassiter,
which was heavenly. I have various TWRP books on my Kindle.
Lastly, what's up next and
when can we expect to see it on the shelves? Mystical Consequences, Book II in The Champion
Chronicles should be slated for release soon. Covers for all four novels by the
extremely talented Rae Monet can be found on my website, http://mflagg-author.com
and His Soul to Keep is in galleys.
Micki brought an excerpt for us:
Alana
held up a set of expensive, black silk pajamas. “You like?”
Michael’s
reply was an annoyed scowl.
She
longed to sit close to him, but instead, settled into the upholstered Queen
Anne chair. Angled next to the bedside table, only a few feet separated them,
because touching him would be a temptation. Touching him would be her undoing.
She folded the black silk pajamas on her lap as their gaze locked once again.
Was
it the history, both bad and good between them? The temptation to only be a
breath away? To reboot a romance, which ended years ago on such a terrifying
note? Love for one another was a given. They both knew it to be true. But
history is history. It doesn’t change. Michael was vulnerable now. So was she.
Maybe more than one type of healing had a second chance. She cleared her
throat. “So, is it a yes or a no?” He shook his head stiffly, from side to
side, but his finger tapped the mattress. “You want me to sit next to you?”
“Yes,”
came out of his pale lips, a whispered rasp. Was his rich baritone voice gone
forever?
“You know why I can’t do that.”
His
brows knit, turning the glare into a glower. “Say it, my Guardian.”
She
sighed, long and slow, as her body sank deeper into the chair. “Where do I
begin? And why relive what can never be changed?”
“Say
it.”
“If
this is a test of wills, I win this round.”
“You
held me… in your arms last night.”
“You
were unconscious, Michael.”
“And
now?”
“It’s
not right.”
“Why?”
“Because
you are awake,” she stated, unwilling to give anymore.
“I
love you.”
She
closed her eyes, letting those three words sink deep into her soul. The memory of
that terrible September night, almost seven years ago…
“Do
not ignore me,” he added, with an attempt to muster the old, peppered arrogance
he often wore.
“Close
your eyes,” she said in a tender tone to deescalate the situation, “You need
rest.”
To learn more about author M. Flagg and the stories she creates, go to:
Facebook: (1) M. Flagg | Facebook
Twitter: Michele
Flagg (@flagg_michele) / Twitter
https://twitter.com/flagg_michele
Instagram: Mickey
Flagg (@mickeyflagg) • Instagram photos and videos https://www.instagram.com/mickeyflagg
To purchase The Vampire’s Retribution, go to:
Amazon: Amazon.com: The Vampire's Retribution (The Champion Chronicles Book
1) eBook : Flagg, M.: Books
Barnes & Nobles: The Vampire's Retribution by M. Flagg, Paperback | Barnes &
Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)
Great interview, and another great book!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ilona.
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