Boy, are you guys in for a treat! Today I am a part of the A
Midsummer Night’s Blog Hop. A bunch of us cool Author’s got together to create
a plethora of really fun posts. Today Xylia and Landon from A Stiff Kiss have
been teamed by with Author Kary Rader’s Avant from The Implanting and put
together a super fun interview!
Part of the interview is here, on my blog, while the other
part is on Kary Rader’s blog! Hop between these two blogs to get the whole
scoop about Xylia, Landon and Avant. But wait! There’s more, don’t forget to
hop to all the other Author’s blogs participating to learn more about their
great characters and wonderful novels!I swear it will be a great time...
Now place your hands together as the curtain rises on my character interview with Avant from Kary Rader’s The Implanting!
“Are you sure we’re in the right place,” Landon motions the small, intimate coffee shop in Silversprings.
“Of course we are. I gave him the address myself. He’ll be here.” Landon cracks a smile. “Shut up. If he gets lost I’m sure he’ll stop and asks for directions.” Xylia slowly sets her coffee onto the table. Then brings her feet up and onto the small red plush loveseat she’s sharing with Landon.
The small bell over the cafes door chimes. Xylia and Landon both turn their heads, mouths falling slightly open.
“Uh, he is wearing leotards? And what is that, one of those baby doll dresses?” Landon wrinkles his nose as a tall, muscular brute of a man pushes his way through the cluttered space.
Xylia elbows Landon. “Did you not do the required reading
for this interview? He’s wearing medieval style clothing, those are tights and
that is a tunic and I think it’s sex—Hello, you must be Avant. Welcome. I’m
Xylia and this is Landon.” Xylia extends her hand.
Avant bows, takes
Xylia's hand and gently kisses it. He lifts his gaze but not his head to her
face and flashes her a smile. "Xylia is a lovely name." He suppresses
a chuckle at the beautiful flush on her face. "It suits you well."
He straightens and takes the hand of the young man, and is
surprised by the confidence in his gaze. Many of his own sentries did not hold
his stare with as much. Impressive.
“Wow, nice grip, man.” Landon grips Avant's hand in an
almost too firm of a shake. “Do you drink coffee? Is there coffee in... Uh...”
“Jastian, Landon, that’s where he’s from.” Xylia turns her
head. “Can we get you anything?”
Avant chuckles. "Indeed, no. There is no coffee in
Jastain much to the displeasure of my wife. We have tea, wine, meade and ale.
And if you're feeling adventurous, you could milk one of the cows or
goats." He laughs at the Xylia's
crinkled nose. "Or perhaps not. But
I will join you in a cup of coffee today. I have tasted the beverage on my last
visit to your…" His gaze traveled the modern room, searching for the
appropriate word. "World."
Once Xylia feels Avant is settled, she asks her first
question, “So what are things like in the land of Jastain? Is it much different
from here?”
Avant stares at her reflectively. "Yes and no. People
are people in both worlds. And the Higher Power is the same one here as it is
in Jastain. The Light shines and speaks. It is up to each of us to see and
hear. To answer the call for which we were created. Have you answered that call
in your own life, my Lady?"Xylia thinks about Avant’s question as she looks at Landon. With a small smile she says, “Yes, I think I have.” She reaches for Landon’s hand and takes it into hers. “Though I’m only seventeen, I’m sure there is more out there I still need to figure out.”
“So, I hear you’re like a superhero, or something. You have some Gift of Prophecy?” Landon asks determined to get to the good stuff.
Avant throws his head back and laughs heartily. "Super
hero? Indeed not. I have been given a measure of the gift of Light. However,
it's not our Gifts that define us—it's our choices." He pins the young
buck with a stare. The Light flashes and a vision appears. "You were born
to lead, young man. There are those who look up to you. They always have and
they will continue to do so. You exert influence in your world—influence is
superpower. But how you choose to use your Gift will be your measuring
stick."
Avant waits as the boy gains composure. He smiles
mischievously at the couple. "And I have also seen your future. I even
know how many children you will have."
Xylia grins not wanting to chance a look at Landon. He was
probably having a mental freak out. “Did you bring your sword? Is it true what
they say, you know, big sword equals big...—“ Landon digs his elbow into her
side. “Ouch. What was that for?”
“What Xylia means to ask is could you maybe tell us a bit
about your battle initiatives?”
His mood sobers. "I pray to the Light, you will never
need to learn battle strategy and that you will always know peace. But since
you ask, Landon… The most important thing in winning a war is being willing to
sacrifice more than your opponent. If you cannot lay down your life and all
that is holy to you for the cause, then the cause is unworthy and the fight
already lost."
Xylia brings her hand to her mouth covering a yawn.
“Boring.” She sighs. “Can we seriously talk about something better? Avant, can
you maybe give Landon and me some relationship wisdom? I’m sure you’ve got
loads of it.”
"I'm afraid, Xylia, my wisdom in that area is sorely
lacking. However, I will say the same for love as for war – if you cannot lay
down your own desires and agenda for the good of the other person, then the
love between you is unworthy. True love is sacrifice."
Landon grabs at his collar, feeling just as uncomfortable as
Avant looks. “Maybe we should stick to the manly talk, Xylia. Do you drive cars
in Jastain or ride horses?”
Avant drums his fingers on the table, iching to get behind
the wheel of an automobile. "We do not have horseless carriages in
Jastain, but my horse, Spiritus is a loyal friend and one I would trust with my
most treasured possession." He gives them a tight-lipped smile.
"Although, driving a car on your freeways gives a thrill like none
other."
Xylia rolls her eyes. “So, how did you know Abby was the
one? I remember reading about something called The Implanting? Do you think
that maybe if you hadn’t shared your memories, that maybe things would have
ended differently?”
“Don’t you think
that might be a little personal? Ignore that, Avant, why don’t you tell us what
your favourite meal is.”
“Guys, always with the food...” Xylia mutters. "Xylia, I will answer your question, because it is one I've contemplated in depth. Had the Darkness not come to Jastain, had things been different with my first wife, indeed, I believe things would have ended much differently. However, the Darkness did come, and in that moment, the trajectory of our lives was changed. Knowing Abigail and loving her was worth what I suffered. And even if we had not shared our memories, I would have eventually loved her."
“That is so romantic,” Xylia gushed.
They sat for a moment, drinking their coffee.
Then Avant turned to Landon. "My favourite meal is
roast pork, turnips and fresh strawberries in cream."
Landon leans forward, finally seeing his chance to ask the
only question he really cares about. “So, how do get from here, the good ‘ol US
of A to Jastain? Is like in Star Wars, or was that Star Trek? You know, ‘beam
me up, Scotty’?”"I am not familiar with 'beam me up, Scotty'. But I am able to travel between worlds with Abigail. She has the Gift of Placement Implanting. You would call it teleportation. She is able to Implant to anyone she knows and loves or any place she has a strong positive connection to." He leans back in his chair and takes a sip of coffee before continuing. "We were able to transplant to her residence in Dallas last evening, and I took an airplane here for this interview."
Xylia looks at Landon. “Maybe you should let me take over
the questions from here. Avant, your Author told me you had some great insights
about sex. Landon and I haven’t—well, we aren’t quite there yet, but you look,
you know, experienced.” Xylia gives Avant a side long glance, her cheeks flush
when she realizes she can see the ripple of abs through his tunic. “Could you
maybe, give us some tips?”
Landon chokes on his coffee. Hot liquid dribbles down his
chin. “Xylia!”
“What? There’s nothing wrong with talking about sex.” She
sees both guys squirm. “Sex, sex, sex.” She laughs. “Please, just answer the
question, Avant. I’m really—interested.”
"I can see that all American women are more than a
little progressive…" He clears his throat uncomfortably. "When it
comes to making love. My advice to
you is wait until you are properly married. That's how things are done in
Jastain."
Xylia asks, "Oh, so were you and Abby married the first
time you… you know."
Avant pretended he didn't hear and looked to Landon.“So back to swords and mayhem... Avant, how many people have you killed, or should I say slain?”
"Too many to recount."
“Well, since I can see this interview turning into more
about man testosterone, maybe we should finishing things off. How about one
last question--”“It so better not be about sex, or relationships or that girly crap, Xylia. I’m serious.”
Xylia frowns. “It won’t be. You don’t have to be so much of
a kill-joy.”
Landon folds his arms across his chest, eyeing Avant, thinking, he doesn’t look that big. “I’m sure Avant can agree with me. No one around here cares about that stuff.”
"It doesn't take a gift of prophecy to see through that
pile of dung. I am certain the idea has crossed your mind a few times."
“Fine. Avant, will we be seeing you again? Or is yours and Abby’s story done?”
"Our story is done, although I'm certain we will be
making an appearance in future stories."
“Thank you so much for taking the time to come chat with us. It was very enlightening!”
“It could have been way cooler if we had gotten to talk more
about swords,” Landon grumbles.
"Oh, we aren't done. In truth, we've only just begun. I
have a few questions for you."
Thank you for
stopping by. Leave us a comment and let us know what you thought of the
interview.
Please check out these other amazing Character Interviews and have fun hopping!
The Interviews!
Gregor Caine + Circe
(Christine Ashworth & Claire Gillian)
Caleb + Arland and Kate
(Kinley Baker & Krystal Wade)
Leigh Baxton + Micah Fuller
(Lindsay Loucks & Diane M. Haynes)
Shayla Dormyr + Kara Magari
(Raven Bower & S.M. Boyce)
Kellyn O’Brien + Julianna
(Louann Carroll & Siobhan Muir)
Ivory + Sara Wiley
(Rebecca Hamilton & Sandra Bunino)
Xylia and Landon + Avant
(Avery Olive & Kary Rader)
Asar + Matty Ducayn
(Jean Murray & Wendy Russo)
21 June 2012 at 16:33
Great interview! Xylia and Landon are so cute! Now I'm looking forward to reading Avant's story!
21 June 2012 at 17:29
Awesome interview! I loved the guys' squirming and Xylia's "Sex, sex, sex" part!
22 June 2012 at 05:34
This came out great! I loved Xylia making the boys squirm :) thanks for participating!
25 June 2012 at 03:51
I read this blog it's informative