My First Published Character Interview – Simin Arnatt

On December 4, 2015, I was introduced on ‘The Story Reading Ape’s blog to be accepted in his ‘Author’s Hall of Fame’. I’m very grateful he did that and accepted several guest posts since that day. TSRA’s post went viral before my first book in the series ‘Soul Taker’ was published. That day I interviewed one of my characters, Simin Arnatt. She is quite an important character in my series, strong, beautiful, a fighter.

Book Four in ‘The Council of Twelve’ series will be Simin’s story. I decided today to re-publish Simin’s interview here below for you to meet her (or meet her again).

Simin isn’t an easy character, independent, proud, unique, difficult to handle at times. Brace yourself for her arrival…

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Interview with Simin Arnatt.

Hello, Simin.

I am honored to be permitted to ask you a few questions and that you agreed to let us know you a little better.

You’re welcome. It is nice to be here. Don’t forget to keep your curiosity under control and we’ll get along well.

I understand. Now let’s start with the beginning. You are beautiful, but unusual. Where were you born?

Thank you so much for the compliment. I am in fact born in England. My mother was English, my father, Persian. I got my parents’ looks, equally from both of them. Only that I look like their negative. (She laughs musically) I got my father’s light skin and my mother’s chocolate hair – and nature switched it and made me.

The contrast is unique, in particular with your dark eyes. You are gorgeous. You look like being in your late twenties the most. May I ask how old you are?

Again thank you for all compliments. As for my age: After I reached my biological limit at the age of 22, I haven’t noticed to age significantly. And that was a long, long time ago. My parents passed away, their bodies turned into dust in the meantime. I did not expect to live this long, but that’s how it is. And no, I won’t tell you my actual age. It will, as so many things about me, remain a secret.

What do you do for a living?

I am something like a “bounty hunter”. I search for individuals on order.

That sounds interesting, can you tell us more? For example: Why do you search for these individuals and who gives you the orders?

I’m sorry. It’s my work, and I do guarantee absolute discretion to my customers.

There is something unusual about you. And you mentioned you are much older than I guessed. Are you human?

Not entirely, no.

But you’re not a vampire?

(Laughs out loudly). No, not at all.

What are you if I may ask?

This will remain a secret

Were you born the way you are?

Yes.

Are you the only one of your kind?

I have never met another in my entire existence. But this doesn’t mean there is nobody else. We just might not have met.

What….

STOP IT!! Enough of that. If you don’t have any other questions.

Is there a man in your life?

N…no.

Your answer came out a little hesitating. Are you sure there is nobody?

Yes.

But you are in love?

(Blushes furiously) I don’t talk about that. This goes too far now. Do you have one more question to ask? Otherwise I…

Yes, please. Is there anything you would like to be able to do? A wish, a dream you have?

I sometimes wish I could fly into heaven, spread my wings, fly above the clouds, and end up where all is love and peace. Away from blood, cruelness, injustice and… – Heaven… (her eyes are dreamy)

I’m sorry, but this is it. I consider this interview over. It was a pleasure to be here. All the Best and good luck with your book.

(Originally published December 4, 2015 on The Story Reading Ape’s blog)

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Find and buy the first three books in the series here:

https://books2read.com/u/m2roOj

 

 

 

 

 

https://books2read.com/u/mgGGeX

 

 

 

 

 

https://books2read.com/u/3yEx6l

 

Sundance – A New 5-Star review

I am so proud to discover that Sundance, the second book in ‘The Council Of Twelve’ series got a new 5-star review. This is wonderful.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Very entertaining and fascinating sequel

Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2020

Following ‘Soul Taker’, ‘Sundance’ is the second book in the Council of Twelve Series.
The book is less a simple sequel than a parallel story to the first part, which first surprised me, but then I was enthusiastic about that fact. I found it fascinating to read the story from a different point of view and to find the skillfully orchestrated connections to the first book.
One of the things I love about this book is to see Sundance grow up into a strong woman. Also interesting is her education. Even though the book shows many known characters and places, the book still allows the reader to re-explore the world, AJ Alexander created masterfully.
I look forward to reading book number three in the series.

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Buy the book here: https://books2read.com/u/mgGGeX

Interview With One Of My Characters V

Hello Zepheira. It’s so great to have you here.

Hi AJ. It’s nice of you to invite me. I love your little office. And the kitties, of course. *laughs*

 

Now, Zye. You met your husband, a while ago. We all read how you two fell in love and got married. How is married life?

Well, it’s more or less what Katie told me it would be. Of course, I’m still a Demon Tracker, working for the ‘Council Of Twelve’. I love what I do and I’m very proud they haven’t ‘reduced’ me to be a ‘housewife’ at this point. But additionally my regular work I had to take over quite a part of my work as a consort. And these tasks are specific.

 

Can you tell us what is expected of an Archangel consort?

Consorts aren’t just glorified Archangel groupies. We ladies are a part of our husbands. We are their connection to their troops, to their commanders, and their subordinates. We are expected to take care of them, look out for their wellbeing, function as their point of contact if there is a problem. And we aren’t talking about a military strategic flaw, we are talking about personal problems. Often we function as psychologists, we help, advice, comfort and they know they can count on us. Of course, there has been the one or other case when a subordinate has tried to befriend us, hoping he’s getting chances to be promoted. But that’s not what we are there for. Often we organize our husband’s meetings, training, calendars, management, guards, and many more things…

 

We can read about you and your husband’s romance in the ‘Demon Tracker’ book. Will you tell us just a little about it?

Of course. My hubby’s Big Seven have demanded my services as a Demon Tracker after one of them has been killed and disappeared. They needed to save her soul, otherwise, it would be lost to the evil side. I helped them to find her, and during that process, I met Archangel Uriel. He is an enormously strong Archangel, one of the oldest Archangels in existence. The case was quite difficult to solve and during my research, another problem came up. I took a great risk to finish my assessment and solve that problem…

 

Do you recommend reading the book?

*laughs* I definitely do. It’s an interesting adventure and also, Uriel and I meeting is quite romantic, actually. Read the book. And keep in mind – there’s more to come!

 

Get Demon Tracker here:

Amazon US Ebook
Amazon US Paperback
Amazon UK Ebook
Amazon UK Paperback
Amazon DE Ebook
Amazon DE Paperback
Smashwords
Apple Books
Barnes & Noble 
Kobo

 

 

 

An Unexpected Antagonist

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‘The Council Of Twelve’ series is at a critical point at this moment. With the number of books, the tension between Good and Evil grows. The stories aren’t as innocent and romantic as they used to be. Of course, there is still a lot of love involved, after all, we are looking at the Good Side, Heaven,…

But also, there is the other side, and the tension in Hell has grown… Book 9 in the series delivers chaos, shows that there isn’t a mess mainly in the eternal fight, even Hell has its glitches and one of them is directed towards their ruler.

And here I need an Avenger… Alastor, the warrior with the golden spear. The Fighter for his master.

Alastor is a demonic evil spirit, very dedicated to the one who gives him a chance and entrusts him with a task that combines fighting as well as satiating his bloodthirst. However, it shouldn’t be forgotten, that this demon, as civilized as he can act, is still hard to assess.

Unknown and hidden he wandered among his fellow demon siblings, acting submissive and obedient, hiding his true nature and looks, protected by his master and commander.

He is not a fallen angel, like the Hellish Noblesse… he is a pure demon, but recognized by his Master, he is a secret weapon, for an emergency such as the situation that has occurred within the ‘Council Of Twelve’ series at this time. War… a war, worse than anyone on Earth will ever know.

Do humans know there is a war being fought among them? No

Do humans know there is the fight Good versus Evil still going on? No

Do humans feel there is something happening at this moment? Yes

They can feel the calamities, they experience the tsunamis, the earthquakes, the volcanoes, the hurricanes, tornadoes, the heat and cold, the fire, the temperature craziness…

In the meantime, the war goes on, the Archangels and Divine Warriors are fighting the darkness, the fear, the horror, the fire waves, the demonic influence, the legions of Hell with all their might.

There might be hope… but at this moment the odds aren’t good.

Do humans know that the Good side is fighting for them? No

Do humans know that their Creator, their Father, their Lord is sending them His angels to protect them?

Only the Believers… – only the believers…

The Council Of Twelve Series – What Should Be Next?

The Council of Twelve series so far includes the first three books in the series.

You can find them here:

Katie is the sweetest angel we can imagine, a fantastic consort, emotionally stable, and still responsible, helpful, and caring. She’s Raphael’s perfect second half.

Sundance is the second female angel we meet in the series. She’s an exceptional angel in many ways, the first warrior angel in three centuries, she is blessed with many gifts and talented beyond her young age.

Zepheira is a strong-willed, stubborn woman, so far the fiercest female character in the series. As a half-angel, she is a raw diamond, and due to her nature, the only one holding Uriel’s fire.

During the entire series, we will recognize recurring characters and meeting new ones; in particular, are we going to meet ‘The Council of Twelve,’ including the twelve most powerful individuals existing, each one of them holding unique talents and powers.

Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, Uriel, Benadrel, Zachariel, Deonur, Tsechirel, Santanael, Centriel, Anghariel, and Simael.

The fight Good vs. Evil is present within each book, the tension climbs higher with each story.

In your opinion, what should happen next? Tell me in the comment. If you have an idea, want to write a short story that you think might fit the series, write it, please and send it to me: aurorajean.alexander@aol.com. Write ‘The Council of Twelve series on Writer’s Treasure Chest’ in the subject line.

I look forward to your emails.

Authors, Do You Rehearse Fighting Scenes Before You Write Them?

A few days ago, I was working on a complicated fighting scene between two supernatural beings in book #8 in ‘The Council Of Twelve’ series.

To describe the fight accurately, I was getting up, using a wooden kitchen spoon to technically rehearse every step of the battle, before sitting down and explaining the movement and natural body reaction on the ‘theoretically’ inflicted pain.

It took me close to four hours for a fight that took a mere two pages to write.  And yes, the argument does include a bit of pain, wings, bruises, and a severe knee injury.

Now, being a martial artist myself might have helped me big time to take this challenge on and solve the problem the way I did. But other writers might not have that [indeed minimal] advantage. How are they doing it? Is their fantasy more extended than mine?

Previously I mentioned my fighting scene took up about two pages of the book. Generally, that is a lot of room for one scene. But that is why I rehearsed. I had to make sure the fight was thrilling and still described well in an imaginative short manner.

Fighting scenes in books are incredibly different from fighting scenes in movies. Compared to what we see, reading the fight in a book has to tickle our own imagination. We don’t follow a fighter with our eyes… we follow him/her with our mind.

To see Bruce Lee fighting twenty opponents to the same time and describing the same scene in words, would need our book ten to twelve pages. To a reader, that would be incredibly boring. Most readers would never read through the entire fight. It would be a complete waste of time and effort. A reader would only jump the pages to the end of the battle. Most of them are interested in who wins.

Therefore I had to shorten something that usually takes about ten to fifteen minutes in a movie to two pages in my book. To catch the essential things in my fight, I was rehearsing to myself.

 

As an author, how do you write fighting scenes? Do you rehearse too? And as a reader, do you enjoy reading fighting scenes, and if yes, how long should they be to not bore you out of your skin? Thank you for telling us in the comments.

Soul Taker Secrets – Angel Wings

The Council of Twelve series is a YA fantasy/paranormal romance series where we meet celestial beings. The first book in the series is ‘Soul Taker’, where we meet the Council of Twelve, the most powerful individuals in existence, and the protagonist, Katie, a Guardian Angel-to-be. In the ‘Soul Taker Secrets’ category, I reveal the one or other ‘inside’ knowledge about The Council of Twelve, their consorts, and in this case, a little of their physical secrets.

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Picture courtesy of https://academy.allaboutbirds.org/feathers-article/

Wing feathers

The wing feathers specialized for flight are characterized by uniform windproof surfaces, or vanes, on either side of the central shaft that is created by an interlocking microstructure. Also called remiges, these feathers are asymmetric with a shorter, less flexible leading edge that prevents mid-air twisting.

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Tail feathers

Most tail feathers, or rectrices, feature an interlocking microstructure similar to wing feathers. Arranged in a fan shape, these feathers support precision steering in flight. Typically, birds have six pairs of feathers on the tail, which display increasing levels of asymmetry toward the outer pairs. In some birds, tail feathers have evolved into showy ornaments that are useless in flight.

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Contour feathers

Contour feathers are what you see covering the bird’s body and streamlining its shape. Arranged in an overlapping pattern like shingles, the waterproof tips are exposed to the elements, and the fluffy bases are tucked close to the body. Sometimes brilliantly colored or uniformly drab, contour feathers can also help the bird show off or stay camouflaged. Contour feathers on the wing, called coverts, shape it into an efficient airfoil by smoothing over the region where the flight feathers attached to the bone.

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Semiplume

Mostly hidden beneath other feathers on the body, semiplumes have a developed central rachis but no hooks on the barbules, creating a fluffy insulating structure.

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Down

Similar to semiplumes with an even looser branching structure but little or no central rachis, down feathers, are relatively short and positioned closest to the body where they trap body heat.

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Filoplume

Short, simple feathers with few barbs, filoplumes function like mammal whiskers to sense the position of the contour feathers.

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Bristle

Bristles are the simplest feathers, with a stiff rachis that usually lacks barb branches. Most commonly found on the head, bristles may protect the bird’s eyes and face.

(Source: https://academy.allaboutbirds.org/feathers-article/)

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Now that we learned about the different feathers in the wings let’s look at the different wing-shapes.

Picture courtesy of https://worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/

In this picture, we can see the wing shaping feathers and their functionality.

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Now, bird and angel wings basically have the same biological structure with one main difference. Their mobility is far more extended to guarantee the optimal function since, of course, angels don’t have tail feathers to brake, steer, and keep the balance of the wing carrier. And of course, they are much more reliable, due to the weight they have to lift.

Picture courtesy of Freepik.com

Smorgasbord Cafe and Bookstore – Meet the Authors #Fantasy Deborah Jay, #ParanormalRomance A.J. Alexander, #Historical Ruth Larrea

Me and my books mentioned in Smorgasbord Cafe and Bookstore. Thank you so much, Sally! ❤

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

There are over 150 authors in the Cafe and Bookstore and I wanted to keep it to key pieces of information such as buying links, recent review, website and covers. However, I know that readers also like to know more about the background of authors.

In this series during June and July I will share the bios of all the authors in the cafe in a random selection. I hope that this will introduce you to the authors in more depth and encourage you to check out their books and follow them on their blog and Twitter.

Meet Deborah Jay

Deborah Jay writes fantasy and urban fantasy featuring complex, quirky characters and multi-layered plots – just what she likes to read.

Fortunate enough to live not far from Loch Ness in the majestic, mystery-filled Scottish Highlands with her partner and a pack of rescue dogs, she can often be found…

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Demon Tracker’s Third 5-Star Review

I am so very proud that Demon Tracker got its third 5-star review. The book has also been recommended on BookBub which I’m very excited about! This is so great, I’m smiling all the time!

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‘Amazingly Good’

With all that is going on in this world, Alexander provides a wondrous escape into her magical mythological world.
‘Demon Tracker’ throws all the punches and hits every target! ‘Demon Tracker’ is good to the last page read! Not one page was I bored! I think the best book in the series yet. Zepheira is a breakout character and I fell in love with her instantly. Alexander creates a character that is brash, sarcastic, witty, and tough without any effort. She has to be my favorite book character to date. I hope this is not the last in the series. We do still have a jilted Lucifer sulking in the shadows!

 

 

The book can be purchased here:

https://books2read.com/u/3yEx6l

Demon Tracker’s Second 5-Star Review

Demon Tracker’s second 5-star review was posted May 3, 2020. I’m so happy I’m actually dancing around my place. This is a great day!

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REVIEWED BY LINDA TONIS
MEMBER OF THE PARANORMAL ROMANCE GUILD REVIEW TEAM

I want to begin this review by saying if you haven’t read the first two books, I strongly recommend doing so. Book two ended with questions about Sundance, and those questions are finally answered in this book.

Zepheira (Zye) is a fighter and messenger of the Divine Army hunting demons, but a call from The Big Seven”, legendary warrior angels, sets her on a new path. A demon has stolen the soul of an angel, and it is important that they find him and release the soul; otherwise, it will be lost in Hell forever. She has only two weeks to carry out this mission, but as the best tracker and her ability to use her sense of smell, they are confident she can succeed where they have failed.

She immediately knows by using her sense of smell that the demon they are after is Faramon, the same demon that was there the night her mother was killed. Zye is the daughter of a human and Pan who like Faramon was there when her mom died, since then she has never seen or heard from her father. She is a hybrid blood creature with the same horns as her father. She offers herself as bait with a promise from Uriel the Archangel to be there to protect her.

Her mission is a success except for the fact that she finds herself Lucifer’s prisoner. Some of the funniest parts of this story take place in Hell, where Zye pits herself against the evilest creature known to mankind. She never shows fear even when she is shaking in her boots, and Lucifer has found his match. What happens with the two of them I won’t reveal because it is too priceless to give away in this review.

Uriel and Zye have no doubt that their feelings for each other go way beyond what was initially intended; after a lifetime of searching for the perfect woman, he has finally found her, but does she feel the same?
Zye is an amazing character with the kind of strength that even stunned the Council of Twelve, except for the fact that they do try on many occasions to curb her use of foul language, not always successfully.
A wonderful addition to a wonderful series.

The book can be purchased here:

https://books2read.com/u/3yEx6l