And In Another End of the Universe...

Somewhere beyond the stars, Humans have become a spacefaring people and managed to dig up all kinds of trouble.  Today, we are going to interview one of those humans, Eneld Cross, whose exploits (if you want to call them that!) are told in the fabulous story, Serving Time.

You can find out more about Serving Time here:
http://nadineonwriting.blogspot.com.es/2013/04/serving-time-cover-and-blurb-reveal.html

Today we’re interviewing biorobotics engineer Eneld Cross.

So, tell me, Eneld, what’s your job?

Hello, John. I’m Team Leader for the Martian Soil Restoration Program. I specialize in biorobotics, that is, making organic elements work in symbiosis with regular robotic components.

So you’re working on making Mars a habitable place for humans.

Um…yeah…

What’s the matter?

Well, usually when someone hears “Martian soil restoration”, they think we’re trying to fertilize the soil so plant life can thrive… However, that’s exactly the opposite of what we’re trying to do. It’s not a secret: Mars is officially out of control. Plant life introduced there mutated decades ago, and now the jungle covers about three quarters of the planet—and it’s not any regular jungle. Have you ever heard of constrictor ivy?

No.

It’s carnivorous, and it seems to like human flesh.

That sounds terrible.

It is. Apart from the plants, several mutated animal species have been discovered. The most dangerous one we’ve encountered so far is Marsworm, a cranial parasite. You don’t even want to hear what it does.

So what’s the soil restoration program about, then?

We’re searching for a way to return the Martian landscape to the way it was before: barren. Right now, my team and I are completing a new batch of biometal earthworms. They’re going to travel into the jungle and release a poisonous mixture into the soil. As Team Leader, I have to go along and supervise the whole process. I’m leaving in just a couple weeks.

I’d better hurry with the interview, then. You probably have many things to do before leaving. Do you have a lifelong dream or aspiration?

You could say I already accomplished it. When I was a kid, I read every single book and watched every show on Mars I could find. One night when I was just ten or eleven, I even snuck out of bed to watch a midnight special. “Exclusive images”, the special said. That was when I learned about the constrictor ivy and how it had killed several of the on location scientists. I’ll never be able to forget those images. That night, I understood the true meaning of “Martian bush sculpture”.

When I began university, I knew exactly what I wanted to do: find the solution for Mars. Now that I’m part of the project, I’m not so sure.

You don’t sound very optimistic.

I’m not. I’ve seen so many failures that I’d rather not keep my hopes up with the earthworms.

Tell me about your siblings, if you have any.

I have an older brother. His name’s Tristan and he’s an interplanetary pilot. But I haven’t seen him in about ten years. Sure, we talk online sometimes, but that’s pretty much it. I wouldn’t really mind if I never saw him again.

Why’s that?

He abandoned us when we needed him the most. By “us”, I mean my mother and me. She got very, very sick, and eventually passed away. It was…horrible. I never want to experience that kind of pain again. I was there for her the entire time, but Tristan never came. I don’t think I’ll ever manage to forgive him for that.

But you must have some fond memory of him. Anything from your childhood?

I don’t know… I guess he could always make me laugh. When we were really little, he would make up dances and wiggle around until I fell over laughing. But maybe the best memories are from our summers at the beach. We’d always scout the rocks looking for crabs and seaweed and whatever we could find.

But now I live on the moon, and I’m packing my stuff to go to Mars. And Tristan…who knows where he is right now? We both left Earth behind.

Well, Eneld. Thank you for your time. It was a pleasure to learn about Mars. Good luck!
Be sure to visit the following links about Serving Time!
http://www.thedarkcornerofthemind.blogspot.com

From the past week:

April 2: Kelly interviewed the character Seth http://kellywalkerwrites.blogspot.com/

April 3: Nastia showed us a sneak peek into the book, focusing on Seth http://worldsoutofwords.wordpress.com/

April 4: Lanise interviewed the character Robert http://laniseb.blogspot.com/

April 5: Dathi showed a sneak peek of Robert http://between-my-lines.blogspot.gr/

WIP Blog Hop: Interview with Jie Yan

From CC member Nadinucca:
The rules are simple: answer these questions about your work in progress, and link others at the bottom so everybody can hop over to meet them.

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Cloverpuff materializes behind a short, lithe figure crouched on a rooftop.  From behind, with long, dark brown hair pinned up, it looks like an older child, or perhaps a young teenager.  Without even looking, the figure reaches back and snatches her up by the ears.

Cloverpuff hangs limp and rolls her eyes.  "Again?"

The person turns around, revealing an Asian girl who has not quite grown into womanhood.  She has sharp features and slightly tapered ears, betraying a hint of elf blood.  Her almond-shaped eyes narrow as she locks her gaze on Cloverpuff. She speaks in a whisper, even as her eyes begin to scan the roof line.  "Was that you talking?"

Cloverpuff lowers her voice.  "Yes.  Can you put me down now?  You're hurting my ears."

The girl sets Cloverpuff, not really paying heed to the rabbit while her eyes dart back and forth.  At last, she looks down, brow furrowed as Cloverpuff looks on expectantly.  "It really was you talking, wasn't it?  Not a ghost echo?"


"No um... ghost echo.  Yes, I get that all the time.  I came looking for you after Tian Zheng kept mentioning your name, Jie."
"He mentioned my name?"  A smile flits across the Jie's face before her forehead crinkles up again.


"Yes, he kept saying that you were playing a trick on him."
Jie frowns. "It wouldn't be the first time.  He may not be as gullible as when he first came to the Temple way back when, but it's not like I can't fool him when I want to.  So who are you?"

"I am a reporter, interviewing heroes and villains.   I assume you are a hero.  For the record, what is your name?"
Jie raises an eyebrow.  "A reporter? Is that like, a town crier?"

"Not exactly. I collect information--"
Jie's eyes light up.  "Oh, then we are kindred spirits.  My name is Jie Yan."

"Oh, a Chinese name."
"Huh?  Never heard of that.  It's a name in the language of Cathay.  In your language, my given name means Pure.  Maybe not exactly appropriate."  She grins, mischief sparkling in her eyes.   "My family name... well, it comes from the Master of the Black Lotus Temple who adopted me."

"Adopted?"
Jie's grin twists into a frown.  "Yes, my human mother died in childbirth, and my elf father was too busy with his adventures to be burdened by a baby.  He left me at the gates of the Temple when I was still a baby."

"Sorry to hear that, it must hurt."
" Not really, I have no memory of it.  I consider myself lucky to grow up the way I did."

"Anyway, I'd like to ask a few more questions. What were you doing when I came in?"
"I was stalking an enemy general."

"If I told you you had to do some spring cleaning right away, what would you throw out?"
"I have a magic pouch that has almost unlimited capacity.  I don't have to throw anything away."
 
"Look deep into my eyes... Do you have any secrets you'd like to confess?"
Jie rolls her eyes.  "What, are you trying Swaying Eyes of the Snake?  You're not very good at it, and won't get any secrets out of me like that."

"What?  No, no technique.  Just trying to learn a little more about you."
Jie winks.  "Well, I guess there's no harm in telling a bunny, because you're not going to tell anyone else, right?"

"...."
 "So you met Tian already.  I am hopelessly in love with him.  I have no idea how it happened, but all I know is that every time my eyes meet his, my heart skips a beat.  If he so much as touches my hand"


"Oh, that's sweet.  Does he know?"
Jie rolls her eyes again.  "I am sure that deep down inside, he does.  But he cares more about his work than personal feelings.  To him, I am just a little sister... even if I'm 9 years older than he is!"

"Nine years older?  You barely look 12!"
Jie puts her hands on her hips.  "Right?  That's what elf blood does for you."


"If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?"
"The aforementioned elf blood.  I am 30 years old, but still look like an adolescent.  Which is great if you don't want to be taken seriously, not so great if you want to be treated like an adult."


"And what do you like most about yourself?"
Jie grins and does a duck-face.  "What's not to like?  But if anything more than others, the fact that I can fight as well as any man, if not better."

"Is there anyone you really, really hate? Come on, you can tell me!"
"My father.  I never met him, but just the fact that he abandoned me.  Well, if I do meet him, I might hug him.... just so I can put a knife between his ribs."

"Imagine it's a typical Saturday afternoon. What are you doing?"
"Saturday?  What is that?"

"You know, a day off."
"There are no days off for a Black-Fist spy."

"I've heard that line before.  So, what's your strongest childhood memory? It can be good or bad."
"As children, we played games to improve our memory of details.  Once, my Master left something out of place, and when I went to investigate, I came across the strangest of arrowheads.  It was crystalline, with silver impurities veining in regular intervals through it.  When I picked it up, it felt warm in my hand; but then my Master yelled at me.  I think it's the only time he ever yelled at me."

"Well, thank you for your time! Before I head on back to my dimension, can you complete this sentence for me?  If I could be a domestic appliance, any appliance, I'd be a..."
"Domestic Appliance?  Is that one of those kinky toys you find in the Floating World?  If so, then I would be--"


"Hopping right along.  Now I'm going to visit:
Freddy Terra from Shane Jeffrey's The Park 
Robert from Nadine Deharbe's Serving Time 

WIP Blog Hop-- Cloverpuff interviews Tian Zheng from True Color of Betryal

From Nadinucca on CC:
Hello everybody. Just a quick and simple post today: the blog hop! 

The rules are simple: answer these questions about your work in progress, and link others at the bottom so everybody can hop over to meet them.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

As Cloverpuff fades into existence, she sees a tangle of strings zigzagging through a cluttered room.  Before she can process the convoluted web, her hat is immediately knocked off by a long metal spike.  A hand swoops in and takes her up by the ears.  When she opens her eyes, she is looking into the dark eyes of an Asian male with long dark hair.

He glances around the room, eyes narrowed.  When he speaks, his voice booms, as if he wants someone else to hear.  "A rabbit?  Here?  I wonder if the embassy chef can cook up curried rabbit stew?"

Cloverpuff kicks her hind legs as she struggles to break free.  "Let me go!  I'm just here for an interview!"

The man's eyes widens and his hands go slack, freeing Cloverpuff from his powerful grip. 

She lands lightly on the ground, and looks up, eyes glinting.  "Why, I have never..."

His wide eyes narrow again, and he smirks as his head darts around the room.  "Jie, stop playing tricks.  I know you are throwing your voice with a ghost echo."

Cloverpuff's experience on the front lines of the Martian Wars allows her to immediately recover from the manhandling.  It might have been frightening to be snatched up quickly, but it was nothing compared to that time when Darth Vader Force-choked her.  "No, no, it's me talking here.  Look, I just interviewed Princess Jingjing, and one of my readers suggested I get your side of the story."
"Jie!  This isn't funny.  We have work to do here."

"No, look, here are my press credentials."
"Press wha-?  Fine, I have a few minutes to play this game.  What do you want?"

"Just to ask a few questions.  First, what is your name?
"Tian Zheng, fourth son of the Tai-Ming Lord of Eastgate Province."

Besides trying to kill me, what were you doing when I came in?
Tian waves his hand at the room, where papers dangle from the strings and on two cork boards on two sides of the room.  "Examining information."

Information?
"Yes, that's my job.  Collecting and organizing information so that we can better understand the threats to my homeland. "

Sounds interesting enough.  If I told you you had to do some spring cleaning right away, what would you throw out?
"I don't throw away anything.  Look around this room.  Every piece of information is connected to the big picture somehow."

Look deep into my eyes... Do you have any secrets you'd like to confess?
 "Is this a joke?  Jie!  Enough of these silly games."

No joke!  Come on, spill some secrets, Tian.
"Everything here is secrets.  How much time do you have?"

Any personal secrets?  Love of your life? 
"There is no time for love.  The world is at war."

Moving right along... So who is Jie?
"Oh, come on."

Pretend that I don't know.  Is she your love?
"What?  Seriously?  Fine.  Play this game.  Jie is an annoying half-elf girl.  We grew up together in the Black Lotus Temple.  She is like a sister to me."  Tian's eyes dart around the room again.  "An annoying little sister."

So, If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
"Can I change the past?"

Well, no.  But if you could?  Does it have to do with locking Princess Jingjing in an armoire?
He cocks his head, brows furrowed.  "How did you know about that?"

I have my sources.  So it IS true?
"Regrettably, yes.  That was a long time ago, though.  I don't imagine she even remembers."

Yeaaaah.... moving right along.  And what do you like most about yourself?
"I am very good at what I do.  That is all I have in this life: duty.  I might as well do it to the best of my ability."

Is there anyone you really, really hate? Come on, you can tell me!
"Jinglong Peng, the Princess's cousin.  He pretended to be my friend when we were children.  Set me up.  I know this now, even if I did not then."

Imagine it's a typical Saturday afternoon. What are you doing?
"Saturday?  What is that?"

You know, a day of rest.
"There are no days of rest.  Everyday, something is happening, everyday means more information."

What's your strongest childhood memory? It can be good or bad.
"When I was 12, I killed someone for the first time.  It was a criminal, whose life was forfeit, and it was done with absolute precision and mercy.  But you never forget your first."

Ain't that the truth.  Just like a first love.
"Um, yeah.  You know, Jie, that was so long ago.  You can stop making jokes about it."


Well, thank you for your time! Before I head on back to my dimension, can you complete this sentence for me?  If I could be a domestic appliance, any appliance, I'd be a...
"Is that some kind of spying device?"


Check out these interviews with Cloverpuff!
Interview with Time
Interview with Alistair Leeds
Interview with Neal Rodriguez

WIP Blog Hop: Cloverpuff Interviews Jingjing Wang from True Color of Betrayal

From a CC member:
Hello everybody! I'm Cloverpuff, the dimension-hopping rabbit. I'll be popping by your novels this week, asking your characters these questions:

What's your name?
Jingjing Wang, Princess of Cathay.

What were you doing when I came in?
Losing the contents of my stomach over the side of the ship.

If I told you you had to do some spring cleaning right away, what would you throw out?

All trappings of life in the Cathay court.  The routines, the schedules, the duties.  All of it.
 
Look deep into my eyes... Do you have any secrets you'd like to confess?
I am claustrophobic and allergic to shellfish.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
My station in life.  Being a princess is hard-- your life is never truly your own.  In your world, look at Princess Diana or Princess Masako.  I would rather be a commoner.

And what do you like most about yourself?
My voice.  When I sang, I convinced a dragon to leave a city alone.

Is there anyone you really, really hate? Come on, you can tell me!
Tian Zheng.  He was my childhood friend.  When he was 10 and I was 8, we promised to get married.  Then he locked me in an armoire.

Now, just because he's some deadly assassin-spy type, he thinks he knows everything.  He's an emotionless machine, and I have a feeling he's going to get me killed.

Imagine it's a typical Saturday afternoon. What are you doing?
After practicing classical dance, and perhaps singing, I will be playing Mahjong with my sister-in-laws and my cousin.  It is the best time to share court gossip.

What's your strongest childhood memory? It can be good or bad.

When I was 8, I was sitting on the castle walls overlooking Sun-Moon Lake with Tian, watching the fireflies.  He gave me a crown of flowers that he had woven himself.  He was so cute back then, unlike the sorcerer's automaton he's become.

Well, thank you for your time! Before I head on back to my dimension, can you complete this sentence for me?  If I could be a domestic appliance, any appliance, I'd be a...
an appliance?  I am unfamiliar with this term in your language.  Does it have something to do with magic?


Now I'll hop on over to... [insert other bloggers' links here]
 Kelly Walker's Cornerstone
Nadine Ducca's Serving Time 

WIP Blog Hop - True Color of Betrayal

The rules are simple: answer these questions about your work in progress, and link others at the bottom so everybody can hop over to meet them.

What is the working title of your book?
True Color of Betrayal

Where did the idea come from for the book?
I am embarrassed to say that as a teenager, I played Dungeons and Dragons; and in fact, had created my own world to run adventures in as the all-powerful Dungeon Master.

A few years ago, while going through some of my old stuff at my mom's house, I came across those materials. On the one hand, I laughed at my 14-year old self for his naivete; but at the same time, I liked the basic premise of the world building. I recreated the world by redrawing the maps and formulating logical reasons why things were the way they were.

Then on the seventh day, I rested. In that time of reflection, I realized I would never role play again; so I decided to write stories instead.

I asked myself, what would happen if a race could only have male offspring? And everything developed from there.

What genre does your book fall under?
High/Epic Fantasy*

If you ever played the game Civilization, then you know about taking historical cultures and putting them on original maps. Throw in magic, elves, dwarves, orcs and ogres, and voila.
*Those of you in the know... well, you know :P

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
One sentence? Seriously? Ok, I will give it a try: A spy must help his Princess escape from a trap, leading to a perilous journey that changes them both.

Ugh, that is so bland. Some of the themes I wanted to explore were a person's internal conflict between duty and personal desire; and the masks they wear to perform those duties. The bigger story looks at how nations transform as their founding principles are reinterpreted by later generations.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Vicky Zhao to play Jingjing

Hideaki Takizawa to play Tian.

Maggie Q to play Jie.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Taking inspiration from fellow writers at Critique Circle, I will probably self-publish first; and then maybe approach a traditional publisher later, just for the prestige of saying that I played their game and won.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
I threw the first draft together in three weeks, during a winter when we were constantly snowed in. However, revisions and rewrites have taken about three years so far :P

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
On the surface, I think there are aspects similar to Game of Thrones with a little Lord of the Rings and Dragonlance sprinkled in; or perhaps Chung Kuo in terms of everything that is going on.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?
My 14-year old self, who wanted to be a writer, despite having no writing skill or creativity.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Unfortunately, it is the mind-blowing (someone else's words, not mine!) plot twist at the end-- I have to find a way to keep a reader interested until that it is revealed.

Other WIP Blog Hop participants:
Nadine Ducca's Serving Time
Lanise Brown's Timekeeper's Journal