Silly Willie, on #LisaBurtonRadio

Welcome to this week’s edition of Lisa Burton Radio. The only show that interviews the characters from books you love. I’m your host, Lisa the robot girl, and today, my special guest is Cautious Craig, who recently took a vacation to Cape Town, South Africa. “Welcome to the show, Craig. You look so smart in your suit and tie but what is that funny noise and what are you sitting on?”

“Hi Lisa, thank you for having me over for a visit. I chose this tie myself. Dad said I shouldn’t get the one with aeroplanes all over it but I really like aeroplanes, especially after our holiday to Cape Town. Mom made me bring Willy with me for the interview. Willy is only three years old and he is very naughty and spoils everything. I am sitting on him and have my hand over his mouth so that he can’t spoil this interview.”

“Maybe you should let him sit up. Our listeners won’t like that funny snuffling noise and Willy might suffocate.”

“Oh, I didn’t think of that. Willy has asthma so I better let him up. Mom is waiting outside the door and I don’t want her to come in and shout at me.”

“BWAAAAAA! Craig sat on me. BWAAAAAA!”

“Please don’t cry Willy. It makes terrible feedback over my microphone. I’ll give you a sweet if you stop.”

“Okay fanks. I have my own biscuits. Can I eat one on your chair?”

“Sure. Okay guys, let’s get on with this interview, shall we? You said you went on a vacation to Cape Town, Craig? Tell me about it.”

“We went on a holiday to Cape Town and it was wonderful. Cape Town is in South Africa.”

“We went to another country.”

“No, Willy, Cape Town is in South Africa. We live in Johannesburg. It isn’t another country.”

“It is too. We went on an aeroplane. So it must be another country. BWAAAAAA! Craig kicked me!”

“Craig, please don’t kick your brother. Willy, have another biscuit. So, you went on an airplane. Was that fun?”

“Oh yes, it was great. Do you know they have funny toilets with no water on an aeroplane? There are also little tiny basins with taps that you press to make the water come. We went to the toilet five times and Willy made a big mess.”

“Did not. I was just washing my hands.”

“He did too. He used up all the soap and lots of it went on the floor and all over the basin. He also splashed water everywhere. Mom got so cross that she made Dad take us to the toilet the last time. We also had lunch on the aeroplane. It was disgusting.”

“Yucky! I didn’t eat mine. I put it in Mom’s handbag.”

“Um, yeah, how did your mother like that little surprise?”

“Mom was very cross. The sandwich was all squashy and butter went all over her keys, hairbrush and make-up. She is never going to let us have the aeroplane lunch again. Luckily, Mom had packed biltong and biscuits so we didn’t starve. Willy, spilled his juice all over the place. Willy is so silly. Mom made me give him some of mine. It is so unfair. I always have to share.”

“It’s good to share, Craig. Willy is just a baby.”

“BWAAAAAA!!!! Lisa called me a baby!”

“Um, I mean a big boy of three years old. Have another biscuit. Right, let’s move this interview along. Where did you stay in Cape Town, Craig?”

“We stayed in an apartment in Camps Bay. Dad loves it there. It is very windy. The wind almost knocked Willy and me off our feet. I didn’t like that. It whistles all around the windows and the trees in the garden are all bent over. Granddad says that when you go to Cape Town you have to put extra lead in the car’s tyres so it doesn’t blow away. I looked at the tyres but they looked the same as the ones on our Joburg car.”

“That sounds really nice. Did the apartment have a nice view?”

“Oh yes, the view was lovely. We could see the ocean stretching right out to the sky. Did you know there is a dark line where they meet? We saw lots of huge ships waiting to go into the harbour and also paragliders and surfers. It was very nice at the apartment even if the pictures were weird blue and silver blobs. Dad says we can never go there again.”

“Never! You just said it was a nice apartment. Why won’t you go there again?”

“Dad said Willy and I are hooligans. He said that we damaged stuff in the apartment. It is very unfair. I get blamed for everything. Willy pulled the curtains down by trying to climb up them like a monkey. I did burst the cushions in the bedroom, but jumping onto them from the top bunk bed was so much fun. Oh, and we also broke the string on the blinds and Willy sawed a hole in the balcony wall. That wasn’t my fault though. It was Mom’s.”

“Ummm, I can see why your Dad was a bit upset. Why was it your Mom’s fault that Willy sawed a hole in the balcony wall? Actually, how on earth did a three year old manage to do that?”

“It was Mom’s fault because she let Willy bring his tools. He has a whole collection of plastic tools.”

“I have a saw and a hammer.”

“It was the saw that caused the damage. While Mom was unpacking, Willy sat the whole time sawing at the same place in the wall with his plastic saw. I was really surprised when I saw he had made a hole and Mom was horrified.”

“Yeah, I can believe you two causing a little trouble. We’re running out of time and you haven’t told me anything about your vacation yet. What did you enjoy the most in Cape Town?”

“I like the beach. It was really awesome but the water at Camps Bay is really cold. It is the Atlantic Ocean. I learned that at school. I did get dumped by the sea and I nearly drowned but I liked everything else. The sea in Cape Town is very powerful. Mom also helped us to build a pirate island in the sand. It was very good and the other children on the beach all came to help. Mom also showed us how to make an aeroplane out of sand. It was so big we could sit in it and pretend to fly it.”

“I love aeroplanes. My ice cream fell in the sand and I cried.”

“You know, I can believe that. What did you like about Cape Town, Willy?”

“There was a fire on the mountain… and a helicopter came… it had a big bucket underneath it… it dumped sea water on the fire.”

“That was amazing! There were lots of firemen all trying to stop the fire from spreading. We were traveling in the car when we saw the fire. It was a big fire and it was jumping from tree to tree and all the small plants and grass were burning.”

“I want a fireman’s hat!”

“You always want everything, Willy. You are so spoilt!”

“BWAAAAA! Craig called me spoilt!”

“Okay boys, that about wraps it up. I’ll call in your Mom to take you both away. Thanks for listening folks. I’m just going to start wiping up these cookie crumbs and fingerprints.

“If you’d like to read more about Cautious Craig and Willie, check out the books by Robbie Cheadle. I’ll post all the details on the website. Don’t forget, the books have recipes in them too.

“Don’t forget to hit those sharing buttons on your way out. Robbie and Craig will both appreciate it, and they’d do it for you when your character appears on the next Lisa burton Radio.”

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Blurb: When the George family go on holiday to Cape Town, Cautious Craig cannot believe what he has to endure at the hands of his naughty and wilful younger brother, Silly Willy.

 

Willy throws tantrums at the most embarrassing and inappropriate times, causes a commotion on the aeroplane and tries to steal a chameleon from Butterfly World. What is a poor older brother expected to do in these situations?

 

Silly Willy goes to Cape Town – available in early July 2017

 

***

 

Robbie Cheadle was born in London in the United Kingdom. Her father died when she was three months old and her mother immigrated to South Africa with her tiny baby girl. Robbie has lived in Johannesburg, George and Cape Town in South Africa and attended fourteen different schools. This gave her lots of opportunities to meet new people and learn lots of social skills as she was frequently “the new girl”.

Robbie is a qualified Chartered Accountant and specialises in corporate finance with a specific interest in listed entities and stock markets. Robbie has written a number of publications on listing equities and debt instruments in Africa and foreign direct investment into Africa.

Robbie is married to Terence Cheadle and they have two lovely boys, Gregory and Michael. Michael (aged 11) is the co-author of the Sir Chocolate series of books and attends school in Johannesburg. Gregory (aged 14) is an avid reader and assists Robbie and Michael with filming and editing their YouTube videos and editing their books.

Robbie is also the author of the new Silly Willy series the first of which, Silly Willy goes to Cape Town, will be available in early July 2017.

You can connect with Robbie at the following locations:

Blog

Goodreads

Google+

Facebook

Twitter

Purchase Robbie and Michael Cheadle’s Books from:

https://www.amazon.com/author/robbiecheadle

***

Sir Chocolate and the strawberry cream berries story and cookbook:

Sir Chocolate and Lady Sweet live in Chocolate land where you can eat absolutely everything. Join them on a fantastic adventure to find the amazing strawberry cream berry and learn how to make some of their scrumptious recipes at the same time.

Sir Chocolate and the baby cookie monster story and cookbook:

Sir Chocolate and Lady Sweet find a lost baby cookie monster. Join them on an adventure to return the baby to its mother and learn how to make some of their delicious recipes at the same time.

Sir Chocolate and the sugar dough bees story and cookbook:

A greedy snail damages the flower fields and the fondant bees are in danger of starving. Join Sir Chocolate on an adventure to find the fruit drop fairies who have magic healing powers and discover how to make some of his favourite foods on the way.

Purchase Link The first three Sir Chocolate Books are currently available at a discounted price in hard copy and as ebooks.

Dracula’s Mistress, on Lisa Burton Radio

Don’t – touch that dial. You’ve landed on Lisa Burton Radio, the only show out there that interviews characters from the books you love. I’m your host, Lisa the robot girl, and even I’ve stocked up on garlic bulbs for this interview. “Welcome to the show, Vlad Dracul, The Impaler, Dracula himself.”

“Please call me Angela, and I’m sorry… I hope you and your listeners won’t be too disappointed. I know people were anxious to hear Vlad’s opinions and beliefs on many topics. It’s just…The prince couldn’t make it to your show. It’s only me. According to my mother’s spiteful words, Dracula’s Mistress. Carmen sent me to save your radio show, that’s if you want to talk to me, of course.”

“This is one of those, sorry – not sorry, moments. So what’s your story, Angela? The show must go on.”

“Well, it all started at a palace festivity. Mother couldn’t accompany father, so I pestered him until he took me. I was dying to see in flesh and blood the most feared man in the country. Many say it sounds corny, yet, it was love at first sight. The moment I saw him I knew it. I felt it in my heart and soul that all the gossip was just malicious slander and fabrications from his enemies. a powerful yet lonely man before me. A sad man, carrying on his shoulders all the worries for his countrymen.”

“Well, with my bio, I intended to ask him about the death of his wife.”

“After that tragedy, shortly after returning from his victory over the Ottomans, my father, Vlad’s most trusted advisor, invited Vlad to our manor and… you know… through my mother asked Nana to chaperone me. We found ways to be alone. I… we… lived two blissful weeks before duty called him back to the palace. He promised to return and ask my parents for my hand. It was… the last time I saw him. Imagine the shock my parents had upon learning I was with child several months later.”

“Well, they’re worried about you. I’m sure not many parents want their daughter in a relationship with a vampire.”

“No, no, you’re wrong. They, I mean, my mother is wrong. Vlad’s not a vampire. I know he behaves cruelly sometimes, but it’s the only way to keep the country free from the invaders and from the greediness of the landlords. And if you’re referring to those bodies that keep turning up, drained of blood and with the little finger missing… It can’t be Vlad’s doing, no matter what others say. He’s as much a normal human being as me or you… Sorry, I forgot you are a robot.”

“And you say he’s missing somehow? People really ought to keep a better eye on him.”

“All I managed to find out was that he was summoned at Corvinu’s court to get the money the Pope wanted Vlad to use in gathering a large army against the Ottomans. And he hasn’t returned. The landlords spread the slander that he stole the money and is now somewhere in Europe, spending it. Lies, trust me. Just lies.

“Such accusations are preposterous. Vlad is an honest man. He hates thieves and lying. Do you know what he did once? He tested whether his technique for dissuading theft or dishonesty worked. He had a valuable gold bowl placed in the public market on the rim of a well. The rule was that anybody could drink out of it, but it could not leave the square under any circumstances. The bowl stayed put! Such a man can’t be a thief.”

“So where do you think Vlad is?”

“There are rumors that he’s a prisoner in Corvinu’s court.

“It gets more and more difficult for me. …. after my father’s untimely death my mother simply threw me out. I had to go to some of my father’s relatives in another town. It’s there that I had my little cherub, Ileana. A child who, I’m afraid, will know only one parent. ( She chokes on tears). My mother’s hatred, her venomous allusions and her spiteful behavior toward my and Vlad’s child…. My mother always spoke derisively about Vlad, calling him a vampire and other bad names. My father was his trusted courtier and am sure he’d have been delighted to hear Vlad wanted to marry me. If only dear papa had waited to listen to my explanation. His suicide changed things completely. For me, for Vlad and for the baby…

“Isn’t life strange? You know, my distant relatives were friendlier and kinder to me than my own mum. They protected me and allowed me to have a maid and were delighted by the birth of my little girl. Let me tell you something your listeners might find amazing. My maid, Catinca, is the very person who took care of Varvara while they were both in the Sultan’s harem. Who’s Varvara? Oh, it’s a long story… Well, you’ll have to read the book and find out more about her and her fate. Coming back to my story, a year after my forced journey to my father’s cousins, I returned home. Together with Ileana and Catinca. You should have seen Mother and heard her. She cursed me and my child and all the coming generations, to the 20th branch.

“Catinca warned me that mother and the innkeeper’s wife, Maritza, are up to something against me. She has this ability to foresee the future, you know.”

“So do they know who you are, and who the baby’s father is?”

“They knew it. And I found comfort in the idea that they were not supporters of Vlad’s brother, Radu, who grabbed power the second Vlad left, and gave the landlords back the privileges Vlad cut. Vlad valued ordinary people, as long as they were honest and diligent and loved Walachia. Radu and his supporters can’t stand the idea to rub elbows with common people. Their only concern is for their purse. They want more money, more lands.”

“So Dracula actually wants to do the right thing for his countrymen. That kind of surprises me.”

“I don’t blame you but never judge a man by what some say. The man’s deeds speak for his character. Vlad is an honest man, a trustworthy person who had the misfortune to be born in an age when his country is a tasty morsel for the surrounding neighbors.

“He may not be exceptionally cruel, but rather doing what he has to do to fight a military force much greater than his own, the Ottomans, at the same time keeping at bay the scheming, treacherous landlords.

“Vlad earned his “Impaler” nickname by killing thousands of Turks and wrongdoers by the grisly method that he learned as a political hostage of the Ottoman Empire in Egrigoz, his fate hinged on the actions of his father.”

“When you put it like that, I kind of feel bad for him. I feel some real sympathy for your plight, but never thought I could feel bad for him. I sincerely hope you can find him and bring him home.”

“There are moments when I think I was wrong about his love for me, and that I imagined my feeling was reciprocated. His prolonged silence…. Then I chastise myself for such bad thoughts. Something bad must have happened to him.

“I wonder what surprises I may have. From my mother, from Radu’s supporters and Vlad’s enemies, from the future. I try not to think what the following day may bring. To keep my mind busy I started teaching the servant’s children to read and write. Another thing that maddens my mother.

“I thank you, Lisa, for allowing me to address your listeners. Hopefully someone hears something about Vlad and his whereabouts and can contact you with this piece of information. I’d be most grateful. Thank you again for your patience and I thank your listeners for their time, too!”

“If you want to learn more about Angela and Vlad, pick up the book Dracula’s Mistress by Carmen Stefanescue. Carmen lives in Romania, so you can bet the research is top notch here. I’ll get all the details from Angela and include them on the website.

“I’m always looking for guests on Lisa Burton Radio, particularly ones who show up. If you have a character who would like to appear, drop me a line.

“Please help support today’s guest by using those sharing buttons. You never know what could help Angela find her lost love, and maybe someone on Pinterest or Twitter can help. Think of it this way, if Angela has Dracula, he’s not outside your house at night. I’ve also been using the hashtag #LisaBurtonRadio. It helps me gain listeners, and please feel free to modify the title if you use the Tweet button.”

***

Dracula’s Mistress

Publisher – City Lights Press

Genre – Paranormal historical/light romance

( just 0.99 $)

Blurb

From the day that the powerful, brave and merciless Vlad III Basarab, a descendant of the Draculesti family—better known to most people as the infamous vampire Dracula—ascends the throne, he knows only battles, betrayal and intrigue.

Evil grips the town of Targoviste, capital residence of Walachia. The secrets behind the stone walls of the palace are as dark and violent as a winter’s night, as terrifying as the prince’s deeds. Dead bodies, drained of blood and missing their little finger keep appearing in the streets at night.

Lovely, smart, determined, Angela Oltenescu ignores all the aggressive rumors and her mother’s warning regarding Vlad. Will she suffer the consequences of falling in love with a man nicknamed Dracula by his enemies—an infamous creature of the night?

Rich, sly, treacherous, Marin Craioveanu, a powerful landlord, craves the same woman loved by Vlad. Marin’s hatred toward the prince will make him an ally to Handsome Radu, Vlad’s brother and Sultan’s friend, ready to sell the country to the Ottomans to get rid of his rival.

Dracula’s Mistress will awe legions of fans of Gothic literature, paranormal and historical fiction.

Carmen Stefanescu resides in Romania, the native country of the infamous vampire Count Dracula where, for about 50 years of communist dictatorship, just speaking about God, faith, reincarnation or paranormal phenomena could have led someone to great trouble – the psychiatric hospital if not to prison.

High-school teacher of English and German in her native country, and mother of two daughters, Carmen Stefanescu survived the grim years of communist oppression by escaping in a parallel world, that of the books. Reading was, is and will always be her greatest hobby.

She likes to blend genres and thus she writes paranormal stories with a smidgen of mystery, history and romance. The reader will find suspense, dark themes, adventure, danger as well as sweet revenge. She calls her stories “gothic” romance. Her writing focuses on rebirth, past life regression, karmic retribution.

Carmen joined the volunteer staff at Marketing For Romance Writers Author blog and is the coordinator of #Thursday13 posts.

Carmen Stefanescu’s Links:

Blogspot

Website

Twitter

Pinterest

Facebook

Goodreads

Google Plus

Amazon Author Page

Cold Coffee Cafe

Trailer Dracula’s Mistress

Purchase Link Only 99¢

Other books by Carmen:

Till Life Do Us Part

Paranormal, romantic suspense, mystery

Dracula’s Prodigy, book 2 in Dracula’s Mistress

Paranormal/light history/light horror/light romance

It’s a party, yo! #RRBC style

Welcome to my stop along the Springtime Book & Block Party route. Let’s get the preliminary stuff out of the way first. I’m giving two prizes away, and you don’t have to be a member to win. All you have to do is leave a comment, and a random draw will decide the winners. Contestants are only eligible from North America, due to the restrictive cost of shipping.

So what could you win? How about one of these awesome coffee mugs, featuring my personal assistant, and the spokesmodel for my writing career, Lisa Burton the robot girl.

Look how beautiful that marble bust looks, oh and Lisa looks nice too. These things are huge, and you’re going to want one.

This time the party took me by surprise. Last time we did one of these, I timed a book release around it, and that worked out extremely well. I don’t have a book release today, but I can still give you the tour.

At the top of my blog there are a couple of pages that might interest you. There is the standard “about me” page, but there is also a free selection of Lisa Burton paper dolls if you’d like them. I wanted to come up with some swag for an author who only has ebooks available. Make sure you print the pdf files and not the images shown.

The fun one is called Lisa Burton Radio, I’ll let her tell you about it.

“Hi everyone, welcome to the new visitors, and I see some familiar faces here too. The show is really fun, and I interview the characters from your books. At the end I include covers, bios, purchase links, whatever you want, really.

“When the post goes live, I share it to Flipboard, Stumbleupon, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, and two Facebook sites. I try to help as much as I can. I’m always looking for guests, so drop me an email. If you want to check out past interviews there is a link in Craig’s sidebar. I’ll let him tell you about the sidebar, he loves his sidebar.”

Thanks, Lisa. I also tweet out the five most recent interviews every week after Lisa finishes with them. My sidebar starts out with a link to obtain a free reading app. As an ebook guy, I don’t want to make it difficult for anyone to read my stories. Then I post the two most recent publications with direct links to those books. I have all the covers in a slideshow, because it doesn’t feel right to have them all on there. Lisa mentioned the blog categories, and this is where you can always find her interviews. Those of you who write speculative fiction might find some inspiration in the Idea Mill posts too. Oh, and before I forget, there is an Entertaining Stories Facebook page too, if any of you are so inclined. It’s the only place you can see videos of my dog, Otto. (Don’t laugh, I know some of you are into this stuff.)

That’s the grand tour. Hope everyone is enjoying the party, it’s one of my favorite events. I hope to have two new books coming out soon, but I got caught without them ready yet. One is a collection of short stories called The Enhanced League, about a futuristic baseball league. The other is kind of an alternate world fantasy novel called The Yak Guy Project. Coming soon, I promise.

I guess if I’m going to promote something, The Playground could use a bit of review love. I know some of you are holding shiny new Amazon gift cards at this point in the tour. The club even has a list of who you are. Mwa ha ha…

For those of you who aren’t RRBC members, this is an awesome club. We thrive on mutual support, and it’s kind of a pay it forward system. We’re growing by leaps and bounds, and we’d love to count you among our members. There are too many benefits to mention here, but things like this blog party are happening all the time. Why don’t you check it out at this link.

Party on! Sign up for your own character interview. Leave me a comment. I love interacting with everyone, and you could win a prize.

A small chores update

Honestly, I'm starting to wear out on chores. I've been away from the paycheck job since Wednesday at quitting time, and don't have to go back until Tuesday. During that time, I've hit the chore list hard.

I'm not embarrassed to say I didn't get as much accomplished today. I managed to get my critique work done for our meeting on Thursday night. I put it in my truck, because that's my insurance policy against forgetting it when I need it.

What I didn't post about was pruning fruit trees. The sap is up now, so I stopped at about 2/3 to 3/4 of what I want to remove. After the trees adjust, I can trim the rest. They're all in a big pile in the back yard, and my son and I are hauling them to the dump tomorrow. Part of the peach tree must weigh 400 pounds, so I'm glad to have an extra back involved. This stuff takes time too, but it didn't do much to advance my author agenda.

Today, I worked on my beta reading project. I'm about 2/3 of the way finished now. If everything works out well, I may finish and deliver my notes tomorrow. (Maybe)

I also assembled and scheduled Thursday's Lisa Burton Radio. I have two other interviews out there in cyberspace, but it's Sunday night and the first guy finished became the first guy scheduled.

Honestly, I could have hit it hard and finished everything else, but I'm wearing a bit thin. I caught up with recordings of S.H.I.E.L.D., and don't regret it a bit. ABC scheduled this beyond reality for a working man, so I have to record the episodes and watch them later.

My other son and I also stayed up late every night playing Diablo III, and we had a great time. I think my wife is wearing out on us, but she's the one who surprised me with an X-Box. (So there.)

My so called vacation was a lot of work, mixed in with a bit of fun. We even worked two date nights into the mix. The good news is my path is cleared, or will be very soon, and my next day off may let me work on my novel.

Hope all of you had a Happy Easter.

Dear Lisa Vol. 2, on #LisaBurtonRadio

Hey, hipsters, Lisa Burton the robot girl here, and today we’re doing something fun. I don’t have a guest to interview, so we’re holding another episode of Dear Lisa. This is where I flip through some of the fan mail, and answer it on the air. Stick with me, it’ll be fun.

Our first letter comes from Long Island and wants to know what my first job was.

I try really hard to be just as human as everyone else, but admit that I’m a little different. I was created in a concept lab as both a promotional tool, and to demonstrate what the future of robotics could hold. Part of the bargain was to plant me into society and see how I adapt as a human. Some people are nervous nellies, and were terrified that I’d go all Skynet on them. That meant the police department was the only place they’d let me work. They were better equipped to watch over me, so to speak.

At the Hudson Police Department, I was assigned to the homicide squad. My absolute very first job was to make a Vice sweep. It’s kind of a hazing slash welcome to the department kind of thing. I caught some perps too. The night ended early when we got a call about a body someone found.

This next one is kind of sad, and I’m going to read it so you get the gist of it.

Dear Lisa,

Lately my boyfriend is always showing up late. He tells me football practice ran late, but I’ve got my doubts. I’ve also noticed him checking out my fellow cheerleaders when he comes to pick me up. I’m afraid if I confront him, he’ll leave me. He’s the most popular boy in school. I can’t lose him. What should I do?

Signed,

Heartbroken in High School

This is something I can really sink my teeth into, and there are a couple of ways to answer you. Since it’s my show, I’m going to do both. You can’t hack into his phone and computer, like I can. You can try taking a look at his phone when he’s at practice. You might find all kinds of evidence on social media, text messages, those kind of places. There are any number of small drones you can use to see what he’s up to when you’re out of sight too. That seems simple enough, but may not be the best option.

The second part of this answer is that you seem to need him to establish your own value. The only way you described him is how popular he is. You didn’t tell me anything about him except that he plays football and is popular. No mention of his cute smile, or how he makes you feel. You need to find a way to feel valuable without him. When you’ve done that, he might be an asset. Without your own feeling of self worth, you’ll never be stable in the relationship.

The last one for today is from Yukon, Canada. This person wants to know why Bunny is so important to me.

For new people, Bunny is my pet rabbit. He and I have a lot of similarities. He is a genetically modified organism, I have GMO human skin covering my chassis. My original experiment involved me being broken down into my component parts at the end to study for wear and tear. Bunny is a Kansas City Broiler, and he was going to be broken down into his component parts too.

I rescued Bunny and saved him from the butcher shop, and in doing so he inspired me to save myself. I found my own self worth, and decided not to be broken down at the end of my experiment. It was a struggle, and I suffered some real loss. Bunny and I got through it together, and we stay together through thick and thin.

That was fun, and we should do it again some time. In order to do it, I need your fan mail. You can drop me a comment here on the blog, Facebook me, or send me an email. I’ll hang onto the the questions for a future edition of Dear Lisa.

This broadcast is primarily for me to interview characters from the books you love to read. I’m in need of characters again too. I have a few questionnaires out in cyberspace somewhere, but nothing broadcast ready right now. Authors, send me your protagonists, your colorful supporting characters, even your antagonists. I’d love to help promote their books. Return visits aren’t just allowed, they’re encouraged.

If you aren’t an author, you can still send a question for me to answer. You can also tell someone about Lisa Burton Radio by using the sharing buttons below. For Lisa Burton Radio, I’m Lisa Burton. Have a great day.

***

Lisa can be reached at coldhand (dot) boyack (at) gmail (dot) com, on Facebook, or in the comments.

Rarity From the Hollow, on Lisa Burton Radio

Hey there all you androids and extra terrestrials, you've landed on Lisa Burton Radio, the only show out there that interviews the characters you love from the books you have to read. I'm your host, Lisa the robot girl, and with me in the studio today is Lacy Dawn. “Welcome to the show, Lacy.”

“Thanks for having me, Lisa. I hope that you’re not disappointed ‘cause I’m not a very important person like Harry Potter or Steve Harvey or someone famous.”

“I think you're very important, Lacy. My bio says you are not a chosen one, like so many characters. You're actually a designed one, using DNA manipulation. That's pretty interesting. What can you tell our listeners about that?”

“Yeah, I know that it’s hard to believe. I didn’t believe it myself except Bucky would never lie to me. He’s this guy who lives in a spaceship hidden in a cave up the hill from my house. I’ll tell you about the first time that we met. My daddy was drunk and mad. I knew that I was gonna’ get a switching ‘cause that’s how he gets rid of his own anger – takes it out on me and mommy. Anyway, I hid under my parent’s bed where daddy was bound to find me sooner or later. I was scared and shaking when I heard this voice. It was coming from an old clock radio, one that only the clock part still worked, so that was weird too, Lisa. The voice told me to climb inside this trunk under the bed that had my dad’s Playboy collection in it. I guess that I wasn’t thinking straight because I opened the lid to the trunk and it was empty. I got inside and stayed there until my dad had passed out. Pretty cool, huh?

“I was five then but I’ve grown up. I’m twelve and a half now and almost old enough to have a boyfriend. After the voice on the radio told me about the spaceship, I’ve been going up there to visit Bucky almost every day. He put this port under my hairline in the back. See? He plugs me into a cable and he also teaches me all kinds of stuff, like calculus and geography and about all these other planets out-of-state. One day, he asked me if I wanted to see a movie. I’d never been to a real movie before. So, of course, how could I turn that down!? It was boring at first – all this data about extracting mineral from planets designated to be shrunk. But, then the movie got exciting. After it was over, I thanked Bucky and told him that I’d learned a lot. It was time to go home for supper. Bucky measured something about my mom and told me that I had a couple minutes to discuss the movie before I left. It turned out that I was the main star in the movie! It was about a time before people were on Earth. My name was Smaller then. After Larger bonked me on the head a few times and after I woke up a few times from that, I ended up making Larger give me some food to take to other folks that were all living in the giant green bean casserole type building, vines everyplace and giant beans, way bigger than we pick out of our garden. So, maybe I am a movie star. Thanks again for interviewing me, Lisa.

“I’ve got a crush on Bucky. I know that he’s not a real boy. He’s better. He doesn’t laugh about the loudest fart in class. Yuck! Heck, he doesn’t even want to see my panties if I had a good pair on. Best, he ain’t got no private parts, well, not when we first met. He’ll make a perfect husband one of these days!”

“I've got to stop you there. Isn't Bucky actually an android named DotCom?”

“Well, yes, but I know that he loves me even if he doesn’t feel it all the way yet. I asked him about that stupid name, DotCom. The trees that talk to me in the Woods also asked about his name. They said that it sounded like a third grade internet class, as if a hardwood would know anything about cyberspace. Bucky said something about spamming the universe and that’s what his name meant, but I still haven’t figured it out. I changed his name to Bucky so he would fit when I introduced him to my family and friends. One of these days, like when I’m in junior high, I bet that he asks me out on a date to go to the school dance. I needed a better name than DotCom for him and he doesn’t mind. Ask him, Lisa. Oh, sorry, I have to help him stay hid.”

“You'll get no judgment from me. I'm a robot girl, and struggle to gain acceptance every day. I think it's cute that you two basically grew up together, and it seems natural that you would grow attached to each other.

“Now you and Bucky assemble quite a team to save the universe. Besides you two, it looks like you have a pothead, and a ghost. Why do they make good teammates when such a lot is on the line?”

“I used to cry a lot about Faith, even before her daddy murdered her. He was a mean man who did awful, terrible things to her that I don’t want to talk about. I’m glad that he’s now in prison where he belongs. I’d almost gotten Faith to the point where she was going to tell somebody. All that she ever hoped for in life was to be put in special education class where the work was easier and the teacher let you do puzzles. Then, after we studied one day in my clubhouse, a cardboard box that my grandma’s new refrigerator had come in, Faith took a risk and got 100% on a spelling quiz. She wrote a little joke to the teacher on her quiz before it had been turned in to grade. It was a hint about S E X and her knowing about it. She didn’t want to just come out and say it because she knew that welfare would come to her house and take her away and put her in a foster home or somewhere worse, like back in that mental health place where she was locked up when she was nine.

“One day Roundabend when I was gliding up the path to Bucky’s spaceship, Faith hollered at me. Shocked, I stop dead in my tracks, so to speak since I don’t have to make tracks anymore unless I want to. My tennis shoes are never muddy. I knew that Faith was dead, but she told me that I couldn’t get rid of her that easy. We’re still best friends. She lives in the Woods, inside of rocks and logs and even got inside Maple once. Maple is another one of my friends. She’s soooo sweet. I’d introduce you but she won’t talk to you since you ain’t been abused. Trees only talk to kids who have been maltreated. That’s their main job – to help us.

“Tom would talk to you, but he would believe that you’re a robot girl. He’d just think that he’d gotten too high. Tom’s my neighbor and my daddy’s best friend. In my opinion, they both smoke too much pot, but my dad says that it helps his PTSD and Tom says that it helps his Bipolar Disorder. That’s the main reason that Tom moved to the holler. He said that Big City life aggravated his problems.”

“So Shp…”

“Just say Shop 'Till You Drop, everyone else does. I’ve only been there once so far. It’s the main planet where universal governance is located – a giant shopping mall. Bucky told me that he wants to hire me for a very important job, but I’m still trying to figure out what the heck he’s talking about. My trainings involve going there. It was the first time that I’d ever been out-of-state. One thing that I am certain of is that I’m not going to help save the universe, whatever that means, unless Bucky helps me cure my parents. After that stupid President sent my father to the Gulf War, I don’t remember because I was just a baby, mommy says that he ain’t been the same since. I’m supposed to figure out what the heck the problem is, diagnose it, some kind of big threat, like everything will be destroyed if I don’t stop it. Since you’re a girl, don’t you think that the big boss of everything could come up with a better plan than for me to fix stuff? Besides, if someone wants to hire you for a job, and I can’t afford to turn down much of anything that pays good money, don’t you think that the boss should tell you exactly what to do in order to get paid? I’m supposed to go back to Shptiludrp to study on it some more.”

“So Shop 'Till You Drop is facing some kind imminent threat? What else do you know about the nature of this threat?”

“At this point, I don’t know a heck of a lot. Bucky has a boss who recalled him once to be reprogrammed. When Bucky came back to Earth, he had forgotten how to love. Can you feel love, Lisa? It always comes with pain, but it’s so worth it if you can talk your maker into installing feeling programs. Bucky couldn’t figure out how he started to feel stuff. It just happened. He said that there was no precedent in the Universal Database. When Bucky came back home empty after being gone so long that time, I got really pissed. Can you feel pissed, Lisa? I refused to do anything more on this big and important job that we were talking about until I had my man back, my real man the way he was before reprogramming. He got fixed. Anyway, Bucky mentioned once that his boss’s name was Mr. Prump and that all he thinks about is making more money, more and more money. I’ve studied extreme capitalism as part of my lesson plans, as well as every other political and economic ideology practiced on every planet in the universe. Mr. Prump lives in a fancy apartment in a high rise tower type building, the only one on planet Shptiludrp. At some point, I expect to be invited there to negotiate according to the Art of the Deal rules. One thing that I do know for sure – Shptiludrp is strictly by invitation only. Mr. Prump don’t allow illegal immigrants, refugees from other planets even if he is about to exploit their planet for its minerals, and he absolutely hates socialists. But, he’s probably not as mean as it all sounds. If I figure out all this stuff and the universe survives, I’ll let you know what I think of Mr. Prump after I get to know him. Maybe you and I can have lunch. Do you ever eat, Lisa? Bucky ate part of a cookie once, and even pooped it back out, a tiny brown ball. Sorry. Bucky was so proud that he put the ball in his shirt pocket. lol That was a while back when he was still growing up. I made him flush it down the toilet and wash his hands real good. I hope that I didn’t gross you out. If you can develop an appetite, Lisa, you’ve probably lost it now.”

“Lacy, this show has been on the air for a while now. I've met characters with high stakes, like the world, or even the universe before. I'm sure you have a trick or two to pull all this off. What I want to know is what's next for you and Bucky? I guess, deep in my processors, I'm your basic romantic.”

“One of these days, after he finishes growing up, Bucky and I are going to get married. I have it all planned. We’re going to adopt babies because, although he’s started to grow private parts, it’ll probably take so long for all of his systems to join with carbon that I don’t want to wait. He’s too immature now to get married. Plus, he’s afraid of his boss, Mr. Prump, and does everything that he’s instructed. Heck with that! My mommy has had lots of problems, and she’s getting stronger, but I know from her and my grandmas for as long as forever, the wife is the boss in the family, period. I’m sure that you agree, Lisa.”

“It all seems kind of old fashioned, but in a cute way. I'm really cheering for you guys. Any final words for our listeners today?”

“Yes, unless I’m totally off-base, you and every other sentient being had better hope that I figure out this mess and save the universe. I didn’t ask for this job but I’m going to do my best to fulfill my destiny. Centuries of protests about the Prump administration have failed. He is no longer loved but has retained a firm grip on power. Now, Prump is up against the wall that he built and his ass is mine. On behalf of everybody, I’ll negotiate the best deal that I can. Thanks for inviting me. It was fun.”

“There you have it folks. Pick up Rarity from the Hollow by Robert Eggleston to find out if Lacy and her friends can save the universe. I'm interested in whether she and Bucky can find a way to be together.

“Don't forget to hit those sharing buttons on the way out. Robert and Lacy will appreciate it, and you will too when your character appears on Lisa Burton Radio.”

***

Blurb:

Lacy Dawn's father relives the Gulf War, her mother's teeth are rotting out, and her best friend is murdered by the meanest daddy on Earth. Life in the hollow is hard. She has one advantage — an android was inserted into her life and is working with her to cure her parents. But, he wants something in exchange. It's up to her to save the Universe. Lacy Dawn doesn't mind saving the universe, but her family and friends come first.

Rarity from the Hollow is adult literary science fiction filled with tragedy, comedy and satire. A Children's Story. For Adults.

“The most enjoyable science fiction novel I have read in years.”

—Temple Emmet Williams, Author, former editor for Reader’s Digest

“…a hillbilly version of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy…what I would have thought impossible; taken serious subjects like poverty, ignorance, abuse…tongue-in-cheek humor without trivializing them…profound…a funny book that most sci-fi fans will thoroughly enjoy.” — Awesome Indies (Gold Medal)

Purchase links:

Lulu Amazon Dog Horn Publishing

About the Author: I recently retired after 52 years of contributions into the U.S. Social Security fund so that I could write and promote my fiction. I’m a former mental health psychotherapist in West Virginia. After coming home drained from working with child abuse victims, I didn't have the energy left to begin its self-promotion of this project. Most of the successes listed above have been achieved in the last fifteen months following my retirement. Author proceeds have been donated to a child abuse prevention program in my home state. http://www.childhswv.org/ A listing of services that are supported can be found here: http://mountainrhinestones.blogspot.com/2015/06/review-giveaway-rarity-from-hollow-by.html.

Author Contacts:

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Check out Marketing 101

Back in December, the Rave Reviews Book Club held its first annual Writing Conference & Book Expo. Other commitments kept me from attending, but Jan Sikes asked if she could use me as an example in creative marketing. As a reminder, Jan is the author of The Convict and the Rose, that was presented on Lisa Burton Radio yesterday. (Link here.)

This presentation comes in three helpful videos, and its full of useful information. Several popular authors and bloggers were mentioned, but since this is my blog, I'll mention that part three is where I'm featured. Lisa Burton is also mentioned, and you should check it out. It's packed with good information beyond the part where I'm discussed.

Here is the handy dandy link.

 

Wings of Mayhem, on Lisa Burton Radio

Welcome to another addition of Lisa Burton Radio, the show where I interview the characters from the stories you love. I’m your host, Lisa the robot girl.

In the studio with me today is Shawnee Daniels, a Computer Forensics Specialist at the Revere Police Department. “Welcome to the show, Shawnee.”

“Hey, Lisa. Whassup?”

“I think anything having to do with computers is awesome. What kind of evidence do you collect? Is it financial, private messages, or what?”

“Anything to do with cyber crimes…pictures for the metadata, bank records, all social media information, including private messages, phone numbers, IP addresses, pretty much anything that relates to the crime we’re investigating. We work a lot of fraud cases in my unit.”

“I think that’s fascinating, but our listeners might be more interested in your nightlife. Why don’t you tell us about your secret double life.”

“I can’t stand to see rich assholes ripping off innocent folks, so I use my skills as a cat burglar to recoup the funds. Minus my fee, of course. Wait. This isn’t live, right? Oh, man, if Lieutenant Holt finds out I broke into… So, you’re a robot, eh? How’s that work, exactly?”

“How does what work?”

“Y’know, the whole robot thing you got goin’ on there.”

“Let’s get back to your interview, shall we?”

“I plead the fifth, Your Honor.”

“Huh?”

“If we’re live, there’s no way in hell I’m talkin’. I should’ve never come. Damn you, Nay!”

“Did I say live? I meant—”

“Hang on. Why is that red light on?”

“Oh, that? That’s just…”

“I am two seconds away from hopping over this desk. If I were you, I’d choose my words carefully.”

“Okay, okay, we’re on the air. Relax.”

“Excuse me? I know you didn’t just tell me to relax. Unless, of course, you want that skanky dress up around your neck.”

<Squeerooooooooo. Clunk>

“Now you can just come right through it. Wouldn’t want you to snag that skin-tight black fetish-thing you’re wearing.”

“What the—? You just tore a metal table in half.”

“Yeah, turns out robot girls are pretty strong. Wanna continue the interview?”

“I’m in it now, blondie. You just better watch your tone. I’m not someone you wanna mess with. As it is, you’re wearing my last nerve thin. The only reason I agreed to this damn interview was for Nadine.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Whatever. Let’s just get through this. Next question?”

“Right. So, is this kind of like Robin Hood? Do you spread the goodies around, or fence it and keep the money?”

“Spread it around? Did your writer leave a few screws loose, or what? That’s a surefire way to get caught. Been there, done that, got the scars to prove it. I wouldn’t call myself Robin Hood, either. I mean, c’mon, that guy didn’t have half the skills I do.”

“To be honest, I’d have a hard time parting with nice jewelry myself. You must have some adventures to share with us.”

“You got me there. I am a sucker for a good watch. Never could pass one up.

“Adventures? Umm, yeah, if you call being stalked by a serial killer an “adventure.” Outrunning a pack of hungry Dobies was no picnic, either. I swear, it’s like all the dogs in Bear Clave Estates crave cat for their midnight snack.

“Anyway, Jack Delsin, this dude that’s chasing me now, is one sick pup, lemme tell ya. So, yeah, I might’ve broken into his place. “Might’ve” being the key word there. I’m not admitting to anything. For shits and giggles, let’s say I did.

“He’s got these weird charcoal drawings on his wall. Course, he also has garden gnomes, which might explain his taste in decorating skills. Garden gnomes, is there nothing uglier?”

“You’ve never seen real gnomes.”

“Excuse me? Anyway…the media calls him The Creator. No idea why. Anyone who skins his victims from the neck down, leaving only the face, and spreads open their ribcage to create wings is outta their frickin’ mind. Never mind the black feather that he sticks between two ribs, then poses them in public…at the bus stop, the courthouse, on top of the sign at the entrance to Union Hospital…no place is off-limits. Who does that shit?

“All right, so maybe it wasn’t my best idea to swipe the cool wooden puzzle box from his guest room. But how was I supposed to know it was his trophy box?”

“This sounds kind of like the Blood Eagle torture of the Vikings. Is that what he’s doing?”

“No clue what the Vikings did. Where’d you come up with that one? Nay has me talkin’ to robot girl over here. Fate’s a cruel bitch.”

“My writer gave me all kinds of cool research capability.”

“Good for you. I’m sure he’s so proud.”

“You sound a little…I don’t know…bitter.”

“Bitter? You wanna try that again, robot girl?”

“I’d appreciate it if you’d refer to me by my name.”

“Whatever you say, robot girl. I am gonna kill Nadine when I get home.”

“So, what’s the sitch now?”

“You talkin’ about Skype or the package Delsin left on my front stoop?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know why you’re prying into my personal shit, is that what you’re tellin’ me?”

“It’s just a radio show. Relax.”

“That’s it! Let’s go. Take your best shot.”

“I don’t want to fight you. I’m just trying to interview you.”

“Oh. Right. Can you repeat the question, please?”

“What’s happening now?”

“Y’mean, with Delsin?”

“Sure.”

“Nay doesn’t know this, but he keeps tryin’ to Skype with me. Wait. You said this isn’t live, right?”

“Umm, right.”

“Okay, cool. So, Delsin’s all over me, sending me packages, the Skype calls, the eerie symbols and shit he puts on my computer screen. How much can one person take?

“Scratch that. Preachin’ to the choir here. How could I forget? Nay has me talkin’ to a frickin’ robot.”

“Did you just roll your eyes?”

“What?”

“You rolled your eyes at me.”

“No I didn’t.”

“Do you have something against robots?”

“You’re serious.”

“Yes, very.”

“Look. Before you go all Glenn Close on my ass, you should probably take a breath.”

“Why, I never!”

“I’m sure you haven’t.”

“Ms. Daniels—”

“Ooh. She’s using my last name. I’m so scared.”

“Let’s just continue the interview. The quicker we get this done, the quicker we’ll never have to see each other again.”

“Works for me.”

“Where were we? Ah, yes, the Skype calls. What is Jack Delsin threatening to do?”

“You’re a little slow, aren’tcha? What do you think he’s threatening to do? He’s a serial killer! Honestly, why do I waste my breath? You and Nadine are perfect for each other. Need a best friend? You probably don’t swear either. Course, you can’t be as bad as her. She’ll mangle the English language rather than—perish the thought—utter a phrase that she can’t repeat in front of Sesame Street’s target audience. Lord, give me strength.”

“Let me check my notes. This is one of the strangest interviews I’ve ever conducted.”

“You wrote this shit down?”

“No. I have perfect recall.”

“Well, la-de-da. Aren’t we full of ourselves.”

“So why don’t you just give the box back?”

“Don’t you think I would if I could? I can’t find the damn thing. When I escaped Delsin’s house it must’ve fallen out of my backpack. Oh, man, if I don’t find it soon, God only knows what he’ll do next.”

“Then why not call the cops?”

“You’re kiddin’, right? What part of cat burglar don’t you understand? Sure, I work at the Revere Police Department, but if Lieutenant Holt ever finds out about my after-hour activities, I’ll be cuffed and stuffed in a heartbeat. Besides, Levaughn would— By the way, he’s picking me up after the show. I suggest you keep your paws to yourself, blondie.

“That was another one of Nadine’s schemes…a cat burglar dating a cop. Though, admittedly, he’s sweeter than cotton candy. Yummy with a capital Yum. Still, I don’t know why I let her talk me into these things. Nay keeps hoping he’ll convert me into an upstanding member of society. How many times do I have to tell her—? Aack. No use wasting brain cells on something I can’t control—aka Nadine Couture.”

“Nadine sounds like a pretty special kind of friend.”

“She’s a pain in the ass, but yeah, I’d kill for her. When Ms. Librarian, Martha Stewart Fan Club President—before the scandal, of course—Good Housekeeping’s Cover Model, gets on one of her tangents about lifestyle choices, I tune her out. I’ll tell ya, if anyone spoke to me the way she does, I’d knock their teeth down their throat. She’s cool, though, even if she did rat me out to Levaughn. Vault for my secrets, what a joke. Okay, so maybe I’m still a little pissed. Can you blame me? I specifically told her— Ah, what’s the use?”

“I don’t see an easy solution for this one. I wish you well, Shawnee.”

“Yeah, I gotta bounce, too. Later, robot girl. I mean, Lisa.”

“Our sponsor today has been Wings of Mayhem, by author Sue Coletta.”

***

Note from Craig, I read this book and absolutely loved it. I think you will too.

A SERIAL KILLER STALKS THE STREETS…

Shawnee Daniels – computer forensics specialist/hacker for RPD by day, cat burglar by night – always believed her “fearlessness rules” mantra would keep her on top and out of jail. When she hacks a confiscated hard drive at the Revere P.D., she focuses on a white-collar criminal accused of embezzlement. To teach him a lesson and recoup the funds she breaks into his massive contemporary in Bear Clave Estates. Jack has even more secrets, deadly secrets, secrets worth killing over.

A CAT BURGLAR PICKS THE WRONG HOUSE TO ROB…

Shawnee thinks she made it out clean until a deadly package arrives at her door soon after. He’s found her. As a glowing eagle taunts her Skype screen, Jack tells her she stole his precious trophy box — and he wants it back!

THEIR LIVES COLLIDE…

When her “helpful” best friend convinces her to date charismatic Detective Levaughn Samuels, her two worlds threaten to implode. Ordinarily Shawnee keeps a firm line between her professions, but dating Levaughn might help her get this psycho off her tail.

AND NOW, NO ONE IS SAFE…

In this lightning-fast-paced psychological thriller of secrets and lies, Shawnee juggles being stalked by a serial killer, dating the lead detective on the case, and tap dancing around her librarian best friend.If she doesn’t find the trophy box, the killer’s coming for her. If she doesn’t expose her secrets

Bio: Member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers, Sue Coletta is the author of Wings of Mayhem, MARRED, The Rendering, Crime Writer’s Research, and 60 Ways to Murder Your Characters. A multi-published author in numerous anthologies, her forensics articles have appeared in InSinC Quarterly; her flash fiction in OOTG Flash Fiction Offensive and in the highly-anticipated anthology, 100 Voices. In addition to her popular crime resource blog, Sue’s the communications manager for the Serial Killer Project and Forensic Science, and founder of #ACrimeChat on Twitter.

 

 

 

Purchase Links and Social Media:

Wings of Mayhem: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple iTunes, Google Play: http://smarturl.it/WingsofMayhem

Website: www.suecoletta.com — Get The Rendering, a dark flash fiction collection, free when you subscribe to the blog.

Twitter: @SueColetta1

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SueColetta1

 

Till Life do us Part, on Lisa Burton Radio

Hello, and welcome to another edition of Lisa Burton Radio. I’m the hostess with all the connections, Lisa the robot girl.

My sponsor today is Till Life do Us Part, by Carmen Stephanescu.

Today I have an appointment to speak with Irene Harding, but I’m having trouble getting her on the phone. Let’s just try it again.

“Hello.”

“Who’s this?”

“I’m Catherine Harding. Irene’s daughter.”

“Is your mommy at home?”

“No. She’s outside talking to Collin and Barbara, his sister. Who’s asking?”

“Daylight savings time, that’s what it is. My software didn’t calculate for daylight savings time. So who’s Collin?”

“Who’s Collin? Well, he’s my boyfriend!”

“Holy Cow! Boyfriend?!? How old are you? You sound a little girl’s voice.”

“You guessed right. I’m four years old. I know, I know what you may think. He’s, I mean, Collin was my boyfriend in my other life. . . when I was. . . um. . . Kathleen Page. . . Oh, no. I’m not a ghost… I am a real girl. As real as I was in my other life. Only that Kathleen, the other me, was murdered four years ago.”

“Do you mean you are Kathleen, reincarnated? Have you heard of reincarnation before?”

“Not exactly but I heard mommy and Barbara, talking about this. Barbara can hear the voices of dead people and she says she heard me talk to her when I died but it was only for a couple of seconds. I didn’t manage to tell her more except my name and that I was killed. Mommy’s worried. She thinks something is wrong with my head. But no. Nothing’s wrong. Only that I remember my other life when I was a medical student the same as Collin. <giggles>.”

“What’s so funny, sweetie?”

“When Mommy took me to the pediatrician, last year, I could name everything the doctor had in his office: medicine or instruments. You should have seen his face. Or mom’s.”

“So if you have all this past life memory, do you know who killed Kathleen?”

“Who killed me, you ask? This is the only thing I can’t seem to remember from my other life. All I remember of my last day as Kathleen was that Collin had to come and take me, I mean, Kathleen to town. I was so happy. . . and the door opened…. And then all is blurred. I don’t know, yet, my heart tells me Collin can’t be the murderer. Barbara says the police arrested Collin, at first. Then set him free. Then he left Pleasanton and went on a ship as a sailor.”

“I hope your heart is right.”

“I’m so sad. Collin didn’t recognize me yesterday, when he returned from his ocean voyage. I took him by the hand and told him I was Kathleen. I even told him what only we two had as a motto. The chances are high that we are not alone.”

“And….”

“Nothing. His face turned white, he looked scared. . . shocked. . . but he didn’t say a thing. . . I hope one day he’ll understand it’s me, Kathleen, in a new body. I’ll always love him and when I grow up I’ll marry him. Unless he marries another girl until then. . .um. . . which will break my heart. . .”

“That’s so sad.”

“But you know who recognized me? Jack. The doggy Colin gave me as a present for my nineteenth birthday, shortly before I was murdered. Jack is now with Barbara. She found him wandering the streets after my. . . Kathleen’s death, and adopted him though she had no idea whose dog he was. Though he’s bigger now, four years older, he sensed it was me, his first master. He always comes and wags his tail and licks my hands when Mommy takes me to Barbara’s house.”

“You need to be Catherine now, and live the life you deserve.”

“Yes, I play with dolls and other plush toys. That’s what little girls do. Yet, I can’t stop remembering my other life. I heard mommy talk with a friend of Barbara’s about something called past life regression, but mommy refused. She says I am just a kid. I think she’s worried I might go back to my other mommy. But I can’t do this to her and daddy. They love me and bring me up. . . Who knows, when I grow up I’ll go and have a past life regression. Hopefully I’ll remember who took my life. It can’t be Collin. No, no. He loved me, even if he was a bit possessive sometimes. . . I don’t want to believe he could have done such an evil thing to me. . .”

“I still hope you can identify the killer though. Kathleen and Collin had something special torn away from them. I feel a software conflict coming on.”

“Yes, they. . . um. . . I mean, we had. I’ve got to go now. I’ll tell mommy you called.”

“For Lisa Burton Radio, I’m Lisa Burton. I’m going back to the cabin to cry my tear reservoirs dry.”

***

Blurb

Barbara Heyer can hear voices of dead people. They whisper of their deaths, seek comfort for those left behind, and occasionally even warn her about future events. But when Barbara’s brother, Colin, is accused of murder, it will take more than her gift to prove his innocence.

Becoming smitten with the handsome investigator, Detective Patrick Fischer, is a serious complication given his assignment to her brother’s case. Barbara senses there is something far deeper—and perhaps much older—than the surface attraction between them. Could that be why she’s visited by a mysterious woman named Emma in her dreams? Could past life regression tie all the seemingly unconnected events together?

Barbara and Patrick must overcome heartache to find the truth to save Colin, and perhaps themselves.

Carmen Stefanescu resides in Romania, the native country of the infamous vampire Count Dracula, but where, for about 50 years of communist dictatorship, just speaking about God, faith, reincarnation or paranormal phenomena could have led someone to great trouble – the psychiatric hospital if not to prison.

High school teacher of English and German in her native country, and mother of two daughters, Carmen Stefanescu survived the grim years of oppression, by escaping in a parallel world that of the books.

Several of her poems were successfully published in a collection of Contemporary English Poems, Muse Whispers vol.1 and Muse Whispers vol.2 by Midnight Edition Publication, in 2001 and 2002.

Her first novel, Shadows of the Past, was released in 2012 by Wild Child Publishing, USA.

Carmen joined the volunteer staff at Marketing For Romance Writers Author blog and is the coordinator of #Thursday13 posts.

You can stalk the author here:

http://shadowspastmystery.blogspot.ro/

https://twitter.com/Carmen_Books

http://www.pinterest.com/carmens007/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Carmen-Stefanescu-Books/499245716760283

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6624397.Carmen_Stefanescu

https://plus.google.com/117216040843648957646/posts

http://www.amazon.com/Carmen-Stefanescu/e/B00APVDGAA/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Trailer for Till Life Do Us Part: https://youtu.be/UbuntlWISc0

Buy Links:

http://solsticepublishing.com/till-life-do-us-part/

https://www.amazon.com/Till-Life-Do-Us-Part-ebook/dp/B01GGKSQEY/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1464868076&sr=1-1&keywords=till+life+do+us+part

Short URL for Amazon: https://goo.gl/H0dqkb

B&N http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/till-life-do-us-part-carmen-stefanescu/1123896837?ean=9781625263858

Welcome to Hell Bent, Pennsylvania, on Lisa Burton Radio

Welcome to another edition of Lisa Burton Radio. I'm your host, Lisa the robot girl, and today's show is all about hybrids.

Today's sponsor is the Hell Bent series from Kayla Matt. This series is a hybrid in that it includes graphics along with the narrative. How cool is that?

My guest today is Travis Malone, and he's a hybrid of human and monkey. “Welcome to the show, Travis.”

“Hi! So…it turns out that your number’s, like, one digit away from the one for a local pizza place. Today’s been one of those stressful days with a ton of customers and running around to get everything done because we’re a little short-staffed today.. But my boss is a huge fan of yours, and I’m pretty sure this would make her freaking day, so HI!”

“As a hybrid, do you find it difficult being accepted by society at large?”

“Ooh…yeah, I’d have to think about that one. A lot of the people I spend time with treat me like I’m just a normal guy. But that’s only after I get to know ‘em, y’know? Sometimes, though, I’ll meet a new person and they start pulling my damn tail and wondering if it’s real. Hurts like a bitch. And my ex-girlfriend broke up with me because it felt a little too much like bestiality to her. And there was one time where the cops assumed I had a criminal record…like, right off the bat. See, that’s kinda how some scientists deal with criminals around here. But other genetically altered types (like me) have never broken the law, and sometimes, all someone has to do to be forcibly altered is run away from home or be homeless. I’ve actually been picked up to be experimented on way more times than I can count, and that hurts like hell sometimes. But oddly enough, it’s not as bad as the weird judgmental stares I get from people, especially those from out of town. Best case scenario, they assume I’m a cosplayer.

“I understand more than most. As a robot, I've struggled all my life for acceptance. My bio says you work at a comic book shop. That has to be a fun job. What's your favorite character?”

“Batman, definitely! But I can weirdly relate to either Deadpool or Wolverine, since those two have a healing factor. So do I, actually. It was introduced to my DNA around the same time as the monkey traits. I honestly had no idea just how strong it was for a while, even with the various tests that’ve been run on it. I think it proved itself to really strong once, though,

“See, it was a few days before my friend Spencer’s wedding anniversary. He’d married my younger sister Gemmy, and wanted to get an ideal gift for her. It was sort of last-minute when he got the idea of getting her some sexy types of photos of himself for her. But we kept trying and trying to find a place that’d take us, and kept getting turned away because it didn’t fit into the “family” type atmosphere they were trying to keep. One of my co-workers was willing to help out if we had no other options. But he would’ve lent us his equipment and we were both sure we’d somehow screw that one up. And that’s when this one lady came up to us, asked to help…

“We took her up on her offer. What a mistake THAT was…See, as it turned out, she was a serial killer. One thing led to another, I think I died and came back a few times, and we put her out of business. And then? Then she started stalking our family.

“Well…as it turns out, my family’s pretty difficult to kill. My sister doesn’t have the same regeneration as me, but she does have super speed. My mom’s gifted in both genetics and cybernetics. I could swear I’ve seen her building attack robots in her sleep before. Her twin sister and their two friends work in—Actually, I probably shouldn’t mention their line of work on the radio, but it involves them having to cover their tracks and it gets a lot of unrepentant asshats out of the gene pool. Though my aunt Beast (no relation to anyone from A Wrinkle In Time, by the way) has huge cybernetic limbs and really sharp claws. Her friends, Ivy and Yvette, are psychic (in the mind reading/moving stuff with her mind) and a magic user (Ivy’s the psychic, Yvette’s the magic user), and Spencer’s really kind of a survivor. He’s been through a bunch of crap, but he’s still kicking.”

“A regenerative ability would be pretty cool. How does that work?”

“On the one hand, it’s kinda nice. Lost limbs grow back in days, broken bones heal in a few hours, cuts in seconds…But it does suck when people take advantage of it. I might heal quickly, but that shit still hurts! And after I heal, I have to eat a LOT…turns out, that healing burns a ton of calories, and I’m always hungry afterwards.”

“I've interviewed a serial killer on this show, and they're a little bit different. So the whole photography studio was a setup for her to make snuff films. With your regenerative ability, this could go all Wile E. Coyote in a hurry.”

“I know, right? It’s almost like there’s some unapologetic psycho dictating my life… Probably for their own sick amusement.”

“I get it, they're called authors. We need them, but they never make things easy. Travis, it looks like you have a caller. Hello, caller you're on the air with Lisa and Travis.”

“Hello, there. I’m Dr. Spencer Abbot, and I’m Travis’ brother-in-law.”

“So what's it like living in a family with hybrids?”

“A little weird, to be honest. It feels like I’m the only normal human in the family. My wife, in-laws, even my son–“

“Not true, Spencer. There’s uncle Nick!”

“Yeah, but he’s in the FBI and travels a lot for work, so he doesn’t quite count. Anyhow, I just wanted to see if you were behaving yourself, Trav. I know of your fondness for a certain F-word, and I figure that wouldn’t fly on the radio…”

“Yeah, Spence, I know… Don’t worry, I remembered, man.”

“Good, good. By the way, there’s something you might want to get a look at. I think someone’s been stalking around outside our house again…”

“Seriously? Ugh, if it was who I think it is, I swear I’ll kick her ass… Just stay safe for now, alright?”

“I’ll try. See you at home.”

“Well Boys, it sounds like Hell Bent, Pennsylvania is quite the place. There are many fans of graphic novels who follow this show, and they might want to check these stories out. I'll include all the links at the end.”

“Oh, by the way. There’s this convention in a few weeks, and my boss would love it if you came by, Lisa. She’s the one organizing it. It’s during the first weekend next month. Thanks for talking to me!”

“Sounds like fun. Will there be any cos-play? I could bring some outfits along with the calendars and stuff.”

“Yep! Look forward to seeing you there!”

***

Kayla provided us with a couple of covers. Check them out and browse through her links.

She also sent this cool page of one of the books:

Visions (Hell Bent book 1): https://amzn.com/B010YG2MMI

Retribution (Hell Bent book 2): https://amzn.com/B01387TIEU

Destruction (Hell Bent book 3): https://amzn.com/B0186GZ220

Full Arc 1 Set (in one volume): https://amzn.com/B018701YLS

Bio: K. Matt is a graduate of Philadelphia, PA's University of the Arts. Her interests in sci-fi, fantasy, horror, comics, and anime have inspired her to both write and illustrate her own work.

The books in the Hell Bent series are a combination of prose and graphic novels, and tend to be a mixture of (somewhat soft) sci-fi, urban fantasy, and horror. It is something of a pet project for her, a pet that she feeds with time, and that feeds on her sleep.

Her artwork can be found at kaylamatt.webs.com.

 

Social media:

Facebook: https://facebook.com/HellBentBookSeries

(Travis' Facebook page) https://www.facebook.com/TravisHalfMonkey/

WordPress: https://kaylamatt.wordpress.com/

Twitter: @Marie Twixie