Tuesday, April 3, 2018

INTERVIEW WITH M.R. PILOT (A Bloodline's Echo)



April has kind of snuck up on me. Spring was a bit behind in my neck of the woods and the cherry blossoms are just starting to bloom, about a month behind their normal schedule. Not to say it was a bad winter. It wasn't. There was only a handful of days with snow, and even the rain held back for the most part. But that chill in the air hung around for longer that we all wanted. More time for book reading perhaps?

Today author M.R. Pilot stops by and we recently had the chance to ask her a few questions. I hope you enjoy the conversation.

SC: Tell me a little bit about your main character of this book.

MRP:      There is a shift in point of view throughout the book but Cori—the female protagonist—is the focus. She is from one of the feeder townships in her world, tucked into a forest-shielded corner. Cori doesn’t know anything about her father except his name, and her mother didn’t provide much in the way of parenting. In defiance of her mother’s chaotic tendencies, Cori adopts a soothing nature for herself. She is well-intentioned and eager for answers, but never more than when her power first manifests. Her eagerness may lead her to travel with her eyes up—rarely looking to see if she’s stepped into a trap.

SC: There are days I wish I had powers, but it's probably a good thing I don't.  Do you believe in the paranormal and if so, do you have an experience you can share?

MRP: The maternal side of my family is enthralled by all things paranormal. Meaning…I have a wealth of stories! One of my favorites is the time I went with my mom, aunt, and grandpa to a cemetery on a full moon. I’m pretty sure we weren’t allowed to be there—we ducked behind tombstones when cars passed. I think I was about nine at the time, so my memory of it is slightly fuzzy. But my aunt said she saw ghosts. Unrelated—she also told me there was a specific spirit that always sat with her when we went camping. I was half-convinced. Have you ever heard of a white blot on a film being a ghost? Well, we had lots of polaroids of our camping trip, and she had several with a white blot next to her. I was thoroughly creeped out. So…who knows? 😉

SC: Nice! What titles are you working on now that you can tell us about?

MRP: This book—A Bloodline’s Echo—is the first installment of The Avadi Series. I am currently working on the second installment. If you read the first one, you’ll see where the characters are left, and the sequel picks up with no time wasted. I also have a side project that’s almost fully drafted; the tentative title is The Curse of Luma. Rather than medium/high fantasy, it’s an urban fantasy with a sassy main character. I’m super excited about both stories.

SC: We look forward to learning more about your upcoming titles. Let's take a look at this new one now.


A Bloodline’s Echo
The Avadi Series
Book One
M. R. Pilot

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy/Romance



Date of Publication: December 29, 2017

ISBN: 1976766052
ASIN: B078QBPDYJ

Number of pages: 330
Word Count: 98K

Cover Artist: Illustration - JDSarte
Typography - Rebeca

Tagline: A missing father. A handsome stranger. A feud within the Avadi. Cori will find out who she is in this tale of romance and adventure.

Book Description:

Eighteen-year-old Cori has been tucked into a corner of Verbena her entire life. With no memory of a father and an abusive mother, her escape came in the form of living and working in her town’s inn, a place that happens to be owned by her best friend. Cori was all but resigned to the uneventful and dutiful life as a barkeep.

That is, until a hooded stranger showed up—just in time to witness an incident Cori herself cannot believe—and changed everything. Now Cori must leave Sagebrush, the only place she has ever known, setting off to discover love, adventure, heartbreak, and more about herself and the world she lives in than she could have ever imagined.

Excerpt 3:

I repeat the process again. My mind is still, and this time it’ll stay that way. I direct my energy until it’s where I want it: pulsating on the outermost portion of my palms. I sense where my emotions have been placed, set aside during Stillness of Mind. I realize my mistake was immediately dipping into the emotion at the forefront of my mind—fear—and its corresponding memories. This time, I choose to focus on serenity.
The first moon spent sleeping in the little room of the Oak Hand—the first moon of my life I felt free, and the first moon in a long while when I slept soundly. I let this feeling infuse itself, essentially opening the gate holding back channeled energy. I feel the room become warm, but not uncomfortably hot; it’s reminiscent of a soft blanket under a chilled sky.
Curious, I dip into another emotion. I realize that my father is not coming back, and I let the sorrow of abandonment pour out. Quickly following are innumerable memories of Faye’s lashing out: striking me whenever the thought occurred, screaming until I longed to be devoid of hearing, and breaking whatever she thought to be of value to me.

I let the feelings of rejection, anger, frustration, and pain fuse together, and I channel it outwards. I channel it as if I wanted to expel these moments entirely.

About the Author:

M. R. Pilot is an avid reader, coffee-drinker and animal lover. When she’s not cleaning teeth, she’s partaking in Alaskan hikes, watching anime, relentless page-turning and/or keyboard clicking. She loves to talk about any of those things for an indiscriminate amount of time—feel free to reach out if you do, too.




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2 comments:

  1. Janine,

    Spring blossoms sound like a lovely and welcome sight :) I just wanted to stop by and say thank you so much for your time and for the novel feature today.

    All the best,
    M. R. Pilot

    ReplyDelete
  2. We love to share the love here at Supernatural Central. Drop by anytime!

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