Out of the Mouths of Characters: Alastair Verne from Michael Okon's new urban fantasy, WITCHES PROTECTION PROGRAM

Today is Character Interview Day!  We have Alastair Verne of Michael Okon's new urban fantasy, WITCHES PROTECTION PROGRAM, with us today.  Enjoy! 

Late Night Interview with Alastair Verne, Lead Agent at the Witches Protection Program

Michael Okon: Hello! And welcome to the Late Show with Michael Okon!  Just kidding, I would never want to put Stephen Colbert out of work.  This is a show called LiveMike!  Today’s guest is a classic character from one of my most popular novels, Witches Protection Program. Would you please, put a warm welcome together for the one, the only, Alastair Verne!!

Alastair, 55, salt and pepper hair, inches over five feet, joins us. He’s an everyman but sticks out like a sore thumb with his trench coat and fedora.

MO: Mr. Verne…

AV: Please, Mr. Okon. I would hate to correct you but Mr. Verne is my father. I give you full permission to call me Alastair.

MO: Why thank you Alastair!  So, Witches Protection Program…

AV: …The one and only…

MO: The one and only Witches Protection Program. I hear you have a new partner.

AV: Indeed. I have been so fortunate to be named as a partner to Mr. Wesley Paul Rockville.

MO: How did that come about?

AV: Well, being that I work for a secret government agency, I’m not at liberty to say. But I can certainly tell you there was an incident regarding some transport that went…a little haywire.

MO: How “haywire” did it get?

AV: You are quite clever Mr. Okon. I like you. All I can say is, my partner was told not to look at the inmate in the eyes.

MO: And what happened?

AV: Read the reports in Witches Protection Program and you will know exactly what I’m talking about.

MO: I certainly will.  Now your first assignment with the rookie…

AV: Ah yes,  Pendragon Cosmetics.

MO: What was going on behind the scenes at Pendragon?

AV: From what my sources have told me, an evil and powerful witch named Bernadette Pendragon has put her DNA in a face-cream to sell all over the world.

MO: What’s the problem with that?

AV: She wanted to enslave and punish all men on earth.

(Silence)

MO: All men?

AV: Every single one of them.  Including you.

MO: (Gulp)

AV: You don’t mess with a Category 10 Willa.

MO: Define Willa for our readers in reader land.

AV: There are two factions of witches…some say there is actually a third but we have yet to find them. Back to the two known types, the Davina and the Willa.  The Davina are women in the arts and sciences who contribute productively to society.  And the Willa…

MO: Not so good…

AV: I couldn’t have said it better myself. The Willa are seeking world domination. They are destructive and seductive and will stop at nothing to get what they want.  When a Davina is threatened by a Willa, it is our duty in the WPP to protect them.

MO: Now Morgan…

AV: Hmmm, Morgan Pendragon. Lovely girl.

MO: Are you familiar with her?

AV: You can say that.

MO: How so?

AV: Let’s just say I’ve read a lot about her in the tabloids.  Life must be hard being a twenty-something heiress to a billion-dollar empire.

MO: Is she a Willa or Davina?

AV: Next question.

MO: (Clears throat). What’s next for you and Agent Rockville?

AV: I’ve already been told there are some new adventures and mysteries up ahead.

MO: Care to elaborate?

AV: My dear Mr. Okon. As a defender of the craft, it is my duty to ensure all Davina are kept in a safe and secure environment without the threat of Willa interference.  I cannot divulge information, except for the fact that there is a hitman witch lurking in upstate New York, near an old cabin outside Binghampton, I’m told.  Our responsibility is to investigate.

MO: And after that?

AV: You are quite the curious cat, Mr. Okon.

MO: I’m very creative.

AV: (Eye roll) Right. Anyway, Wes and I have a large function to attend at the Museum of Natural History. Wes’s super brilliant sister has just been named the Attorney General. She apparently has some big things in store for our department.

MO: Care to elaborate?

AV: Not at this time.  That should be all.

Alastair yanks off the mic and walks away.

MO: Well you heard it here folks!  That was Alastair Verne, lead agent in the Witches Protection Program.  Seems like, with the first case just about closed, there are going to be MANY more adventures for him and Wes Rockville with the Witches Protection Program.  I can’t wait to find out more!!

Meet the Author

Michael Okon is an award-winning and best-selling author of multiple genres including paranormal, thriller, horror, action/adventure and self-help. He graduated from Long Island University with a degree in English, and then later received his MBA in business and finance. Coming from a family of writers, he has storytelling in his DNA. Michael has been writing from as far back as he can remember, his inspiration being his love for films and their impact on his life. From the time he saw The Goonies, he was hooked on the idea of entertaining people through unforgettable characters.
Michael is a lifelong movie buff, a music playlist aficionado, and a sucker for self-help books. He lives on the North Shore of Long Island with his wife and children.

★WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS★

FACEBOOK | TWITTER  | INSTAGRAM  | BOOKBUB  | GOODREADS | MICHAELOKON.COM

 

Inside the Book

Title: WITCHES PROTECTION PROGRAM
Author: Michael Okon
Publisher: WordFire Press
Pages: 200
Genre: Fantasy/Urban Fantasy

BOOK BLURB:

Wes Rockville, a disgraced law-enforcement agent, gets one last chance to prove himself and save his career when he’s reassigned to a 232-year-old secret government organization.
The Witches Protection Program.
His first assignment: uncover a billion-dollar cosmetics company’s diabolical plan to use witchcraft for global domination, while protecting its heiress Morgan Pendragon from her aunt’s evil deeds. Reluctantly paired with veteran witch protector, Alastair Verne, Wes must learn to believe in witches…and believe in himself.
Filled with adventure and suspense, Michael Okon creates a rousing, tongue-in-cheek alternate reality where witches cast spells and wreak havoc in modern-day New York City.

Praise:

“Witches Protection Program is a great summer choice, ideal for beach or poolside reading, and with elements of romance, action, crime, and fantasy, there’s a little something for everyone to enjoy.”—Foreword Reviews
“…mixes predictable elements–corporate intrigue, sexy witches, cat familiars, car chases, family secrets, and steampunk weaponry–into an enjoyable story.’—Publisher’s Weekly
“Cleverly offbeat, often cheeky, and loads of fun.”—Kirkus
“WITCHES PROTECTION PROGRAM is a fun and quick read, and the out-of-the-norm narrative choices make the novel feel like something wonderfully subversive.” – IndieReader
“Witches Protection Program is a unique gem, one that’s fast-paced with twists, action, and fun characters.” – Reviewed by Liz Konkel for Readers’ Favorite, Five Star Review
“Witches Protection Program will hook you if not for the action, then the romance and if not for the romance, then the sheer humor, what with its funny dialogue.” – Liezl Ruiz, NetGalley Reviewer

★★★★★ORDER YOUR COPY★★★★★

Amazon → https://tinyurl.com/y6a7lq9m

 Barnes & Noble → https://tinyurl.com/yy34sbxm

Out of the Mouths of Characters: Nona from Pattie Palmer-Baker's 'MALL'

Today is Character Interview Day!  We have Nona of Pattie Palmer-Baker's new dystopian novel, MALL, with us today.  Enjoy!

INTERVIEW WITH NONA, ONE OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS IN MALL

Interviewer: You were selected to be a main character in the novel, Mall. Were you surprised or were you expecting to be chosen?

Nona: I was very surprised. I have been without an identity for a long time.

Interviewer: Is being chosen something you dreamed of?

Nona: Not really. I wasn’t a character in search for an author. I was living a peaceful life – sort of drifting along, content to listen to the chatter of selected characters.

Interviewer: What did you expect after you were picked?

Nona: Well, I’ve listened to a lot of female characters discuss the plots they lived in. They talk a lot about lost love and found love and sometimes living happily ever after. I thought that was what was in store for me.

Interviewer: What do you think about your appearance?

Nona: I’m a little disappointed. I expected dark hair and eyes and a curvy body. Instead the author made me slim with white-blonde hair. My eyes are light and no mascara on my blonde eyelashes.

Interviewer: In the book, aren’t you are considered extremely beautiful?

Nona: Yes. I have good features, and I guess I stand out among all the other beautiful women. They all look expertly made-up.

Interviewer: The author makes you a ‘mental health practitioner’. How do you feel about that?”

Nona: I admit I was taken aback. I have to learn a lot of stuff.

Interviewer: Really? Like what?

Nona: How to talk to a ‘client’. What medications are available. Things like that.

Interviewer: What are you doing when the book opens?

Nona: I am in a session with a client, and, of all things, I’m bored.

Interviewer: Forgive me for saying this, but isn’t the client talking about    her sex life? That doesn’t sound boring and, anyway, so what? We all get bored.

Nona. Sex is what almost all my clients talk about so yes, it can be boring. And, no Mallites don’t – or should I say aren’t supposed to – get bored, not in Mall where so many kinds of pleasures and nonaddictive drugs – oops, Mallites say pharms – are available. Actually, my client does reveal something pretty startling and definitely not boring.

Interviewer: Oh, do tell.

Nona: No, I would be disclosing too much. Suffice to say the client talks about something against the Mall Code.

Interviewer: Mall Code? What’s that?

Nona: What Mallites live by. You know, things like work at your job, consume, and follow the rules, like always being polite. There’s a lot more, but it would take too long to go into.

Interviewer: Doesn’t sound too hard. Going back to the beginning, does the author explore what your client tells you or does anything else exciting occur in the first few pages?

Nona: All kinds of things happen. We experience a black-out, one of the disturbances that have been plaguing Mall lately. Then a Mall Guard enters the room informing me of my mandatory attendance at a meeting with the Mall Managers – sort of shocking because MHPs never attend those meetings. After that, because I’m the MHP on call, I hear on the intercom that Mall Guards are bringing me an emergency client.

Interviewer: MHP?

Nona: Mental Health Practitioner.

Interviewer: Oh, I see. Anyway, that’s a lot to happen in the first couple of pages.

Nona: You’re telling me.

Interviewer: What was the emergency?

Nona: The guards bring me Sara, the other main character, to be treated.

Interviewer: So there’s more than one main character? Why did they bring her to you? Was she crazy or something?

Nona: Mallites don’t use the term, crazy; instead disordered or deranged. They bring her to me because she amoks, their way of saying she loses control.

Interviewer: What happened?

Nona: She amoks because she thinks she is no longer in her world.

Interviewer: What do you mean?

Nona: She believes she comes from a different world. This is disordered because Mallites believe nothing exists outside of Mall.

Interviewer: Can you describe where it happens and what she does when she, as you say it, amoks?

Nona: No, I not supposed to.

Interviewer: Okay. Well, what do you do after she is brought to your office?

Nona: I offer her a mem-wipe, a process that would get rid of her what I consider false memories to stop her suffering. She refuses and I …

I, well …

Interviewer: You seem upset.

Nona: I guess I am. I should find a way to make her, but I don’t. Instead I go against the Mall Code – in so many ways.

Interviewer: Why?

Nona: I don’t want her to change into just another Mallite. I guess because when she comes into my life, I’m never bored again.

Interviewer: Does this mean you never treat her with the mem-wipe? Won’t her behavior alert someone that she is – how did you say it – disordered?

Nona: Actually, I can’t tell you too much or I will upset the author.

Interviewer: What can she do? The book is already published.

Nona: Yes, but she is the Creator. She could still rewrite it and make more painful things happen to me or she could write a sequel and not include me.

Interviewer: Oh, I doubt that. Anyway, can you tell me anything you do to help Sara fit in?

Nona: It involves a lot such as cosmetic procedures to improve her appearance.

Interviewer: Is something wrong with how she looks?

Nona: She’s sort of ordinary. Almost everyone is beautiful in Mall.

Interviewer: So is that enough or do you need to do more so she can pass for a Mallite?

Nona: I have to do a lot more. If I don’t help her pass as a Mallite, she will be apprehended and forced to undergo a mem-wipe. She definitely does not want that and neither do I. Everything we do to avoid being caught – and we do a lot – leads to a chain of events that cause unforeseen consequences. You have to read the book for details. I will say this much. I learn to care about her, something not permitted in Mall.

Interviewer: Why not? Wait, I get it. You fall in love with her.

Nona: I always forget what that means. Something sexual?

Interviewer: Yes I guess you could put it that way.

Nona: No, I don’t want to have sex with her. I … I just want to be close to her.

Interviewer: Forgive me for saying this but so what?

Nona: Only superficial relationships are allowed. My feelings for Sara end up leading me and several others into an involvement with the Junkers, who go from creating serious disturbances in the lives of Mallites to open rebellion.

Interviewer: It seems like Mall is sort of a paradise. Why would anyone want anything different?

Nona: For one thing, many Mallites live for a very long time. Some have to take more and stronger pharms to get that first-time feel when experiencing pleasure. Also, some want to change professions which they aren’t allowed to do.

Interviewer: What? They can’t change jobs? Why?

Nona: I guess because they are so carefully selected and trained for what they do.

Interviewer: What about Sara? Is she trained for anything?

Nona: She insists she is not a Mallite and has no memory of a profession here. I have to think of something so she doesn’t stand out. Everyone is employed.

Interviewer: Did I hear you correctly? There’s no unemployment?

Nona: Right.

Interviewer: Wow! What kind of a job do you find for her?

Nona: Something in the entertainment field. She likes it and is quite good.

Interviewer: Can’t you be more specific?

Nona: I wish I could but no.

Interviewer: You know, Mall does sound like a kind of paradise. I can’t understand why Sara would want to return to her world. Does she try? Or does she decide to accept Mall as her home?

Nona: Yes and no. Again, you’ll have to read the book. I will tell you she’s not happy in her supposed world, and she is not immune to the charms of Mall. Strange, because the longer I’m with her, the less I find life in Mall desirable.

Interviewer: So she does stay. And what about you? Do you find a way to make your life more satisfactory?

Nona: I never said she stays. You have to read Mall to find all the answers to your questions. Now if you will excuse me, I need to get back to the book. Thank you for the interview, and I hope you read the book. 

A Novel by Pattie Palmer-Baker Winner of the Del Sol Most Promising Novel, 2017 

MALL is a sparkling alternate world where everyone is beautiful, employed with enough income to

consume and to experience a myriad of pleasures including drugs, gambling, theater, holographic adventures. No poverty and little or no crime. A lot of sex.

But what about the Mall Code? And what happens when Sara, a 21st century woman, accidentally finds her way into this alien yet familiar world? Nona, a MALL mental health practitioner treats Sara upon her arrival and goes against the Code to help her acclimate. Sara seems to be just what she needs, an antidote to Nona’s secret and growing boredom.

At first Sara desperately wants to get home, and, as she seeks a way out as well as answers about her new reality, Nona begins to see MALL in a new light. Is abundant gratification enough?

Things aren’t all beauty and pleasure. Sara experiences dancing in a dangerous orgiastic dance club on a lower level. She attends a gambling session where people bet on living more years when their “number’s up” and a “passing ceremony,” where Mallites are supposedly resurrected into a new life.
Junkers, outsiders lurking on the fringes of MALL, have been fighting Mall Management’s control by creating increasingly dangerous disturbances. For years they have struggled to discover an exit, based on rumors of those who made it Outside and were never heard from again. Through them Sara and Nona meet someone who might help them escape. They both must make the choice that will change their lives forever.

Who will risk leaving and who will decide to stay?

MALL by Pattie Palmer-Baker was recently published by Del Sol Press and winner of the Del Sol Press Most Promising Book, 2017.
ISBN: 978-0-9998425-5-3.

ORDER YOUR COPY AT AMAZON

Pattie Palmer-Baker is a recognized award-winning artist and poet. Her artwork has been exhibited in galleries throughout the Pacific Northwest. Locally and nationally she has won numerous awards for her art and poetry.

An accomplished poet, Pattie had been nominated for the Pushcart Poetry Prize. Her work has appeared in many journals including Calyx, Voicecatcher, Military Experience the Arts, Minerva Rising and Phantom Drift. In 2017 she earned first prize in the Write to Publish contest, and in 2019 she won first, second, and the Bivona prize in the Ageless Poetry contest.  She has served as the poetry co-editor for VoiceCatcher: a journal of women’s voices and visions.

Del Sol Press awarded MALL first prize for the most promising first novel in 2017.

Pattie lives in Portland, Oregon with her beloved husband and rescued dachshund.

Her website is www.pattiepalmerbaker.com/.

You can follow her at Facebook at https://tinyurl.com/yykrz36e. 

Out of the Mouths of Characters: Rick Sibelius from Richard Hacker's 'Chain Reaction'

Today is character interview day!  We have Rick Sibelius of CHAIN REACTION with us today to talk about terrorism and other fun stuff.  Enjoy!

Interview: Rick Sibelius, Chain Reaction

You’ve been in the news lately, especially after stopping a major terrorist attack on Austin.

I don’t know if I’d call it a terrorist attack. Izzy Zydeco’s a bit to self-involved to be politically motivated.

But didn’t the Governor’s illegitimate son have a nuclear device?

Yeah. I suppose I get your point.

How does an ex-Houston cop end up in Pflugerville, Texas fighting terrorists?

I’ve always liked Central Texas. The Hill Country, the lakes, live music in Austin—it’s a great place.  When I left the police force, I wanted to stay in the business, so I set up a private investigation firm.

Losing your partner in a shoot-out with major Houston drug dealer didn’t have anything to do with it?

I wonder how long it will take you to recover your little recorder?

I don’t understand.

If by some freak of nature it gets shoved down your throat.

Let’s move on. You’ve been in the news for breaking up a major illegal toxic waste disposal scheme which involved a couple dead suspects and a missing Homeland Security agent in East Texas. Does a wake of destruction follow behind all of your cases?

My goal has always been to have a peaceful life with a woman I love, a nice trailer in the country to call home, and a steady stream of low stress investigation work. Theresa, my partner says I attract the crazies. Maybe so. I don’t know if I’d call it a wake of destruction, but yes, I’ve had my share of unfortunate confrontations.

You mentioned Theresa Soliz. I understand she’s your business partner, but word on the street has you two in a romantic relationship.  Your life and work seem to be inherently dangerous. How do you two cope with living in constant danger?

I’m not sure we do. Theresa’s a lovely woman—beautiful. And she has skills developed during several tours in Iraq. Besides crazy people, I seem to attract very independent women who don’t seem to understand my desire to keep them safe. Is it really so bad to want to protect her by sharing information on a need-to-know basis? She says I’m keeping critical information from her, that I don’t treat her as an equal, that I don’t tell her what I’m thinking or feeling, that I’m still in love with a Homeland Security agent. Yes, MaryLou was incredible, but I’ve moved on…you need to delete the last bit there. Especially about Mar—I mean the Homeland Security agent. 

Absolutely. I’ll delete the whole section on Theresa. One final question. The Austin American Statesman reported a scuffle you had with a fisherman during a striped bass contest at Lake Mansfield Park. I know you can’t tell me about specific cases, but why do you think you get into so many physical confrontations?

When you deal with egomaniacal psychopaths, terrorist and politicians, things sometimes get out of control. But in the end, I always get the job done. Which reminds me. Are we done now? 

About the Author

Richard Hacker is the author of CHAIN REACTION, the third installment in the Nick Sibelius crime series. Champagne Books released DIRTY WATER, the next novel in the Nick Sibelius series after TOXIC RELATIONSHIP, in June, 2013. His first novel, TOXIC RELATIONSHIP, released August, 2012 by Champagne Books was a 2011 Writer’s League of Texas (WLT) finalist, where in addition, SHAPER EMERGENCE won best novel in the Science Fiction category.  He is a member of the Pacific Northwest Writers Association.

After living many years in Austin, Texas where he worked as a leadership coach, public speaker and management trainer, he moved with his high school sweetheart to Seattle.  While he misses the big skies of Texas, Richard has grown fond of the Pacific Northwest.  His writing partner, a springer spaniel named Jazz, helps with proofreading and ball fetching.

You can visit Richard’s website at www.richardhacker.com.