The Protagonist Speaks

Dear readers, tonight with us is an orphan, who had some disturbing visions.

At 26, the term may not truly apply, but having been abandoned by her birth parents at an early age, the death of her adoptive parents is like déjà vu all over again. Now she finds herself alone, facing a future that should be unsure; however, the visions she’s been plagued with since childhood are about to descend upon her, pulling her into a supernatural world where her deepest fantasies and most harrowing nightmares will soon come true.

She is here to tell us of the supernatural things she has seen.

What was it like growing up in Fallen Cross, Ohio?

First of all, Hey everybody!

So, Fallen Cross is your typical farming community, a tight knit town where everybody knows everybody’s business. How I was ever able to keep my visions a secret is beyond me, and we won’t even talk about the BIG secret lurking around our little burg. Fallen Cross is just outside of Dayton, which is where I was actually born. But circumstances being what they were, what with my real dad taking off and my mom going batpoop crazy, I ended up being adopted by the Sweets and my life was great. Well, until both of them up and died, that is. Dad was killed in a freak crop dusting accident, and Mom followed within the year. I think she died of a broken heart, but you know how that goes. In spite of everything, Fallen Cross is a town that looks out for its own, and I feel really lucky to be a part of it.

Wow, that’s quite a lot of loss for one so young. But surely you had some nice memories from your childhood. A favorite moment or a toy you enjoyed?

I was about six when the Sweets brought me home, so it took some time to adjust after being in the system awhile, never sure if they were going to give me back. But it didn’t take long to get over that.

Some of my favorite memories are of my parents working in the garden and orchard. My dad had a super green thumb and was famous for his produce. People would come from four counties over just to get a bushel of his red delicious apples, or a basket of heirloom tomatoes. Mom helped out when he needed it, but she was happier when they were in her shop, Almost New Again, refinishing antiques and furniture. Whatever they did, though, they did it together, and they did it with love. Nothing was a chore to the two of them, the hardest jobs just another fun challenge that they faced together. I admired them a lot and hope that I will have a forever love like they did.

As far as a favorite toy? Maybe the riding lawnmower? That probably sounds crazy, but we have a lot of acreage here, including the landing strip Dad used for his crop dusting plane, so there was a lot of grass to mow. Being out there on my own, driving around in all that grass? It was peaceful, and I don’t remember ever having a vision while I was mowing.

A lot’s happened to you since the Sweets passed. Can you tell us a bit about what’s been going on?

Oh, good Lord, you really want to know about all that? Well, alright then.

So those visions I mentioned? I’ve been having them for as long as I can remember. I predicted my birth daddy leaving, my pet poodle dying, all kinds of things. But one vision kept popping up over and over again, and that was of me finding a naked man on my front porch, all bloody and messed up.

The thing about my visions is that they always come true, so as I got older, I knew it was just a matter of time before I tripped over Mr. Tall Dark and Dying. As you might have guessed, that’s exactly what happened, and not even I could have predicted how screwed up that was going to make my life. Or how amazing!

What did you first think when you saw him lying there, bleeding on your fake grass carpet?

What did I think? ***clears throat*** I thought he had a great butt! (There, I said it and don’t you dare judge!)

But after I got over the fact that he was gorgeous, I focused on the fact that he was really hurt and that my vision had never shown me what I was supposed to do with him after I found him. Call 911? Don’t call 911? Well, I didn’t, and that’s when his eyes went all funny and I woke up on the couch with the Butter Lady making grits on TV. Talk about being confused.

What was the scariest thing you’ve experienced since finding this man on your porch?

You’d think given the fact that I was exposed to a Legion of Vampires, a bunch of Sorcerers hell bent on killing folks, and a pack of Werewolves, that I would have been scared the whole time, but I wasn’t. Even when my life was in mortal danger I…okay, that was pretty scary, I’m not gonna lie. But I think the scariest thing was when my best friend, Piper, went missing. That was one vision I could have done without.

What is the worst thing about hanging out with Vampires?

Well, they aren’t all gonna like you, you know? I mean, most of them were pretty nice and all, especially Raven – you know, my naked guy? – but that one dude, Harrier? Hoo, boy! I don’t know what crawled up his tail, but he definitely did not like having me around. Then there is the whole “ day and night” issue. My internal clock is so screwed up I never know if I’m coming or going!

What is the best thing about it?

Well, Raven, of course ***smiles***

Oh, you want more? Okay, it’s always nice to learn about a new culture, about how not everything you read in books or see in the movies is real. That was pretty cool, and embarrassing sometimes but…

***Thinks a bit*** But Raven? Yeah – he’s definitely the best part! ***wiggles eyebrows***

Tell us a little about your friends.

Sure! Piper and Alex are just about the best friends a girl could ask for. We’ve been inseparable ever since we met in kindergarten.

Piper is a petite redheaded, born into one of the elite families in Fallen Cross. Her dad is a doctor and her mom is heir to the Anderson Sand & Gravel fortune, so needless to say they’re loaded. But Piper is cool about it. She almost never mentions the street in Sebastian Heights that’s named after her!

And Alex? Alex is just Alex. He’s tall and skinny and looks a bit like Wolverine without the muttonchops (you can thank Piper and me for that omission!) He works over at Harry’s Body Shop fixing cars and whatnot. One thing is for sure, though. He’s very protective of me and Piper. Our own personal body guard, whether we want it or not.

Oh, and then there’s King Kat. He’s a stray cat that has taken to hanging around my place. I mean, I have a lot of stray cats because of the farm across the road from me, but this one is special. It’s like he gets me, you know?

Any romantic involvement?

***blushes furiously*** Did I mention Raven?

So you seem like a pretty easy going girl. Is there anything or anyone you just can’t stand?

You’re asking about the Sorcerers, aren’t you? Well, yeah, I don’t think I like them very much, especially that lead guy, Helmut Fuhrmann? Dude totally creeps me out! All that white hair flying around like he’s in the middle of a tornado and those crazy red eyes? Plus he’s an all-out lunatic! I get that he has some revenge issues he needs to resolve, and I try to understand why he’s doing what he’s doing, but there really has to be a better way of dealing with the unfairness of life, don’t you think?

How do you relax after a long day of dealing with supernatural creatures?

If I’m not out drinking margaritas with Piper and Alex, or dancing at Good Times or Peg Leg Chuck’s, you can probably find me at home, curled up on the couch watching some cooking show or another on the food channel. I do love the food channel!

What does the future hold for you?

There’s a lot going on in my life that at this point even I don’t know about. I’m told there’s a bit of a cliffhanger at the end of my first book, and you can bet that that’s going to come around to haunt me. I also find myself in a new relationship with my super-hot Vampire. Neither one of us is really good at relationships, so I think there is going to be a learning curve for both of us.

Raven is also learning to deal with having his free will back and everything, so we’re hoping that doesn’t come back to bite us. (Ha Ha!)  I’d like to say that our happily ever after was the beginning of a whole lot of boring, but something tells me with the Vampires and Werewolves involved in my life, I’m never going to see boring again.

Can you share a secret with us, something you’ve never told anyone else?

Ooh! A secret? Okay, this is just between us because if you tell Piper I’m going to get a whole boatload of “I told you so’s” out of her, and I’d rather not deal with that. If you knew Piper, you’d understand. But here it goes.

I think there is more to King Kat than what he seems. There is something about him, something warm and – knowing. I hope I’m wrong. I haven’t had a vision about him, so wrong is definitely in the realm of reality, but I don’t know. I have a funny feeling about that cat.

So that’s about it, folks! Thank you so much for taking the time to hang out with me for a bit. I sure did enjoy it! Maybe we’ll get a chance to talk again real soon! Bye now!

Aliya DalRae hails from Southwest Ohio and is the Best Selling Author of “Sweet Vengeance,” the first book of the Jessica Sweet Trilogy. Her second book, Sweet Discovery, is currently in edits and will be available to readers in early 2017. When not absorbed in weaving grand tales, Aliya can be found working with her husband in the family refinishing business, weaving caned chairs instead.

You can find Jessica and Raven on the pages of Sweet Vengeance.

Join us next week to hear from the commander of Roman Britannia at the close of the 6th century CE. Please follow the site by email (bottom-right), via Twitter, or like our Facebook page to be notified when the next interview is posted.