Author Takeover! Rebekah Jonesy Interviews Pitch From the Upcoming Clay and Blood!

Afternoon, all. Today here on The Mountain Caller, we're going to do something a bit differently. Today, the splendiferous Rebekah Jonsey is making a return appearance as part of her blog tour for the upcoming Clay and Blood, Mab's Doll Series book 2. But hey, why should I have to do all the work around here? So today, Beks is going to be interviewing one of her characters, the Kelpie Pitch. Should be fun. So take it away, Beks!

Hello everyone, my name is Rebekah Jonesy and I am here today on Mountaincaller to interview Pitch the Kelpie. To start things off I have to let people know that “Pitch” isn’t his real name. It is a name he has accepted to use during this time. Because you won’t give us your real name, will you?

*Pitch shakes his massive head, mane flapping around the room hitting the ceiling.*

Ok instead of having to crane my neck up to see your massive Clydesdale like head up there, could you maybe lay down or

*eyes go wide as Pitch shrinks in size and shape to resemble a small Greyhound dog*

*Pitch wanders around the entryway sniffing at shoes that have been placed neatly by the door before disappearing behind a cloak hanging from a hook on the wall*

Ok yeah, you could do that too. Uhm, what was I saying? Oh, anyway, we don’t know Pitch’s real name so we will stick with his username for the purpose of this interview.

*Pitch appears to think about it, then nods his head sagely before walking off slightly*

Ok, so, another thing about Pitch, he doesn’t talk. While kelpies can talk, they prefer not to do so. Right?

*Pitch looks over and sticks his tongue out and lifts his lip in disgust*

I’m taking that as a yes. That’s why I am doing most of the talking here. Having a bit of experience with him, I thought I would do a better job talking with and understanding Pitch. Or maybe translating is a better way of putting it.

So Pitch, you are a friend of Gillian’s the hero of the story Clay and Blood. Can you tell us why you came on this journey with her?

Pitch?

*Pitch lifts his head, just his head, up from behind the couch where he has wandered off to*

Did you hear what I said?

*Pitch nods and I have to wonder where his neck is*

Are you going to answer? Or give me a hint at least?

*With a snickering laugh Pitch shakes his head violently in denial, doing a good impression of a tea kettle being shaken on a stick as I finally see his pencil thin stretched neck*

Is it because Danu asked you to come?

*more snickers waft out from behind the couch along with some snuffling sounds*

I think that might be a no-

*more snickers*

Or a yes?

*a tiny rat shape trundles out from under the couch and wanders over to the bookcase*

I really hope that’s you, Pitch

*the shape on the floor stops and looks over a me, growing slightly in size until I can see the red vapor wafting around the eyes*

Yup, that’s Pitch. Unless Drew is using a very interesting and possibly radioactive bait for mutant rats. Ok if it wasn’t Danu that asked you join Gillian then why did you join? And how did you know where and when to meet with Gillian and Mab at the pier?

*Pitch’s grin stretched back farther than his face reached*

Are you going to tell --

*Pitch’s nose is now big enough that I realize he is growing it larger on purpose*

Oh you smelled them? You sniffed them out so you knew where they were.But how did you know that they would-- Pitch? Where are you-- Pitch I don’t think Drew would like that.

*Pitch stops pawing at the books on the bookcase to turn a baleful gaze on me*

Those are his books Pitch. His stories. That is how we humans share information and pass them on.

*Pitch turns back to the books and sniffs at them delicately. With a pleased smile he leaves them alone and walks off to wander around a desk*

Ok so back to … uhm. Oh, you and Gillian swam to shore in New Jersey where you met Officer Brown. He was the one that first suggested your usename. What did you think about him?

*Pitch sits down on his haunches to think about it. After a moment he lifts both front legs with his paws facing up in a way that proves that despite his shape his is no dog. He moves alternates both paws up and down as if he is weighing something.*

So not good or bad?

*Pitch goes back to sniffing around the desk*

Ok, how did you feel when you learned that he was being controlled by a siren?

*raucous laughter erupts from under the desk*

Why is that funny?

*Pitch struts out from under the desk. A gold championship belt is wrapped around his middle.*

Where did you even find that?!

*Ignoring the question Pitch grows in size and rears up on his hind legs until he is taller than I am when standing. Sitting he now towers over me as he flexes his front legs in an exaggerated pose framing the championship belt he has somehow managed to wear on his waist*

What are you doing?

*Pitch snarls and stomps around on his back legs, continuing to make silly strong man poses which look even more bizarre on his contorted canine shape then they do on humans*

That’s Drew’s trivia championship belt. We shouldn’t mess with that.

*Pitch laughs and shakes his head*

What do you mean no? That’s his. He made it, and won the rights to wear it.

*Pitch shrugs and nods*

So it’s his.

*Pitch shakes his head again.

Yes it is. This is his place. All of this is his.

*Pitch shakes his head again*

How is it not? We’re at his place doing this interview now --

*Pitch shrinks in size, the belt sliding off. Using his back feet he scrapes at the carpet, kicking the belt away and continuing to scratch at the floor*

“I’ve seen my dog do the same thing when another dog has been in the… yard… Pitch.. Oh no. Tell me you didn’t.”

*Pitch laughs uproariously and prances around the room scratching at the floor near every place he has stopped*

“You’re removing his scent. Which means you used your own scent to mark… Oh. Oh no.”

*Pitch dashes around the room, jumping on furniture and laughing his fool head off*

“Please tell me kelpies mark like cats with their cheeks and not like dogs!”

*Without responding Pitch laughs again and races to the door, knocks the door handle down, and bolts outside. His laughter can be heard fading into the distance*

Uhm so that’s all we have time for, folks! We’ll get out of Drew’s lair here, hopefully before he gets back. And before I have to pay for a carpet cleaning. Uhm, in case anyone is wondering… uh… being marked by a kelpie is considered good luck. Yeah! Yeah it is. Yup. Let’s not tell Drew about that just in case he doesn’t know though. Ok? Ok. So thanks for listening, watching, whichever, I’m not really sure what happened here and if you would like to read more about this and the others characters, I promise Pitch isn’t making any more stops in anyone else’s homes this tour, please check out my book Clay and Blood.
books2read.com/u/mqZk6v

And please join me on the rest of the stops on my book release blog tour for Clay and Blood. I did a lot of fun interviews, different flavor for each one. I also wrote character spotlights and articles that I thought were a lot of fun. So check out ourwriteside.com for those links or my blog http://rebekahjonesy.blogspot.com/ for the list, that’s also where I post glowing reviews on all of JD’s works so far. I will also be posting the links on my reader group on Facebook where I let my geek flag fly proudly and talk about my books and writing. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1214371635362864

Dang it, you guys! It's a mess in here! Hmmm, I may have to rethink letting other people in here. Well anyway, check out Rebekah online and go get Clay and Blood when it comes out on Halloween! And be sure to check out the other stops on Beks' Blog Tour. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go find the carpet steamer...

Blogside Chat: Stacy Overby, author of Scath Oran,,,

Back once again with the blog behavior, friends. And today we have another Blogside Chat with a really cool author I know. Today, our guest, hitchhiking in from beyond that Gagralacka Mind Zones is Stacy Overby, author of the upcoming fae poetry collection Scath Oran, available on September 22, 2042. No, wait, I meant 2018. Hehe. Anyway, let's get to it!

-What got you into the world of pure imagination that is writing?

                A childhood of avoidance. Writing is an ultimate form of dodging things. Seriously, I was pretty introverted as a child and grew up in a family where books and writing played a big part. My dad taught me to love sci-fi and fantasy through the books he bought and passed on to me to read. My mom would come into my elementary school classrooms with stories she’d written for whatever recent holiday. The stories would feature all the kids in the class. I loved it. These things probably didn’t help my introverted tendencies much. Getting old and ornery did a much better job of addressing those introverted tendencies.

-Tell us a bit about Scath Oran.

                This poetry collection takes readers on a journey through the Otherworld. Some of the denizens there you may recognize, such as the banshee and the fae themselves. There are others, though, who are not quite as well known, such as cait sith and the merrow. Even Death himself puts in an appearance before you find the doors back into our world, safe on this side of the Veil. The question is, what will you find when you take this journey?

-What inspired you to write Scath Oran? One too many viewings of Labyrinth? Kidnapped by the Fae as a child? Fae Curse?

                No picking on Labyrinth! I love that movie. I don’t think I was ever kidnapped by the fae as a child, though if I grew up a Changling Child, would I know it? I do sometimes think there are some fairies I pissed off somewhere that have cursed my life—you know that whole “May you live in interesting times” thing. Wait, that’s a Chinese curse. It still applies, though.

                Shoot. I did it again, didn’t I? Squirrel moment. Anyway, Scath Oran came about as a cross between poetry lessons and a challenge I couldn’t back down from. An amazing classical poet friend was giving lessons in things like meter and form—stuff I struggle with since I am a thoroughbred pantser—in one of my writing groups. About the same time someone else threw out a challenge of seeing through an entire project. Throw in the love for all things Celtic I hold, and I ended up with what would become Scath Oran. Which, at least from what I could find online, is a cross of Irish and Scots Gaelic for shadow song.

-When you sit down to write, what’s your process for getting yourself into the groove?

                *Hangs head and cries while muttering “why do I always get asked this???* Wait, you heard that? As you can tell, my process is rather minimal as an organized process. Between running a teenage co-occurring treatment program and a six-year-old at home, processes tend to be impossible to keep for long in my life. I write in between meetings, during swim lessons, while staying up way later than I should. You get the picture. One trick I use, though, is music. I have a variety of playlists for different stories and such I am working on. So, while I’m in the car to and from the various places I need to be, I have that on. Let me tell you, it’s pretty cute to hear my son singing most of the words to songs from the likes of Shinedown, Linkin Park, and Breaking Benjamin. I also tend to compose quite a bit in my head and pray to the writing powers I don’t forget what I’ve got worked out.

-Do you know where your towel is?

                Always! As with all good hitchhikers, I never leave home without it. Never know when it may come in handy. Just ask Ford and Arthur.

-What is your favorite Fae creature?

                Oooo. Tough call. I love the origin stories of the banshee, but cait sith and cu sith are cool. Though, the selkies tend to draw me back. There is something about the way the shapeshifting takes place with the selkies that fascinates me. I’m not sure I’ve run across a shapeshifter who, as a natural part of the process, dons or shed skin to transform. Plus, rather than being this terrible or cursed existence, the selkies tend to be one of tragedy. However, there is one variation I used in Scath Oran. This myth talks about the selkie wife who returns to the sea when her husband’s ship is wrecked in a storm. She gives up her happy life on land to save his life. I know this is still somewhat a tragedy, but there’s a brighter ending in that the selkie saves her husband’s life. I think some of the unusualness of the selkie myths—the tragedy rather than horror and trickery, the gentleness rather than blood and war—are what hold the selkies apart for me. Plus, they’re not a very common creature to read about in fantasy right now.

-When the mischievous Fae descend on you and steal your motivation, what do you do to get your mojo back?

                Go have some fun. Fairies will sometimes steal things when you’re in a foul mood. When you let go of that, they’ll give it back. See, they like having fun and music and such—at least the nicer fairies. If it’s the darker fairies who stole my mojo, then it’s a whole different story. They won’t give it back, so I have to conjure more mojo to replace what they stole. Movies and music are good starters for me. I have a whole board of prompts on Pinterest to play with in the hopes of conjuring mojo. I’m also a fidgety person, so going for a walk, riding my bike, cleaning, or most anything where I can move will help as well. Worst case scenario when these things aren’t working? I take a break, conceding the Fae may know more than me at that point.

-Describe your perfect writer's hideout. Cabin in the forest made of enchanted books? Candlelit room in a tall tower? Faery glade?

                All of the above. But they’ll be on the edge of an ocean in a place where the weather cooperates with me most of the time. I don’t like the cold that much, but snow is a must in the winter. It also has to have room for the family, but enough stuff to keep them occupied so that when I’m writing they’re happy and leaving me alone. I’d need a scribe, too, so I can hang with my family but still dictate stuff—ooo, better yet, a mind reader who only can tell what my story is and can get it written down for me.

-Which magical realm would you pick to retire in?

                Hmmm. Tough call. My first thought is to pick Middle Earth because it’s Middle Earth. Nothing else needed to say there. However, there are so many other cool realms to explore. Bishop’s three realms from the Black Jewels series is amazing. Then there’s Narnia with the animals and fairy creatures and all. But I also like some of the more sci-fi worlds like L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, Stargate-Atlantis, and Star Wars. Can I just build a realm hopping machine so I can visit them all?

-Where can we find you on the interwebs?

                I can be found at: www.thisisnothitchhikersguide.com

                On Facebook at: www.facebook.com/thisinothitchhikersguide

                On Twitter at: www.twitter.com/dontpanic2011

                On Google+ at: https://plus.google.com/+StacyOverby

                On Instagram at: www.instagram.com/mamawisper78

                and on Pinterest at: www.pinterest.com/dontpanic2011

-Lastly, what do you think the question to the Ultimate Answer of Life, the Universe and Everything is?

                Everyone knows the answer is 42, but it’s the question that’s so tricky, isn’t it? I think the Ultimate Question is “How many stuffed animals will it take for my son to settle down and go to sleep?”. Yes, he insists he must bury himself with stuffed animals before going to sleep. Life, the Universe, and Everything depends on that, trust me. (And yes, I know it is really “What is six by nine?”).

Thanks, Stacy! Hope you all enjoyed this latest Blogside Chat! Now, off you go to preorder Stacy's book. And if you read it and you like it, one of the best things you can do is to leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads and places like that. Really, we authors love that! Until next time, Carry on smartly, my friends.