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Today I am welcoming Author Michelle Lowe, Author of The Legacy.  A Story of A thief, a lover, and a toymaker; drawn together by fate, unlikely champions against a powerful and remorseless enemy. When not fighting each other, they must defeat the powerful Lord Norwich, and end his plan to unleash global violence and crown himself emperor of the world.

No problem.

But behind the scenes, the Trickster god is manipulating men like puppets, changing history to his own ends and for his own amusement. As an ancient plan is set into motion, the trio is faced with events they do not understand and may not survive.

She is going to introduce us to one of her characters through an interview with him.  So without further ado:…….

After all my years reporting and writing articles at Iron Words Newsfeed, I wanted to interview some of Britain’s outcasts. Who I found was none other than Pierce Landcross, famous thief. So popular, in fact, even Queen Victoria wants him arrested and hanged! Pierce is the protagonist of the Legacy series, including the standalone story, Boom Time, and will be in the upcoming series, The Age of the Machine. And now, here is my interview with Pierce Landcross. Please enjoy!

Today I’m here with my guest at . . . at . . . well, to tell the truth, I’m not sure where we are. I was blindfolded at the meeting spot and brought here in these woods.

Aye. It’s the safest location I could think of for the likes of me. Given my reputation, that is.

I understand. Just allow me to replace the record on my phonautograph and we’ll get started. There. Done. Just speak into the cone and the vibrations of your voice will cause the stylus to etch a recording on the lampblack paper.

I’m familiar with how phonautographs work. My old mate, Indigo Peachtree, has an older one. His isn’t as fancy as this new 1843 model, but it works just the same.

Indigo Peachtree? He’s the famous toymaker, right? The one who creates automatons toys here in England?

One and the same, darling.

We’ll come back to him in a moment. First, tell us about yourself. Where are you from?

Erm. S’pose I ought to start with my name, eh? My name is Pierce Landcross. I’m twenty-seven and a bit mischievous. My life is pretty much a nonstop adventure, meaning I can’t seem to stay out of trouble. But I’ve met some interesting people on my journeys, as well as made a handful of dangerous enemies.

You’re also an outlaw. You’ve even been dubbed the most infamous thief in Great Britain.

Aye. I’ve heard that myself. I’ve also been a smuggler and a hustler during my younger days. Hence the secret location, eh? To answer your other question, I know I was born in England, but I’m not sure where exactly. You see, my folks were gypsies who wandered about constantly. I never had the chance to ask where my birthplace is. As youngsters, my older brother, Joaquin, and me got separated from the troupe when the gypsies were run out of Abney Park in London while Joaquin and me were exploring the cemetery. When we returned, there was a strange woman there with violet eyes who told officers that we stole from her. Which we didn’t, mind you, but regardless, we were hauled away to an orphanage and put to work in a cotton mill factory.

That’s awful. Where is your brother now?

Dunno, love. Him and I had a falling out some years back.

Oh? What happened?

He tried to kill me.

Oh.

Not to sound rude, but could we move this along? I have a bad feeling all of a sudden.

Of course. You’re in the middle of your own story, Legacy (Vol.1), it appears, but some who have read it has called you the highlight of this book with your debonair wit and glittering cleverness. A fabulous character. Flawed yet a compassionate thief. And one critic even said, quote, “Landcross I always adored. And with each chapter, I loved him more and more. He was just charming as hell. My heart was all a flutter.” It looks like you’re the protagonist for a reason, wouldn’t you say?

*Nervously clears his throat and rubs the back of his neck.*  I s’pose.

 

Going back to Indigo Peachtree, I heard he’s gone missing!

I wouldn’t say gone missing, more like he went into hiding. Right now there’s this cocker, Tarquin Norwich, who’s after the Toymaker for some reason.

How do you know this?

’Cause I’ve been roped into finding him. After a major failed heist, I tried fleeing the country. I made it all the way to Le Havre, France, aiming to board a ship and escape the royal guards that are on my tail as we speak. And just as I was about to find a bloody vessel, I was snared by Tarquin’s son, Archie, and his little sister, Clover. They tried bringing me back across the Channel and hand me over to Tarquin. The bloke wants me to tell him where Indigo’s journal is, you see. We never made it, though, ’cause I was rescued by my good mate, Chief Sea Wind, captain of his ship, the Ekta.

Captain Sea Wind? He and his crew are Apache sailors who call themselves Sea Warriors, right?

Aye. That’s them. And believe me when I say it wasn’t the first time they’ve saved my skin, but that’s a story for another day. While that halfwit, Archie was taking me back to England, Clover informed me about how her father is hunting for Indigo. *Snorts.* Clover is a clever little lass, dunno how she and Arch are related. After the Sea Warriors saved me, I made a bargain with Archie that if he helps me find Indigo before his dear ol’ dad does, I’ll get him the journal. And that’s where I am at the present, searching for the Toymaker.

That’s all really exciting. If you succeed, where do you think your story will lead to next?

My grandmother used to be a fortuneteller of sorts. She once told me each life has many paths that lead in different directions. No one can truly see into the future because the future is always changing. I dunno my whole story yet, but I can tell you it involves me traveling through the Netherlands and following clues to a family inheritance, dealing with the Hellfire Club in Scotland, sailing to Sonora, Mexico with the Sea Warriors where I’ll be hunting for fugitives, breaking Chief Sea Wind and his crew out of jail in New Orleans, and returning to England to face my most feared enemy.

That sounds incredible! What else can you tell us? What’s in Peachtree’s journal? Will anyone travel with you on your quest to find the family inheritance? What’s the reason for going to Scotland? Who are these fugitives you’ll be tracking? Why will the Sea Warriors get arrested, and who is this enemy you will face?

(Unknown voice)

Over there! I see him!

Bugger me! It’s the bloody guards! Listen, love, it was nice chattin’ with you. *Kisses my hand.* Perhaps we can continue this another day? *Dashes off to his horse.*

Wait! How do I get out of the forest? Oh, well. I suppose I can find my way. That was the charismatic Pierce Landcross, ladies, and gentlemen. I must say he’s most certainly an interesting character. I truly hope to meet him again someday.  

Author Bio

A Georgia born native, I’ve spent most my life near the Atlanta area before pulling up stakes and moving clear across the country with husband, Ben, and our two daughters. History piques my interests, especially European history. I’m a big nerd at heart. I read science-fiction and fantasy stories, and I love old B horror films. I also get a kick out of playing classic Atari video games and I do oil painting as a hobby.
I’m a daydreamer and animal lover. I have a very old kitty named October, and one very demanding guinea pig. I took up writing as a serious career choice twenty years ago, learning a lot and sharpening my skills along the way.
My works include several published novels such as The Warning,Cherished Thief, Atlantic Pyramid and Children’s books, Poe’s Haunted House Tour, and The Hex Hunt series. My latest published escapade is a steampunk/fantasy novel, titled Legacy, the first of a six book series.

Please be sure to look Michelle up through one of her social Links!

Website: www.michellelowe.net

Twitter: @michellelowe_7

Facebook: http://bit.ly/2fWq6BV 

Amazon:http://amzn.to/2bNh8WQ

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Thank You so much Michelle for sharing your character with us.  Its been fun getting to know Pierce 😉

Many Blessings~

~Morgan~

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Thrust into a world of intrigue and mystery, of violence and struggle, is Nicolai, a fascinating player in the fantasy epic Sons of Chenia. He is an amnesiac and refugee, a character whose past and future remain uncertain. Yet his values – loyalty, courage and selflessness– along with his strengths – intuition, knowledge and fighting skills – make him a force to be reckoned with when faced with an impossible task: to protect his people from an invading empire.
Hello, What is your name?

Nicolai, of Sarbin, son of Victor.

Does your name have any special significance?

I can’t remember. At times, I think it does. Perhaps it was my mother’s father’s name, or her grandfather’s. Or the name of a great Shepherd my family admired, who like so many others ranged the lands of Chenia to protect his people. Though such speculation usually fades from my memory after a while. When it does, my mind is emptied and I am left with nothing. Only the present matters . . . and the future of my motherland and her people.

Where were you born and where do you now reside?

That much I do know. I was born in the City of Shepherds, Sarbin, in Chenia. Though my country has no official capital like Czaria or Maricania – due to the nomadic lifestyle of our ancestors – all my people consider Sarbin to have been the center of culture and politics. That city is gone now, its ashes and bones the only remnants of the Purge that claimed it. Now, my closest comrades and I live in Knight’s Harbor, a bustling port city on the western coast of Maricania. We manage a living as hired hands, like nearly every other Chenian refugee who has made it to the shores of Knight’s Harbor. The Maricanians, for their part, would rather not have us there but for our cheap labor and nothing more.

What internal battles do you struggle with or what would you like to change about yourself?

I struggle with remembering. My recent memory remains intact. Recalling my childhood and adolescence is a different story altogether. Fragments of my past ebb and flow through my thoughts. No matter how hard I try, I can’t control it. Sometimes, I wish I could recall everything. But I stop myself from such yearnings because I know from the bits I have that there is much pain in my history. So time and again I convince myself that it’s for the best that I don’t remember.

Do you have a personal creed you live by?

I always try to help others before myself. Many preach this mantra. I try my best to practice this belief, for I know how hard this world can be. The streets of Knights Harbor are especially tough for my kind. There is too much suffering allotted to my people. I consider myself fortunate, for my health is still good and I am well enough to work. Those who can’t have little hope for a better future. So I extend to them what I can, be it a spare coin or a loaf of bread, however hard such items are to come by for my friends and I.

What are you most passionate about and what do you despise most? 

I’m passionate about the hidden and lost parts of my country’s history. I have a special inclination to our writings, in particular the sacred text of my people, the Passages of Ada. Its prose and poetry speak to me at all times, and I find solace in the construct of its sentences and beauty of its words.

As for what I despise . . . may Ada help me, I hate Czarians. They are a plague upon my people. Because of the Purge, my generation has had to grow up overseas, as strangers in a foreign land. It may well be that way for the next generation, and the one after that. As if that legacy wasn’t bad enough, the Czarian aggressions have renewed with a more intense vigor. Now the Czarians desire to wipe us from our land altogether. They claim it’s in defense of their borders. But I know the real reason: Czarian uranium. They want to mine the lodes from our land and bleed every resource from our country until there is nothing left. I despise their greed. I loathe them.

What else should we know about you? 

I want to grow old in a nation where my people can be free. That may be in the motherland, Chenia. Or it may not. But I will die trying to make that dream a reality.

 

When and Where is your tale set? 

 

In a time not so distant from yours . . . probably reminiscent of your 19th century. My tale takes place in a variety of settings: Maricania, Chenia and Czaria. Maricania is much like the United States during the early days of the Industrial Revolution, while Chenia and Czaria are like czarist Russia.

Who shares in your adventure and how are they important to you? 

My friends – Petrov, Leo and Fyodor – also refugees, have remained steadfast in their resolve to protect Mother Chenia. We share a flat in the Chenian ghetto at Knight’s Harbor, as is custom, for the Maricanians charge our people such high rents. Then there is Dmitri, also a comrade, one we have not seen much of in Maricania. Yet he is one who has joined our cause and braved the journey across the Tartic Ocean with us to the shores of our home. These comrades are more than friends. They are my family.

Then there is one I met when I returned to Chenia. Her name is Katerina. She is a fair maiden. Yet she is also brave and strong. Every word she offers is comforting, every glance my way is a treasure. Granted, my time with her has been short. Oh, but how I have valued it! As a defender of my people, I have not yet contemplated how she fits into my future. If I should dare to hope though . . . well, you can use your imagination.

What is it you seek to achieve, change or create?

I, along with my brothers-in-arms, want nothing more than a safe home for our people. One for those Chenians who have not been expelled from their country and a place that those abroad can return to, without fear of persecution.

What challenges or obstacles stand in your way?

An empire. The mighty nation of Czaria, led by their Premier Stalgrave. The war machine he has created is well-known in my world, as is his most seasoned, battle-hardened general, Morgard. Together, with their army of Czarian Guards, they present an unmatched danger, a new monster. We face the task of defeating an enemy so much more organized and powerful than ourselves. Yet win or lose, in life or in death, we choose to fight, to stand against their tyranny until we can stand and fight no more.

What inspired you to this course of action?

Call it sympathy. Or pain. Or fatigue at seeing so much suffering. Mostly, though, I just wanted to do something rather than stand aside and watch my home be destroyed.

What else should we know? 
There is more to my story than grief and blood. There is hope. Fellowship. Love. The tale of our journey and actions, our dreams and prayers, is one all can appreciate, because so much of it focuses on the human condition.
To discover more about Nicolai Visit

Sons of Chenia 

Author Joshua Rutherford has wanted to be a writer all his life. Through college and the more than dozen jobs that he has had, his passion for the written word has never ceased. After crafting several feature film screenplays and television pilots that were never produced, Joshua tried his hand at writing a novel. Sons of Chenia is the product of that effort. When Joshua is not writing – which isn’t often – he is spending quality time with his young family, who currently reside in San Diego, CA.

You can connect with Joshua Rutherford at:
Twitter
Facebook
Amazon Author Page

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~Morgan~

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Character Interviews, In The Lime Light Author and Poet spotlights, and Character Interactions are offered as a free means of supporting my Fellow Writers.  If you like what you’ve read and would be interested in learning how YOU can be spotlighted, please let me know 🙂