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One Planet.
Two Worlds.
Population: Human ... 7 billion.
Others ... unknown.
When 14-year-old Charlie Blake wakes up sweating and gasping for air in the middle of the night, he knows it is happening again. This time he witnesses a brutal murder. He's afraid to tell anyone. No one would believe him ... because it was a dream. Just like the one he had four years ago - the day before his dad died.
Charlie doesn't know why this is happening. He would give anything to have an ordinary life. The problem: he doesn't belong in the world he knows as home.
He belongs with the others.
Guest Post: Inspiration for the character of Charlie Blake
By Alecia Stone
The character of Charlie Blake wasn’t based on any one real-life person per se but rather inspired by a few people I know. To begin with, the character just popped into my head. It was unexpected. I didn’t sit down and plan to create this person; this person, more or less, found me. Perhaps he was sitting in my subconscious for some time waiting to emerge, for when he did, he was almost fully formed. He had a name, an age and an origin. All I had to do was fill in the gaps. So before there was even a story, there was Charlie Blake. The story evolved around this character.
With Charlie being an orphan, I sought inspiration from family and friends who had experience with the foster care system, so I had good knowledge of how the social care system worked and, to some extent, the mentality of the children in care, so that was interesting to explore, and it was a real eye opener. As for Charlie’s unique abilities – abilities beyond that of a normal human being – that’s where mythology and an active imagination stepped in. On the outside, Charlie’s just your average teenager dealing with the stresses of growing up, but on the inside, he’s a boy whose very existence could change the course of humanity.
Excerpt:
Charlie looked back at the man and said, ‘I’d guess you’re about … fifty?’
The man sighed, rubbing his forehead.
‘I meant forty-five,’ Charlie corrected himself.
The man chuckled. ‘It’s all right, kid. At this rate I’d be dead in a month.’
Charlie glanced at Alex and Richmond, who both looked just as confused as he felt. Addressing the man, he asked, ‘Do you want us to take you to a hospital?’
‘Thanks for the offer, kid, but there isn’t a doctor in this world that can help me.’ The man paused, as if deciding whether he should continue. ‘I’m not fifty – or forty-five. My name is Derkein Odessa. I’m from Long Island, New York, and I’m twenty-seven years old.’
An awkward silence filled the room. It was as if the man had spoken a foreign language, and the trio hadn’t understood a single word of it.
‘Did I hit you on the head?’ Alex asked.
Derkein smiled without humour. ‘I didn’t think you’d believe me.’
An unsettling feeling stirred within Charlie. He was certain he had heard the name Derkein before. He just couldn’t remember where. ‘Have we – met before?’ he asked.
‘I doubt it.’ Derkein slipped his hand inside his jacket and pulled out a thin, black book. ‘Take it,’ he said, holding the book up.
Charlie stepped forward, snatched the book, and stepped back. On the cover were the words PASSPORT. United States of America. He looked back at Derkein.
‘Go ahead,’ Derkein insisted. ‘Have a look.’
Charlie opened the passport to the photo page, and his heart stopped. It was all there: Derkein Odessa, 22 JUL 1985, New York, U.S.A. He was looking at a photo of a young man in his twenties. He heard Alex gasp beside him. She said something, but he didn’t hear it, for his mind was elsewhere. That feeling of familiarity came over him again, but this time he knew why.
It wasn’t the first time he had seen the man in the photo. The wrinkle-free young face, shoulder-length black hair, still olive eyes staring back at him …
‘Hard to believe, isn’t it?’ Derkein’s voice interrupted his thoughts. ‘A few weeks ago, I looked like the person in that photo. Now look at me.’
Charlie stared at Derkein in utter disbelief. His first impression was that he had to be dreaming. There was no other explanation for it. He felt the passport slip out of his hand, but he didn’t take his eyes off Derkein. The last time he had seen those eyes they were staring into oblivion. Now here he was. Alive when he was supposed to be dead. Real when he wasn’t even supposed to exist.
Author Alecia Stone
Alecia Stone is the author of Talisman Of El (Centrinian, 2012), the first book in the Talisman Of El trilogy. She graduated with a BA in Film & TV and has worked in television for a short period of time before branching out into storytelling. Alecia loves anything and everything paranormal. Her fascination with all things supernatural sparked her obsession with books, particularly young adult fantasy fiction, which she has never grown out of. She was inspired to become an author after reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen at the age of fourteen.
In 2008, Alecia started working on Talisman Of El, a contemporary young adult fantasy fiction inspired by people who disappeared mysteriously, including, but not limited to, Amelia Earhart and Percy Harrison Fawcett, who went on an expedition in search of an ancient lost city. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys going to the movies, listening to music, and travelling.
Talisman Of El is her first novel. At present, Alecia lives in England, United Kingdom with her family.
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Thank you so much for having me today, Terri. Thank you for taking part in the tour :)
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure. Thanks for stopping by & commenting. I really appreciate it!
DeleteSounds like an awesome story! Congratulations to Alecia for the release!
ReplyDeleteNas