Well my current day job is in higher education which actually gave me the resources to research. My wish, however, is that I can just do my stories full time. Additionally, because I have a MA in History, I love to write stories with a historic flare. So, I would want to continue with that.
- If you wrote a book about your life what would the title be?
The Rose. It was beautiful and vibrant most of the time but there are always thorns, some of which were painful.
- What is the hardest thing about being an author?
Juggling my day job with finding the time to write. I manage but it’s not easy.
- What is the best thing about being an author?
I can go anywhere, anytime with anyone I want with he stroke of my pen.
- Have you ever been star struck by meeting one of your favorite authors? If so who was it?
Cannot say that I have. I have a few I would like to meet though.
- What book changed your life?
The Silmarillion by Tolkien. I am a huge Tolkien fan and although its not an easy read, that book got me to look past just putting words on paper. He is of course on a scale of his own, but my writing is always a work in progress, and I try to give the depth and meaning into what I write just as Tolkien had done.
- What were your some of favorite books growing up?
I used to like reading Stephen King and I was an Anne Rice fan as well. I also remember reading V.C Andrews and the Flowers in the Attic series.
- What books are currently in your to be read pile?
I do have a couple classics I’m hoping to get to: Edgar Rice Burrough’s John Carter of Mars and Robert E. Howard’s The Conquering Sword of Conan.
- Which do you prefer ebooks, print, or audio books?
Old school is always best, I prefer print hands down.
- If you could live inside the world of a book or series which world would it be and why?
Tolkien!!! Although my favorite book is the Silmarillion which presents some epic elfish kingdoms, it takes place in the first age. I likely wouldn’t choose the first age because it was so tragic and there were very few happy endings. So possibly the second age in Numeanor or the Grey Havens or even the third age, which was during Lord of the Rings. I suppose it’s the grandeur that attracts me to it, but I know it would be brutal. Tolkien had some vicious villains in his stories, and they weren’t just orcs.
Bloodlines
Albion Moon Chronicles
Book Two
M.L.Mastran
Genre: Paranormal Thriller
Albion Moon Chronicles
Book Two
M.L.Mastran
Genre: Paranormal Thriller
Date of Publication: March 13, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-0878-5801-2
ISBN: 978-1-0878-6379-5
Number of pages: 200
Word Count: 70, 528
Cover Artist: Michelle Nelson, Graphic & Interactive Design
Tagline: The Fight was only the beginning, now its war!
Book Description:
Evaline and Mason expand their family as an old threat hides in the shadows. As we dive deeper into the backstory of the MaCowans, we see how it’s all connected to Evaline’s story.
When the old danger finally resurfaces, it forces Evaline and company to new shores. Armed with a plan, they soon find out it’s not as simple as they thought. New revelations about family secrets emerge only to send Evaline into a tailspin.
As they finally confront the danger, the family must contend with the prospect that they may not survive unless an unknown ally steps in. Meanwhile, just as the old threat is dealt with, a new, more menacing danger sets its sights on Dunsmuir.
Excerpt:
She got her keys
out of her jacket pocket then exited the home onto the porch. Before going down
the steps, she stopped. A shiver coursed through her body; the same feeling as
when one was being watched. She peered down the street and saw nothing amiss.
Same thing for across and the other side.
Her gut swirled,
telling her to turn around. The tree across the street looked different, but
she couldn’t quite figure out why. Its leaves and branches stirred in an
unnatural way, seeming to dance on their own against the breeze. Every hair on her body stood up at once. The
deep silence bothered her—no crickets chirped, nor owls hooted, and there was
no sway of the trees or tall grass; the night was calm. She decided to get the book
then go inside. After unlocking the car with her key fob, she opened the car
door, stretching her arm over and into the back seat.
“Where are you?”
she mumbled.
She didn’t see
it moving all around, whatever it was. Given the surrounding movement,
undoubtedly it wasn’t just one. The tree
trunks seemed to come alive as the tall grass across the street shifted. Silent
like shadows, they moved, staying just enough out of sight. Kristy found the
book underneath the front seat.
She got out of
the car then scanned nearby her. Nothing. Kristy hurriedly closed the car door
and turned toward the porch. She peeked over her shoulder. An involuntary gasp
escaped her. Shadows darted toward her. She got to the steps and froze. Her
eyes widened, and her heart pounded in her chest. The pit of her stomach churned.
Not shadows, animals. She could now hear the low growls from the animals around
her. But what were they?
She blinked and,
just like that, a man stood in front of her. He wasn’t wearing any clothes and
had a gleam shimmering in his eyes.
She wanted to
scream, but the man caught her attention.
“Uh uh uh,” he
said as he put his finger to his lips and then in one breathe, he whispered,
“Shhhhhhh.”
His fingernail
was long and black with a slight curve at the tip. The man grinned, with
glowing eyes and wild should-length hair, but he had a trimmed beard. A voice
inside her head was screaming to run as she frantically looked for an escape.
Her adrenaline pumped as she saw a chance to get away and tried to take it but
before she could do anything, something grabbed her from behind and clenched
her tight, it was difficult to breathe. The man neared and stopped, only inches
away.
In a harsh, low
tone, he said, “If you struggle, it will take less than a second for him to
squeeze the life out of you. Don’t.”
About the Author:
Nothing captures the attention of M.L. Mastran more than writing a good story with amazing characters and a history arc that made the history books. This is the Albion Moon Chronicles in every sense.
On the flip side, M.L. can also journey to another world completely and pull the same elements with fantasy and make the reader yearn for more. Her uncanny ability to blend genres makes her unique to the literary world and an absolute reading joy. From the first moment you open the page, curiosity will pull you in and keep you engrossed in the story as you take the voyage with the characters to different places and times; to experience the events as they unfold.
Whether being told from a one character perspective or several points of view, her stories will unfold in your mind like a movie playing in your head. This is what pushes M.L to write her stories. It’s the thrill of the read and the drive to carry readers away that will make this trip to the literary world of imagination all the sweeter.
M. L. was born in Scranton Pennsylvania but was raised in Youngstown, Ohio, which is also where she currently resides with her husband and son. Since a young age, she has always had a passion for storytelling. Anything that was of interest to her she could find a story with however, it was her stories of experiences such as walking in an old cemetery, to riding a roller coaster to walking the lonely isles of an old junk yard that seemed the most precious.
M. L. has an undergraduate degree in Communication but also majored in History, which is what her Master’s Degree is in as well. She also started on her PHD in History. This love of history is very evident in most of M. L.’s stories. While studying for both degrees, she wrote numerous works for the academic audience. Many of which were presented and published for both student and professional audiences, but at home she would continue to dabble with her love of fiction. It was the challenge of creating a new world and characters that would make for some great stories. In fact, she found out very quickly, strong characters drive the story and make it worth the journey.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mlmastran
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