I would like to welcome L.W. Herndon, author of
The Mark of Kane, a novel about a half-demon half-human charged with the task of hunting down renegade sorcerers bent on disrupting the underworld with demonic possessions and murders. LW Herndon is here today to interview some of the principal characters from the novel. Care to see if any of the demons show up for the interview, and to see if the author survives the interview?????
The Interview
Thank you for hosting me today on Curling Up By The
Fire.
I was planning on interviewing two characters from The Mark of Kane, but only one has shown
up. And while there are few people I would sit in a dark vestibule of an old
church at two in the morning to interview, these two qualify. The demon
contingency of interviewees have special needs and their participation in the
story is key. From the itch of sulfur in my nostrils and the shimmer of gold
flesh and black sigils, I’m relieved that at least Abraxas has arrived.
LW: “Should we wait on Chaz or do you want to go ahead and tell the
readers a little bit about yourself, and maybe about him?” I slid farther back
in my seat as the eight-foot figure perched on the top of the pew before me. No
elaborate stain glassed windows framed the nave. Instead cold, white moonlight filtered
through plain glass and illuminated the swirl of horns rising from the flesh on
either side of Abraxas’s face. The bones swept back in a graceful arc, meeting
at a deadly point at the back of his head. An interesting protection helmet, I
thought as I waited on his answer.
His fingers curled, the razor-tipped ends reflecting
moonlight like silver nail polish. “I have no wish to be here, scribe. But as I
have no choice let me make this quick. Chaz will not be here. Tonight or any
other in your lifetime.”
LW: Okay. “He is
alive though?”
Abraxas tilted his head, and leaned closer. His smile,
if I could call it one, depicted a surprisingly white set of normal teeth. “He
is alive. No thanks to your tale.”
LW: I held up my hands. “I only write the story the needs to be told.”
“Then it is fortunate for you that the Halfling was
able to save our brother.”
LW: “You mean, Kane.”
I received only a grunt. “He and Chaz were partnered for scouting runs by
Shalim, certainly they would have loyalty toward each other. Kane wouldn’t
leave his partner to die.”
I shifted uneasily at his growl.
LW: “Maybe we should just move on to how you met Kane?”
A rumble of humor, long and deep, shook the pews. “I
didn’t meet him. We didn’t become acquainted in bar or at a neighborhood
picnic. He crashed through the ceiling of our demon compound, a weak broken
boy, and refused to die.”
He stretched his neck a second and stared at the
gallery above me as if in thought. “His salvation was his skill to scent the
putrid odor of the sorcerers. That and his stubbornness.”
LW: The fiery gaze he turned back on me made me swallow hard. I’d never
been that close to a raging inferno.
“I admit I tried to kill him. Many times. I try to
kill all my trainees. They learn nothing if I coddle them like babies.” Another
grunt echoed in the darkness. “He leapt the flaming pits and dodged the lash
with greater skill than some of our younglings. With mortal food, rest, and
training, his speed and cunning surpassed many. He delivered himself to the
physical endurance and then exceeded mentally enough to try to aid his
brethren.” A trace of pride filtered through his words “Not that demons need
the help of a Halfling.”
LW: I relaxed and waited for Abraxas to tell the story his own way.
“But the real test of training is releasing the
subject.” He suddenly sat silent.
LW: “You mean after Kane had grown up and chose to live in Los Angeles
part of the time?”
“No. A year after he joined us, we left him in the
desert not far from a human outpost. One week later he returned. He bore
bruises and cuts from a fight, but to find us he would have had to walk for
days, leaving soon after we departed. Barely able to stay conscious, he knelt
before my master and swore his oath of allegiance.”
LW: “I gather the human village wasn’t exactly sanctuary for Kane?”
“Humans.” He spat the words. The fire diminished in
his eyes, but the pupils widened and the dark pitch inside seemed to suck the
blackness from around us. “They were driven by greed and covet as always. A team of them beat and robbed him, and
then beat him some more for amusement. And people blame us for their choices.
We don’t injure our own for sport.”
LW: “I’m surprised he would have told you what happened.”
“He did not. But his wounds were fresh and his blood
told me the story. I sequestered him with our scholar.” As if aware of my
confusion for what seemed like an act of aid, he shrugged. “Our clan feeds on
emotions. Those that offer the most strength are sexual in nature, not violent.
However, violence can still call to the youngest in our pack. Kane’s wounds and
his trial would not only entice, but weaken the ones whose conditioning was not
yet resistant.”
LW: “You saved him.” I pushed on despite the frown drawing his brow
bones into a threatening V. “You trained him and when he passed his test and
came home, you saved him from being mauled at his weakest point.”
“The clan is the only important thing. Not the
individual.” He roared the words, but settled down for a second with his eyes
closed as if he were aware he’d lost his edge. “I ensured his condition
wouldn’t disrupt the clan. I also serve my master, Shalim. He had use for Kane—alive.”
LW: Right. I wasn’t about to bring up how the male demons actually
raise and care for the few infant progeny. No service was more important in the
demon clan than protection of the young. Whether Abraxas considered Kane to be
under his protection or not wasn’t a concept I thought we’d make any headway on
tonight. “Any final thoughts on Kane’s future?”
He sighed. The reaction surprised me more than
anything I’d learned tonight.
“He cannot avoid his destiny. My kind has lived long
enough to understand there is no escape. Whether any of us will survive what he
brings, remains to be seen.” He glanced back at me, steel and conviction in his
gaze. “But after each test, he returns to us. He holds his loyalties even if he
is determined to add more innocents to his personal protection list. Until that
changes, we claim him.”
Without a sound, he dissolved into smoke. All that
remained was a light odor of sulfur and a hint of cinnamon.
LW: Thank you both for joining me here today. Readers
can follow the dates and locations for the Mark of Kane Sizzling PR Book Tour @
http://lwherndon.com/
You can find me on:
For the
giveaway: A $25 Amazon or Barnes & Noble GC to
one randomly drawn commenter during the tour as well as to the host with the
most comments. Additionally, two random drawn winners will receive the 2nd
Thaddeus Kane ebook, on its release date, Fall 2012.
