Character Days: Jim Ecklund from In The End

Tell me a little about yourself and the world you live in.
There's not really much to say about me. I'm alive. A lot of people aren't. And some who aren't, should be. The world I'm living in may be the same as the one I've always lived in, or that might all be gone. We don't know yet. We're kind of stuck up here in the mountains above Denver - which is definitely gone now.

Let's jump right in, what's your most closely guarded secret?

I guess I don't really hate people as much as I say I do. That's the only secret I feel comfortable revealing. I don't like to think about the bigger one.

Tell us about your single most important memory. What was it and how does it affect you now?
I remember being tied down on my foster parent's bed and being whipped. Mercilessly. In my mind, I just kept screaming silently, "I hate you!" over and over. I think it affects me now by making me a little angry at people. I don't have a lot of tolerance for bullshit and evil.

What type of person are you? Are you a hero or do you shy away from conflict?
Inside I feel like a loner. I'd rather avoid people, which would enable me to avoid conflict, but I'm kinda stuck with a small group right now. And sometimes I get forced into situations that I guess you might call heroic. Like rescuing people and shit.

Do you have any hobbies, any special talents?
Staying alive. Thinking ahead. Watching out for danger. Making sure no harm ever comes to Angela.

What sets you out from the crowd? Like your talents, would I be able to spot you if I passed you by?
You'd probably notice me because I have a knack for saying completely inappropriate things, often at the worst times. But that just the way my sense of humor works. I'm not trying to shock anyone. Just trying to keep myself entertained.

What's an ideal day for you?
That would be when we don't encounter any strangers and everyone is safe from dawn to dusk.

Do you have any one close? Any friends or family of interest?
Not really. I would say that Angela is someone I really care about, but I don't know if she'd say the same about me. In fact, it's better she doesn't feel anything for me.

What about your most prized possession?
I never really had much in the way of possessions, and what little I did have is back at the dorm. All we really brought with us for what was supposed to just be a vacation is our clothing and some electronics that are useless now. Like our cell phones and Angie's iPad. We still keep them with us though. There's always a chance that we'll find a place with electricity.

Back to your story, what initially spurred your actions? Everything had to start somewhere, so where's your beginning?
I hope it leads to home. Not for me. I don't have a home aside from the dorm, but for Angie. Her family is important to her. I know she misses a lot of people, and her friends, and everything. I hope we make it back.

Where do you think your future will lead?
Like I said, we were just going on vacation. But I guess you'd say that our group formed when Angela saw Terry stuck on the ski lift. We went over to rescue his dumb ass, and we've stuck together since then.

Where can we find more about you?
The first part of what we've experienced, you know, like when the nuke went off in Denver and what we did afterwards when there was no electricity, and no cops, or anything, all of that is in the book, In The End. The stuff that happened after that is being written.

Author: Edward M Wolfe
Buy the Book: http://amzn.com/B00HJIIRZG
Author Website: http://edwardmwolfe.com/blog

Character Days: Chauncey McFadden from Death by Downsizing, Vietnam Vindication, Death Cruise, Bad Vibrations

Tell me a little about yourself and the world you live in.

I am a private detective with an office in a rundown area of North Hollywood, Los Angeles. Most legitimate businesses had abandoned the area years ago in anticipation of advancing urban decay. The few surviving stores, propped up by cheap rent and free parking, hung on for dear economic life and included the usual denizens of the dump: tattoo parlors, tanning emporiums, bail bond offices, paycheck cashers, liquor stores, and pawn brokers—businesses whose clients were more likely to appear on police blotters than society pages. Even the gangs that once livened up the area had fled some years ago for better ZIP codes. The only evidence of their prior habitation was the faded graffiti that still managed to cling tenuously to cracked stucco walls and a few looted phone booths that dotted the sidewalks like Stonehenge monoliths.

Air quality in the area had been in a funk lately from forest fires that were burning near Bakersfield. Slowly and surely, the acrid smoke and accompanying ash had risen into the upper air currents to waft their way westward. The result was general discomfort and upper respiratory misery in the coastal cities.
Lets jump right in, what's your most closely guarded secret?
I am apprehensive at best when working on homicide cases because of the danger involved and my relative inexperience.

Tell us about your single most important memory. What was it and how does it affect you now?
Almost getting killed by a maniacal serial killer in my first homicide case in Bad Vibrations. This experience has made me very apprehensive in getting myself involved in murder investigations.

What type of person are you? Are you a hero or do you shy away from conflict?
I am anything but a hero. I am merely trying to survive in a violent world of despicable characters, committing unspeakable acts.

Do you have any hobbies, any special talents?
I am a former English teacher in an east L.A. high school. I quit when the occupation became too dangerous.

What sets you out from the crowd? Like your talents, would I be able to spot you if I passed you by?
My appearance sets me off from the crowd. I look like anything but the prototypical PI. I am short, fat, bald and wear glasses with thick frames. I would not be noticed by most since I have few attractive discerning features.

What's an ideal day for you?
An ideal day for me is getting paid by a client and finding coupons in the paper for the local buffet.

Do you have any one close? Any friends or family of interest?
I have a girlfriend, Girtha Roote. She is a waitress at a diner which has been in continuous existence since the days of catholic friars who founded a chain of California missions.

What about your most prized possession?
My most prized possession is my intellect and intuitive skill in inductive and deductive logic. I also possesse sound communication skills. My most prized physical possession is my 1952 maroon Hudson which is held together with spit and baling wire.

Where do you think your future will lead?
To a successful career in private investigations if not a financial remunerative one.

Where can we find more about you?
I am in four published mysteries - Bad Vibrations, Death Cruise, Vietnam Vindication, and Death by Downsizing.

Author: Dan Anderson
You can buy the book here!
Author's website:  www.dananderson-mysteryauthor.com

Character Days: Karina from Black Friday

Tell me a little about yourself and the world you live in.

My youth was spent near the Appalachians at the western edge of North Carolina then, after my parents died, moved to live near Spring Lake, NC. where an old family friend raised me until I finished high school. Life growing up with my adopted uncle was average though he did enjoy teaching me how to track and hunt. If anything, I did learn how to become a good hunter.

I was born mute, so there were many problems with being with kids my own age until I was sent to a special school. Honestly, I didn't care for it or public schooling but did well enough to graduate.

I'm the type of person who'd rather live alone, away from the crowds of the city. Way I see it, your average human has no clue how to understand anyone different from the norm. This is why my home is out in the woods far away from them.Of course, Marcus, my husband has shown me that not everyone is like that. I don't know what I'd do without him or our children.

Lets jump right in, what's your most closely guarded secret?
I'm a werecat. Now, it isn't a secret.

Tell us about your single most important memory. What was it and how does it affect you now?
The night the goddess of the feline clans came to me and ordered me to find one who would help save my people and all the other were-folk still in the world before our race was completely lost. That vision is still guiding me but my Goddess is always there, pointing me in the right direction while I train my adopted son, Nick in the ways of my people and show him how to fight against our enemies.

What type of person are you? Are you a hero or do you shy away from conflict?
I'm no hero by any standard, but I will fight to protect my own. I'm a teacher and guide by the definitions of the werewolf clans. Some seem to think I'm a shaman, but I'm not.

Do you have any hobbies, any special talents?
Does hunting count as a hobby? I love fishing if that matters. Special talents? Not really though, of all the people of my race, few have a stronger mental talent when in feral form.

What sets you out from the crowd? Like your talents, would I be able to spot you if I passed you by?
I tend to blend in. No one would guess who or what I am unless I wanted them to know. Maybe, if you spotted me signing, I'd stand out.

What's an ideal day for you?
Peaceful and quiet laziness in the sun with Marcus by my side. Maybe a little hunting.

Do you have any one close? Any friends or family of interest?
I've mentioned my husband, Marcus, many times already. Then there's Aiden, former leader of the local werewolf pack, Nick, my adopted son. Oh! I can't forget Nehana, he used to be Nick's pet before Nick disappeared years ago. Nehana found us later after the wolf clan's god triggered his first transformation into a werewolf.

What about your most prized possession?
I don't have a prized possession.

Back to your story, what initially spurred your actions? Everything had to start somewhere, so where's your beginning?
The night my Goddess ordered me to find Nick. Started on Black Friday, of all days and his first fight happened in a department store of all places. Wasn't my fault they built their store on an ancient battle ground.

Where do you think your future will lead?
With luck, bringing the were-folk into the future where we can live peacefully with humans and the magicians hiding among them.

Where can we find more about you?
There isn't much to tell right now. I can be found telling this story in the book Black Friday and some information about me and the others on the Facebook group Fantastic Furry Realms. There are more stories coming but nothing available, yet.

Author: Candace Gauger
You can buy the book here!
Author's website: http://candacegauger.wordpress.com

Character Days: Jamie Keller from Off The Grid

Tell me a little about yourself and the world you live in.
I live in Promise, Oregon. It's a podunk town where everyone knows your mom and won't hesitate to call her if they see you step out of line.

Lets jump right in, what's your most closely guarded secret?
That's easy, my sibs and I are hiding out at my grandpa's farm. . . It's a long story. You should buy the book.

Tell us about your single most important memory. What was it and how does it affect you now?
I remember my dad carrying me in from the car one night when we came home late. Usually my little sister Jana got carried but I decided to fake it - just a little.

What type of person are you? Are you a hero or do you shy away from conflict?
Hmmmm, I fight with my older sister Jenny quite a bit - enough to make my mom cry once.

Do you have any hobbies, any special talents?
Sometimes my guitar seems like my only friend.

What sets you out from the crowd? Like your talents, would I be able to spot you if I passed you by?
No, unless you saw me perform. I'm in an all girl trio. Unfortunately one of the members is my sister Jenny. She's a good musician but she thinks she knows everything.

What's an ideal day for you?
I love getting paid for gigs. Money is pretty hard to come by at our house.

Do you have any one close? Any friends or family of interest?
I would say yes. I thought Catherine and I were close until I found out she was gay and hadn't confided in me. That kinda hurt.

What about your most prized possession?
My guitar, for sure.

Back to your story, what initially spurred your actions? Everything had to start somewhere, so where's your beginning?
My dad was killed in Iraq by a roadside bomb. Everything stopped there and everything started there.

Where do you think your future will lead?
I want to be a professional musician.

Author: EN McNamara

You can buy the book here! 

Author's Website: https://authorcentral.amazon.com/gp/profile

Other books by the author:

The Jamie Keller Mystery Series Include: Off the Grid, Over the Edge, In the Groove and On the Brink. Under the Weather will be out in 2015

Character Days: Molly from Love and Security

Tell me a little about yourself and the world you live in.
Well, I am currently enrolled in Mizzou, finishing up my Masters. I am from St. Charles Missouri... not sure what all to say. I have been in the same relationship, with Kyle, for 5 years now. He is a great guy... I am just not though...

Lets jump right in, what's your most closely guarded secret?
Well, I'm sorry but I don't really many... You'd have to speak to Heather (laughs) no she tells everything...

Tell us about your single most important memory. What was it and how does it affect you now?
The day I saw Kyle, not when we started dating. But the summer day he was cutting our grass, no shirt on that hot day...

What type of person are you? Are you a hero or do you shy away from conflict?
I'm strong determined, my own person but I do very much want to be in a strong committed relationship

Do you have any hobbies, any special talents?
I can tie cherry stems into a knot, does that count?

What sets you out from the crowd? Like your talents, would I be able to spot you if I passed you by?
My sister says, I carry myself like I own the world... not in the stuck way just flowing with confidence... until it comes to my relationship.

What's an ideal day for you?
Well, it depends I like to be organized and I enjoy doing different things. But, I really enjoy my time with Kyle... our schedules don't allow for much of that though.

Do you have any one close? Any friends or family of interest?
Well, I like almost everyone (laughs). There's Kyle, my boyfriend, Stacie my younger sister, and Heather my oldest friend.

What about your most prized possession?
At this point it's either my relationships or my degree, once I finish this Spring.

Back to your story, what initially spurred your actions? Everything had to start somewhere, so where's your beginning?
Kyle, I love him dearly... but, well you know men... He's always working or so he says. And the job gets in the way.

Where do you think your future will lead?
I really don't know. I dream of Kyle and I settling down and finding the perfect job... I'm just not sure Kyle is ready.

Where can we find more about you?
Amazon, and other such retailers.

Author: 
Peter D Fleming
Buy the Book!
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/470505

Author Website:
http://pdfprojects.weebly.com/
www.linkedin.com/pub/p-fleming/73/788/9b4/