Interview: M.K. Theodoratus (Running from Demons) ~ #Excerpt

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Hello and Welcome All!

Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing M.K. Theodoratus author of Running from Demons.

Hi M.K., thank you for agreeing to this interview. 

Tell us a bit about yourself? 

I’m a grumpy old lady who has preferred reading fantasy since I was a kid, first comic books and then library books and paperbacks. Wrote non-fiction most of my adult life, and then, when I retired, I started writing fantasy to amuse myself.

How do you relax?

Mostly by reading though I often do coffee with friends…who unfortunately aren’t much interested in fantasy. They tend to read serious, literary stuff.

What is your favorite vacation destination?

Relatively deserted, northern California beaches.

What are some books you have enjoyed recently?

I’m re-reading through Ilona Andrews Kate Daniels series and am on the last three books. Was thinking about re-reading Charlane Harris‘ Midnight Crossings Trilogy, but I’ve acquired a stack of new books including a new medieval mystery a friend loaned me while in the hospital.

 

For your writing where do you get your ideas?

I ask questions when a character with a problems appears in my imagination. All sorts of people live in my mind. Most will never get out.

Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult?

I loved L. Frank Baum featuring girls in his fantasy world…especially his poking fun at pompous people. A. L. Merritt and Andre Norton caught my attention as an early teen. Even though I read a lot of Edgar Rice Burroughs since our public library had them all, neither Tarzan nor Barsoom made much sense to me.

Running from Demons…..

Please share a few Fun facts about this book:

Fun? For a couple months, I thought it was a mistake. I was trying to write a sequel to Recognizing Jamilla, but the protagonist refused to cooperate. Pillar appeared instead of Cassy Mae, though she ran for southeastern mountains, too. Maybe there’s still hop for Cassy Mae…but she has to compete with story drafts for Dumdie Swartz and Grant Highgrim.

Please share the opening lines of this book:

Pillar Beccon stood before the open doors of the Taddledon bus station, steeling her nerves. She was alone with no one at her back, not even her running buds from school. Though, now that “The Tres Amigas” had graduated, she’d have to get
used to being alone again. Pillar’s jaw clenched as she braced herself against the coming stares.

The teen didn’t mind the double takes as she walked along a street. They seldom pierced the walls she’d built around herself. Inside the Taddledon Station, she’d be the pale-skinned, weird-eared weirdo caught in a sea of tan people sneaking glances at her angular, mismatched face, wispy blond hair, and super tall height. People always gawked at her. She felt lucky when they didn’t drool when their mouths hung open. Pillar begged the Powers for strength, not that
they ever helped nulls or mages.

Get a grip. At least they won’t tease you like the kids at school. They don’t know you’re a nothing null. Pillar refused to admit she was neither human nor mage, fish nor fowl. Besides, odds are the people waiting’re only human and aren’t aware.

Give us some insight into Pillar Beccon and what she do that is so special?

Pillar, the forbidden child of an Angeli, a protector from another world during the Demon Wars, whose ability to express her magical powers, is unable to access her magical abilities which were suppressed as a young child. She gradually regains her potential through a long lost relative and a roamer who protects people from demons.

Without revealing too much, what is your favorite scene in the book and why?

The scene at the Wayside on Pillar’s way back to the west  coast when she tries to save Nate. Why? The world seems normal until the demon-spawn appear. Plus Pillar gets to feel superior to Nate in spite if his magical abilitties.

Thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to take part in this interview.

 

A Northern California gal, M. K. Theodoratus has been intrigued by fantasy since she discovered comic books and the land of Oz. Some of her early favorites were A. Merritt, Andre Norton, Catherine L. Moore, and Fritz Lieber. She has traveled through many fantasy worlds since then. Now she enjoys reading Lee Child, Patricia Briggs, Sharyn McCrumb, Neil Gaiman, and Carol O’Connell among others.

When she’s not disappearing into other writer’s worlds, she’s creating her own alternative worlds — that of Andor where demons prey and that of the Far Isle Half-Elven where she explores the social and political implications of genetic drift on a hybrid elf/human people. Magic and mayhem are her favorite topics.

She now lives in Colorado with her old man and two lap cats.

Website – Twitter – Facebook  

 

 

RUNNING FROM DEMONS

Author: M.K. Theodoratus
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 279
Genre: Paranormal/Fantasy

BOOK BLURB:

Pillar Beccon travels across Andor to discover her mother’s mysterious past. But danger is never far away as a demon seeks to destroy her. 

An orphaned null without a hint of magic, Pillar can’t remember ever belonging anywhere, especially not in the Freemage commune where she grew up. After she graduates from high school, she jumps at the chance to learn why her mother ran away from her family. 

During an accidental encounter, Grylerrque, a surviving commander from The Demon Wars, recognizes what Pillar is and decides to feed the girl’s life force to her clutch. The demon sends her minions to capture the girl. Pillar escapes with a help of an unexpected allay, only to learn she was pulled out of the frying pan and thrown into the fire. 

B&N – Amazon

 

Pillar Beccon stood before the open doors of the Taddledon bus station, steeling her nerves. She was alone with no one at her back, not even her running buds from school. Though, now that “Te Tres Amigas” had graduated, she’d have to get used to being alone again. Pillar’s jaw clenched as she braced herself against the coming stares. 

The teen didn’t mind the double takes as she walked along a street. They seldom pierced the walls she’d built around herself. Inside the Taddledon Station, she’d be the pale-skinned, weird-eared weirdo caught in a sea of tan people sneaking glances at her angular, mismatched face, wispy blond hair, and super tall height. People always gawked at her. She felt lucky when they didn’t drool when their mouths hung open. Pillar begged the Powers for strength, not that they ever helped nulls or mages. 

Get a grip. At least they won’t tease you like the kids at school. They don’t know you’re a nothing null. Pillar refused to admit she was neither human nor mage, fsh nor fowl. Besides, odds are the people waiting’re only human and aren’t aware.

The hair on the back of her neck prickled. When she scanned the station, nothing around her felt threatening. You’re over-reacting. You’re safe. Pillar sighed with relief. I didn’t let Delia down. I made the test trip on my own. No glitches.

The teen had survived the day trip to the Taddledon museum and gardens in spite of her foster mother’s worries. Pillar didn’t need babysitting by the Freemage commune that had taken her in when her mother died. Not that her mother was a born member. Mages thought the mountain communes the only safe place for their young since their teens made the perfect prey for demon-kind—if her yapping trainers weren’t just blowing hot air. She stood taller, and her shoulders relaxed. 

Satisfaction flooded through her. I made it. 

The bumblebee drone of the milling travelers bounced off the high ceilings and washed over her. Here and there, children’s shrieks drew scowls as they spiked above the noise. All seemed to ignore the announcement that a bus had just arrived at the platforms. The prickles grew sharper, and she paused. 

After a glance around the lobby, Pillar guessed most were locals returning to their surrounding small towns after shopping trips to the big city. Te few roamers, marked by their grubby clothes and backpacks, might be mages or might not be. Communes and towns tended to throw out their misfits after they graduated from high school if they didn’t get admitted to colleges or tech schools. 

A man near the outside door sat, slumped back on a bench and eyes closed, with his hands resting on his ample belly. He opened one eye and jerked. His gaze darted away from Pillar’s icy, challenging stare, made all the colder by her pale blue eyes. A flush rushed over his face as he ducked his head. 

It’s not like I’m a total freak. All mages have long faces.

Pillar hunched her shoulders again but decided not to get pissed off or feel sorry for herself. Both reactions were a waste of energy. Pillar ignored thousands of memories of being told nobody wanted a null, not even the Kingscourt, unless the null was brilliant enough to become a useful functionary. Nulls were kicked out of mage communes to fend for themselves in the slums of the cities.

 

There Be Demons

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I'm an outdoor sun loving reader living near San Fransisco. I’m a mother, wife, animal & book lover. I'm the owner, reviewer & mind behind Angel’s Guilty Pleasures. My favorite animals are horses & dogs. As for reading I love all things paranormal & urban fantasy & my favorite shifters are dragons.

4 comments on “Interview: M.K. Theodoratus (Running from Demons) ~ #Excerpt

  1. Awesome interview and book introduction ‘s!!! Shared on my socials!??

    • Glad you enjoy the Q&A with Ms. Theodoratus. Have a wonderful week and thank you for sharing!

  2. Very impressed on how you set this up, Angela! Thank you for hosting!

    • You are welcome. Thank you for the opportunity!