Lowmar Dashiel from Inquisitor Royal

It's always a challenge when we have other-worldly visitors to the studio. Tonight we have Lowmar Dashiel, Personal Inquisitor. From what I understand, this is job is similar to being a private eye except in Andruan, our guest's hometown, lowlifes include demons.

Lowmar, I know this is all strange and new, but could you just stay seated and...

I have to say, if you’re trying to intimidate me with sorcery, you need to aim a little higher.  I mean, I’ve incurred the wrath of more than one first grade sorcerer and looked a blood demon in the eye.  So a few flickering lights and disembodied voices aren’t going to impress me much.  By the way, what’s this thing you’ve asked me to speak into?

It's called a microphone and it's technology, not sorcery. Also, believe it or not, I'm not trying to intimidate you - just interview you for the enlightenment of our audience. After all, you're not just any Personal Inquisitor, you're the Royal Inquisitor, right?

Damned Commander Boxen!  He was the one who persuaded the King to get me to look into Carnen’s murder.

And Carnen is?

He was the Sorcerer Supreme.

Look, I’m a personal inquisitor.  Divorce, blackmail, the odd missing person - that’s what I do.  Not murder investigations, and certainly not one where the Sorcerer Supreme has been killed by magic.  But the King wanted someone with no axe to grind, and Boxen thought I fitted the bill.

I got lucky that time, and the King was impressed enough to put me on a sort of retainer.  My associate, Grishen, thought it was hilarious, and dubbed me ‘Inquisitor Royal’.  He was laughing the other side of his dwarfish face a year or so later, when we stood with Boxen in a house in Andruan’s Dwarf Quarter, looking at the mutilated body of a maniac’s latest victim.  And then, when those assassination attempts on the royals started, the King looked to me to solve that one as well.

But now you have more prestige, more klout, that must make things better.

Things didn’t exactly get better when someone took a shot at me.  The trouble was, it might have been someone connected with one of the King’s cases, trying to keep me from the truth, but I’m not what you’d call devoid of enemies either.  By the way, the King didn’t seem to appreciate the difficulties of juggling two major inquisitions whilst keeping my less auspicious clients happy and trying to stay alive.


How difficult can your King make things for you if he's not pleased?

Grishen is convinced it will be our heads if we ever fail the King, but I’m more optimistic.  Maybe it would just be a spell in a rat-infested dungeon.

When I was talking to Grishen earlier, he suggested you have women problems on top of everything else. He mentioned a sorceress named Zarna, for instance.

Just because Zarna was the prime suspect in the Carnen case, some people seem to think my motives were more about saving her than about pleasing the King, or even the little matter of averting a new sorcerers’ war.  What man in his right mind would get involved with a sorceress of the first grade?  Especially one destined to be Sorceress Supreme?

Besides, I’m with Jode now.  Nice and uncomplicated.  Well, apart from her being a trained bounty hunter who was on the trail of her husband’s killer when we met.  She’s far too handy with a crossbow for me to dare look twice at Zarna, or any other woman.

What's next for you?

Well, I’ve still got my head attached, and I’ve avoided that rat-infested dungeon so far, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the King called upon my services again some day.  Meanwhile, I’ve now got Jode, as well as Grishen, to work cases with me, so long may the people of Andruan be unpleasant to each other and need my services.  When it comes to the personal inquisitor business, I’m still the first and the best

I suppose one of the lessons I’ve learned along the way is something my father used to be fond of saying.  He said you should never look back.  He and I didn’t agree on much, but he was right about that.  Although there’s a minstrel coming to town who I last saw a decade or so ago. Maybe I’ll take Jode and Grishen. It couldn’t do any harm, could it?

Why do I think those are famous last words?

Find out more about Lowmar Dashiel, Personal Inquisitor in Inquisitor Royal by Dave Sivers, available in Kindle at Amazon.com and Amazon.uk

Jarrack from The Havenshire Resistance

When chaos erupts in the kingdom, Havenshire falls to Jarrack. Krystal must devise a plan to rescue Donovan and keep her daughters safe. She forms an underground black market to finance her “resistance army” of ragtag peasants, Samurai women, and renegades among the gentry. Can willpower and fortitude defeat Jarrack?

They say one man's villain is another man's hero. With that in mind, let's welcome Jarack to the studio.

How did I get here? Last I remember I was entertaining two of my wives and now I’m cast into this dingy, windowless room filled with archaic looking equipment.

I'm Nighthawk and this is my virtual radio station.

Radio equipment? I read about such devices in history books as a child, but since the Institute spread through civilized space, we’ve used hyperlink communications. I knew Drako was a backward planet, but employing radio to broadcast messages? Ridiculous!

Be that as it may, you've been invited here for an interview. Inquiring minds want to know your side of the story.

Ask me what you must, but your ploy won’t work! I know you’re in league with Krystal’s underground resistance. No matter how long you interrogate me you won’t learn how to release your precious King Donovan from my stasis device.

Not my king. Not my problem. But maybe this is a good place to start. Why do you have King Donovan in a stasis device? What is him crime?

(Gasp) Did I see one of those blasted telepathic wolves staring at me through the door? Keep them away or I’ll make you sorry you cast eyes on me.

I'm sure you're mistaken. We only brought you through. Look can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea? ... I'm not sure if you really want ...

(Sigh) Yes, thank you for that draught of whiskey, I feel much better.

Actually, that was my colon-cleanse. The doc thinks I've been eating too much fast food lately and...

You know my breeding program would not have been necessary if Donovan and Alexander allowed me access to their hidden Transfer equipment. I can’t stand the thought of aging for another span!

Breeding program? Span?

Span? It’s usually a period of fifty years, but as a valuable officer working for the Institute, I was granted Transfer more often. I’m proud to say that I’ve undergone twelve Transfers over the spans.

(Shuffling papers) Ah yes. The transfer system allows human consciousness to be transferred into a clone. With that technology, you could be immortal. I understand it has other benefits too.

Yes. I developed the ability to use mind control due to Transfer. No one is supposed to know about the side affects (chuckle) and I make sure they forget.

Yet, your adversaries must be aware of the side affects. Donovan, Alexander and Krystal all have enhanced abilities. 
No comment? How about the cloning program -- or lack there of? It must be awkward not having clones at your disposal... but that's why you've got a harem isn't it? To breed children to be your future hosts.

What? As King these wives and children are my property and I won’t explain my future plans to an underling like you. On the other hand, you could be quite helpful. Do know where Krystal hid her precious daughters? If you answer willingly, I can summon a chest of gold for your trouble.

So you can use them too? I don't think so.

No? Perhaps you’d like to feel my mind painfully strip the information! Weak minds like yours take less trouble to control, just look into my eyes.

Hey! That's enough of that!

Too bad you didn’t explain about your ignorance before I expended valuable energy. Let’s finish this sham interrogation.

Feel free to leave any time, Jarrack. Could someone get me an aspirin? This guy has given me a headache.


A headache is the least of your problems. Your army will never catch me and if it does I have a secret plan that will rock this world to its core. I need not wait forever, you know, since Institute’s battle drones will eventually hone in on this backward planet. I’ll be restored to my proper rank. (Laughing followed by screaming) I told you to keep those wolves away from me! Don’t come near me….


Well, maybe we brought a few wolves through as insurance.

If you want to find out more, I suggest you leave Jarrack alone and go straight to the source. Heirs to the Throne Series by Diane Rapp -  Book 1: Howl of the Wolf and Book 2 The Havenshire Resistance. If you want to learn more about the author, check out Diane's website: www.quicksilvernovels.com

Kea Alwang-Treehugger

As Monty Python used to say, "And now for something completely different." We have a young woman with us who... Who are you again?
Who am I? I am Star of Earth. I am a Jacondorian sentinel, an agent of a super-micro organism called the Ethimarrow. My purpose is to assist the Ethimarrow and the leader of Jacondor in tipping the scales of good and evil in favour of the good. I do so with just over 1,000 other sentinels who represent their own homeworlds.

Star of Earth?
My name is Chloe, but I prefer to be known by my nickname, Star. I'm fourteen, starting high school and my home planet is Earth. See, I lead a double life between Earth and Jacondor thanks to a near-infinite network of time lines, shifting dimensions, and folding sheets of space stuff that Earthen scientists haven't come close to picking at. I'm strong, bright, courageous, quick, and...  well, at least I was all those things until my best friends disappeared. For someone supposedly so smart, I've done some pretty stupid things lately.And some pretty stupid things have happened to me too!

Like?
This guy, Sal Rodoso, stole my underwear and wore it on his head. It was a stupid prank meant to embarrass me and make him look like the life of the party. He was right on both counts. For me, the whole situation was a wicked-blatant statement that nobody cares that I'm a loving, do-anything-for-you type of person who busts my butt trying to promote peace. Truthfully, they know nothing about me, so why should they know any of that? Still, the whole act caused my fear of being around them to morph into something close to hate. And that was before my bra went slingshotting across the room.


I'm confused. This happened because your friends were missing?
My best friends. CK and Leada, my soul mates, disappeared about a year ago. Somehow my confidence, strengths, and usually cheerful nature went with them. Tarthimum, my Jacondorian guardian, refused to tell me what happened to them. Somehow between the bullying on Earth and feeling two-thirds short of whole on Jacondor, I guess I became a bit unglued.

Anyone would guess that being kidnapped at age 7 by an insane genius and experimented on would have been the end of me or anyone else. Nope. That wasn't it. Despite years of nightmares, I lived through that time thanks to the unconditional love of CK and Leada who lived through it with me. They "got me" in every way. Never had to pre-plan my words around them, hide anything from them. No, their disappearance was my undoing. Apparently, they knew me way better than I knew myself.

So what are you doing about it?
I always assumed that friendship was the most important part of life. When people that love you have your back, what can't you do? I was so busy marveling at how CK, Lea and I were three parts that made an incredible whole that I forgot how to work alone. I forgot how to strengthen myself from within. I intend to learn how to do that.

And after that?

I'm not sure. The mad scientist who kidnapped us when we were kids might be back. If that monster has raised his ugly head again, I'm going after him.

That girl is as good as her word. Which means if we want to find out more, we'll have to read Treehugger by Kea Alwang.