ADELA
ARTHUR and the CREATOR’s CLOCK
by
Judyann McCole
Welcome
to BK Walker Books Etc. I'm so happy you could join me today at The
Seattle Library
BK:
Looking out the nearest window, describe the scene you see.
JM:
People dancing in the rain.
BK:
Tell us about your office. Is it a mess like mine, or is everything
in its place?
JM:
That depends on what day of the week it is. Friday's and Monday's
it's super clean the rest of the week I can't even find a
highlighter.
BK:
What is a must-have, such as coffee or a favorite pen, that you need
to write?
JM:
Warm fuzzy sock. I love the cold and no matter the season my house is
at 70 and I need my socks.
BK:
Do you like to write in silence, or do you need music or background
noise?
JM:
I need chaos, not total chaos but enough that it punches me into my
own world.
BK:
Tell us a bit about your hero/heroine, and their development.
JM:
My Heroine, Adela Arthur, has just turned 16 and Jumper. Meaning she
always reacts and never really thinks to much about her actions. She
is very level headed and passionate about the people around her. But
because of that she has the tenancy to make their problem's her
problems. She wants to save everyone. Through out the book you
realize she's has a lot of fight within her.
BK:
As a writer myself, I'm always curious how other writers get through
stumble blocks. When you find a story not flowing, or a character
trying to fight you, how do you correct it?
JM:
First thing I do is step away and lay down. I try to think about them
as people and what is causing them to act that way. Everything is
cause and effect. Something I wrote may have cause this so I try read
think over the my choices.
BK:
Using the letters of your first name as an acronym, describe your
book...
Oh
this is hard.
J-
Journeys
U-
Unity
D-
Darnkess
Y-
Yearning
A-
Anticipation
N-
Necessity
N-
New Words
BK:
How did your writing journey begin?
JM:
I'm not sure. I think it's something I've always done. One moment I
was telling bedtime stories to the kids I babysat. The next I was
writing them down at 14. I never really thought I was "writing".
It wasn't until one of my teacher's comment on it when I was in high
school did it really click for me.
BK:
Using the letters from the word, Summer, how would friends and family
describe you?
S-
Sassy
U-
Unique
M-
Multi-talented
M-
Motivating
E-
Empathetic
R-
Rare
BK:
What is the craziest thing you've ever written about, whether it got
published or not?
JM:
The craziest thing would be a short story i'm working on now about a
boy finds can bring dinosaurs back to life. It's for a kid I babysit
who LOVES!
BK:
Tell us one thing you've done in life, that readers would be most
surprised to know.
JM:
I've gone skydiving twice.
BK:
What can we expect from you in the future?
JM:
I have another novel coming out this year by Tri-Destiny Publishing
called Moonrise which follows the romance between an Angel and a
Human.
This
or That...
Coke
or Pepsi?
Neither.
I'm a sprite girl. Sorry
Night
Owl or Early Bird?
Night
owl
Fantasy
or Mystery?
Fantasy
Pen/Paper
or Computer?
Pen/paper
Pizza
or Burger?
Burger
Rock
or Country?
Rock
Chocolate
or Vanilla?
Vanilla
Beach
or Mountains?
Mountains
Thank
you so much for having us as one of your stops today. It has been
great getting to know more about you and your book, and wish you the
best of success!
About
The Author:
Judyann
McCole Is…Roman Catholic
A
lover of Books, Florence + Machine, The color Teal, Asian Food,
Chocolate, Pandas, and The Rain.
Also
A fan of writing in odd places like in bathtubs, under staircases, in
a tree, or maybe zoo.
I
was born in Montreal, Canada and a few years later my parents moved
home to the States where I’m currently attending College.
I
don’t know why I never thought about writing. As I was searching
for a niche in everything else I was also writing stories about a
girl searching for where she belongs and people my age going on wild
adventures. One day a teacher of mine, Ms. E. McAllen, asked me what
I loved to do and it finally hit me. I love being a storyteller. But
I was afraid no one would want, or care to read what I had to say.
Until another teacher, Ms. K. Cole gave me the pep talk that changed
my life.
Book
Genre: Young adult fantasy
AGE:
13 up
Publisher:
Self-Published
Release
Date: July 26th, 2013
Book
Synopsis:
To
Who Ever This May Concern;
I
wish I could tell you the contents of this book were purely
fictional. That I, Adela Arthur, was just a normal sixteen year old
from Portland and that dragons, giants, elves and mermaids were just
myths. I wish these were legends shared from crazy old grandparents
to crazy old grandparents around campfires. After all, that is what I
used to believe.
I
never would have thought they lived on the other side of our mirrors
in a world called Cielieu. But they do…
I
never would have thought there were humans, better known as Volsin
that lived among them with the ability to create light from a single
thought. But there are…
I
never would have thought I was one of them… But I am…
I
am the last Arthur and I was brought to the human world after a
Volsin, filled with greed, began to strip the light from our kind.
The
human world was supposed to be a safe haven… but he’s found us
and the only way to stop him is to go back to Cielieu and begin
training as a student in the Elpida Castle of Light.
Like
I said I wish the contents of this book were purely fictional and not
my life…
ADELA
ARTHUR
Preface
S
he ran because she had no other choice. She feared what would happen
if she dared to stop. There was no time to think. There was barely
any time for her to breathe. On her broken ankle, she ran. With her
bruised arms, she ran. With her bleeding sides, she ran because she
knew today was the day she was meant to die.
Her
bare feet, covered with everything from wet dirt to dried, dead
leaves to cold ice, took her farther into the forest. She jumped over
the dark fallen log, not caring that the bottom of her pants snagged
on the tip of it. She went on, running deeper, running faster, trying
not to think. Thinking would stop her. Thinking would make her want
to survive. Thinking would cause her to fight, and today she could
not fight. She heard the screeches; she had seen their dark eyes.
They were confirming what she already knew in her heart to be true.
Today was the day she was meant to die.
Snow
fell gently on her like small glimpses of hope. She loved the snow.
But even today it, too, was against her. It knew. It blanketed the
ground and froze her to her core. She slowed, but she didn’t stop
running. Slowing was a mistake, though. Now she could feel the
fatigue as it crept up inside her. She could feel the pain as it came
into her ankle like burning knives slicing away at her. As the
screeches rang through the forest, they too chilled her. Whether she
slowed or not, she was meant to die today.
However,
she had one choice, one option. What was to be her final ground? She
had the choice of where she could die and it wasn’t going to be
here. It wasn’t going to be in the depths of the dark forest. It
would not be fatigue, or hunger, or even the evil creatures that
dwelled inside that forest. She couldn’t die here. It wasn’t good
enough.
She
ran, but again her pace slowed. What a fatal flaw that was, for now
she tripped over the root of a skillful hidden tree. Her body hit the
iced-over, snow-covered ground, adding even more injuries to her
collection. She touched her lip; seeing her blood on her hands
shocked her, stilling her. She was bleeding everywhere, but for some
reason that blood was what stilled her. That was her final fatal flaw
because now she stopped running. Running had calmed her and now that
was gone. A dry sob broke through her lips before the tears came.
They broke so quickly they burned, blinding her.
She
could think now. She knew to what her actions would lead. She knew
she could hurt them all. But it had to be done; it was the only thing
left to do. They would hate her. They wouldn’t understand. They
would have told her there was another way, but there wasn’t. There
just wasn’t. They wished for it to be innocent, clean, easy—but
it couldn’t be. She knew there wasn’t another way. They knew
there wasn’t another way. But they hoped, they prayed, but most of
all, they feared. That they too were like her, that they too were
only prolonging their agony. It wasn’t always like this. I promise
you it wasn’t always like this. There use to be laughter and
harmony, absolute and unfathomable harmony. They wanted that back.
They needed that back. So she had to die today.
She
heard it. She heard his foot upon the snow. Lifting herself from the
ground with great ease, for she no longer hurt, she turned to him,
all the anger in the world directed at him. He—with handsome red
eyes and blond hair—he was the reason she would die today.
“I am not sure if you
are the most reckless girl I have ever met or the wisest.” His
soft, gentle voice rang out—his voice never much higher than a
whisper. It was a deceiving voice. It was the voice of a friend, a
brother, a father; it was a voice of someone who cared.
“This you won’t win.
Haven’t you heard? Light always wins. You scare and you terrify,
but in the end light always wins. So you are the most reckless man I
have ever met, for trying to do the same thing so many others have
tried and failed to do,” she told him through her own tears.
He
simply circled her before speaking again. “Now who lied to you, my
dear? There is no such thing as failure. I have simply discovered
ways that did not work.”
She
looked forward, not speaking to the man behind her. There was no
point wasting the few precious breaths she had left. Her tears flowed
from her eyes, rolling down her cheeks like miniature waterfalls. He
was the reason she would die today.
“How
tragic it is that you will not be alive for me to impart such a
lesson upon you.” That was the last thing she heard before the
darkness came. She hoped; she truly hoped she did not die today for
nothing.