They're Out of This World

Today my guest blogger is Lynda K Scott. You will have to read her book to decide if her family is right or if she just has a brilliant imagination. 

Thank you Lynda for stopping by and giving us a little insight on your character, Eric.

My family would say that the hero of Heartstone, Eric d’Ebrur, is the product of a twisted, sick mind. After all, how many handsome, shape-shifting heroes are aliens?

My answer would be…They should all be aliens. Why? Because I believe in the rules of evolution. More or less. Being a shapeshifter, or were, shouldn’t be a curse. It should be a normal facet of that particular life form. And for Eric, it is. So I’ve decided to let him explain why the Antiare men came about.

Eric’s ability to change shape came about back in the early age of his people. They were combative and warlike, so much so that they threatened their own existence until…

“To understand, you would have to know about the Stones of Power.” He scraped both plates clean. “When we were a young race,still living and fighting in small clan families, we were visited by beings so far above us, we thought of them as gods. Of course, overtime, we came to understand they were Starfarers. Travelers from other worlds.”

He opened the pack and withdrew two thin, silver squares, one of which he began unfolding. “They were explorers but more than that, they were...educators. They taught us how to shape shift, saying that only by living in a different skin could we truly understand other life forms, other races. Or ourselves.”

In my opinion, that’s the true benefit of a were of any kind; the ability to know what it is to be a wolf or an eagle, a cat or even a form similar to dolphins. Eric’s people can take a variety of shapes. The more the merrier, right? If you think about it, it makes sense that they can take more than one form. A canid or wolf would see the world in a far different manner than a large avian flying overhead or a cetacean swimming in an underwater grotto.

But with that kind of understanding, that soul deep knowledge of other lifeforms, one would think the Antiareans would be a peaceful, tranquil race. And, for the most part, they are. Their unique perspective makes them want to protect and defend their family and their friends. However, the galaxy and their home world needs defenders, particularly when a strange life known as the Gawan suddenly arrives to threaten everything Eric and his band of men hold dear. The Gawan, a parasitic creature, infests its victims, taking control of their minds and bodies.

His mouth thinned as he looked away. “The Gawan are extraordinarily hard to kill. A Gawan-spawn will fight without fear or caution for its own wellbeing. And it’s not enough to just destroy the body. The parasite must be killed as well. They can Infest any sentient being in less time than it takes to draw a breath. There’s no cure. No remedy except—”

“Except?” she prodded when it seemed he wouldn’t continue.

“Death.”

The men of Antiare can withstand an attack from the Gawan by taking their were, or as they call it, their alter forms. That puts them in the forefront of the fight. However, even the ability to shift isn’t stopping the monster. They need a legendary weapon, one that was lost during the first major attack. But the Heartstone can only be wielded by its hereditary Stonebearer.

“I’ll fight the Gawan with sword or blaster, fang or claw,” Eric had told his grandfather and Benamont I’sadhe. “But I will not take a wife.”

Eric pursed his lips. Supposedly the woman upstairs was his long lost Gar’Jael, his soul mate. If one believed in that sort of nonsense. Eric didn’t. And even if he did, he had no room in his life for a mate of any kind. He intended to destroy the Gawan before they destroyed everything he held dear. 

For that, he needed the Heartstone. 

Not a wife.

Besides their fierce ability to defend their family, the men of Antiare are devoted husbands so it isn’t surprising when Eric decides this isn’t the time to take a wife. Of course, fate often interferes with the best laid plans. Eric must find the Stonebearer and when he does, he can’t help falling for her.

He nodded. “A man can be one or the other but not both. Not for long, at any rate.”

“Oh, I doubt that.” She slanted a look at him, her lashes half obscuring her eyes. Eric’s blood quickened. Keriam continued, “I think you’re a wolf all of the time.”

At that Eric laughed, genuinely delighted with her retort. “Ah, a compliment. On Antiare, as well as Earth, the wolf is a devoted mate and parent. Particularly the male of the species.”

Keriam snorted, a most unfeminine yet delightful sound.

“You don’t believe me?”

“Oh, I do. I just don’t believe it applies to you, Wolfgang.”

He tried for a wounded look. “How can you say that, sweetling? Here you are, alone except for me. It occurs to me I am bigger than you. And stronger. And I have a sword. Who would protect you if I decided to pounce?”

So…a man who can defend and protect, who is a devoted family parent, who has a sense of humor and who is breath-takingly handsome…now you know why I created Eric d’Ebrur, an alien shapeshifting were.

I love contact with my readers and there’s lots of ways to stay in touch with me. The best way is to join my newsletter, a non-chat yahoo group, with a low volume. Hope to see you there!

Email: Lynda@LyndaKScott.com
To join my newsletter, send a blank email to:
LyndaKScott-Newsgroup-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Be My Friend http://www.myspace.com/lyndakscott
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lyndakscott

Bebo: http://www.bebo.com/lyndakscott

My Website: http://www.lyndakscott.com
My Blog: http://www.lyndakscott.blogspot.com
Tweet me: http://www.twitter.com/lyndakscott

Heartstone

Make sure you come back on Monday to hear about Linda Wisdom's were.