Albion Moon
Albion Moon Chronicles, #1
by M.L. Mastran
Date of Publication: August 2018
Publisher: Champagne Book Group
Cover Artist: Creative Paramita
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Paranormal/Romance
Tagline: Stand up and fight or lose everything
BLURB
Evaline's brother is missing. She's desperate to find out what happened to him. As she digs deeper into his disappearance, the mystery reveals an ancient family secret carried through the bloodline that began centuries ago in the Scottish Highlands. As this secret from the old world closes in on Evaline, she tries to sort through her disconcerting feelings towards the mysterious Mason. He not only seems to always know when she is in danger, but he is insistent on protecting her, no matter the cost.
As the old world collides with the new, Evaline discovers she must choose to stand and fight or risk losing everything, and everyone, she holds dear.
Excerpt:
Over the next
couple days, I picked up applications from the couple of banks and other places
in town as well as in Shasta, the next town over. On Thursday, Kristy, Lizzy,
and I hung out and went for ice cream downtown. We hit a couple of stores as
Kristy wanted to get some clothes. I loathed clothes shopping. I peeked at the
racks while Kristy tried stuff on and Lizzy weighed in. She got a text. One of
the other servers had called off, and Mason needed her to come in.
“I have to get
to work. Sorry, Kristy,” Lizzy said.
“That’s fine,”
Kristy said. “Can we get some lunch there when we take you in?”
I shook my head
slightly at her scheming.
“Absolutely,”
Lizzy said, looking at me. “Let’s go.”
We piled into my
car and headed out onto Old River Road. It was a great day for a convertible
ride. The late summer sun beamed on us as we drove down the road. I had AC/DC
blaring, and as we rounded a curve, I heard a siren. Peering into my rearview
mirror, I eyed the red flashing police lights atop one of the town’s two SUV
police units.
Kristy glanced
back. “What the fuck? You weren’t speeding.”
I looked down. I
was just below the speed limit. After I pulled over, I got out my registration
and insurance. The cop approached my door, and what I saw caused a huge lump to
form in my throat.
Campbell had a
smug look on his face as he spoke. “License, registration, and proof of
insurance please.”
I handed them
over without making eye contact.
He examined my
license, which still had my Sacramento address on it. “A little way from
Sacramento, Miss Bennett, aren’t we?”
“Yeah, I guess I
am.”
“Where are you
headed right now?” His tone turned from mocking to icy.
“I need to get
her to work,” I said, indicating Lizzy.
He eyed Lizzy,
who appeared annoyed by his questions. “Oh, a Cowan sister. How fitting. Tell
your brother I got a nice cell waiting for him.” She didn’t say anything as his
attention moved back to me. “So, are you here on vacation?”
My blood boiled
as the dream I had with Jimmy came back to me. I glared at Campbell. “I’m
visiting family for a while.”
“So, what is the
address you’re staying at in town?”
“What does that
matter?” Kristy interrupted any response I was about to make. “What the f—?”
“Smart ass like
your brother,” he said, cutting her off. “He’s a great bunk mate for Jonas.”
Now speechless,
she sat there.
After opening my
door, he indicated for me to move. “Please step out of the vehicle.”
Not wishing to
cause a scene, I complied and stood by my car.
He turned me
around. “Face your car, hands on the hood.”
Kristy found her
voice again. “Are you fucking kidding me? We weren’t doing anything!”
Campbell flashed
her a look. “Shut up and don’t move.” He then patted me down. “Do you have any
weapons or drug paraphernalia I need to be aware of?” He spun me back to him.
Looking at him
dead in the eye, I answered, “No.”
Holding my
elbow, he walked me toward his vehicle as he eyed Kristy and Lizzy, who were
clearly uncomfortable with what was happening. Despite my apprehension, I
followed him. He took me behind his patrol truck and returned my license.
“I suggest you
watch yourself, Miss Bennett. These back roads are dangerous, and if something
were to happen, it could be quite a while until you’d be found.” My stomach
churned as he leaned into me and whispered, “A woman like yourself, all alone,
might entice trouble.” He reached for my breast, and I reacted quickly.
Shoving the
bottom of my palm up into his lip, I knocked him back but didn’t wait to see
his reaction. I returned to my car, got in, then took off. I was sure he was
going to follow, but he didn’t.
Kristy turned to
me. “We need to report him, Evaline. That was wrong in so many ways.”
Shaking my head,
I said, “It will make things worse, trust me. Just forget it, okay?”
She gave Lizzy a
concerned look, who then asked, “Why did he take you back there?”
I didn’t say
anything as we drove into the parking lot, parked, then got out.
Kristy was still
fired up. “This is such bullshit. He made a move on you, didn’t he?”
“Just drop it,
Kristy, okay? It’s over. I wanna forget it.”
The dust kicked
up in the parking lot as we made our way through the front doors. A few patrons
were seated at the bar, and several booths and tables were occupied. We headed
to an open booth as Lizzy returned to the back.
While still a
bit shaken from the encounter, I pondered what had just happened. A knot was in
the pit of my stomach as thoughts raced through my mind.
Does he know I
know what he is? Will he try to hurt what family I have left? Will he hurt me
to find out what I know? I thought of my dream again—Jimmy had warned me. Or
will he kill me?
Nothing captures the attention of M.L. Mastran more than writing a good story with amazing characters and a history arc that made the history books. This is Albion Moon in every sense.
On the flip side, M.L. can also journey to another world completely and pull the same elements with fantasy and make the reader yearn for more. Her uncanny ability to blend genres makes her unique to the literary world and an absolute reading joy. From the first moment you open the page, curiosity will pull you in and keep you engrossed in the story as you take the voyage with the characters to different places and times; to experience the events as they unfold.
Whether being told from a one character perspective or several points of view, her stories will unfold in your mind like a movie playing in your head. This is what pushes M.L to write her stories. It’s the thrill of the read and the drive to carry readers away that will make this trip to the literary world of imagination all the sweeter.
The Book Junkie Reads Interview with author M.L. Mastran of Albion Moon
How would you describe your style of writing to someone that has never read your work?
Well I do not consider myself part of one over the other. Albion Moon is written in more of a Descriptive Style where the story is told from my character’s point of view; mostly my protagonist. I feel this is important with this particular type of story so my readers can experience the story and events as the characters are experiencing them. I currently have another project I’m working on which is a High Fantasy. This is being written in the Narrative Style. I felt for that particular story, telling it but still using as much description as possible was a better way to have the reader see the adventure, creatures and battles. Plus with this style, I can reveal things that the characters don’t know but the readers do, much easier than in the Descriptive Style.
What mindset or routine do you feel the need to set when preparing to write (in general whether you are working on a project or just free writing)?
No particular mindset. Most often, I have the story in my head and it runs like a movie. I have an idea what I want to happen but the characters actually take me to how it happens and when it occurs. So putting it down is another matter. There are many times, I sit down at the computer to type and I have to walk away. I may need to ponder a scene more or what the character does next. Other times if I’m sitting somewhere and a thought comes up or I think of another story, I write it down or make a note on my phone. Much like my characters, I’m “fly by the seat of my pants” when writing ☺
Do you take your character prep to heart? Do you nurture the growth of each character all the way through to the page? Do you people watch to help with development? Or do you build upon your character during story creation?
A little bit of both. For instance, Evaline, my protagonist in Albion Moon. I knew what I wanted her to look like and be like but once I started writing and telling her story, she became far more than what I expected. No one helps me per say in developing the characters but sometimes I use little personality oddities that I see people have and I may incorporate them into a character. For instance. Aaron, one of the McCowan brothers in Albion Moon has an absolute obsession with the 90’s music. It has nothing to do with the plot or story line but it’s a quirk that his family has to deal with. Although this is encountered humorously, it still speaks to the fact that each character possesses these little idiosyncrasies that make them who they are, just as real people are.
Have you found yourself bonding with any particular character? If so which one(s)?
Well definitely Evaline because I have spent so much time with her. I had to get into her head many times to pull out her fears, loves, habits, dreams, etc. The other character I feel close to is Isaac, the eldest brother of the McCowan family. He is also the leader. Isaac has the weight of the world on his shoulders and has to deal with it without breaking. The rest of the family turns to him when they aren’t sure what to do or where to go. I relate to this completely in being the nucleus of my own family. Like Isaac, I’m the one they turn to when they don’t understand. I’m the one who has to fix it when it’s wrong. I’m the one who has to do it all without breaking. It’s a very demanding but necessary role to be in.
Do you have a character that you have been working on that you can't wait to put to paper?
Yes, Viktor. He is in Albion Moon book one a little and will be in much more in later books. I have been playing with Viktor’s character for a while now and I’m having fun to where he will take the readers. I can’t wait for him to come back.
Have you ever felt that there was something inside of you that you couldn't control? If so what? If no what spurs you to reach for the unexperienced?
There are times I feel like I’m crawling the walls and want to jump out of my skin. This usually happens in the winter when there is no snow and it’s just too cold to go outside. But as soon as there’s snow, I’m out, on my snowmobile and I ride! It’s a great way to get my “inner wolf” out. ☺
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