To celebrate the release of Nightly Bites Volume 2, I present you 5 characters interviews!

Character Name: I am the Aswang, and nobody ever gave me a proper name. Heck, even the dog has a name! But not me.

Which book/world/story do you live in?
The short story “The Aswang Who Ate Stardust” is about me. Well, kind of. It’s also about the people I’m not allowed to eat anymore.

Tell us about yourself:
I was born long before the white men came to the Philippines, and I used to eat little humans still in their mother’s womb. That’s what all Aswang do – but we are solitary creatures, and we can shift our shape. Which is why nobody ever gave me a proper name, I think. Anyway, I had made a human friend long ago. He was the only one who could see me for who I was, and we talked and talked and talked, and then he taught me how to meditate. And then he taught me how to eat energy from elsewhere, not just people and animals. Then he died, because that’s what humans do. I was good though, I didn’t harvest his energy, not even a tiny bit. He was a friend, the only friend I ever had. Which is why I still glean stardust – I mean life force – from other things. Sometimes it’s hard, but I’m sticking with the program. If I start eating people again, I’ll never make a friend again and that’s a sad fact of my life.

What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
Well – I can shape-change, which is pretty useful, and I can suck stardust out of just about anything, so I’ll never really starve. My weaknesses? Computers. Man, those things are hard to figure out.

Name three important people/creatures/institutions in your world (such as lovers, pets, government institutions, leaders, gods etc).
The dog of my human almost-friends, Jeek. He can see me, just like the monk used to see me. This, however, doesn’t make him a friend. He keeps barking at me no matter what I turn into. I like the man who smells like home, Raf. He’s cute, and his energy would taste super-succulent. So far I’ve feasted only on the stardust of his culinary creations, though. And his friend, Adam. He’s scary, but I like him because I know he’d protect Jeek and Raf from me. His stardust is strong and abrasive, like a desert storm. I hope the will see me one day, and talk to me. I hope he gives me a name. He gave a name to a dog – and am I less important than a dog?

Are you involved in a romance? If so with who and what is it about them that you find appealing?
Romance is for humans. I love them, though. I love their warmth and the stardust they give off when they create beautiful things.

What is the one thing you want the most in the whole world?
I want to be their friend so bad it hurts – and I really want them to give me a name. A real name.

Give us your favorite piece of advice:

Never shape-shift into a coffee mug, because coffee’s hot.

***

Character Name: Jesslynn Cotterill

Which book/world/story do you live in?
You can find me in my own story in this anthology, as well as in the novel Shades of Gray.

Tell us about yourself: 
I have no idea what you want to know. I’m married to Oren, and am the mother of two children, Alexander and Tristan. My story takes place before the War Between the States in Virginia.

What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses? 
I may not be beautiful, but I’m clever. I believe that brains will triumph over beauty always.

Name three important people/creatures/institutions in your world (such as lovers, pets, government institutions, leaders, gods etc).
My husband Oren is important, of course. I mentioned my children. Though I have birthed many, only Alexander has grown out of babyhood, and now Tristan, not even a year old, is showing signs of the same malady that took the others. It is because of this that I should mention our neighbor, Jorick. An odd man, he is rarely home, and when he is he never walks in sunlight, only under dark skies. Neither does he seem to age or sicken. It is a secret I desperately need to discover if I want to save my sick child.

Are you involved in a romance? If so with who and what is it about them that you find appealing?
I love my husband, of course, but I would not go so far as to call marriage a romance. An important institution, yes. As for why he is appealing, he is a good provider, he is honest, forthright, and is able to take guidance from a firm handed woman. So many men have a problem with this, leaving many a wife in unhappy circumstances.

What is the one thing you want the most in the whole world?
To save my children. I cannot bear to lose another.

Give us your favorite piece of advice:
Beauty fades, leaving only your wit and resourcefulness. Cultivate those over the appearance of the flesh.

***

Character Name: Dennis

Which book/world/story do you live in?
Present day, Toronto.

Tell us about yourself:
I’m a brand new vampire, only been one for about 6 months. I don’t look like a typical vampire. I’ve got red hair and I was fair skinned before I became a vampire so no change there.

What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?<
Greatest strength: I’m good with numbers and I like to help people, which led me into the field of accounting before I became a vampire. Greatest weakness: my fear of blood.

Name three important people/creatures/institutions in your world (such as lovers, pets, government institutions, leaders, gods etc).
Giselle, my sire. Dr. Wilson, my therapist.

Are you involved in a romance? If so with who and what is it about them that you find appealing?
I’m with Giselle but since we’re vampires I don’t know how long that will last. She’s exotic and super strong for her size. I found her eyes captivating.

What is the one thing you want the most in the whole world?
To be a real, full-fledged vampire, so my sire Giselle doesn’t have to take care of me anymore. And to make her proud.

Give us your favorite piece of advice:
Be willing to confront your fears. Even if it ruins your favourite jacket.

***

Character Name: Wolfgang Feuerlieiben

Which book/world/story do you live in?
So Many Nights, So Many Sins

Tell us about yourself:
I am old. Truth be told I stopped counting long ago but the world into which I was born was very different from yours. I have seen empires rise and fall. I have seen wars fought – mostly for the same reasons – over and over. I have seen humanity at its best, but mostly its worse. I have killed more times than I can remember – guilty, innocent – they are all relative. I hunt other vampires – usually because they are careless, wanton or stupid. And because it gives me something to do. Mortals are not a challenge – well unless there are lots – but vampires tend to be a little harder to despatch. Ennui – that’s the problem. Immortality is boring, and one must find something to fill the void. Humans live – they are born, they raise a family, or get employment, they have more descendants and they die. A few leave a mark on the world, most do not. But they much achieve whatever it is they are destined to achieve in a short time – and they make the most of it. Vampires don’t have that luxury. We are the lords of procrastination.

What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?<
Strengths – Arrogance, stubbornness, experience. Weaknesses – Arrogance, stubbornness, experience.

Name three important people/creatures/institutions in your world (such as lovers, pets, government institutions, leaders, gods etc).
I can’t – they change so often.

Are you involved in a romance? If so with who and what is it about them that you find appealing? What is the one thing you want the most in the whole world?
I meet someone in the course of the story. Other lovers – the priest who gave me the curse – who disappeared and I’m seeking. There have been others – but they are either long dead or long gone.

What is the one thing you want the most in the whole world?
To die well.

Give us your favourite piece of advice:
He who fights with monsters should be careful, lest he thereby become a monster. And if thou gazes long into an abyss, the abyss will also gaze into thee.

***

Character Name: Alain

Which book/world/story do you live in?
The Raven.

Tell us about yourself:
My father was British, my mother is French. We moved to London when he passed away. We live with my aunt, uncle and cousins, but luckily I have my own room in the attic. I’m twenty-two and will be such forever. I was turned in 1997.

What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?>
I’m a hacker. Wikipedia says: “In computing, a hacker is any skilled computer expert that uses their technical knowledge to overcome a problem. While “hacker” can refer to any skilled computer programmer, the term has become associated in popular culture with a “security hacker”, someone who, with their technical knowledge, uses bugs or exploits to break into computer systems.” Well, I’m of the first kind. As for weaknesses… they say I have Asperger Syndrome. I don’t care.

Name three important people/creatures/institutions in your world (such as lovers, pets, government institutions, leaders, gods etc).
Besides my mother, I can’t think of anyone. My cousins are nice, but I’m not that attached to them. That’s probably why when a raven enters my life and reveals itself to be a vampire, I’m ready to follow him and become immortal.

Are you involved in a romance? If so with who and what is it about them that you find appealing?
I’m a socially awkward. I don’t care. Bran says it’s a good quality to be immortal – not being attached to anyone.

What is the one thing you want the most in the whole world?
I want to interact with computers, not people.

Give us your favorite piece of advice:
It takes stamina to watch the centuries go by.

Nightly Bites Volume 2 available as ebook and paperback

Grab it today!