When I immerse myself creating my
latest novel, the characters I come up with take on a life of their own. It
begins when I outline the intricate details of their lives and their past that
creates who they are. I dive deep into developing personality traits that sometimes end
up five or six pages long! I’m sorry to say that most of it doesn’t end up in
the story but knowing how they’d react to certain situations has saved me from
getting stuck more than once.
In the final installment of the Ancient
Alien Descendants series, the main hero and heroine not only have the normal
aspects of growing up, but they’ve had to deal with having supernatural powers
as well. As the story progressed, my main goal was how do I make people
who were once perceived as gods become more… um… human? Then I asked myself, if
I had unlimited power over others, how would I handle it? What would stop me
from succumbing to temptation and turn into a power-hungry egomaniac?
Here’s another thought: If I lived
on Earth for the last seven thousand years, how would I handle the rolling
centuries watching all the changes mankind has faced? Wouldn’t you love to ask
someone like that what they’ve seen? Get an insight into what humanity has done
and forgotten over the millennia? Is any generation better than the last?
With these questions in mind, I
decided it was the perfect time to interview the major hero in the last
installment of this series, Alien Legacy: The Mage.
Meet Raiden. He is an alien-human
hybrid born in South Africa around seven thousand years ago who is introduced
to us in, Alien Legacy: The Empath. As the firstborn in a brotherhood of
quintuplets, he inherits not only the privilege of leading his family through
treacherous times but assumes the burden of doing it alone. While his younger
siblings all have some type of majestic psychic powers, they only have to deal with a
specific talent.
Not Raiden. He not only carries the
paranormal power they do, but his is at higher level than theirs. Because of his
unlimited ability, he’s terrified one day he’ll lose control and end up hurting
someone. Or worse yet, create major destruction on a global scale.
I couldn’t wait to sit down with
Raiden and get some insights from him that weren’t included in the novel. He agreed
to meet me at a private tearoom that played soft instrumental music in the
background with the enticing scent of incense floating in the air. The relaxing
atmosphere along with the herbal tea made it easy for him to discuss his
personal life.
Q: “Raiden, I
appreciate you taking the time to talk to me. If you don’t mind, I thought we’d
get some basics out of the way first. I understand you were born around 7000
years ago. Where was that and is Raiden your only name? Do you have a last
name?”
Raiden: “When my parents escaped the Great Flood, they landed their spaceship on Mt. Kilimanjaro, where my brothers and I were born. It wasn’t until much later we moved the ship to the Himalayas, where it currently resides.
For now, I use the name Raiden. Throughout
the centuries I’ve used several names and currently don’t use a surname.
However, the name I was born with is Shahadaku, which means ‘supreme strong
bright weapon’” (he pronounced it shaa-haa-daa-koo).
Q: “What would you say
are your good habits and what do you struggle with daily?”
Raiden: (He sits back
in the paisley armchair and takes a sip of his steaming tea before he answers).
“If I was to be honest, what comes naturally to me is also my major struggle. I
have a tendency to think things through and not allow myself to react
thoughtlessly. I plan not only what’s needed, but I do my best to come up with several
contingency plans.” (He puts the teacup on the round tabletop with his unusual
eyes downcast.) “I find it hard to interact with others and prefer to be
alone.” (He gives a slight smile and looks up. His eyes are larger than a
normal human, somewhat like an anime character. The internal oval shape makes
his irises and pupils wider. The double color of outer turquoise with an inner
starburst of gold around the iridescent dark pupil is mesmerizing.) “While it’s
second nature to me to block others’ emotions and thoughts, it’s still can be
quite tiring to be on guard all the time. I admit I have a tendency to avoid
people.”
Q: “That has to make you tense all the time. How do you deal with that?”
Raiden: “Around the 5th century I accidently met a young prince by the name of Siddhartha Gautama.
He’d renounced his position and wealth to seek enlightenment as a spiritual ascetic. During my time with him, I learned the art of meditation to ground myself.”
Q: “Oh my God! Do you mean you met the Buddha?”
Raiden: “Yes.” (He
shudders.) “Before I met him, I’d lost a part of myself that kept me human. I’d
become arrogant and unfeeling when dealing with others. I can’t imagine how I
would have survived without his guidance.” (His gaze became dull and unfocused.)
Q: “Raiden, has
meeting Jazmi helped you as well?
Raiden: (He startles
and focuses on me. A dazzling smile lights up his handsome face as he spreads
his hands wide.) “What can I say? Jazmi completes me. I no longer fear I’ll
lose control or who I am when we’re together.”
Q: “One last
question. What would you say has been the one constant thing that humanity has
carried throughout your lifetime?”
Raiden: (His head
tilts as he looks in the distance before answering.) “I believe it’s two
things. First, I hate to say this, but it’s war. The never-ending pursuit of wealth
and power amazes me. I have no idea why certain people crave this no matter the
cost.” (His focus is back on me.) “But the best trait humanity has is we’ve never
lost the capacity for unconditional love. I promise you, that quality alone is
what will ultimately save us all.”
