Okay so first thing is first. Bloodlines is the second book in the Albion Moon Chronicles and follows Evaline and company on a continuing journey. For those of you who haven’t read book one, I'll try not to give away too much but here it is. Book one was a lot of world-building and setting the stage for what the series would bring for Evaline. It’s told from her point of view and how she deals with what comes at her.
She deals with death, love, loss, and fear and is able to stand up to it all. Bloodlines is much more boots on the ground so to speak. It’s a book about confrontation and revelation. There are some heart-pounding moments; there is heartbreak and there is light at the end of a long tunnel for Evaline but not without a fight.
So, one exciting thing in this book is Mason’s backstory. I had several fans of the first book ask about the Cowan’s backstory as I only hinted at it in conversations with Mason and Evaline. I wanted readers to get interested but I also wanted them to see what happened through Evaline’s eyes. I simply couldn’t do that in book one because she was human for most of the book. In book two however, although she is still adjusting to her new life and family with Mason, Evaline has gotten a few perks with her new life. One of which is to be able to tie into the memories of the rest of the family. So, its Evaline who shows us what happened and how the Cowan’s came to be. So, there are several instances of time jumping within the first few chapters. When Evaline shows us what happened, it’s important that readers are able to experience that but in the safety of wherever they are reading…and yes, I said safety. Just a tip, don’t read it in the middle of the woods, alone…(wink, wink :).
The Cowan’s story is heartbreaking to say the least and we also see the resilience they are capable of, just as Evaline does. We also come to understand why they see things a certain way, such as why none of them will date or how God is seen. Just a quick point on that. Personally, I am a very spiritual person, not to be confused with religious. The Cowan’s see themselves as cursed, which there is a reason for that as you will see in Bloodlines. I put myself in Evaline’s head, and how she would question that. Evaline was raised Catholic so it was an interesting point that the question of ‘are we good or evil’ was even raised in the family at all. I’ll leave you to read that for yourselves.
Okay so onto the fun stuff! In honor of my enjoyment of watching football and the Cowan’s love for backyard, ‘full contact’, I might add, football with werewolves, I have come up with a supernatural fantasy football team!! I will use different characters from books, TV and movies and why😊 Let’s begin!!
Okay so onto the fun stuff! In honor of my enjoyment of watching football and the Cowan’s love for backyard, ‘full contact’, I might add, football with werewolves, I have come up with a supernatural fantasy football team!! I will use different characters from books, TV and movies and why😊 Let’s begin!!
Introducing my starting Line-up!!
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| Photo by Dave Adamson on Unsplash |
Running back: Legolas Green leaf (3000 years?): hails from the woodland realm in Middle Earth. Very fast and has the tendency to run with his bow and arrow. So, orcs in the audience please be careful! (from Lord of the Rings)
Running back: Edward Cullen (102 years): originally from Chicago where he was turned, Edward and his family now drift ever so many years to stay away from society. Edward is renowned for being extremely fast so his skills on the football field are quite a sight. (from Twilight)
Wide Receiver: Hermes (over several millennia): known as the God of trade, wealth, luck, fertility, animal husbandry, sleep, language, thieves, and of course travel. He hails on Mount Olympus and is known for running and flying at excessive speeds. His skills are unmatched on the field. (from Greek Mythology/Percy Jackson)
Wide Receiver: Selene (over 2000 years old): was a death dealer for the powerful vampire coven in Hungary and is absolutely lethal. Selene is known for her speed and skills with guns and knives. Extremely fast but has a tendency to argue with Isaac A LOT. (from underworld movie series)
Tight End: Conan the Barbarian (age unknown): Known for his brute strength, Conan is a master with the sword but has been known to take out bad guys with his hands. (from Robert E. Howard book series)
Kicker: Clark Kent, aka Superman (age unknown): occasionally known as the defender of Earth, Clark’s abilities are also pretty impressive. He is known to have once kicked a football so hard it never came down. (from DC comics)
Flex: Buffy Summers (19 years): Don’t let her size or age fool you. Buffy is known to have taken out more than 300 vampires in just a few years. Slayers are known for being very resilient and hard to kill. They are quick on their feet and heal fast when wounded. She doesn’t get along with Selene too well but they do alright as long as they are apart. (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer show series)
Bench
Peter Parker, aka Spiderman (18 years): Known for his speed both on land and in between buildings, Peter hails from Queens in New York. (from Marvel comics)
AJ Cowan (236 years): Also known for his strength, AJ is Isaac’s younger brother. He doesn’t say much but can pack a punch when he needs to. He is known to have gone after Selene when she tried to kill Isaac by accident at a locker room meeting. (from Albion Moon series)
Paige Matthews, aka Halliwell (23 years): Is our lone witch on the team and is known for being an integral strategist for the team. Her white-lighter abilities come in handy on the field, but she has been fined several times for calling the ball to her when she is already in the endzone. (from Original Charmed show series)
Athena (over several Millenia): Known as the Goddess associated with wisdom, handicraft, and warfare. She is regarded specifically for her strategic skill in warfare so along with Paige, the team’s on field strategy is unmatched. (from Greek Mythology/Percy Jackson)
Bruce Banner, aka The Hulk (age unknown): Is known for his strength and speed when in Hulk form. Is known to ‘take out’ several players at once and tends to serve as the team’s secret weapon. He does have a temper and has been fined several times for throwing the ref’s across the field when a call doesn’t go his way. Peter is usually the one to calm him down. (from Marvel comics)
Blade (30+years): is our half-breed. Half-vampire and half-human, Blade inherited strengths from both species. Although he sees his human half as a handicap, he also views himself as a human protector. He doesn’t have the best attitude and often gets into arguments with Buffy on the best way to dispatch vampires. He really doesn’t like Selene or Edward. (from Marvel comics and film series)
Jimmy Bennet: is related to Isaac and AJ through Evaline, their sister in law. He is Evaline’s dead brother, so he is our only dead player but still does quite well on the field. Before his untimely death, Jimmy was captain of his high school and college football teams, so he knows the game quite well. His ability to appear and disappear at will makes him a great addition to the roster. (from Albion Moon)
by M.L.Mastran
March 13, 2020
Genre: Paranormal Thriller
ISBN: 978-1-0878-5801-2
ISBN: 978-1-0878-6379-5
Number of pages: 200
Word Count: 70, 528
Cover Artist: Michelle Nelson, Graphic & Interactive Design
The Fight was only the beginning, now its war!
Evaline and Mason expand their family as an old threat hides in the shadows. As we dive deeper into the backstory of the MaCowans, we see how it’s all connected to Evaline’s story.
When the old danger finally resurfaces, it forces Evaline and company to new shores. Armed with a plan, they soon find out it’s not as simple as they thought. New revelations about family secrets emerge only to send Evaline into a tailspin.
As they finally confront the danger, the family must contend with the prospect that they may not survive unless an unknown ally steps in. Meanwhile, just as the old threat is dealt with, a new, more menacing danger sets its sights on Dunsmuir.
Excerpt:
She got her keys out of her jacket pocket then exited the home onto the porch. Before going down the steps, she stopped. A shiver coursed through her body; the same feeling as when one was being watched. She peered down the street and saw nothing amiss. Same thing for across and the other side.
Her gut swirled, telling her to turn around. The tree across the street looked different, but she couldn’t quite figure out why. Its leaves and branches stirred in an unnatural way, seeming to dance on their own against the breeze. Every hair on her body stood up at once. The deep silence bothered her—no crickets chirped, nor owls hooted, and there was no sway of the trees or tall grass; the night was calm. She decided to get the book then go inside. After unlocking the car with her key fob, she opened the car door, stretching her arm over and into the back seat.
“Where are you?” she mumbled.
She didn’t see it moving all around, whatever it was. Given the surrounding movement, undoubtedly it wasn’t just one. The tree trunks seemed to come alive as the tall grass across the street shifted. Silent like shadows, they moved, staying just enough out of sight. Kristy found the book underneath the front seat.
She got out of the car then scanned nearby her. Nothing. Kristy hurriedly closed the car door and turned toward the porch. She peeked over her shoulder. An involuntary gasp escaped her. Shadows darted toward her. She got to the steps and froze. Her eyes widened, and her heart pounded in her chest. The pit of her stomach churned. Not shadows, animals. She could now hear the low growls from the animals around her. But what were they?
She blinked and, just like that, a man stood in front of her. He wasn’t wearing any clothes and had a gleam shimmering in his eyes.
She wanted to scream, but the man caught her attention.
“Uh uh uh,” he said as he put his finger to his lips and then in one breathe, he whispered, “Shhhhhhh.”
His fingernail was long and black with a slight curve at the tip. The man grinned, with glowing eyes and wild should-length hair, but he had a trimmed beard. A voice inside her head was screaming to run as she frantically looked for an escape. Her adrenaline pumped as she saw a chance to get away and tried to take it but before she could do anything, something grabbed her from behind and clenched her tight, it was difficult to breathe. The man neared and stopped, only inches away.
In a harsh, low tone, he said, “If you struggle, it will take less than a second for him to squeeze the life out of you. Don’t.”
Her gut swirled, telling her to turn around. The tree across the street looked different, but she couldn’t quite figure out why. Its leaves and branches stirred in an unnatural way, seeming to dance on their own against the breeze. Every hair on her body stood up at once. The deep silence bothered her—no crickets chirped, nor owls hooted, and there was no sway of the trees or tall grass; the night was calm. She decided to get the book then go inside. After unlocking the car with her key fob, she opened the car door, stretching her arm over and into the back seat.
“Where are you?” she mumbled.
She didn’t see it moving all around, whatever it was. Given the surrounding movement, undoubtedly it wasn’t just one. The tree trunks seemed to come alive as the tall grass across the street shifted. Silent like shadows, they moved, staying just enough out of sight. Kristy found the book underneath the front seat.
She got out of the car then scanned nearby her. Nothing. Kristy hurriedly closed the car door and turned toward the porch. She peeked over her shoulder. An involuntary gasp escaped her. Shadows darted toward her. She got to the steps and froze. Her eyes widened, and her heart pounded in her chest. The pit of her stomach churned. Not shadows, animals. She could now hear the low growls from the animals around her. But what were they?
She blinked and, just like that, a man stood in front of her. He wasn’t wearing any clothes and had a gleam shimmering in his eyes.
She wanted to scream, but the man caught her attention.
“Uh uh uh,” he said as he put his finger to his lips and then in one breathe, he whispered, “Shhhhhhh.”
His fingernail was long and black with a slight curve at the tip. The man grinned, with glowing eyes and wild should-length hair, but he had a trimmed beard. A voice inside her head was screaming to run as she frantically looked for an escape. Her adrenaline pumped as she saw a chance to get away and tried to take it but before she could do anything, something grabbed her from behind and clenched her tight, it was difficult to breathe. The man neared and stopped, only inches away.
In a harsh, low tone, he said, “If you struggle, it will take less than a second for him to squeeze the life out of you. Don’t.”
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 the Albion Moon Chronicles 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.
M. L. was born in Scranton Pennsylvania but was raised in Youngstown, Ohio, which is also where she currently resides with her husband and son. Since a young age, she has always had a passion for storytelling. Anything that was of interest to her she could find a story with however, it was her stories of experiences such as walking in an old cemetery, to riding a roller coaster to walking the lonely isles of an old junk yard that seemed the most precious.
M. L. has an undergraduate degree in Communication but also majored in History, which is what her Master’s Degree is in as well. She also started on her PHD in History. This love of history is very evident in most of M. L.’s stories. While studying for both degrees, she wrote numerous works for the academic audience. Many of which were presented and published for both student and professional audiences, but at home she would continue to dabble with her love of fiction. It was the challenge of creating a new world and characters that would make for some great stories. In fact, she found out very quickly, strong characters drive the story and make it worth the journey.
Tour Giveaway
1 Signed Copy of Bloodlines
