#CharacterInterview #PreOrder – “Ariana” by Eileen Troemel

The heroine from Eileen Troemel’s latest sci/fi romance is visiting for a one-on-one chat with yours truly. Let’s get started…

What’s your name?

Hi! I’m Ariana. You say it like R E Ahnah

Ariana is one of my favorite names. It’s sooo pretty. What do you look like? 

I’m average mostly. I have white and turquoise hair with purple markings around my eyes. I have pointed ears which stick out of my hair and are accented when I put my hair up. Legend says we’re all part dragon. Many don’t believe it but… don’t tell, I know I am. 

You sound lovely! What time period does your story take place?  

I’m from another planet.  Hope that doesn’t scare you humans. Ooops. Maybe I should have started with that. We don’t keep time like you do. 

No scaredy cats here. 🙂 What’s your goal in this story?  

My goal is to figure out what’s going on with the dragons… Air dragons specifically. Water and Fire dragons have been exposed… I’ve spoken with Marelo and Solana. They are the ones who help those types of dragons. The dragons are warning of problems – like big problems. But they either don’t know what or they aren’t willing to tell us what. They’re very old and very wise. I trust them completely but it’s a puzzle and we have to figure it out before it’s too late. 

Interesting! What’s the most terrible thing that ever happened to you? 

My mate left me. He left me a note saying he couldn’t be with me. He’s been gone for ten years. My mother told me to move on but I know he’s my one and only. In ten years I’ve tried to be with others… Sorry, I swore I wasn’t going to cry about Winnod any more but it’s been a hard ten years. Most of the time, I can handle the grief and loneliness but when I talk about when he left.. it gets to me. 

The only thing keeping me balanced is being with the dragons. They teach me the old ways and help me tune in to our world. It’s incredible to be so close to them. 

That’s horrible! I’m so sorry. What conflicts are you currently facing?

My boss just told me that someone was given a permit to climb our mountains. Well the mountains behind my cottage. Me and my neighbor – she’s the mother of my mate – have cottages which are in front of the huge valley with high mountains. The valley is a maze and changes. You can get lost in there even if you know the area. What the general public doesn’t know is these peaks are sacred to the air dragons and they don’t want anyone on them. People used to try all the time but stopped after so many fell to their death or… well some of them came out alive but they spoke of voices and visions. People thought they were crazy. If permits are being given again, I’m concerned how the air dragons will take it. Also, I just learned my mate is returning. He’s taking someone climbing. I don’t understand. 

Maybe you could finally get some answers from your mate, now that he’s coming home. What did you think the first time you saw Winnod?

We grew up next door to each other. I knew from a young age… I don’t remember a time I didn’t know he was my mate. We did everything together. He does climbing now. He leads others up into the mountains. He was always a great climber. Now, he takes pictures. I bought a couple. It was foolish but I had to have them. I’ve been spending a lot of time with his mother but with him returning, I’ll stay away or I’ll try to.  

I love it when childhood friendship blossoms into something more. What is your family like?

My father and I talk regularly. My mother is angry I bought the cottage from them. She wanted all of us to move away but I couldn’t. I need to hear them… the dragons. I’ve heard them my whole life. I don’t want to lose them. I couldn’t survive losing them and not having my mate. My siblings are off with their careers. I’m not particularly close with them. 

Why do you think your author chose to write about you?

I think the dragons picked her. Why else would she write all of our stories? I think the dragons wanted her to talk about our world and how we’re part dragon. She’s super respectful of private things. It’s about the dragons and how we fit with them as well as figuring out what the issue is. We need to solve that mystery so we can keep all of us safe. 

Agreed. Authors gotta write what the characters tell them, or they drive us authors crazy. What other character from your book do you think your author should write a book about? Care to tell us why?

Bryony – oh but she’s not in my story. She’s the next story. It’s a doozy!

Awesome! Thank you for visiting me. I hope everything works out with you and Winnod.

Blurb:

Winnod abandoned Ariana ten years ago.

Ariana’s fated mate denied her. She mourned his loss but she didn’t pursue him. She refused to chase a male who didn’t want her. She found her inner peace but her loneliness echoes from her to air dragons. They tell her to call him in the old way. If he’s a true mate, he’ll return. If he’s not, she should move on.

When Winnod returns, will his revelations tear them apart or heal the wounds?

Excerpt

Standing back from the windows, Ariana watched Winnod walk from the other cottage towards the gate. She noted the other man but couldn’t take her eyes from Winnod. 

“I’ll be strong,” she muttered. 

“Why?” 

Ariana recognized Whispa’s voice in her mind. “He left. It’s his choice. He came back to climb only, I’m sure.”

“Young ones always complicate things.”

“I don’t want to push were I’m not wanted,” Arianna closed her eyes as the men disappeared into the valley. 

“Maybe, he needs to be reminded of your connection.”

Ariana saw her symbols on her skin shift color. “I don’t know. All the stars in the heavens I want to hold back and not be hurt again but I want him in my arms.”

“Follow your heart. Pride is useless.” 

Ariana nodded. “I’ll go talk to Lala.”“She has the answers.” Whispa left her mind with a gentle prod.

PRE ORDER/BUY LINK

https://bit.ly/ArianaDragonDescendants

Eileen Troemel Bio:

USA Today Bestseller Author Eileen Troemel writes action packed and emotionally powerful fantasy, scifi, romance. She’ll try almost any genre if it means she can tell a good story. In addition to her writing, she loves to read, crochet, and research genealogy. Her best days are spent with her family of three adult daughters and her husband or writing.

LINKS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

https://linktr.ee/eileentroemel