Character Interview with Sai from Chaste, the latest release by Jesse Teller

 

Inside the Book:

Title: Chaste Author: Jesse Teller

Release Date: October 5, 2016

Publisher: Amazon Digital

Genre: Dark Fantasy/Horror

Format: Ebook/Paperback

  When her devout parents died, Cheryl turned her back on her god. Years of denial and self-loathing have defeated her. Her life consists of taking orders and succumbing to abuse. A group of strangers stops in Chaste for the night, but an unnamed threat is preying on the town. Tragic deaths have become more and more frequent. Cheryl wants to protect these travelers, expose the evil force, and save her fellow citizens, but she must find a way to believe in hope.

 

Thank you so for this interview, Sai. Now that the book has been written, do you feel you were fairly portrayed or would you like to set anything straight with your readers?

I’m not proud of this. I learned things about myself during this book, learned that I’m not what or who I thought I was, learned that there is a darkness within me that can be exploited. I once thought I was above manipulation, that I was too strong-minded, too strong-willed, too focused and direct and decisive to ever be turned into somebody’s toy. By the end of this book, I had learned otherwise. I’m not proud of it. To read this book is to look at a hole that runs right through me. I did a lot of great things in this book, and you could call me a hero, but I don’t feel like one.

What do you believe is your strongest trait?

Love is my strongest trait. It’s directed my footsteps for countless years. It has given me focus, a rock to stand on, and hope. My ability to love one person has defined me and defined my life. I am nothing without it. I know that now.

Worst trait?

At times I’m too casual, too carefree. I see things moving around me and, because of the great things I’ve done in the past, and the fact that I cannot be beaten at what I do, I’ve gotten flippant and nonchalant about important things. Things that should outrage me, I deal with. Instead of seeing them for the storm they are, they hit me like a light breeze. It’s not fair to the tragedy around me that I am so distant and unaffected by the horrors of what I’ve seen. Because of who I am and what I can do, I walk through life untouched, because it is all so easy for me. At times, I think that makes me a monster.

Do you have a love interest in the book?

She’s everything. Years ago, how many, I’ve lost count, I dreamt of her. I fell asleep and woke up on a bed in the middle of a vast void with the most lovely woman I’d ever seen lying next to me. She curled up at the head of the bed, me at the foot, and we stared at each other, alarmed. It was all so real. We sat there, looking at each other, afraid to talk, afraid to move. The next night, when the dream came again, I introduced myself. Soon, I was dreaming of her every night. It didn’t take long for us to fall in love. Whenever she tried to tell me where she was, or where she was from, or what she was doing, the words blurred, became nonsensical. I finally realized all I could do was step out into the world and seek her. One day, she will be in my arms in more than a dream. But today is not that day.

At what point of the book did you start getting nervous about the way it was going to turn out?

When Ambul vanished. He’s always been a wanderer. He would walk away and be gone for a day or two. He always caught up with me, usually with a story to tell. But this time it was different. This time, it felt less like wandering away and more like vanishing, like a wisp of smoke, or a fair scent on the breeze. He was just gone. And I was less without him. It was then that I realized this town was not something I would walk away from and forget, like so many other towns on the road I’ve walked. This town would leave its mark on me.

If you could trade places with one of the other characters in the book, which character would you really not want to be and why?

Oh, Sob. Sob’s haunted. We all know she’s insane. Something was taken from her. She lost something of her sanity, something of herself. My fear is, she will never get it back. She was tragic going into this book, a powerful figure, fragile as a rose, deadly as a blade. But she was something else after, something I think there is no name for. I fear what she’s become will consume her, because there’s no coming back from the look in her eyes and the set of her jaw. She’s stepped out on a road of blood, one that I would never want to walk.

How do you feel about the ending of the book without giving too much away?

I wanted this book to be a waystation on the side of the road. I wanted this book to be like the countless other tales I’ve been a part of. I never wanted this book to haunt me. I never wanted to feel as though I had lost something in the telling of the story. After the things I saw and the things I did in this book, I can smile, and I can laugh, but behind it all is a sadness. Behind it all is a haunted man. If I had it to do over again, I would have found another road, rode another day, slept in the rain one more night, and never gone to that town. I think all of us would agree on that, if we were together to agree on anything ever again.

What words of wisdom would you give your author if he decided to write another book with you in it?

Forgive yourself.

Thank you for this interview. Will we be seeing more of you in the future?

Yes. My journey has not ended. My need is unfulfilled. I am not home yet.

Meet the Author:

Jesse Teller fell in love with fantasy when he was five years old and played his first game of Dungeons & Dragons. The game gave him the ability to create stories and characters from a young age. He started consuming fantasy in every form and, by nine, was obsessed with the genre. As a young adult, he knew he wanted to make his life about fantasy. From exploring the relationship between man and woman, to studying the qualities of a leader or a tyrant, Jesse Teller uses his stories and settings to study real-world themes and issues.

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Tour Schedule

Monday, October 10 -Book featured at The Review From Here

Tuesday, October 11 -Guest blogging at Literal Exposure

Thursday, October 13 - Book featured at As the Pages Turns

Friday, October 14 - Guest blogging at Lover of Literature

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Monday, October 17 - Book featured at CBY Book Club

Tuesday, October 18 - Guest blogging at A Title Wave

Thursday, October 20 -Interviewed at Voodoo Princess

Friday, October 21 - Guest blogging at From Paperback to Leatherbound

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Monday, October 24 - Book featured at The Writer's Life

Tuesday, October 25 - Book featured at All Inclusive Retort

Wednesday, October 26 - Guest blogging at Straight From the Author's Mouth

Thursday, October 27 - Book featured The Bookworm Lodge

Friday, October 28 - Guest blogging at The Dark Phantom

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Monday, October 31 - Book featured at Bound 2 Escape

Wednesday, November 2 - The Literary Nook

Thursday, November 3 - Book reviewed at A Room Without Books is Empty

Friday, November 4 - Book reviewed at I'm Shelf-ish

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