Charline Ratcliff, #AuthorInterview with Alesha Escobar, Co-Author of, ‘Masters of Time’ #MoTTour

Today, I’m happy to be hosting, Alesha Escobar, co-author of the newly released Masters of Time, A Sci-Fi and Fantasy Time Travel Anthology.

Welcome Alesha, and thanks for spending some time with me today.

As we begin our interview, why don’t you tell us about yourself? I know you currently reside in Los Angeles – have you lived there your entire life or was this a more recent transition?

I’m a native Angelino, and I love the weather here. There’s also a nice mix of cultures, and there’s a lot to do here. I’m a shy girl, but once I open up and make you my friend, we’ll be friends for life. I enjoy good stories, good food, and I love laughter–humorous movies, friends cracking jokes–I’m there for it!

What was your childhood like? When you weren’t in school, what of sort of things did you do for fun?

I grew up in a household where we had two choices: go outside and play until dinner time, or stay inside and read. This was before the time of XBOX, of course. My grandmother had an impressive collection of books, and I’d read fairytales and children’s classics for fun. I tried reading her huge, black hardback copy of Stephen King’s It, but once I saw the movie, I left the book alone. I was done!

That’s funny! (Well, maybe not). I read part of the way through that same book – and then I stopped reading Stephen King altogether. And, uh, I’m not a huge fan of clowns anymore either… *shudder*

So tell me, when did you actually start writing? I read that you “write to support your chocolate habit.” Does this mean you started writing as a child to help offset a humongous candy bill, or were you looking for a realistic way to be a chocoholic once you reached adulthood?

Well, ahem…I started writing at the age of seven. I wanted to be able to tell people stories like the ones I read and enjoyed, so I created my own and put them on paper. Now, as for the chocolate habit, I’ve always loved it, but my chocolate-loving ways really hit me when I was a teenager. So, what’s a girl to do, in order to buy all the chocolate she wants? Write stories, of course. *smile*

And I’m forced to ask, was Halloween your favorite holiday? If so, were you an ‘equal opportunity’ candy consumer or did you toss out the non-chocolate items and/or trade (up) with someone else? *chuckle*

You know me too well. My favorites were the tootsie rolls and candy bars. I think my mom actually hid most of our candy so we wouldn’t go crazy eating all that sugar. I do the same to my kids now, and so far they suspect nothing. The trick is to put it away bit-by-bit and make them think they’re the ones depleting their supply (evil laugh).

Just be certain you don’t let them read this little snippet, right?

Getting back to your writing, I noticed you write books in many different genres. Is there a specific reason you embrace so many genres in your literary works, or is it mainly because your reading interests are so diverse?

I used to teach English and Humanities, so I’m a lover of different genres of literature. My favorites, of course, are scifi and fantasy, but I also enjoy comics, poetry, and a good non-fiction book every now and then. I think this helps with my own writing, because the more I read, the more I learn, the more creative and skilled I become.

What’s your absolute favorite genre to write?

Fantasy. It has to be fantasy. The idea of being taken away into a different world, where there are so many possibilities, is appealing to me. I also like to explore the question of “What if…?”

You’ve recently co-authored Masters of Time – can you provide us with an overall synopsis for the compilation in its entirety? What did you, as authors, hope to see come to fruition through this book?

Masters of Time is a collection of scifi and fantasy time travel stories. From a time agent hunting her prey, to a time travel romance that defies death, there are exciting and heartfelt stories that’ll entertain you. My co-authors are amazing; they put so much passion into their stories. When the editor and I were doing final readings, I was actually tearing up at some of the stories, because I knew that the writers took parts of their lives, their hearts, some of which were painful, and put it into their stories. How amazing is that?

Your short story Logan 6 is found within Masters of Time. Can you provide us with its synopsis, as well as the inspiration behind it?

Logan 6 is a genetically enhanced clone created for one purpose: to travel 20 years into the future and assassinate a dangerous political leader. However, one day everything changes for him, and he begins questioning his humanity, his feelings, and even his makers–and that’s when it gets dangerous.

Since I had just finished writing my Gray Tower Trilogy (fantasy), I wanted to use this opportunity to write a sci-fi story. I knew I wanted to do something with clones, but Logan’s story just kept poking at me until I finally gave it the attention it wanted. And I’m glad I did!

What are your future writing plans? I noticed that you enjoy reading Graphic Novels – do you think you’ll ever pen one of those?

I’m working on a contemporary urban fantasy right now, and while I haven’t yet done a graphic novel, I am interested in seeing my Gray Tower Trilogy books in that format. It would be amazing–it’s basically Agent Carter with a supernatural twist.

And finally, as we bring this interview to a close – is there anything additional you’d like to add? A cute or humorous happenstance you experienced? Words of wisdom? Something else?

A lovely elderly lady who crossed paths with me once told me to never settle for less than your dearest dream (or desire). I’m glad I heeded her advice. Sometimes fear of the unknown stops us from making that leap toward our goals, but if you have the passion for it, and if you’re willing to work for it–then go. Jump!

Thanks very much for the interview; I hope you’ve enjoyed the experience and I wish you the best in all your current (and future) writing endeavors!

Thank you, Charline! I’m so glad to have had the opportunity to speak with you, and I hope everyone visiting today will slide on over to Amazon and pick up their copy of Masters of Time.

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*****

Author Bio:

Alesha Escobar writes fantasy to support her chocolate habit. She enjoys everything from Tolkien and Dante to the Dresden Files and Hellblazer comics.

She resides in California with her partner-in-crime, Luis Escobar, a 20-year art veteran on The Simpsons television show. Alesha is the author of The Gray Tower Trilogy, an action-packed supernatural spy thriller set in an alternate 1940’s. The trilogy books have hit the Amazon bestsellers lists for Historical Fantasy and Mashups.

You can find Alesha at her weekly blog, Fantasy, Mashups, & Mayhem, where she discusses fantasy and science fiction TV shows, movies and books, and celebrity gossip.

She’s just kidding about the celebrity gossip.

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