Meet Shataym

Thursday, 3/9/23

Hello, my beautiful followers,

I hope you enjoyed you’ve enjoyed the interviews so far. They have been awesome to write. Why? Glad you asked:

1)   You get to meet some of my friends that previously NO ONE KNEW ON PLANET EARTH. That’s mind-boggling. I’ve known them for a while, and now you get to meet them too!

2)   I like getting to “re-know” my characters and learn more about them. It’s a great way to unearth the skeletons in their respective closets.

3)   I get built-in weekly content :)

Thank you for following along thus far!

Next up in our interview series is Shataym. He’s a burly, The Rock/Dwayne Johnson-esque character in my series, and he happens to be the leader of the Jakar desert community in “Obsidian.” Have fun getting to know him and leave any questions you have for any or my characters or myself in the Comments section. Next time I’ll be interviewing Mariam, another strong female character, also from Jakar, so be sure to come back for that.

Disclaimer: the images of the characters were generated on Canva’s Text to Image Artificial Intelligence (AI) software. They aren’t the final representation of the characters in “Dark Salvation” but, rather, visual representations of the characters so you can understand the characters better.

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JOHN: Tell us about yourself. Where you’re from, what you do for a living, for fun, etc. etc.

SHATAYM: I’m the leader of the Jakar desert community, and I love hunting for fun.

JOHN: I thought everything outside of Camouraska was gone. What is the Jakar community?

SHATAYM: Most things were destroyed except a small desert, a forest, and The Seed.

JOHN: What’s The Seed?

SHATAYM: <Sighs> Fine. I lived all over. I work for the family business. For fun, I like going for long walks on the  <REDACTED>

JOHN: Wait! You mean agawgwergwgeeweeggwrfsdgagag<REDACTED>

SHATAYM: Yes. Like I said, jkljeljlkgjlkwknwokenognaonpsgnknownagsklgjklsjglkjlksjglksjglksjglksjglkjklsjdkljlksjdkljgkljsdklgj<REDACTED>

JOHN: Thank you for that information! That makes so much sense. I can put the two together now! What else can you tell us about Jakar?

SHATAYM: It’s hot, but it’s home. We built tents from animal hides and fronds from the forest. Right now, our main worry is about The Beast when we go into the forest for water.

JOHN: What’s The Beast?

SHATAYM: I saw it when Mariam and I went hunting. It was giant and had moss and tree branches hanging all over it. It roared. I wasn’t scared, of course, but I had to make sure Mariam escaped. I haven’t seen it since, but we hear it roaring from time to time.

JOHN: You say you get water from the forest. Tell me more about that.

SHATAYM: There’s a river in the forest that we gather water from, swim in, and bathe in. We hunt deer animals in there for meat. We’ve never gone further into the forest than the stream.

JOHN: Because it’s too dangerous? I thought you said you weren’t scared.

SHATAYM: I don’t want to hurt you, especially since you’re a storyteller. I’ve known some nice storytellers, but I won’t be called scared by anyone. Do you understand?

JOHN: Sorry…yes sir. I’ve seen enough Dwayne Johnson movies to know not to pick a fight with him, and you’re probably bigger than him. <Coughs> You mentioned Mariam, and I will be interviewing her soon. Describe your relationship with her.

SHATAYM: You didn’t know about her, so I won’t hurt you, but I don’t want to talk about her. We’ve been friends for our whole lives, before Jakar. That’s all.

JOHN: What about any danger? I mean, this is a science fiction novel series with some thrilling/suspenseful elements.

SHATAYM: I feel like you were teased as a child. The outcast. That’s fine. In some ways I was too. Jakar is a dangerous place, and the forest is even worse. You won’t need to look too far when it comes to danger here.

JOHN: And what about Camouraska? The other people I interviewed said it isn’t dangerous . What do you think?

SHATAYM: They would say that! It’s a pleasant paradise in there, but you now know the secret about Camouraska. There is more than meets the eye there. Also, we have plans in Jakar to do something that will make it even more pleasing for your suspenseful and thrilling science fiction novel. Be ready.

JOHN: Oooo, I can’t wait! Can you do anything cool with the Energite?

SHATAYM: I don’t play around the with the Energite, but I have a hammer and an axe I made from it. I also use spears to kill animals in the forest. The Energite isn’t the solution, as my mother says.

JOHN: Ah, yes, Nyla is your mother, right? I’ll interview her later. How is your relationship with her?

SHATAYM: She is a masterful leader and user of the Energite. I would do anything for her.

JOHN: Any parting thought for the readers?

SHATAYM: I can’t wait to meet the Lights of the Stars and prove their nothing more than a myth. I also want you to make me look good in front of Mariam. Can you do that?

JOHN: Anything’s possible in Obsidian!

SHATAYM: Calm down.