RW: What's your story/back story? Why would
someone come up with a story about YOU?
AP: Well, I’m a prisoner here at Moon Base
Alpha. I’m sending this by burst in hopes that it will not be detected at
either end of the transmission. Captain Andrews is a pretty nice guy, but he’s
still technically our warden. And if any of Freezeland’s people see this, we’ll
all be in trouble.
I’m
no one special. I was a wife and mother working in an accounting firm as an
administrative assistant in the Bay Area when “President” Freezeland trashed the Constitution, and I went to the protest with my
husband, Paul. I guess we took it way too lightly, because we left our baby, Bobby
with my mom and just went. We figured we’d maybe get arrested, spend a night in jail and be
home in a week. Then the troops started shooting and they killed Paul and Jake
Johnsrud saved my life and now we’re here on the Moon. Jake is a miner and I’m
a… a… Well, I’m here for the men. [Ed. Note. Tears glisten in Annie’s
eyes.]
AP: I don’t really have a hero, unless you mean
Jake. He saved Crystal’s life and mine. When the shooting started, everyone tried
to run, and he threw himself on top of us. But my hero? Oh, no! He’s just a
friend. We’ve never even kissed, let alone… He’s not one of my clients, either.
Who told you I liked him? No. Not at all. I still love Paul and I always will. I
mean, he’s funny and sweet and he can even cheer me up when I miss my son, Bobby.
But no. I wouldn’t call him my hero. Although I’ve noticed that he hasn’t used
the Conjugal Cubes at all since he’s been up here. Not with me or my friend
Crystal or anyone.
RW: What problems do you have to face and
overcome in your life?
AP: You mean aside from being indentured to the
Freezeland Mining Corp. for ten years and not making much headway in paying off
my indentures because they charge us room and board and even for the air we
breathe? Or having to… to… do the things I do with the men?
Actually,
it’s been awhile since I’ve vomited with a client, but I still keep a bowl
handy. I can almost look the men in the eye the next day, but I still blush. If
Crystal hadn’t taught me how to put myself in a trance before I enter the Cube,
I’d probably would still be vomiting on the guys.
RW: Do you expect your hero to help or is he the
problem?
AP: Well,
there’s not a whole lot Jake can do about us being stuck here on this
God-forsaken rock. He’s just as much a prisoner as I am. He’s indentured to the
FMC as a miner, and they charge him for room, board, and air, too. And it’s not
like we can escape from here. They dropped us off and took the shuttle back to
Earth. We’re all stuck here—even the Navy crew who run the nuclear reactor and
the Masters at Arms who guard us. Although, why they bothered with MAAs is
beyond me. I guess they’re here to protect the nukes. Like we’d attack the guys
who keep the lights on and maintain the oxygen recycling equipment. But like I
said, he does cheer me up at times.
RW: During
what time period does your story take place?
AP: It’s 2051.
RW: How
are you coping with the conflict in your life?
AP: I keep going for Bobby. If it weren’t for
him, I would never have signed the contract with FMC. Someday, I’ll figure out
a way to pay off my contract and get back to Earth and find my son, no matter
what Jake says about how weak I’ll be in Earth’s gravity.
RW: Bubble baths or steamy
showers? Ocean or mountains? Puppies or kittens? Chocolate or caramel?
AP: Water’s rationed up
here. I’d love a real bath. Or an actual shower. We have mountains up here. In
fact, we’re planning to move into Mt. Aragaeus soon. But the only way I get to
see oceans is if I go outside in a pressure suit and look at the Earth. They’re
so far away. I miss my dog, Peaches, but I love kittens, too. Chocolate and
caramel, but we don’t have either up here.
RW: If money were not an
object, where would you most like to live?
AP: I just wanna go home.
RW: What song would best
describe your life?
AP: “Hotel California.” “You
can check out but you can never leave.” It’s a really old song my great-grandma
liked.
RW: Are you in control of
your author or does she control you?
AP: I was a background
character in Rock Crazy. Rochelle
decided to write “a couple of paragraphs” about some of the first-wave
colonists who were helping Katie McGowan. Katie was afraid of us because we
came here as prisoners and she thought we were all dangerous criminals. Well,
we took over and became our own book. Rochelle didn’t even finish Rock Crazy until after we got done with
her.
Rochelle Weber’s Bio:
Rochelle
Weber is a Navy veteran and Mensan with a BA in Writing from Columbia College
in Chicago. Her novels Rock Bound is
available at Amazon, etc. Rock Crazy and
The Thin Person Inside are available
at MuseItUp Publishing, Inc. All three are available in both e-book and print.
She edits for The Author’s Secret, and publishes the Marketing for Romance
Writers Newsletter, winner of the 2013 & 2015 Preditors & Editors
Readers’ Polls for Best Writers’ Resource. She also manages Roses & Thorns
Reviews.
Ms.
Weber battles bi-polar disorder, quipping, “You haven’t lived until you’ve been
the only woman on the locked ward at the VA.” Her song, “It’s Not My Fault,”
won a gold medal in the National Veterans Creative Arts Competition. She lost over
a hundred pounds and kept it off for four years. She lives in Round Lake Beach,
Illinois with two cats who have her very well-trained.
Rock Bound
The Plot:
The future is a dangerous place for
dreamers and idealists.
When a dictator takes over the
United States, Annie Peterson attends a protest in Washington, DC, with her
husband Paul. US troops fire into the crowd killing him, and Jake Johnsrud, a
virtual stranger, risks his life to save hers. They are among the survivors who
are sentenced to slavery on the Moon for their “crimes”—Jake as a miner; Annie
as a sex slave.
Jake fights increasing feelings of
anger and jealousy as Annie struggles to perform her job, while she resists her
increasing attraction to him. Along with their fellow inmates, they fight to
survive on the lunar "rock" that is their prison.
Excerpt:
Noon, July 4, 2051
Washington, DC
The protesters pushed
against each other, trying to hold their signs up high above the crowd. The
smell of sweat hung in the muggy July air, as Paul, Annie, and Crystal
struggled to find a place to spread their blankets near the Lincoln Memorial.
The passion of the crowd’s chant rang across the Mall.
“Restore the
Constitution! Restore free elections!”
The Mall was so crowded
they could barely breathe. Paul went in search of drinks and was gone over an
hour. The first speaker mounted the podium.
“Can you believe
they’re charging five credits a bottle for water and seven for pop?” he asked,
as he handed the women their drinks.
“Now don’t you wish
we’d brought the cooler from the car?” Annie asked.
“I know, and you’ll
never let me live it down,” Paul lamented. His warm, brown eyes smiled at her.
“Well, if water’s five
credits, how much’ll a sandwich be?” Crystal asked.
“I already checked.
Burgers’re fifteen credits and fries’re another five,” Paul replied, as he
settled on the blanket between the two women.
“It’s a seller’s
market. They’ll charge all the traffic will bear,” said a man sitting on the
grass next to them. “I’m Jake Johnsrud.” The man’s bright blue eyes twinkled
momentarily when his gaze met Annie’s.
Annie smiled at him.
“This is my husband, Paul, our friend Crystal Petrie, and I’m Annie Peterson.
Why don’t you join us on our blanket?”
“Thanks,” he said.
“Nice to meet you,
Jake,” Annie replied. “Scrunch over there, Honey.” She patted the blanket next
to her as she moved closer to Paul in the middle to make room for the tall,
raw-boned man.
“Well, the price of pop
isn’t our only worry,” Paul said. “There are troops surrounding the Mall. I
think we can pretty much count on being arrested.”
“Then we’ll all be
arrested together, just like my great-grandparents in Chicago.” Annie linked
her arm through Paul’s and sang slightly off key, “If you’ve been to jail for
justice, let me shake your hand.”
Folk songs by the group
Peter, Paul, and Mary had been staples in the Swanson household when she was
growing up. Her great-grandmother had sung her to sleep with “Puff the Magic
Dragon” and had sung along in the car as she listened to the group’s
re-mastered files. And now, a century later, the music had been rediscovered.
By the end of the day, it would be banned.
They stood up to listen
to the speakers.
Annie followed
Crystal’s gaze to the soldiers. She didn’t believe what she saw, and tried to
process the sight of them raising their weapons. Crystal dropped her sign and
yelled, “The bastards’re firing on us!”
Paul’s head lolled
forward, the charred hole still smoking, and Annie fell to the ground trying to
cradle him. She sobbed, crying “No! No! No!” Crystal’s arms were around her, as
she sat on the ground, clutching her dead husband. People were trying to run
but there was nowhere to go. Annie felt Jake fall atop her and Crystal. Oh,
my God! He’s dead, too!
“Stay still,” he said.
“We’re liable to get trampled.”
Annie felt the weight
lift all too soon, as Jake was roughly pulled to his feet by a soldier, who
separated him from the women. They handcuffed Annie with a plastic tie-up, and
dragged her away from Paul’s body toward an Army truck.
“Nooooooooooo!” she
screamed. “Paul!”
They threw her in back
of the truck, and Crystal landed next to her. She scooted closer to Annie.
“Cry it out, Sweetie,”
Crystal said. Annie leaned her head on the other woman’s shoulder and sobbed.
Contacts:
Author Blog: http://rochelleweber.blogspot.com
Review Blog: http://rosesndthorns.blogspot.com/
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/Rochelle.Weber.Author
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/RochelleWeber
Amazon
Author Page: http://amazon.com/author/rochelleweber
Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h8SMkiJRpMpro
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/RIWRBAMZ
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