Donna K. Weaver: Carrie Butler's "Courage"

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I read and loved the first book in the Mark of Nexus series, Strength. The characters were intriguing and the magical world interesting. While New Adult (NA) has a bad reputation for being all about sex with some of it quite graphic, this book is not. But there is one almost sex scene and some sexual references, so be warned.

Before we begin the character interview, here's a teaser about Courage, book 2:

Making a deal with the bad guys wasn’t the highlight of Rena Collins’ semester, but, hey, it saved her boyfriend. Now, in order to appease the human-altering organization known as ERA, she’ll crawl under their microscope while they study the Mark of Nexus and plot their eye-glazed version of the future—until she realizes that’s not all they’re plotting.

Wallace Blake has always known his girlfriend is unlike most girls. But now that information has surfaced regarding the two bloodlines that balance his supernatural race, he finally understands why. Rena belongs to one of them. She’s been augmenting his power, all along...

Enter: Corynn Catley. Brought into the country under the guise of an internship, she’s intended to become ERA’s secret weapon. Kind of. Her abilities cancel out Wallace’s, rendering him powerless, but that’s exactly what he’s always wanted. Too bad it only works when his girlfriend’s not around.

All the while, Rena fails to notice the crush her geeky best friend, Aiden Ross, is nursing. He’d give anything for her to see him in a new light—even reinvent himself through questionable means--but there’s a reason people are told to be careful what they wish for. Finding the courage to tell her could put everyone’s lives in danger.

Interview with Cole (Wallace Blake's brother)

Me: What's your birth order?

Cole: What does it matter? You’re not one of those people who believe birth order has anything to do with sibling personalities, are you?

*He groans* Oh God. You are, aren’t you? Fine. Technically, Wallace came out first, but let me clue you in on my theory of how it went down.

He had to precede me to make sure we weren’t in any kind of hostile territory. I’m serious. It’s obvious that I was the dominant infant—the dominfant, if you will—so he felt compelled to take that risky journey down the birth canal first. I waited until I got an “all clear” cry to make my entrance.

Stop looking at me like that. It’s true.

Me: Have you ever been in love?

Cole: No, and now that I’ve seen my brother in love, I’m pretty sure it’s the opposite of everything I want in life. A chick hanging on me all the time, making me factor in her safety when I make decisions... pass. I like to keep my relationships between two and five weeks.

Me: Hmmm...two and five weeks. That's how long your "relationships" have lasted them. Cole, really? Anyway, when you think of your childhood kitchen, what smell comes to mind?

Cole: Syrup in Grandma’s house. She made the best pancakes, and the scent always clung to the wallpaper. Before that, back in my old house... no, I can’t go there.

Me: What is your biggest fear? Who have you told it to? Who would you never tell it to? Why?

Cole: Let’s go reverse order on this one. I’d never tell my biggest fear to some random chick, and the reasoning would be three-fold. Ready?

One, it’s a liability. You could use it against me.

Two, I’m not all touchy-feely with the emotions. Go figure.

And three, you might tell someone I actually give a crap about and make me look bad. I mean, no offense, doll, but we just met. You understand, right?

*Silence*

Okay, fine. I admit that was a copout answer. How about I tell you, and in exchange for your silence, you get to keep that tongue of yours?

*I give him a hard stare, and he leans in* I’m not keen on the idea of losing the rest of my family.

*I blink and keep my mouth shut for a moment, swallowing.*

Me: Okay. You're kind of a wild and crazy guy. What's the thing you've regretted doing the most?

Cole: The thing I regret the most has nothing to do with my lifestyle. I just wish I would’ve spent more time with my folks before they were killed, okay?

Me: Thank you, Cole. *I watch as he leaves*

And now you know why I wanted to interview Cole. Intriguing guy.

About the author

Carrie Butler daydreamed her way through college—until they thrust a marketing degree into her hands, slapped a summa cum laude seal on the corner, and booted her out into a less-than-stellar job market. Instead of panicking at the prospect of unemployment, she used her Midwestern logic to steer into the skid and point her life in the direction she really wanted to go: writing out those daydreams.

Her passion for New Adult fiction led her to co-found NA Alley—a widely recognized informational hub for the category. She is the author of STRENGTH (Mark of Nexus #1) and COURAGE (Mark of Nexus #2).