Page 69: Lifeforce

Disclaimer: The Page 69 Test is not mine. It has been around since 2007, asking authors to compare page 69 against the meat of the actual story it is a part of. I loved the whole idea of it and so I'm stealing it specifically to showcase small press titles - novels, novellas, short story collections, the works! So until the founder of The Page 69 Test calls a cease and desist, let's do this thing....

In this installment of Page 69, 

We put Annie Rodriguez's Lifeforce to the test!

Ok, Annie, set up of page 69 for us:

Page 69 falls just at the end of chapter 9.  It is after Gillian, a witch, and Adelaide (Addie for short and a vampire) spend a long night caring for Forrest, their lycan friend who just suffered a bit of blood  loss for allowing Addie to bite him when she needed to feed.  They are in the middle of figuring out the consequences of allowing a vampire to feed off a lycan.  Add that stress to Gillian’s recurring nightmares and you have a very tired and somewhat cranky witch.  Of course, feeling like a third wheel in the middle of her friends’ banter does not help either.

What Lifeforce is about:

It is about a witch that, after losing her mother, gets her mother’s best friend, who happens to be a vampire with a lycan best friend, as a legal guardian.  These relationships are the focus of the story as Gillian learns to find her voice and confidence, but not before suffering the consequences of a hasty decision that she made just before losing her mother.

Do you think this page gives our readers an accurate sense of what the novel is about? Does it align itself to the novel’s theme?

Although it is a bit short because it’s just at the end of a chapter, it represents the central relationship theme of this book.  The relationship of a mortal witch to two immortal creatures that she feels have taken over her life since her mother died. And because she is not immortal, she often feels not included or that she is treated like a child. Although it is just a glimpse that we get here, it is a struggle that is featured throughout the novel.

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 PAGE 69

LIFEFORCE

“If you had any vampire trace left, you would,” Gillian clarified, smiling as she realized what Addie was up to.

“Welcome back, Wolfe.” Addie punched him playfully on the shoulder. “I’ll take that back.”

 “Well, now that everything is back to normal, I’ll be at work.” Work suddenly sounded very appealing. Gillian stood up from her chair before either of her friends could offer assistance. If they were back to their playful behavior, she really shouldn’t be there.

“Gillian, let me help—”

But Gillian had zoomed to her room before Forrest could finish his sentence.

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Born and raised in Ponce, Puerto Rico, a twin by birth and bumped to middle child nine years later by my little sister, I grew up with the words conflict mediator behind my name.    In my school years, I was labeled the “come libros” or “book eater” in Spanish.  It took me a few years to understand that I suffered from general anxiety disorder. I started writing as a teenager.  It became a mechanism to live in another world in which I wouldn’t have to live up to society’s expectations. Today, I proudly lead a balanced life. It took leaving my island for college in the United States, which has led to a successful adjustment and a lot of studying. I live for the day when my writing becomes a message to the world, not just an outlet for me.