P.I. Alltraine is an award winning poet and author. She has won several international poetry competitions, and her poems have been published in separate anthologies.
She teaches English Language and Literature in London. She earned her degree in BA English from Queen Mary University of London, a Post Graduate Certificate in Education and Master’s in Teaching at the UCL Institute of Education, University of London.
Before moving to London, she lived in the Philippines where she was ensconced in the rich culture encrusted with dark myths and enchanted tales. She draws inspiration from these in her writing. Although she has lived indifferent places and experienced different cultures, she always enjoyed the constancy of writing in her life. Her favourite authors include John Milton, Virginia Woolf and James Joyce.
Her latest book is the YA fantasy romance, Heartbound.
For More Information
Visit P.I. Alltraine’s website.
Find out more about P.I. at Goodreads.
Contact P.I.
Title: Heartbound
Author: P.I. Alltraine
Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing
Genre: YA fantasy romance
Petyr has never found it necessary to consider the humans as anything more than distant, inferior beings–until now. They are the cause of the fatal disease that has plagued his realm, taking the lives of too many of his kind. As a future leader of a realm in peril, Petyr must find a way to resist and cure the affliction. He must enter the unfamiliar realm, appear to be an ordinary eighteen-year-old human, observe, and learn.
However, things don't exactly go according to plan. Instead of embarking single-mindedly on his sober mission, Petyr meets an 18-year-old girl who does things to his emotions that he can't quite fathom or control. Petyr is falling in love, and he almost forgets the gravity his choices have on his entire world. Despite the risk it poses to his life and hers, he wants to know her, and he wants her to know him–and his world.
For More Information
Heartbound is available at Amazon.
Watch the trailer at YouTube.
Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.
Book Excerpt:
I defied my fate the moment I leapt out of my apartment’s third-story window. I landed on the pavement without a sound. In the same instant, my feet blended into the measured pace in which humans carried themselves.
Gazing up at the sky, I tried to find something to remind me of my home, of my duty. The future leader of a realm in peril cannot be overcome by irrational desires, I thought.
Thick smoke obscured the heavens so much even the brightest stars were dull and barely visible. A reminder I was trapped in this city, in this realm. Too far away from everything I knew, too restrained, too human.
Through the chaos in my mind, I captured the image of the girl with brown and dark-auburn tones in her hair, the shine that bounced from her loose curls, the depth in her hazel eyes, and even the awkward half-smile when she caught me looking at her. But the memory wasn’t enough. I needed to see her again.
I kept walking until I reached the riverbank in the heart of London. The water rippled with a disheveled mesh of gold and red, reflecting a large architectural structure. My gaze lingered on the clock tower adjacent to the building, gauging its height. A temptation to feel even a fraction of my true nature became a need in every fiber in my body. No longer able to rationalize, my muscles coiled, and I let go. Wind enveloped me with its familiar warmth as I sprang across the River Thames. I aimed to land on the lower portion of the tower, to indulge in the pleasure of my ascent. Though too fast for human eyes, each maneuver, each somersault, each back flip was slow enough for me to savor every moment of my liberation.
On a part of the roof concealed from the passersby below, I was closer to the heavens than I’d been since arriving in the city. Still, I didn’t belong here. Hundreds of lights sparkled below me, each representing a life I didn’t comprehend. Allowing myself to break free from my human façade had made me a liability to the others. For a few moments of freedom, I let myself forget the importance of my purpose here—the lives that depended on it.
Somehow, having the girl’s image in my mind brought calmness within me. One that felt permanent. One that extinguished the sense of entrapment, despite the thick layer of smoke that was still very visible to me. I held on to the calmness as I regained the confidence to face the others.
Book Trailer:
Interview with the Author:
Has writing been something
you always did, or was it a discovered talent that came to you at a later
point?
Writing is something I
always knew I could do. When I was at school, some of my friends could sing,
some could draw… I could write. I was the editor in chief of the school paper
so I edited and wrote news articles, I wrote many of the school plays I
performed in, I entered poetry writing competitions and performed spoken word
poetry, I wrote the speeches I delivered in oratorical competitions,
declamation, debates, etc. At the time, I thought I was doing so many different
things, but looking back, everything I chose to do involved writing. When I was
writing Heartbound, there were times when I didn’t agree with my characters’
actions, but I couldn’t change anything because it wasn’t my decision anymore.
That’s when I realised what being a writer truly meant. Everyone can write a
story, but to create a world with a life of its own, that takes a writer.
Do you remember how
it felt when you were offered that first contract? What emotions stand out in
your memory?
I was offered a
contract very quickly, so I really wasn’t prepared for it. When I finished (and
edited) the novel, I did some research on credible agents and publishers
that would be interested in my genre. I randomly picked one from the list, just
to see how the process worked and what a rejection letter looked like. Two
weeks later, I got a request for the full manuscript, and two weeks after that
I was offered a contract. I remember being so incredibly grateful that someone
believed in my work enough to publish it, but I had a difficult decision to
make because I hadn’t really tried anything else at that point. However, from
what I heard, querying agents could take months for a reply (even a rejection
reply), and even if someone took me on, there was no guarantee they could sell
it to a publisher—and I already had a publisher interested. In the end, it made
sense to seize the opportunity.
Is this a first
book, part of a series, or the latest in a long line of many?
‘Heartbound’ is the
first book in the Heart Series. The second book, Heartless, is in the works.
What is the oddest thing that’s happened to you
since you chose to become a professional writer? Will it ever make it into a
book, or is that a secret?
Someone sent me an email detailing her very
detailed predictions of what will happen in the next book. It also included
pictures of what she thought Petyr looked like. It was amazing how much thought
went into it.
Do you have your
next book underway, or other titles in the planning stages?
I’m working on three
novels at the moment, but my priority is the second book in the Heart Series
(sequel to Heartbound). I’m also building a (spoken word) poetry collection
that will hopefully be ready for publication next year. There’s a video
performance available for Unmoving, and a few more from the collection should
be up soon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2q4JxaN1fw
Do you have a favourite
genre and why? Is it one you write in, read in, or both?
I think I enjoy
writing Fantasy with romantic elements because I love reading them too.
Creating my own means I get to experience the world for much longer.
What, to you, is the
most exciting part of the writing process? Does it change from book to book or
remain the same?
The most exciting
part is following the characters. There are times when I don’t know a
character would do something until I’m literally typing that bit. One example
was the forest scene in Heartbound. There’s a point when Dru walks up to a tree
and reaches out. It’s a mad experience, because whilst I was typing the scene,
I was thinking – ‘what are you doing, Dru?’ I definitely didn’t expect what
happened next.
If you could
co-author a book with anyone, who would you choose and why? What kind of book
do you think would come from the collaboration?
I’ve always thought
it would be pretty neat to collaborate with another writer. I think mutual
trust us key, so it’ll have to be one of my friends. A novel is a pretty big
commitment though, so maybe a poem would be a good start.
Where can readers
find you on the web?
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2q4JxaN1fw
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/p.i.alltraine
WEBSITE: http://pialltraine.com
Media Contact:
Dorothy Thompson
Pump Up Your Book
Email: thewriterslife@gmail.com
