It’s time to interview another intriguing
character. Let’s meet Daphne Bleau from
Andrea Hintz’s action-adventure novel “Tesoro”.
Here’s a little information about the story.
What would you do if your wild, thrill-seeking cousin
who is known for deceiving you into going on disastrous road trips and
“disadventures” asked you for a ride? Daphne Bleau (that’s right, like the
color) is not the kind to be tricked easily. She’s conservative, boring, and
has a tremendous fear of trying anything new and exciting. She’s also
brilliant, but her consideration and concern for her mischievous cousin causes
her to fall for another one of her cousin’s antics. But this time, her cousin
is caught up in something different...
The Tesoro project is one that requires solving
difficult riddles and puzzles in order to track down artifacts left behind by a
dangerous pirate group known as Tesoro who lived back in the late 1600s. What
starts off as more of a leisure activity ultimately takes over and seems to
permanently captivate whoever joins in on the search, making the people
involved take extreme measures to stay ahead of each other. The clues start off
simple, and gradually become more dangerous. By the end, their lives are at stake.
To make matters more complicated, Daphne and her teammates have run into an
uncle who has been almost completely absent for the past fifteen years. Her
family has been secretive of the reasoning behind his whereabouts. The story
begins in the beautiful Hamptons and unexpectedly transitions to Rome, Italy.
Throughout, there are flashbacks focusing on the story
of Johnny Higgins; a rebellious, teenaged pirate who has been trapped in the
Tesoro crew for years. His attempts to escape have failed him, and he feels as
though he is living in a world not his own.
Tell us a little about yourself:
My name is Daphne Bleau. I’m
twenty-two years old and have sort of a hard time trying new things, but I am
incredibly smart (or so my cousin/best friend, Bailey, says). I had just
finished college and was taking one last summer off when my cousin gave me a
call to help her with a special project. Now I’m involved in a dangerous
treasure hunt left behind the notorious Tesoro pirate crew. I never
thought I would’ve gotten caught up in something like this.
How did your background get you involved in
this novel?
It was my close relationship with my cousin,
Bailey. We both grew up as the only child in each of our families, so we
were basically sisters. Bailey is more thrill-seeking than I am, so she
is always ready to go on another adventure. She’s the reason I am caught
up in this treasure hunt now.
Who came first, you or the author?
I would say the author as Andrea was working
on other stories before mine.
What’s your greatest strength? And of
course, we want to know the opposite,
your greatest weakness.
My greatest strength is that I am
intelligent. I can solve the difficult riddles that Bailey presents to
me, which is why she needs me. My greatest weakness is that I am afraid
of heights, which seems to challenge me in my story repetitively.
What is it about this story that sets it
apart from the others?
One thing that sets my story apart is the
fact that I am a woman and that I am so young. I believe in the advanced
capabilities of women and young people (man or woman) and that they can do
anything they set their minds to.
Tell us something about your background that
may or may not be revealed in
the book?
My uncle was one of my closest friends as a
child. He helped take care of me before he suddenly disappeared.
Now that we’ve found him, and he can’t explain what made him leave, I’m having
a hard time trusting him again.
Are you the type of person who always seeks
out the company of others?
I usually keep to myself and only seek out
the company of those closest to me.
What do you do to relax after a day’s work?
I love to sit outside when the weather is
beautiful and read a book or visit with Bailey.
Which do you prefer, music or television?
It depends on my mood!
Who’s your best friend and what influence
have they had on your life?
You will probably be able to guess at this
point. Bailey is. But since you already know her background, I will
tell you about my other best friend, Jack. He is Bailey’s intern she
hired to help her with the Tesoro project. She introduced us and we have
really hit it off. He is smart, kind, comforting, and level-headed, which
helps me to keep Bailey’s antics reeled in during this trip.
What has been the most romantic thing you’ve
ever done or instigated?
Honestly, I’m still waiting for my prince
charming. We will see how things go. Bailey keeps telling me I
should spend more time with Jack…
An excerpt from the story:
Daphne
had been so shocked at his sudden appearance, she didn’t even realize that the
rest of his cronies had joined in standing behind him. Except one of them
was missing.
Which
one? The scary guy. Was it Demetri?
“I
don’t have anything,” Daphne replied.
“Ok,
let’s come to an understanding,” Harold said. “You don’t want to have to
deal with me, and you won’t have to if you work with us.”
“We’re
not going to work with you,” Bailey said.
“Really?”
Harold said. “Then you’ll have to deal with me.”
Harold
reached for something that was hooked around his belt. Daphne’s eyes grew
wide when she realized it was a holster. He pulled out the gun and
pointed it at them.
The
threat made Daphne step back, but she felt someone snatch the paper out of her
hand.
She
whirled around to see what had happened.
It
was Demetri. His rough face showed a sly grin. And he was holding
their clue.
“Got
it,” Demetri said, holding it up.
Daphne
realized his face was scarred up, which unnerved her even more.
But
Demetri’s sly facial expression turned to one of surprise as someone snatched
the paper out of his hand.
It
was Mikey. He looked just as surprised.
Daphne’s
uncle stood there for a moment, his eyes wide. “Go!”
Daphne had never run that fast before in her
entire life. She could hear Harold and the others still chasing them, not
that far behind.
Mikey
did something that horrified Daphne. He took the paper they hadn’t even
read yet, unrolled it, and tore it in half right down the middle. He kept
one half and shoved the other in Daphne’s hand.
“Split
up! Bailey, come with me,” Mikey said, grabbing Bailey’s arm. “You
two stick together.”
Jack
and Daphne turned and ran in the opposite direction.
Splitting
was a good idea. That would mean Harold’s group would have to split too,
which would mean less people chasing them. It definitely delayed their
competitors because they slowed down for a moment and frantically tried to
figure out who was supposed to go after who.
But
they weren’t delayed for long. Harold shouted something at his teammates,
and the chase continued.
Daphne
was not about to turn around to see who was after her and Jack, but she could
tell they were being closed in on.
She
heard a sudden thud, like a person hitting the ground. Daphne finally
turned her head around long enough to see what had happened.
Jill,
the woman with the long, jet black hair, had gotten her foot caught in a root
and was still on the ground trying to free herself. The odd guy with the
dark facial hair, Max, stopped to help her. But Demetri continued chasing
them. And he wasn’t about to slow down to help his teammates.
Daphne
quickly folded up the page and held it tight to keep it safe.
When
she turned around again a few moments later, Demetri was a lot farther
behind. It looked like he was getting tired. But he wasn’t going to
give up. She wasn’t looking where she was going, so she was surprised
when Jack yelled, “Stop!”
Jack
put his arm out to fence Daphne from going any further.
She
looked down to see a steep, fifteen foot slope that would have resulted in a
nasty fall. She’d completely missed it because the edge was covered in
foliage and trees. Daphne checked behind her, and Demetri was getting
awfully close.
“There’s
a cave down there,” Jack said, pointing down.
There
was no other option.
“Then
that’s where we need to go,” Daphne answered quickly. “We need to get
down there.”
Jack
and Daphne tried to ease their way down the extremely steep slope, but there
were no footholds. They both lost their footing and rapidly slid down the
rest of the way.
Daphne
closed her eyes, hoping she’d forget that she was falling. She really
hoped she and Jack wouldn’t fall into one of the many jagged rocks and get
injured.
Daphne
opened her eyes when she felt herself land at the bottom of the mini
cliff. The landing wasn’t as rough as she thought it would be because the
grassy grounds were still soft from a morning mist.
She
felt a little stunned, but was quickly re-aware of what was going on when Jack
quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her up.
They
ran over to the dark cave, hoping Demetri wouldn’t see where they went.
Jack let go of Daphne once
they were in the cold, damp space. She could hear the voices of the other
two catching up with Demetri.
“Where’d
they go?” she heard Max ask.
“They
went down this slope. I lost them after that,” Demetri said, sounding
angry.
“Get
down there and look around,” Max demanded.
Uh-oh.
That was bad. Daphne looked to the back of the cave to see if there was
an exit in the back. She could tell Jack was looking for the same thing.
It was so dark that Daphne couldn’t even see the back of the cave.
She
suddenly heard the thuds of their competitors landing on the ground nearby.
Daphne looked at Jack for
what to do next. He glanced at her and looked as clueless as she
did. The fact that she could hear the voices getting closer added to the
stress. Daphne and Jack stepped back further until the light from the
opening of the cave faded greatly.
“I
bet they’re in there,” she heard Demetri say.
Daphne’s
heart was starting to pound much harder than it already was.
Then
she saw a way.
“Follow
me,” Daphne said, starting to turn left into a new hallway.
Jack
sounded confused. “Where?”
Daphne
turned back around and struggled to find him. She couldn’t see Jack in
the darkness. That meant he probably couldn’t see her either. She
reached out in the direction of his voice and touched his shoulder.
He
automatically reached up and touched her hand.
“This
way,” Daphne said. She grabbed Jack’s arm and pulled him further into the
cave. Daphne’s lack of vision forced her to depend on other senses. She
held her free hand outward to feel for the walls. At one point, she
touched something that she hoped was just growing moss. It was cold, wet,
and mushy.
She
kept going and continued sliding her hand across the wall as she walked.
Daphne was determined to find a way out or a place to hide.
The
cave wall suddenly disappeared from her hand, and she could feel an
opening. Daphne turned in and walked until she touched a back wall.
It was a nook of some sort that was only about six or seven feet deep.
This would be a good place to hide.
Hopefully.
Daphne
and Jack both stayed silent as they pressed their backs against the wall.
They remained there, trying to stay as far out of view as possible. The
only sound they could hear now was the whistling breeze that curved its way
through the cave’s halls.
For
a moment, Daphne actually thought their competitors were gone until the
daunting voice of Demetri calling down the cave jolted Daphne on the inside.
“Hello?
Anyone home?” he called.
Daphne
hoped their discreet hiding place would make it impossible for Demetri to find
them. She had never tried so hard to stay silent. She was holding
her breath, keeping her body still, and trying everything in her power to
reduce her presence to nothing.
Daphne
looked ahead, down at the cave floor, and saw a flashlight beam glide
across. She pressed her back even harder against the back of the cave
wall. Someone was very close to them.
About the Author
Andrea Hintz has loved writing her whole
life. She began college at the age of thirteen and graduated at seventeen with
a Bachelor's in Public Management and Administration. Having endless stacks of
books, she has a particular interest in fiction genres that contain lots of
adventure and take her to other places of the world. She has written many books
including the books in The Tesoro Series, the Perception and Deception series,
additional short stories, guest articles for writing blogs and literary
magazines, as well as a short guide for beginning authors. Andrea also plays
the guitar, sings, and has written notebooks and notebooks full of songs and
book ideas. Her favorite books were very special to her growing up, and she
believes that if at least one reader feels that way about her work, she will
have successfully done her job as an author.
Links to her sites
Website:
Twitter:
Facebook:
Goodreads:
YouTube Channel:
LinkedIn:
Buy links
Amazon:
Barnes and Noble:
A little music can tie it all together.
The excerpt I shared is a chase scene, so
let’s go with some great chase scene music!
