Interview Series: Aisling

Since I've been working on Marked since last November and did a full rewrite of it in January (talk about writer burnout) I thought I'd at least introduce you to a few people. The first I'd like to present to you is Aisling. It's her POV we see the story in and it's her life we're following.

So, what do you want to tell us about yourself?

What is there to tell that you don't find out in the book?

It's going to be a while before I publish your story. Can you at least give us a little bit?

My name of Aisling. I loved my family. I want vengeance against the gray cloaks. I fall in love with someone. I was badly injured but now I'm fine. There, happy?

Brief but it works. What do you think of your adventures so far?

Did you have to drag me through that hell?

Yes I did.

You're sadistic.

I'm your author. What do you expect?

You could at least have given me something happy.

I gave you a love interest and a good family. I also gave you those children. They weren't yours by birth but you still had the company of little ones. Not to mention your adopted grandmother.

All right, I'll give you those points. I still don't think those outweigh the pain you give me.

What do you like best about your life?

I love people. I care for people. I might experiment with their lives from time to time but I don't go out of my way to hurt them. Well, for the most part.

Hush. Don't give too much away. We want people to be attracted to the idea of reading about you. Is there anything else you want to say, other than asking people to buy your story when I finally get it out?

Do not hold to the notion that all things are going to be the way you think they are. Something will come along and change your life to the point your initial plan is destroyed. There are always new plans and new dreams to strive for.

Thank you, Aisling. I really do love working with you.

Thank you. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm very busy these days.

Ceinwen comes to visit

Picture courtesy of lieveheersbeestje

Once again I've invited the voices in my head to come play. Most of them decided to shut up for a change, which didn't help me any. Then I heard someone quiet say she'd talk to me. Imagine my surprise when I realized it was Ceinwen, from my Beauty and the Beast retelling. She isn't usually the most talkative person, though I did capture her story as well as I could for her. So here she is to chat with us.

I do not intend to prattle on like my sisters at those parties they enjoyed. I'm only here because I felt I had an obligation since you did write my story.

I appreciate you taking the time. I know how busy you are these days. Though I don't do more than touch on it in the story, how do you feel about getting your HEA?

It's a lot more work than I thought it would be to be with him. But it's worth it. He loves me as I don't think my family ever did and I know I love him. It's been hard though. You know why.

Yes I do. So have you found a definition of love that fits your thoughts?

Let me ask you this question: what do you think love is?

That's a hard question, Ceinwen.

Yes but it's a valid one.

What do I think love is? I think it's putting someone's needs above your own. Giving what you can without losing yourself. Accepting someone isn't perfect and still be with them.

You're repeating what I think love is.

Can I help it if we share the same view? I'm your author after all. You have to figure what I believe is going to end up in a story somewhere.

This is very true.

So, do you know how your siblings are doing?

They come up to the castle from time to time, as do the others. They're happy in their lives and I'm happy in mine.

I'm glad. I worked hard to give you a HEA.

But it's not a HEA. I mean I'm happy but there are going to be times where we disagree, where we get on each other's nerves, where we will fight. There is no such thing as a HEA.

I agree with you on that one. Life goes on after the end and it's not always going to be perfect. Is there anything you would like to say?

No. I think I've said enough.

All right. I'll let you get back to what you normally do. Thanks for coming to talk to me.

And people wonder why I'm so strange

So, today I sat down and let the voices in my head babble at me. They were all clamoring for attention, to be allowed this opportunity for a real conversation instead of me just vomiting their stories onto the page (no really, that's what a first draft is for me...the stories get better after they've been cleaned up a few times). One voice seemed to get louder than the others so when everything was said and done, I let her take over for a little while so we could talk. This is Fiera Rezouac, called Fury, the main character in the suitably titled “Fury” novella.

Get it over with all ready, will you?

Hey, you're the one who wanted to talk.

It wasn't hard to get your attention. All those drek in your head and none of them are articulate enough to talk to you.

I wouldn't go that far. Remember, there are only a few who come close to having the same tech level or higher than you. The majority of them are medieval era characters.

Who couldn't get anyone to pay attention to them, which is why they're in the messes they got into in those stories that you write.

You're not much better, Fury. Isn't your temper one way of showing you don't get attention?

Fark, now you're turning it back on me. What is your problem?

At the moment? Your attitude. Now, why don't you tell me how your little family is doing?

We're fine. No, miss nosy, I'm not giving you any more details than that. We moved here to get away from all of the scrag heads who were too interested in us and not paying attention to their own lives.

I'm your author, Fury. You should at least be willing to talk to me.

Hey, you finished the story. It's not my problem if you want more than what you wrote.

And this is why no one wants to talk to you.

So, what else do you want to know that I'm not going to tell you?

What made you give in to your father's demands to attend university?

**snort** Have you met my dad? Of course you have. You wrote about him. You tell me how he convinced me to deal with that drek.

That seems to be a favorite word of yours.

Drek? It covers such a broad range of things, mostly people I don't want to deal with.

That doesn't answer my question. You didn't let me get much of an interaction going between you and your dad before you were off to fight someone else. Your dad seems pretty reasonable, if a little stubborn. He also seems to be willing to let you go your own way. So why did you decide to go?

You're not going to let this drop, are you?

No I'm not.

**sigh** Dad made it a point to remind me that if something happened to the colonies, my younger brothers and sisters would get hurt. Phelix was old enough to take care of himself, but what about the kids? I didn't want anything to happen to them. So I let him guilt trip me into going to Bouarus.

What do you really think about Kuen?

That's another one of those topics we're not discussing. I didn't like him when we first met but things are different. Leave it at that.

All right, Fury. Anything else you want to say before you get back to what you were doing?

Yeah, get my story edited a few times and to your beta readers – assuming you find some – and get my story published. I am not going to accept being relegated to a few bytes on your hard drive.

I'll get on that. Thanks for the time, Fury.

Fark. Here we go again. **sound of door slamming and raised voices**

Characters on Couches

I sit nervously on the edge of the desk. The beings I've invited to this little escapade are not among my nicer characters. But I need them to talk to me so I can get them past some of the crap that's derailed the story. So I called them here so we could work things out so when I do get back to their story I can move it forward.

There's a knock on the door. Before I can utter the words "Come in!", the door is pushed open and they come in - Azarea, Mik, and Gabby. Thankfully they're all in human form. I don't feel liek dodging wings today and Azarea is a little intimidating in her natural form. Mik and Gabby are just fluffy and shed feathers like nobody's business.

"We're here. Can we get this over with?" Azarea asks.

"Please sit down." I gesture to the three leather chairs in front of my desk. I take out a digital recorder and turn it on. "Now, we'll get through this faster if you three cooperate. Let's start with an easy question. Azarea, why do you hate Mik?"

"I don't hate him," Azarea says, but she won't meet my eyes.

"Uh huh. Tell that to someone other than your author who's stalled out because you two can't seem to get along. I don't mind conflict, but I need to know what's causing it," I say.

"You shouldn't like like that, Red,"  Mik says with a smirk. "Please, I'd love to hear your problems with me, too."

"Don't call me Red," Azarea says, but her voice lacks conviction.

I frown. "Red" has been her nickname all through the story. "Well, if you won't answer my first question, can you tell me why you hate the nickname Red?" I ask.

"I'd rather not," Azarea says.

Now I'm frustrated. I slam my hands down on the desk. "Well then, tell me what you want me to do. Shall I scrap your story and condemn you all to an eternity in my 'not able to be finished because the characters didn't work together' file?"

"Please don't," Gabby says. She gives Mik a sidelong look. "Azarea hates her nickname becasue Mik gave it to her so she'd never forget."

"Forget what?" I ask.

"What she was, and what she could become again," Gabby says.

"And that is?" I ask.

"A monster," Mik says. "A murderous, violent monster. Something she has yet to get past."

"He'll never let me forget," Azarea says, bitterness dripping from every word. "Never. No matter how hard I try, how many lives I live where I do nothing wrong, he never lets me forget. If I mess up even once, no matter how slight, he drags me back to the House. In this life I got into MMA to take care of my violent streak in a more controlled environment. Mik threatened to put me back in the House if I competed. Gabby forced him to back off on that one."

"Now we're getting somewhere," I say. "Mik, why would it matter if she's participating in the MMA female division? It's a safe way for her to vent and in her human form she's not exactly invulnerable."

"It's what it signifies. It shows she's going back to her violent tendencies, something I can't allow," Mik said. "Gabby says it's good for her but I don't believe it."

"Well, I can definitely see why you don't like him," I say to Azarea.

Her eyes glow red. "You know what? I hate him," she hisses. "He and Gabby attached themselves to me three thousand years ago and I can't get rid of them. They aren't friends. They're jailers. Mik especially. I can't have a bad day without him threatening me with the House. And Gabby just sits back and lets him do all this shit. She rarely ever stands up for me."

"So Mik's a control freak with a god complex and Gabby's disassociated herself from the lot of you," I say. "That explains a lot, actually."

"A control freak with a god complex?" Mik demands, outraged. "Do you realize what she's done?"

"Hello. Author. I created her, Mik. Yes, I know what Azarea's done in the past. I also know her last two lives - this one and the one prior to it - you've tried to imprison her for things that were utterly ridiculous because she's made great strides in changing her personality to be able to thrive in this world," I say. "The problem is, I know your story too and you've gotten really insufferable lately. Why are you so hard on her?"

"I am sick and tired of cleaning up her shit," Mik snaps. "How many times have Gabby and I had to step in to stop her?"

"How many times has she managed to stop herself before she got too far into kill mode?" I counter. "You haven't had to step as often as you think, Mik. You're usually coming in just to punish her for her actions. She's a Skanti, Mik. It's not like she can help her nature. She's doing her best. You need to cut her some slack." I shrug. "Besides, if it's such a burden to you, drop her. Go find someone else to babysit."

"I can't," Mik says angrily. "What you don't seem to understand is I'm blood bound to that monster. Both Gabby and I are bound to Azarea for time and all eternity until we die. Since Azarea can only be killed in human form, and Gabby and I rarely ever show our faces, we will never be free of this burden."

"Ouch," I say. I sigh. "Well, now I know what's going on between the three of you. That actually helps me understand where you three are coming from. That solves all my issues with the story, for now. I'll work on solving your problems while I'm at it. Why don't you three get out of here? Oh, and Mik? No grounding her for being honest," I say. Mik and Gabby vanish. Azarea walks out the door, a totally broken look on her face.

I lean over and switch off the recorder.

Writing Wednesday - Visiting with Adam the Immortal

@GeneDoucette was kind enough to pass on my request to Adam - the main character in his book Immortal - for an interview.  Adam was very gracious in accepting my invitation.

Adam, thank you for joining me this week on my blog.  I appreciate your time.

First question is this: How have you coped with living for so long?  Aside from drinking, I mean.

I don't know that it's something requiring an extra coping mechanism.  Staying alive is sort of an instinctual thing, and in more ways than you might realize it's also a largely passive thing.  Suicide-- and I've thought about it-- requires action, whereas continuing to exist generally doesn't.  So in a lot of ways all I've done is decide not to get up off the couch.

Second question. What was your favorite time period to live in?

Every era has its high points and its low points.  I'm really fond of the one I'm living through right now, actually.  I can read books at midnight; I don't have to hunt my own food; fresh water is available every twenty feet; and I can relieve myself without worrying about frostbite or carnivores.  

Third question: What do you REALLY think of Clara?

Kind of a sore subject for me right now.  She's off in Europe somewhere, I believe.  I'm sure we'll run into one another again.

Fourth question: They say history repeats itself.  Have you seen that with your long life?

Yes and no.  It's fair to say history repeats itself in broad strokes, but only as long as you're standing a good distance away and squinting your eyes to make things look blurry.  Societies do have a certain circularity to them, though.  One could compare-- as I've heard-- the current United States to the Roman Empire, but only if you ignore a huge number of basic facts.  But if you're talking about the way people with lots of wealth act toward people with little, or the way a large community changes when most of the people in it no longer have to worry about where their next meal is coming from, then you'll find repetition.  More to the point, I've found that people react in a consistently predictable manner in response to circumstance.

Fifth question: What's your favorite beer?  Your favorite liquor?

Oh, I don't know.  I was very fond of fourth dynasty Egyptian beer, but that might be more because the Egyptians were the first ones to get beer right than from any true superiority.  I imagine there is better beer being brewed now, but memory can gild things.  I feel the same way about Athenian wine, and that stuff could kill you if you didn't cut it with water.

Sixth question: I know this was probably covered in the book, but I don't remember (and my stepmother has my copy of the book right now).  Do you, or have you ever gotten sick?

In the sense of acquiring a disease, no.  I've gotten sick plenty of times, but that was alcohol-related.  (See: Athenian wine.) 

Seventh question: Why are you such an asshole?

I've been thinking about this question all day.  I can't decide on a single best answer, so here are a few to try.

1: I don't think I'm an asshole.  If one thinks of oneself as an asshole, it's because one is trying to be an asshole, and I'm not trying to be any such thing.

2: It's such an odd question, and I think the reason you think I am is that Gene's book is my unfiltered (or mostly) interior monologue.  If you look at what I SAY in the book, I don't think I come off as one; it's what I'm thinking that gives one that impression.  And honestly, if you get that much access to anybody, they'll come off as kind of an asshole.

3: When I was born our language was limited to four phrases: "I want to eat that", "I want to kill you", "I'm going to fuck you", and "ouch, that hurts."  I survived for at least two centuries never having to say anything more than that.  (Although I think "run away" and "duck" might have been added sooner.)  For several dozen centuries after that, even with a modestly expanded vocabulary at our disposal we-- meaning mankind-- used language to express directly and immediately whatever was on our minds.  Even when abstract thought became important (as in, not "go kill them" but, "when we reach the clearing, you two go that way and we'll go this way") we still didn't bother with things like subtlety or nuance or hurting someone's feelings or what was proper and improper.  So I tend to be rather direct.

4: Now add in the fact that I am fairly clever and history is absolutely FULL of idiots.  I'd estimate that better than 80% of every conversation I have ever had has involved me speaking to a moron, just statistically.  I'm completely serious.  I'm nearly positive I invented sarcasm, but it was 200 years before anyone around me even noticed.

Put all of that together and I think the fact that I am at all likable is a minor miracle.  

Eighth question: There's a new book coming up.  Can you tell us anything about that?  And do you know when it's supposed to be released?

There's no release date yet.  Gene and I are still working on the best way to tell the story, although there is a draft so it's nearly done.  I can tell you that we discuss the Greek sphere quite a lot.  (The title is Hellenic Immortal.)  The events in the book transpired a few years after the end of the last book, shortly after Clara left.

And no, I'm still not talking about that.

Thank you, Adam.  And you do raise some interesting points about how much of an ass you come across as in the book.  Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with us.

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Adam the Immortal (@AdamtheImmortal) is the voice behind the book Immortal, penned by the remarkably gifted Gene Doucette (@GeneDoucette).  Follow both of them, and go here to buy the book.  Help support an independent author in his endeavors.

Writing Wednesday - Introducing Captain Eve Marcori

Welcome once again to Writing Wednesday!  This week, I've enlisted a member of her crew to bring us a most enigmatic woman for our interview.  *looks around impatiently*  I told Mikey to bring her here.  Where is he?

*door opens and three people come staggering in*

--Mikey, there you are.  What the hell?


Mikey: Heyla. Got the Bitch here, but she's a mite drunk. Sorry 'bout that.
Marcori: Where's the Marines?
Whizz: I want to state for the recording that I had no idea this was going to happen, and I'm only staying to prevent the captain from...from saying anything she'll later kill me for letting her say.

--Captain Marcori, I notice you brought some friends with you.  How did you meet them?

Marcori: Marines.
Whizz: Actually we met in a barfight after we'd both left the Corps.
Mikey: Met t' Bitch in Basic. She kicked my ass first day. Bit me too.

--So, Captain, what made you decide to join the Marines in the first place?

Marcori: Needed money--I couldn't steal enough to keep Kentaro safe. Could've joined a House gang, but they mostly end up dead. Marines was the only ones ever won anything in Kari's Port.

--When you rescued Rafe, what was going through your mind?

Marcori: Booze.
Mikey: Ye're lyin, Bitch. Ye was the only Marine sober.
Marcori: Yeah, and I was wishin' I wasn't! Sooner I got rid of the fluff, sooner I could get to the drinking. Then the damned bug-out sounded, and I was stuck with him.
Mikey: Bitch here's the only Marine ever to whine about havin' t' keep a pretty in her bed.
Whizz: I think I should point out that the captain doesn't actually drink much. It's very rare for her to--
Marcori: Y'all need too damned much babysitting, that's why. I get drunk, one of you'll manage to get dead.

--When you had to face your court martial, were you sorry you'd made the decisions you did?

Mikey: Ha! Bitch don't regret nothing. 'Cept that bet with Birdie.
Eve: Knew damned well stealing that ship would get me court-martialed. How'm I gonna whine that's what happened?
Whizz: Captain Marcori always does the right thing, no matter wh--
Eve: What the hell do you know? Weren't even born yet.
Mikey: Yeah he was. Still chasing the goats 'round the farm, though.

--What's it like being the captain of your own ship?

Marcori: Ship's fine. Crew's a pain in the ass.
Mikey: Love ye too, Bitch.

--You still have a tendency to rescue people.  Is there something specific about them that makes you want to rescue them?

Marcori: Nothing on them. I made a promise. Katana picked me up, I pass it on.

--What do you really think of Taro and Rafe being together?

Marcori: Doc says shut up and stay out of the way. Doc's pretty damned smart.

--You're permanently attached to Ben.  What first attracted you to him?  Was he another one of your rescuees?

Marcori: Twink told me he'd fall out an airlock without a keeper, so I picked him up.Then one time I yelled at him, and the man stood toe to toe and yelled back. Not many men'd do that.
Mikey: Not many'd live t'do it again, neither. He's lucky he's pretty.

--Why haven't you settled down?  Why are you still flying with your rather...rambunctious...crew?

Marcori: H-space. Nobody can effing bug me in h-space.

--What was Taro's mother really like?

Marcori: Like him. Only honest.

--One last question: Did you know that this is recording and we're sending a copy of it to Taro?

Marcori: ...did you know I shoot people?

--*eyes Marcori nervously* O-kay.  Thanks for coming, Captain Marcori.  Mikey, I'll leave it to you to get her back to the ship safely.
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If you'd like to know more about K.D. Sarge's characters, go here, follow the links, and purchase a copy of Knight Errant which is out now, and keep your eyes open for His Faithful Squire (coming in August).  Please help support an indie author in her endeavors.  Also, take a chance and go follow our author @KDSarge on Twitter.  She won't bite...well, not hard, at any rate.