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The Protagonist Speaks

Interviews with the characters of your favourite books

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Daina Harrow (of Skeletal by Katherine Hayton)

SkeletalDear readers, tonight on the guest couch we have Daina Harrow. Daina has been a victim of a terrible crime, and is here to impart a powerful message. 

 

 

What was your favourite toy as a child?

I used to own a fluffy blue duck which accompanied me everywhere. Even when my mother wrenched it from my hands to wash it, I’d stare at the washing machine and the clothesline to make sure it was safe. When my brother died my father boxed up my duck with his belongings by mistake. Dad retrieved it but the duck didn’t feel the same afterwards. For some reason, it wasn’t as fluffy or as comforting.

How do you feel about not ageing while seeing your old friends get on with life?

Considering the poor choices my old “friends” made with their lives, it hasn’t been upsetting. I still have my true friend with me here, and he’s not getting any older either. Besides, it’s not like I’ve been sitting still, watching them the whole time. I came back for the inquest because it’s all about me. If it were only them, I wouldn’t bother. I’m sure the reverse applies. Continue reading “Daina Harrow (of Skeletal by Katherine Hayton)” →

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Ziva Payvan (of Dakiti by EJ Fisch)

 

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Dear readers, tonight we have the rare opportunity to talk with a very special guest. You know her work but not her face. She is one of the Fringe’s deadliest assassins and commander of the Haphezian Special Police’s elite Alpha special operations team.

What can you tell us about the planet of Haphez? What was it like growing up there?

As you might imagine, I’m a little biased. There are some beautiful planets in this galaxy, but Haphez tops them all. We as a people take a tremendous amount of pride in our homeworld. Some of the views of the mountains and forests and the Tranyi River are absolutely breathtaking. Even so, physical appearance isn’t everything. I didn’t have what many would consider an…ideal upbringing; after spending most of my childhood on my own and most of my adult life working for HSP, I’ve gotten an inside look at the true nature of this place. Like any civilized world, there’s a seedy underbelly – that corruption and danger you don’t see at first glance. Some of that is because we get a lot of foreign traffic here. Our Noro Spaceport is one of the last major stops before you leave the Fringe and enter unsettled space. But there are plenty of Haphezian natives who make their fair share of contributions to the problems we have. It was something I saw first-hand during my time on my own, and something I continue to see almost every day thanks to my career.

I’m sorry, this probably wasn’t the answer you were looking for. I’m probably the worst person to ask about this. Obviously not everyone has had the same problems as I have, and after spending years focusing on and fighting the negative, it’s sometimes hard to see the positive. Continue reading “Ziva Payvan (of Dakiti by EJ Fisch)” →

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Marcus Falerius Fronto (of Marius’ Mules by S. J. A. Turney)

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Dear readers, tonight we have with us Marcus Falerius Fronto, commander of the Tenth legion and long-time companion of Julius Caesar. Marcus Falerius comes to us off the pages of Marius’ Mules series of novels.

How was it progressing through positions to command the Tenth under Caesar?

Trouble. Seriously, no one can work alongside Caesar for any length of time without questioning what they are doing. The thing is: I remember him in Hispania as a quaestor, when I was just a fresh faced tribune. He was only in Hispania for two years and then went back to Rome, but when he came back as the governor a few years later I was still there and still in the army. Since we’d last met I had gone from being an innocent lad on the first steps of the ladder to being a battle-hardened officer, putting down endless troubles with the vicious native tribes. I had served for years then with the Ninth, refusing to quit my post after a year like most tribunes and head back to Rome to count coins or some such. Instead, I found I had something of a talent for war. The legate at the time – I forget his name, but he had a big nose and really hairy ears – held on to me. Considered me his lucky charm, I think. Anyway, by the time Caesar came back I’d fought up and down and back and forth across most of the country, and when the old coot in command of the Ninth died, Caesar gave me temporary command as a legate. Wasn’t really official, as it wasn’t a senatorial appointment and I was still quite young, I suppose, but I proved myself enough during his governorship that when he returned to Rome, I went with him and he secured me command of the Tenth. I was still their legate more than a year later when the old man led us into Gaul. The rest, as they say, is history. Continue reading “Marcus Falerius Fronto (of Marius’ Mules by S. J. A. Turney)” →

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Machidiel (of Aeon of Wonder by Carey Henderson)

Aeon of WonderGood evening, dear readers. Tonight we have a very special guest indeed. On the couch with me I have the angel out of the pages of The Aeon of Wonder by Carey Henderson.

Let us find out what creation was like, and what does its destruction entail for us.

 

 

What is your name?

My name is Machidiel.

How old are you?

I am not bound by your concept of time. I do not age. I exist outside what you might think of as the ‘bubble’ of Time. You might say that I am older than Time itself, for I was there at the creation of Time. Have you ever seen Time? Perhaps you will one day. It roams your Earth, devouring all in its path slowly. You simply cannot see it.

What’s the big guy like, on his days off?

You mean God, I must assume. Well, I will tell you this: He is ever the same. I believe I understand your phrase, “days off,” to mean that His watchful eye over His Creation is sometimes turned away. This is not the case. He is always watchful. And yet He is always full of joy and laughter. There seems to be a misunderstanding among you humans that He is angry. Would that you all knew Him as I do!

Continue reading “Machidiel (of Aeon of Wonder by Carey Henderson)” →

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Dante (of Inferno – fanfic by Jon Maas)

Portrait_de_DanteDear readers, tonight we have a special treat – Dante Alighieri, who appears as a character in his own novel Inferno, the first part of The Divine Comedy.

 

 

Dante, I understand you journeyed through Hell for your most popular book, Inferno. Could you give a brief overview of your journey for us?

Of course! I started my journey on the night of Good Friday in the year of our Lord 1300. I was 35 years old at the time.

I found myself lost in the woods and the shade of Virgil visited me, and said that I could find Paradise, but I would have to go through Hell to get there.

For you modern folk, please note that at the time we called spirits shades, i.e. shadows of what they once were when they were alive.

Regardless, I accepted Virgil’s suggestion, and what follows became Inferno. Continue reading “Dante (of Inferno – fanfic by Jon Maas)” →

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Aeron of Brittany (of The Masks of Monsters by Narayan Liu)

The Mastks of MonstersDear Readers, tonight in the guest chair we have Aeron of Brittany, out of the pages of The Masks of Monsters. Aeron is a 400 year old French vampire, a rising star in his society.

 

 

 You don’t look like most vampires I’ve seen. Where did you come from?

A long time ago, I was not trapped in this form… I could will this all away and blend in with the mortals as most other vampires do. I was a simple Frenchman from Rennes, cursed and empowered with strength enough to dominate all monsters I came across. All those who threaten our world will come to know it.

Does my appearance frighten you, mortal? Is it this grim, grey flesh of mine or my wings like the Devil’s own that causes you to quiver in fear? But… say again… most vampires you’ve seen? Continue reading “Aeron of Brittany (of The Masks of Monsters by Narayan Liu)” →

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Felix the Fox (of Murder in-absentia by Assaph Mehr)

Web Cover-miniDear readers, tonight we will be interviewing Felix the Fox. Felix comes to us from the far off magical city of Egretia. Felix is an interesting character, with quite an extraordinary career. His specialist services have saved the lives and property of many of his clients.

 

How did you get your nickname?

My name, just like my father’s, is Spurius Vulpius – but nobody uses it these days. I got the nickname Felix [ed: “lucky”] as a child, but as I grow older I’m less sure it means I’m Fortuna’s favourite. More like her favourite butt for practical jokes.

Fox is, of course, a reference to what I do for a living. It’s much nicer that ‘ferret’, which is almost what I got stuck with.

What do you do for a living?

I studied to be an incantator, a wizard. I got booted out of college, however, and never completed my studies. I worked a while for the firm of Gordius et Falconius, where I learned the art of investigation.

Now I work for myself as a fox – a sniffer of troubles, and resolver of predicaments. The kind of messes where there’s often a corpse involved. Continue reading “Felix the Fox (of Murder in-absentia by Assaph Mehr)” →

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