Search

The Protagonist Speaks

Interviews with the characters of your favourite books

Open Search
Tag

Action

Gentry Mandrake (of Liefdom by Jesse Teller)

jesse-teller-liefdom

Dear readers, tonight with me is a creature out of fairy tales – but not those tales we reserve for children. A guardian of a peaceful city, tonight’s protagonist is a fairy like no other.

He is here to tell us about the dark troubles he faces in his society, his longing to belong, and about fighting to protect the human child bound to him.

Tell us a little about yourself and where you come from.

I am a protector, a guardian of the city I live in, and the boy that I was born to. Every time a Gentry fairy is born, a human child is born, a child protected by the Gentry. I protect my child zealously. He is my life, and he is in danger.

The city where I live is called Liefdom. There are many cities in the world of The Veil, but Liefdom is the capital city of all fairy life. We are surrounded by a forest, but all our structures are built into dryad trees. Every tree holding up every house is alive and vibrant, personal. My home is in a tree named Lyadora. She is a black chestnut tree and she strongly dislikes me. I don’t think she hates me; I don’t think she’s capable of hate. But she tells me all the time that I am a monster, that I don’t belong here. Maybe she’s right.

What’s your understanding of hate?

I’m a warrior, so I am intimately engaged with the emotion hate. When I look at a thing that needs to die, I am enveloped with the emotion. My blood heated by it. There are a few things, a few acts, that inspire deep hatred in me. They are all tied to my fate as a protector. The city I live in is often called the City of Innocence. If someone endangers that innocence, my soul boils. There is an adversary out there. I can feel him, as I’m sure he can feel me. His life offends me, though I know not why. He has harmed my child. He has risen to destroy everything. He is poised to take it all away from me, and I know not his name. And I know not his face. But when I near him, I will be able to feel him throbbing in my bones. Continue reading “Gentry Mandrake (of Liefdom by Jesse Teller)” →

0

Dydre Rowyn (of War Merchant by Patrick Parker)

war-merechant-patrick-parker

Dear readers, tonight with me on the interview couch is a woman trying to escape from the black-market arms trade.

Her risky plan went wrong, and she found her – and her son’s – life in danger from her former boss, his mercenaries, a double-crossing businessman, terrorists, the FBI, and a man from the Defense Department.

She is here to tell us about her suspenseful adventures in a world of corrupt politics, a ruthless greedy opportunist, terrorists, and a pawn with deadly skills.

Tell us a little about where you’re from and growing up.

I lived in Hanau, Germany until I was about thirteen when my parents were killed in a car wreck. I was put in a foster home, and about a year later, I ran away. I couldn’t make the adjustment, too young I guess.

I met Johanna Zsigmond in a Frankfurt park not long after I ran away, and she hired me as a live-in domestic and assistant to her. We got along great. Sometimes we’d talk for hours. She convinced me to go back to school and on to Cambridge. She treated me as if I was her daughter and I loved her dearly. I still miss her to this day.

Johanna was such a wonderful person. She was more than a mother to me, she became my best friend. She got me interested in theatre and martial arts, focusing on jujitsu in high school. In my spare time, Johanna taught me the romance languages.

After I moved in with Johanna, I kept quite busy with school and, of course, she kept me busy with language lessons. I liked Frankfurt better than Hanau. There was so much to do in Frankfurt and I loved the markets and festivals. Johanna stressed the arts and we were always going to plays, concerts, and museums.

Any cherished memories?

I miss Johanna. She didn’t have any children of her own and I filled that void. Johanna died of cancer during my junior year at Cambridge. I was devastated and took the rest of the year off. I returned to school the following year as that is what Johanna would have wanted.

I became pregnant during my senior year at Cambridge and was to be married just before graduation. Michael Barron, an army captain, was a very handsome man and a wonderful person. He would be any woman’s dream. Unfortunately, he was killed in Bosnia a week before the wedding.

David, my son, looks just like Michael. David is my world now. Continue reading “Dydre Rowyn (of War Merchant by Patrick Parker)” →

1

Sapphyre (of Sapphyre by Jason Komito)

Jason Komito - SapphyreDear readers, tonight with me is a young woman, who recently found out that she has latent magical abilities. Accompanied by a mysterious gentlemen and following an ancient prophecy, Sapphyre goes out to face the world.

 

What can you tell us of the streets you grew up on?

Thorenn has not changed much in the past 17 winters, I don’t believe. Oh, yes, please pardon me. I forget that most of the people who are reading this have never been to Arstevia. The capital lays on the east coast of the continent and is the largest city in the land. It is also the largest port on the eastern seaboard and it is a few weeks ride south of the Myth Mountains on the finest of steeds.

Even though I spent my first few winters living on the streets of the city and begging and stealing to get my fill, I do have some good memories of my childhood. I never knew my parents and the first time I ever felt any feeling of family was when I met Kat and joined the Pugs.

I’m sorry I get a little choked up when talking about Katrivus. He is my dearest friend and we are still trying to figure out a way to rescue him.

But I digress. We were speaking of my youth. Continue reading “Sapphyre (of Sapphyre by Jason Komito)” →

0

Jamie Kendrick (of Bad Decisions by EM Smith)

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Dear readers, tonight with me is a man who managed to break free of his white-trash background littered with bad decisions, and is now a valued members of a special black-ops unit in the army.

What is it like to wear an ankle bracelet?

It sucks. It rubs all the hair off that spot, you have to bag the monitor up whenever you take a shower, and if it’s a drug monitoring bracelet like mine, you can’t even use mouthwash or it will spike your alcohol measurement and set the damn thing off, then BOOM, jail time. Also, you got to pay for the delight of wearing it out of your own pocket. You can’t go swimming or wading or hand fishing, either, which used to be my favorite ways to waste time with my brother.

What was the scariest situation you’ve been in?

I guess I probably oughta say something like “getting shot at by human traffickers,” but the truth is that wasn’t near as scary as standing on the ground, watching the helicopter of one of those sex traffickers lift off with my nieces in the cockpit. I still have nightmares about that. Continue reading “Jamie Kendrick (of Bad Decisions by EM Smith)” →

0

Marie (of Marie by Ana Elise Meyer)

Marie - Ana MeyerDear readers, tonight on the interview couch is Marie, off the pages of her eponymous novel. Marie is a special person, the picture of physical perfection. Let us find out what mind lies inside a body that can heal at rapid rates. 

 

What was it like growing up at the institution? Did you have a favourite toy?

How do you think it was? I lived in a sterile building. I had my friends and that was all, but they turned out to be pricks.

What the fuck is a toy?

Did you have any one there that you felt close to, like a parent?

That is none of you damn business!

What does your extreme healing power feel like? Do wounds hurt less?

It feels like healing, and yes it does fucking hurt. I am not some superhero or something. Continue reading “Marie (of Marie by Ana Elise Meyer)” →

0

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑