#CharactersTell Antagonist Week - Interview with Bernard Griffin

Well hello there! Sorry for the day of delay, but yesterday my twitter feed was getting hijacked by Zoe to host #MCchat.

But now that we're back, there's no time to dilly-dally around! We've got an interview to have!

Today on the hot seat we've got an antagonist, in line with our second week of April's questions.

Only true gentlemen have portrait frames

Our guest for the night is Chief Inspector Bernard Griffin - a man of refined tastes, a warrior, a hunter and a naturalist. Truly a gentleman.

He comes from the novel "For The Next Killer Who Dies". It's the tale of a political uprising, written by Sam Amenn, also known with their pen name Alexander Phoenix.

Here's Sam! The phoenix is
holding the camera, ofc.

Sam is a lovely person that I got to know from Twitter (where you should totally follow her, using this link).

She has a blog as well, "Pepper Writes", where her lovely Phoenix assistant talks about the writing journey they're doing together! You can find her blog through this link here.

Her story can be found on the dedicated site of the book, that is easily reached with this link!

But, let's get to the interview, shall we?

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Well, here we are for another interview! It’s April and the good season continues to roll in, but today we’re talking about antags...so we’ll see how ‘good’ the season will be~

Speaking of which! Would you please introduce yourself, your novel and your author to us?

Bernard: I’m Chief Inspector Bernard Griffin and I appear in Kingsley’s memoir For the Next Killer Who Dies. From what I understand, Kingsley Montivelo wrote it with assistance from Sam Amenn.

Oh dear! A joint venture! Interesting! But let’s talk about you - that’s quite the impressive title you’ve got there. What are your duties as the Chief inspector? Can you tell us for which government you work? Is it based here on our earth, or somewhere else?

Bernard: I’m not from your world, although we, apparently, share many similarities. I work for the Shivian government. Shiva is a country known for its wealth, power, and colonial territories. It is a republic, but only for a select few. As chief inspector, I am in charge of keeping law and order. I’ve had many assignments all over our empire, but, the memoir focuses on my time in the Killbraugha, one of our many colonies that border Shiva. While in the Killbraugha, I was charged with destroying the separate movement that called itself the Ilkhatal Freedom Movement.

You do seem to realize there is some sort of disparity into your government, telling us that it’s a republic for a select few. And we all know colonialism does bring with it it’s own fair share of problems. Is this what puts you on a collision course with the Main Character? And what are your thought on the situation of your government?

Bernard: I am a realist. I don’t like pretending my government is perfect, because it prevents me from understanding my targets, which interferes with my duties. To answer your question, yes, Kingsley, the Main Character, as you call him, is one of the leaders of the Ilkhatal Freedom Movement and it is my job to stop him and his fellow separatists. How I feel about my government matters very little. I was a former soldier and now I am a civil servant. My job is to serve my government to the best of my abilities.

And does this understanding of your enemy ever put you into difficult situations? How hard is it to both try to do your duty and have to see things from their perspective?

Bernard: It was difficult during some of my other assignments, when I was younger, but not so much in the Killbraugha. At least...I can understand the Ilkhatal Freedom Movement without getting lost in their logic. The true difficulty comes from dealing with my superiors. They don’t understand how Kingsley and the others think. They believe the Ilkhatal can be cowed into submission with empty threats and mass demonstrations. They don’t understand how Kingsley and the others have changed the art of guerilla warfare.

You seem to have quite some respect for the man’s tactics. Do you reckon in another life things might have gone differently? What are your thoughts on their movement, what keeps you fighting them? Where do you think they are wrong in their ideology or actions?

Bernard: No, I don’t think I would have made different decisions in another life. I do respect the movement, as I respect all my foes who put up a fight, but it is the respect one has for a clever rat that has invaded your house. You know, inevitably, the rat will fall for one of your traps and everytime it escapes, it is only buying time, but you cannot help respect its cleverness and tenacity. As far as I why I continue to fight, I can’t stand hypocrisy or the violation of our laws. Without laws, civilization cannot stand, and when the movement partakes in assassinations, bombings, and general acts of terror, it is not only an attack against our government, but against civilization as a whole.

That’s absolutely understandable. After all, such tactics are still putting in danger peaceful people who want to just live their lives. Anyway, let’s try to lighten up the mood a bit, shall we? Since it’s the good season, can you tell us something about the wilderness and the natural wonders of the country you’re stationed in?

Bernard: Yes, if there’s one thing I appreciate about the Kilbraugha, it is its natural beauty. Some say it’s a backwards country because it has not yet been blighted by large cities, factories, and things of that nature, but that’s not true. It is still primitive, but only in the sense that the Ilkhatal are more respectful of nature then we, Shivians, are. It is a country of rolling hills and thick forests and is surrounded by two massive mountain ranges, one from the south and the other from the west. Occasionally, when I feel my men and I have earned it, we go hunting in the forests.

Oh, so a man that not only has a sense of duty but enjoys the wilderness and the camaraderie of his unit! Lately we’ve been talking a lot about camping and such. What do you tend to hunt? Are there any weird animals in your country? Any particularly edible?

Bernard: I prefer to hunt deer, but they are sacred in the Killbraugha and so our government banned us from hunting them. This means we’ve had to settle for boar, which is fine, but can be tough if you don’t know how to prepare it. Weird animals? Not so much in the Killbraugha, although they have odd bird life that I’ve only just started hunting and cataloguing. Some are delicious, others are not.

Very interesting! I’d love to see your journal with the entries on the various species you’re cataloguing! And back to a more calm life, is there anyone waiting for you at home when you finish your work day?

Bernard: Thank you. I am hoping to donate my journal to our natural history museum, along with a few specimen I was able to preserve. And, no, I never had the time nor the inclination to marry or start a family. I am also an only child, whose parents passed away long ago.

Oh. I am sorry about that, my condolences anyway. But. I’m afraid that for tonight we might be running out of time - anything you’d like to say to our audience? You have free reign.

Bernard: Oh, really? This wasn’t as painful as I imagined it would be. I suppose it would be my duty to end this interview with a general warning: be wary of anything Kingsley says or writes. I haven’t read his memoir yet, but I know the man, and he is an unreliable narrator who only preserves the facets of the truth that will make him look like an innocent martyr.

Always the problem with history being written by just one side. Thank you very much for coming, Chief Inspector Griffin! I’m sure we can’t wait to see more about you in this upcoming work! It’s been a pleasure, and please, have a good night!

Bernard: This has been tolerable, so thank you for that. Have a safe and good night.

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And that does it for this week! As always, a friendly remainder that YOU can have YOUR characters interviewed on this blog!

Just send me a message on Twitter and we can set up an interview!

Next time on this blog - With the release of Tiogair, all the details you'd want, where to find it and my experience writing it!

Toodles!

#CharactersTell Background Characters - Interview with Joshua Freeman

Hello people, and welcome back to the #CharactersTell interviews! To finish our February schedule, today we've got a Background Character - someone taken from the nameless, faceless crowds of an author's work and put into the spotlight to explore their point of view as well.

For our first Background Character interview, we have Joshua Freeman, a detective of the Charleston Police Department.

And she has a lovely smile too!

He comes from "Deja Vu", an upcoming romantic suspense novel from author Hollie Hausenfluck (which you should totally follow on Twitter using this link).

She has a blog too, which you should absolutely take a look at, and you can just following this link!

But enough dilly-dallying around, let's get to it shall we? Here's the interview!

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Well hello there! It’s a pleasure to have you here with us tonight! Can you introduce yourself, the book you come from and your author?

My name is Joshua Freeman, rookie homicide detective with the Charleston police department. Apparently Hollie Hausenfluck is writing a novel called Deja Vu, where I will be making my debut appearance as “uncredited rookie cop”. *waves* Hi mom!

Well hello Joshua! It’s a pleasure to meet you! So, a rookie detective, huh? How are you finding your job so far? You must see your fair share of weird stuff…

Oh yeah. You wouldn't believe some of the stuff people do to each other. I've only been a detective for a few months now, and it's a lot of work, but it's awesome. I work with some really amazing people.

I can imagine that… You seem very fond of your coworkers! Is there someone you’re particularly inspired by?

There's this one detective, I think her name's Hayden Howell. Honestly, she's kinda scary, so I've been trying to keep my distance. She seems to know what she's doing though, so I guess it's okay that she's a total you-know-what.

There’s no reason to censor yourself here, we’ll make sure she doesn’t read this interview… Why is she scary? How does she usually behave?

Well if I'm being frank then, she's a total bitch. She just seems to have a short fuse and boy you should see her with detective Detweiler. The way those two bicker back and forth, it's like listening to my younger twin brothers argue over whose turn it is to play the video game, except with a lot more swearing. I heard she even punched him.

Wow, she definitely sounds like she has a very short temper. And despite that you still find inspiration in her? How so?

She's a cold blooded killer catching machine. She brings in so many perps and gets them to confess in a matter of minutes. I'm not sure what she's doing in that interview room, but when she comes out with the guy or gal, they look like they've seen the grim reaper. It's like a gift or something, I don't know man.

Damn, she’s that good? Do you think higher ups might be closing an eye on her behaviour for the result she brings home? And have you ever thought about asking her, or someone that works close to her?

She's damn good. I think everyone's just kind of used to her snide comments and temper and it's just what we've come to expect at work. I'm just speculating here, but deep down, she could be a nice person, she just prefers to be a bitch because it's more fun and she doesn't have to open herself up to anyone. I will say though, ever since her and Detweiler started bumping uglies, she seems to be a little less of a bitch. Maybe she just needed to get some. Who knows?

Mh, I see. At the very least she can be a nice person, and it seems like things are starting to get better with her. Think the upwards curve will continue? Perhaps if it does you can finally find out what she does in the interrogation room!

I damn sure hope so. Things seem to be going okay for now. Maybe the captain will let me work with her once her partner, Ramirez, retires. He's had some health issues recently, so he's gonna be retiring at the end of the summer.

Awh, I’m sorry to hear that. Then again, an opportunity for you to rise the ranks!

So, tell us, how did you decide to enter in this line of work? It’s not really a common choice.

I think it has something to do with the murder of a classmate of mine. In middle school she was walking to school through the woods and someone attacked her and killed her. It took the police almost fifteen years to solve the case. It shouldn't take that long to give someone's family closure. So I decided I wanted to see if I could change that. Plus, I really liked CSI growing up, though it's completely different in real life.

Oh, I’m very sorry about your classmate. And I completely agree, it shouldn’t take that long to bring a criminal to justice. Have you already worked successfully on some cases? One that remained in your mind?

I recently solved a case of jealous girlfriend versus cheating boyfriend. It was pretty straightforward. She caught him cheating, pushed him out the window, and then tried to run for it. She didn't get far before we caught up to her and she confessed after a few hours in the interrogation room. She cried like a baby through the whole thing.

Some people cry over spilt milk, she cried over a spilt boyfriend, I guess. And how are you finding the city? Do you see yourself staying here or do you aim to go work somewhere else?

I was born and raised in Charleston, SC. K don't think that's going to change anytime soon. It's actually a really nice place go live once you get over the traffic and constant tourists. Most people are pretty friendly, you know that whole southern hospitality thing.

And speaking of friendliness… It is February, so you know what sort of question I’m contractually obligated to ask. Any particularly friendly person in your life, if you know what I mean?

Meh. Who has time for that kind of stuff? I had a casual friends with benefits thing going on with a girl in my building, but she started to get too clingy.

Sticking to the lone detective thing for now, huh? Well, you never know what the future means… Now, you did say you loved CSI.. Give us your best one-liner after catching the perp. I know you want to. I can even give you the sunglasses if you need them.

Umm… You're totally putting me on the spot here, but I guess since I'm a huge David Caruso fan, I'll say, “Bet you didn't think you would be going to jail so soon.”

Feels weird to be on the other side of the questioning fence, doesn’t it? Anyway, our time is almost up! Do you have something you want to say to our readers?

I guess I would say thanks for listening to me ramble and I hope you all enjoy Deja Vu. Look for me in the background of the bullpen, I'll be the one sitting at his desk, pretending to look busy.

I’m sure we will enjoy it a lot! Thank you for your time and your disponibility! I’ll definitely keep an eye out to see how your career is going!

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And this concludes another lovely interview with another interesting character! Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

Starting with the first of March, we'll have another Main Character on the spot, and it can very well be YOUR Main Character from YOUR book!

To apply for the spot, just send me a Direct Message on Twitter! You can find the button to do just that on the right-hand sidebar!

See you all soon!

#CharactersTell Secondary Characters - Interview with Nathaniel Adler

Welcome back #CharactersTell crowd! Our interview last week saw us speak with quite the charming and well-mannered antagonist, and today is no different!

And who wouldn't spend time with her with such a cute name!

Our guest tonight is Nathaniel Adler, from the novel 'Trigram' written by Avrin Kelly, and you can find her novels and anthologies on her Amazon store page here!

She's also present on Twitter (and you should absolutely follow her) and aside from being the main forces responsible for me getting into blogging. She has her own blog, Wicked Shorts, which is an amazing place to go to if you're a fan of the fantastic and the creepy!

But that's enough of us blabbering about, let's get to our honored guest!

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Good evening to you too, and welcome to our interview for the side character week! Can you introduce yourself, the book you’re from and your author?

“Yes, it would be my pleasure. My name, is Nathaniel Adler. I’m twenty four years old, and my brother is a Warlock. I’m from the novel “Trigram” (so I’m told) by Avrin Kelly. I’ve never met the author, but I’m told it’s a woman…with a man’s name evidently.”

Ah yes, reminds me of some ‘Andrea’s’ here in Italy. But let’s talk about you. So you’re the brother of a Warlock? Is he more on the ‘Main Character’ side or is he more on the ‘Antagonist’ side?

“Considering what I know about my brother, Thierry, he’s a bit of both. He tends to do whatever he wants in life, then, he turns around and preaches to me about right and wrong.”

*scoffs*

“He tries, you know, to be good I suppose. But I am the dutiful one in the family. As a Scholar, I’m immune to most magics (not Warlock magics), but, Thierry would never hurt me. I don't think.”

That sounds like quite the interesting family history you’ve got there. What’s a Scholar, and how did you find out you’re one?

“A Scholar is a man immune to magic. I believe Scholars were put on Earth to police the world of Witchcraft (as we are its polar opposite). No spell can touch us. Our name has been earned over the centuries. Scholars being the only entities on this planet strong enough to raid a coven of Witches and confiscate their most dangerous spells. If it weren’t for us, the world we live in now would be very different. Imagine if Witches could do whatever they wanted without consequence? They fear us. We, as Scholars can null their entire genetic line--- if our Council sees fit to do so.”

What was it like growing up with Thierry Adler?

“Growing up with Thierry was mostly fun. He was my best friend until he went off to boarding school in the States. He left me with our father, Samson Adler. Samson is the Luminary of the Scholarly Council, and as his son, I’m like a prince… in a way.”

A life predisposed for greatness from an important bloodline, then. How did you take the news of Thierry being a Warlock, instead of a Scholar like you and your Father?

*Laughs bitterly*

“The news? No one told me anything. Everything I’ve learned about my brother I found out via my computer. Thierry abandoned our family when he discovered what he was. He didn’t say goodbye. He didn’t trust me with his secret. He just left us. Me. It took me months to find him, but when I did... well, that was as shocked as I’d ever seen him. Serves him right for being a coward.”

It must not have been easy to find out your brother went missing like that. Do you still feel resentful for what he did, or did you two manage to rekindle your friendship without a hitch?

“I’m still angry as fuck.”

*face gets red, but then, he collects himself*

“His absence taught me that---- no one can be trusted. You can only depend on yourself. Also, with his unique ability to Travel between worlds, I figure he can be useful. You see, I’m looking for a ring that has the same ability to Travel that my brother has. Thierry is the only one equipped to go out and find it. Now that his friend Io has gone missing, I’m sure he’ll be much more interested in finding the ring that ripped her out of this world. And when he does, I’ll be there to take it off his hands.”

Wow, yeah, still quite the sentiment. Have you ever envied him for his place in the world? You seem to speak about his abilities as something quite rare and unique. Do you think he’s the right person to wield them?

“That’s a hard one… Mmmm. I don’t envy him his powers. Most people think he’s a freak. Warlocks are made when a Witch and a Scholar have a male child together, and even then, it doesn’t always take. It’s damn near impossible. So when one is born, people credit it as being the will of the gods. That, if he’s here, then he’s meant to be.

“Should he have his powers? I don’t know, but if I had them, I’d be much more creative about using them. That's the problem with Thierry. No imagination. Just pure bull-headed willpower. I keep telling him to take the time to stop and think. But-----”
*taps his head a finger*
"He never does."

You could always manipulate him and try to give him ‘ideas’...

“Yeah. Have you met Thierry Adler? He's about as influential as a brick. And stubborn as a mule.”

Heh. Point taken. So your mother was a witch then? You didn’t mention her earlier.

*Takes a deep breath*

“My mother was a human woman. Thierry is only my half brother. My father drove her to commit suicide when I was still in diapers. That's the kind of man Samson Adler is. Thierry's mother was a Witch. But she's dead.”

Are you afraid you’re gonna become like him? Or...perhaps he is more like a role model? There’s something to be said about ruthlessness in such a position of power, after all.

“Thierry says I’ve turned into our father. That I’m becoming a monster, but he doesn’t know the truth. He’s not the only one on a mission. I have my own life's work: to free Witches and other supernatural creatures from the tyranny of the Scholarly Council. We should be a democracy. We should vote on the rules, not have them forced upon us by group of men immune to magic. Men like me.”

That’s quite the important and noble mission you’ve taken upon yourself. I hope the best for that...and speaking of which, let’s get to a lighter subject. You know what month it is in our world, right? And what was celebrated yesterday?

“Oh yes, Valentines Day. To be perfectly honest, I’ve got bigger fish to fry. But I do like someone. Quite a bit.”

Oh do you now~ And does this someone know it?

“No. I don’t plan on telling her either. She’s in love with someone else. I’ll give you two guesses as to who, and the first one doesn’t count.”

I’ve made mine, but we’ll let our readers play along. It’ll make it much more fun to find out in Avrin’s works after all. You seem quite driven though - do you see any romantic pursuits for yourself if/ when you manage to accomplish your goals?

“Maybe. I mean, I hope so. I’ve always wanted a family of my own. It's almost like, if I had a place to be and people I belonged to, a wife and a few rugrats, I wouldn’t feel so angry at Thierry anymore. Abandonment issues are a bitch.”

I hope you will manage to get through them and find someone to belong to, sincerely. But for now, our time is almost up - anything you want to say to our readers?

“Yes. As a matter of fact I do.

Those of you out there know who you are. You can’t hide. The revolution is still growing stronger by the day. We will rise. You shall fall. Zedd will see to that.

“Thank you for having me, Manuel, it’s been nice talking to you. Maybe once I take down the council, I can interview you… If I live.”

The pleasure has been mine! And I’m counting on that interview, so I surely hope you’re gonna live through this. Thanks for coming!

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What can I say, two out of three guests that haven't told me to go screw myself...Zoe still holds the record on that one.

It's been an absolute pleasure to have Nathaniel with us, and do remember, you can have your character featured in this blog too! This upcoming week is gonna be Background Characters week, which are amazing to get to know the worlds and settings you guys write about! And after that, we're back at Main Characters!

To partecipate, simply send me a Direct Message on Twitter!

See you soon!

#CharactersTell ! Its present and future and...

 Why hello there!

 I know, I said 'tomorrow' a couple days ago, but between the exhaustion for that last post I made and the side effects of developing my psychic powers, things got a tad hectic and I kinda missed the deadline. Sorry.

I'm really trying to explode things with my mind. The migraine is only a byproduct of that.

 But hey, we're here now and that's all that matters!

 And with quite the topic to talk about, too!

 If you guys arrived here on Twitter, you probably are aware that I'm the host of a writing #game called #CharactersTell. And today we're going to cover that - what it is, how it came to be, and what are the plans for the future.

The story so far:

 As I think I mentioned just a couple of times in this blog already, probably in a very subtle way, I'm quite a fan of characters. I think they're the true meat of a story, the way a reader can experience the world they're projected upon, experience drama, interactions and tension, all that fun stuff.

In picture: my level of subtlety on the subject

 So I created this #game on Twitter (you can find it on the sidebar) where not only we explore and get to know the main characters, but the antagonist, the side characters and even people in the setting that us readers wouldn't even know about thanks to the background characters week.

 Admittedly, I'm not the only one in this concept - the amazing #CharacterTherapy from Vivyan Lynne follows a similar concept on a weekly chat, and if you like #CharactersTell you should totally check that out too.

 But, after two months and a growing following, I thought it's time to think about the future.

So, what now?

 I could just explain what is gonna happen from now on, hopefully every week, but I think it's better if I show you instead. After all, 'Show Don't Tell' is pretty common critique among authors, innit?

 So, without further ado, please let me welcome Zoe, the Main Character of Tiogair my upcoming Cyberfantasy thriller with erotica elements.

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 Zoe:

 Wait, what. Uh.. Are we sure about this?

 You didn't say anything about a real interview. The hell?

Just roll with it. Tell us a bit more about you. Who are you, where are you from...

Zoe:

You're still paying me for this, right?

*shrugs*

Right, I'm Zoe, I'm a Scorpio, I'm a gatecrasher currently 

living in Cerulean Springs, in a pretty damn technologically advanced world...it was Colorado Springs, but things got fucked soo.

I'm a zoomorph, which is a cute way of saying I'm a big, human-shaped animal. A tiger, in my case.

I'm an apt alchemist, Materium Ether user, basically a mage with lightning bolts and shit, and...well...

You can tell us, it's not gonna bite you in the ass.

Alright...Well. I'm an underground mercenary. I'm hired as an operative for various...well, not really nice jobs.

Wanna tell us about the Gatecrash?

*Glares* Three years ago, something fucked up and the whole world changed. Magic came back, we call it Ether, and along with that a whole plethora of other fun things - people mutating like me, portals opening all over, monsters, ruins...you know, riots, people dying, all that delightful package.

Considering the world you live in... Still, you're not originary from this city, are you?

Hah! Nah mate. I'm Irish. Born and raised. And proud of it.

Speaking of which. Sometimes you use some words people might not understand, like 'Feis ort'. What does that mean?

*Bursts out laughing*

Pff. Really wanna know? Means 'fuck off'. Depending on what you're gonna ask, you might receive a couple yourself.

Oh, and to you out there, if I'm not saying that right, blame him, not me.

So, we're entering February...thoughts on the month of love?

More revenge setups contracts from morons with too much money to their name.

And what about you? You did come back in contact with Tai recentely...

You really don't wanna go down that route. Me and him are done.

Not to mention, I've got my eyes set on someone already.

Fair enough. Considering the post before this, we're gonna cut this a bit shorter, but...come on, tell our viewers a secret about you.

I've got a cock along with all the rest. And I'm not afraid to use it. *chuckles*

Really? It's not a secret, you know. What about your name? You know I know...

Then you know this is not a wise question.

Come on...

*Gets up* Aight. I've got things to do. Stuff to shoot. People to save, possibly. I'm gonna expect the payment on my bank account. And oh. Right. Feis ort. Ya fuck.

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 Well, I mean...that could have gone better. But yes. This was Zoe, ladies, gentlemen and others!

 Please give her an applause as she...angrily...storms out..muttering stuff about murdering me...

 Moving swiftly on, this is just the first of a series of interviews in which YOUR  characters can take part of! Planning to do this every week, in correlation with the various 'type' of characters week, next Monday I wanna host one of your antagonists to interview here!

 If you're interested in partecipating, please Direct Message me ON TWITTER (private messages or emails won't be taken into account) and we can sort out where to put the character you want to showcase!

 So come on! Let's get to know your imaginary people!