#CharactersTell Main Character Week - Interview with Elle Deschampes

Wow...well, September has been a bit of an eventful month in RL for me, but we're luckily back to our regular schedule - and not only that, we have some new additions to the #CharactersTell universe to boot! Namely the new Discord server, and the presence of a Patreon - while I envision this game continuing regardless, support is greatly appreciated and will help operations go on a lot more smoothly... and you can get some nifty little rewards for it as well! You can find it through this link!

But! We're not here for that, are we? We're here to explore another Main Character who gave us some of their valuable time to give us an insight in their mind despite all their busy schedule given from their adventures!

Such a strong gaze!

Tonight's guest is Elle Deschampes, a lovely French potion-brewer for the Paris-based bar Folies Bergère. Oh, I might have to add that she comes from an alternate version of our Victorian (or as she would point out, Belle Epoque) era, where magic potions fuel tech, economy and the people of her world. She's a nice woman, caught into an odd job that puts her in contact with a mysterious and charming English man...

Lovely smile, and lovely hat as well!

She comes from Catherine Stein's novel "How to Seduce a Spy", a steampunk romance adventure book already available for preorder! You can pre-order it on:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2OnI5ol

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2OkKSi7

Barnes & Nobles: https://bit.ly/2y7cCwg

Catherine is active on Twitter, where you can find her under her handle https://twitter.com/catsteinbooks , and you should totally follow her!.

She's on Facebook too! Go say hi! https://www.facebook.com/catsteinbooks/

And to top it all off, she has her own website as well! https://www.catsteinbooks.com/

But enough with the preambles, let's get right into the juicy stuff!

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So! Here we are for another month of CharactersTell interviews! Last month has been a bit of a rough patch, but that doesn’t stop us from showcasing more and more characters!

And to do that, today we have another Main Character as our guest - would you please introduce yourself, your book and your author to us, please?

Hello. My name is Elle Deschamps. I am the heroine of the book “How to Seduce a Spy” by Catherine Stein. Glad to be here.

It’s a pleasure to have you here! Tell us a bit about you - where are you from? How was your life up to now?

I was born and raised in Paris, France. Up until the beginning of this book, I had lived there my entire life and had assumed I would continue living there indefinitely. I have been working as a barmaid, mixing magical potions at the Folies Bergère. It doesn’t pay well, but it pays better than some jobs. But recently, I’ve been asked to take on new work.

Ooooh! Magical potions, you say? So does magic exist in your world? It sounds like it might be pretty common if such potions are mixed in a bar…

Yes, magic exists in my world, though as far as I know, there is no magic outside of potions. We use potions for many things, from lighting lamps, to fueling vehicles, to all sorts of silly recreational uses. Few have real talent for mixing them well, so my abilities and those of the other barmaids are prized.

I see! Very interesting indeed...and what’s the sort of ‘timeframe’ you live in? Would you say it’s close to our modern world, or perhaps something a bit closer to the victorian era…?

Oh, we are certainly in what you call the Victorian Era. It is currently the year 1882, and Queen Victoria has been on the English throne for many decades now. In France you might call my time the Belle Époque, but there are British characters who will be with me on this journey, and they will, of course, prefer the term that uses the name of their queen.

Oh my, that’s such an interesting time! Are there any other sort of technologies that differ from our universe in that era? Here we have what is called ‘steampunk’...which tends to deal with that type of era but with certain elements to it that of course weren’t present. What about yours? Mysterious creatures? Odd tech?

No mysterious creatures that I know of, but we do use our potions very much like any technology. We have medicines and health potions (for those who can afford them) that can cure wounds and diseases that ought not be curable. And our potion-fuels allow us to drive steamcars instead of relying only on horse-drawn vehicles. We do have things I think you are familiar with, such as electricity, but we do not use it much. We can instead light our buildings with potion lamps. Sadly, I cannot afford steamcars and potion lamps. Those are the technologies of the wealthy. And with the magic serum that powers our potions strangely scarce of late, they might even begin to lose those things.

So there seems to be quite the difference in socioeconomic classes… Is there any unrest due to the sharp difference between the wealthy and the not-so? Or is there some form of either help or...distraction for the masses to avoid an uprising?

Well, the poor are always hungry for some of what others have. At the moment these inequalities are having a strange effect on my own life. I have been asked to help search for serum, and to do that I will need to pose as a wealthy woman and work alongside men of that social class. I am not accustomed to their ways, and I do not think they are particularly accustomed to mine.

I can imagine there might be quite the culture shock, if the two sides don’t interact much. Speaking of your current predicament… the title of the book seems to suggest a lot of skullduggery and shadowy adventures - is that the case? Are you finding yourself thrown headfirst in the world of spycraft?

My primary companion is a British man named Henry Ainsworth. He’s highly secretive and always seems to have a sort of nervous energy about him. He was in the army for many years, and they say that he has been sent along to be my bodyguard, but I am both suspicious and curious. We seem to be rushing headlong into adventure and danger, and I will have to watch and learn from him. The man who hired me, a Lord Westfield, seems to believe we can avoid such adventures, but that is only wishful thinking on his part.

And...let’s be honest, is the suspicion winning or the curiosity? How do you feel about the turn your life took? Would you prefer to go back mixing potions, or does this new venue of adventures excite you?

You have found me out. The curiosity is certainly winning out. I mean to not only do this job of finding serum and helping relieve the lack of potions, but to find out who Henry really is and why he is so… fascinating, I suppose. I am somewhat apprehensive about the potential danger of our situation, but I do not wish to be back at the bar. My dream is to use the money I earn from this job to open my open potion shop, but I do not know if it will be enough.

If it will be enough money, or if it will be enough for you to be satisfied after you see the end of this adventure?

Oh, if it will be enough money. I know it will be enough to satisfy me. It is all I’ve ever wanted, really. Except for a family of my own, I suppose. Sometimes that seems even less likely to happen.

But… we all know that sometimes, in this sort of environment, danger lurks around - are you equipped to face it?

I know how to make defensive potions, and I have been taking care of myself for some time now. I am not some wilting upper-class lady, and I will manage, danger or no. Besides, I’m quite sure that Henry has exceptional skills in that regard. Perhaps I can convince him to teach me something of his business.

Oh my, that would be quite intriguing if you manage to pry some of his teachings out of him! Anyway...I’m afraid we’re running out of time for tonight! Is there anything you’d like to tell our audience?

Only that my author assures me that in all romance novels, even adventurous fantasy ones like this, we are guaranteed a happy ending. So I hope that will make the readers happy. Though, really, I’m having a difficult time envisioning such a scenario for a lowly barmaid.

You never know… I’m sure your author has something special in mind for you! Anyway, thanks a lot for taking your time and speak with us tonight! I can’t wait to see you in “How to Seduce a Spy”!

Thank you. It was my pleasure.

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And that's it for tonight!

As always, let me remind you that you can get YOUR characters interviewed on this blog by sending me a direct message on Twitter, or sending an email to characterstell@gmail.com to get yourself sorted in one of our slots!

And certain Patreon tiers get a reserved spot as well!

With that said, the only thing left is to wish you a lovely evening! See you next time~

#CharactersTell Antagonist Week - Interview with Lizbeth

Here we are again for our interviews as promised!

I know some of you might think it as cheating, but hey...that would be totally in line with the sort of people we're talking about today!

I took the liberty of inviting to this interview one of my own antagonists - Lizbeth, in short Liz. She's a tough one, and honestly not very easy to work with - quick to anger, quick to violence, and what's worse, reveling in it. You don't learn her name in the book - but when you meet her, you most assuredly recognize her.

She comes from Tiogair, my newest published novel - it's a cyber-fantasy thriller with heavy erotica elements, and it's available for purchase on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle versions - and people with Kindle Unlimited can read it for free too!!

You can find Tiogair here: https://amzn.to/2NqGPjH

But - let's cut to the chase and get to know Liz...and hopefully not get killed.

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Well, hello there...it's been a while since we had a proper chat. Would you mind introducing yourself to our audience, please?

Was it now? As if you don't overwork me enough with all the questions on that social media of yours, Twitter... A girl has some things to tend to, you know? I still haven't finished playing with the new toy I got gifted with in your book. Anyway - hello lovelies. I'm Liz! I'm a nice person, whatever he might try to tell you. You can say that up to recently I ran a pretty well managed operation in a difficult part of town.

You can say that again... what she's trying to say, is that she was involved in an Oldtown illegal pleasure house as the manager.

Oh, please, you make it sound so dirty when you say that in such a tone. I wasn't doing anything that a lot of other people do in our condition. You know very well that the living conditions in Oldtown aren't really the best. You have to get by with what you have.

You...do have a point. I guess. Not a justification, but a point. But I highly doubt this was always your life... Or was it?

My my, if even my author doesn't know if this was always my life I'm in really good hands, ain't I? Honestly, I am quite worried. Might need to look into that. But far from me from letting such a nice segue. No, it definitely wasn't always my life. I had a very nice life back in the day. Then things went to shit.

I'm sorry to hear that. How was your life before this? This month we're themed on education - what sort of schools did you go to?

I was a...pretty lackluster child, to be perfectly honest. I was born in a small family, a late and only child, and I went to public primary and secondary school. I was from Minnesota. It was all pretty uneventful...well, until university, that is. There things got a lot more interesting.

Interesting? Do you mean in a good or in a bad way?

Definitely a good way, trust me. I went to med school. I had some pretty good grades, and I always liked biology, so that was pretty much a good pick...my parents, bless them, did their best to support me. Then a car accident took them away from me. I finished paying the studies with the inheritance and I graduated...and in the middle of all that, I met Ian.

Huh...That...is quite the different side of you. You were a medic? I'm sorry, but honestly... that kinda clashes with what we see you do.

Does it really? Being a medic is only a term. I've come to the realization that things like oaths, or society, or anything else for that matter, hold very little sway on what things really are. I have medical training. I was a doctor. That training comes in handy. The oath is worthless.

I have to admit, that does sound a bit weird. If you went to medical school, I'm sure you held a very different view than that - what brought you to such a cynical view of the world?

The Gatecrash. Plain and simple. My life was good - we moved in a house here in Colorado Springs just a couple years before everything happened. We both worked at one of the hospitals. Then...the Gatecrash, the chaos...I lost everything. My eyes, too. My dignity, my honor, my safety...you...don't even know what the people that captured me did to me. That's when I figured out, if society really is just this kept together by laws and societal norms...then it's tantamount to nothing.

But you're here - and your eyes are fine. I mean...they're obviously cybernetics, but it clearly means you got out of there.

Sure you don't want to keep it for another story, Mr. Writer? Spilling those guts all over like this? You kinda remind me of Stripes. Do say hi to her from me, will you? I bet she misses me.

Ahem...just be vague.

You're the boss, and I am currently unemployed...I killed my captors. All of them. I stumbled into Oldtown as it was being formed...But the damage was already there. I already became who I am now. I died, and was reborn.

Did you need any other training for your new position?

Hah! Hah...Oh...that's a nice one. There's only one training in there, and it's the sort of 'school' that either kills you or makes you stronger and more powerful. I ain't dead and I was in quite the position of power - so...

Point taken...I'm afraid our time for tonight is near an end though. Anything you'd like to tell our audience?

Oh, sure, I'm certain you're so sorry that we have to cut our time together now...but I'll see you soon. I'm sure of it.

As for the rest of you...Not every monster is born a monster. Sometimes it takes just the right amount of bad to push anyone over the edge.

Isn't it right, Stripes? I know you're looking. How far were you from the edge that day?

Liz...

What? You asked me if I had anything to tell your audience. I'm sure she's there, if I'm here. Your fault for the words you use.

Right...Thanks for coming tonight. It's been...enlightening, at the very least. And if you all want, you can search for her in Tiogair. I can promise she's...just as lovely there too.

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Wow...ok, that was...surprisingly difficult. But hopefully fun for you all! But, this is unfortunately the time we have for tonight!

As always, a reminder that you can reserve YOUR spot on #CharactersTell blog interviews by writing to characterstell@gmail.com ! Reserve your slot now!!

And with that, I bid you goodnight~

Ta-ta!

#CharactersTell Main Character Week - Interview with Vipa

Aaaah! It's been quite some time since we had one of these, wasn't it?

But as you probably noticed, we had the #CharactersHell tag launched today, and it's what we worked upon for this month of silence!

And now that it is done, we're back to our regular schedule...

With it, today we reopen the #CharactersTell interviews with Vipa! She's a lively young lady who's out to hunt for the ultimate prey - a Guilty One, a God-like being in her world. She has a nice affinity with water, and is quite the handful!

She's the Main Character of "God's Forsaken", the fantasy novel from David Brevik!

You can find David on Twitter, following this link here: https://twitter.com/davidbrevik1

The novel is not a WIP! It's already out, and you should go give it a look! You can find it on Amazon through this link right here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BC71ZQV

God's Forsaken is a very interesting read I had the chance of taking a look at, and it has a fascinating magitech/steampunk vibe to it!

But enough with introductions - let's get right to it, shall we?

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And after a month of hiatus to get the new hashtag game #CharactersHell going, here we are, back in full swing starting September with a new interview! Tonight we’ve got another lovely guest - would you please introduce yourself, your author and your book for us?

Hello world! The name is Vipa of the Cuga Isle and it nice to meet you all. Just came back from swimming when my ‘lazy’ author, David Brevik, called me here. I’m from the wonderful book

"God’s Forsaken", where you get to read about my grand adventures!

Well, hello Vipa! Glad to have you here tonight! So, you’re from Cuga? What sort of world is it? How does it differ from ours?

Well, Cuga is just the island I live on with my mother. It’s part of an island nation called the Barrol Alliance on the world of Herinono. I can tell you now it's far more exciting than than plain old Earth. Magic is everywhere, and just about anyone can use it. I myself can whip people about with waterbending. Though we also have steam power, gunpowder, and stuff like that. Oh, and don’t forget the mythical creatures I hang out with like angels, reptile humans, and gods. It can be a bit crazy sometimes.

That does indeed sound like quite the interesting world to live in. But we all know, the world is made of people - what’s your place in it? What do you do for a living?

Oh, I’m a bit of an oddball. While everyone else is a factory worker or a sailor, I’m a huntress.

Crash landing on an island with my family made us survivors, though I have learned other skills to survive in the ‘real’ world. Now-a-days, I hunt down the Guilty Ones- the five god-like beings that try to rebel against the gods and failed. Great fun, really.

Oh my, a life of adventures right from the beginning then! Let’s focus just a bit more about your world - now in September the season starts to change here, getting a bit more rainy, a bit colder… how’s the weather and how are the seasons there? I can imagine that for an archipelago it must be quite the important thing to keep track to allow safe travels.

Good news, our weather here is rather stable. We are mostly tropical islands that stay more or less the same. Some of our northern islands get snow because of the mountains, but that's about it. But you have to be careful of storms. Our seasons are pretty much if it rains more or less in a given year. I like rain, but it's a pain to be blown off course because of it.

Well, that at least does sound pleasant, even if it seems like tricky situations on the sea do still abound. Let’s get back to you - you said your family crash-landed on an island? Do you remember a lot about your childhood there?

I spent almost all of the first twelve years of my life on that island. Just me and Mom. I used to have a dad, but he died after saving me when I was a babe. Don’t remember him much, but he’s now a tree- we planted his body under one. Tree dads aren’t great talkers, but at least they won’t talk back! As for living on the island, we made do. Have to do all the killing, making clothes, shelter and farming by ourselves, but once you got a system going, it isn’t too bad.

I’m glad you managed, and I’m sorry for your loss. I imagine just you and Mom there shouldn’t have been easy. Here in our world, this is the time where school starts once more - from what you told us up to now, I can imagine you didn’t have a normal education: how did you learn what you know?

A lot of my survival skills came from Mama. She's a tough woman who doesn’t take crap from anything! She taught me the basics and sometime left me out in the woods to see how would I fare. Once I left the island, I took up some work as a carpenter, or sailor. Oh, and my manners come from my best friend Sainh. Being stuck on an island doesn’t make you a great… citizen of a nation.

Well, yes, I can imagine that, that sort of life probably doesn’t suit well to readjusting to society. You mentioned Waterbending before - is it one of the things you learnt from your Mom?

Yep! She is so cool when she does it. Trust me, she can make most people look like fools in moment. My magic is natural magic, meaning I can naturally use the magic in my body, to control water. After years of training, I can handle myself well. Still, there are some things I need to practice on, like making ice.

Seems like a very valuable skill for an hunter, especially one that is living in the middle of the sea! Were there any lessons you didn’t like when you were young? Anything you’d do whatever you could to escape from?

Oh god… Give me a moment to collect myself. Remember when I said mom is tough. Well, when I was younger, I needed to learn how to swim and read books. I didn’t like reading too much. Much rather listen to stories. Well, my mom decided that if I didn’t read a number of chapters in a day, she would throw me out into the ocean. When I didn’t even know how to do a doggy paddle. She never let me drown, but you quickly learn how to swim. When I learned to swim faster than reading, she threw me out in the ocean and caused a riptide for me to swim against. I learned how to read soon after.

My. An unorthodox, but clearly quite effective method… not one I would recommend by any stretch, but at least it worked. You said you’re on the hunt for the Guilty Ones: what put you on this track?

Yeah, I like to say something heroic like ‘For justice and truth,’ and that junk. Yet when my mother told me stories of the Guilty Ones, they clashed with the stories I heard in the real world. I became more and more curious until I wanted to learn why it all happened. I started to feel sorry for them, for the only way for a Guilty One to die is to kill them. So I decided it was my goal to help them out. Oh, and because it would be a thrill to hunt down god-like creatures! So there's that.

Along with #CharactersTell, this month we start #CharactersHell as well… so tell me - how arduous is this journey you embarked on? And how much suffering do you think it might cause you?

Let see, I have to first track down a Guilty One that is always on the move. Then I need to somehow not get vaporized when I approach it. Aw, and there's also this lagoon I need to get to and I need to pass a ritual of rites to do so. It includes burning and freezing yourself at the same time. I swear I’m not a masochist. I just like challenges.

If you like challenges, it sounds like you have your work cut out for you… And who accompanies you in these adventures? Or are you hunting alone?

Oh! Oh! I have the best friend in the world, Sainh. She's rather clam, and sometimes a party pooper, who can control gravity. I can’t beat her in a match without there being water to hide in. There's Orszebet, our captain. A bit grouchy, but he's great with metal crafting. There’s my sweet Truffle the cat, and finally…. There’s Michel. He’s a new member I ‘recruited’ to our mission. Cold guy, who kills for a living as well. I tricked him into a spell that forced him to find Tragun. Feels a bit bad for it, but he sort of deserves it, considering his occupation.

At least you seem to be in good company! But… I’m afraid our time for tonight is coming to an end. Do you want to say anything to our audience? Whatever you want!

Hm… If you’re tired of same old epic fantasy and need something refreshing to read, come and read me! I can take on just about another story out there. Oh, and I do hope you guys a good day!

Awh, thank you! I hope a good day and a good adventure to you too Vipa! Thanks again for taking your time to talk with us tonight! We’ll see you in God’s Forsaken!

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And this is it for today's interview! I have to admit she's quite the interesting person, and I can't wait to finish reading her adventures!

As usual, a couple reminders: the #CharactersHell daily game started today! You can find the board and the daily cards in my co-host @LadyOfMind721 on Twitter

(Link here: https://twitter.com/ladyofmind721 )

You can book your interview with one of your characters at the #CharactersTell Twitter account by sending a DM, or on characterstell@gmail.com !

With that, I bid you all good night! Thanks for coming and see you next week with a new, intriguing Antag!

#CharactersTell Background Characters Week - Interview with Collar

Hello there, people!

We're back to our regularly scheduled interviews, and boy oh boy, today we've got a good, and pretty chaotic one - good to start the interviews under this new account!

Is he really a cop? The jury is still out!

For this interview, we visit Soulful once more - the place where we encountered Tweety, the main character of the Red Letters Series, but this time our guest...is more than one! We start by getting to know Collar, the cop (?) who during our daily game on Twitter seems to have displayed a knack for misplacing his underwear in interesting ways. But then we get to know Chef Winner, the local sous-chef, and some cameos from other characters, as we seem to have gotten ourselves in during quite the birthday party!

Our returning author! And birthday girl!

These characters all come from Nicole's mind (our beloved Ladyofmind on Twitter and the amazing host of #CharactersHell) and are written on paper as part of her Red Letters Series, her upcoming books in the Women's Fiction genre, with some Romance elements!

You can find her on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/ladyofmind721

She also has an Instagram, which is this one! https://www.instagram.com/ladytweet721/

And a delightful Tumbler blog on this link: https://ladyofmind.tumblr.com/

So go follow her on all those places! And wish her HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

But enough talking - let's get to the madness, shall we?

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After last week’s announcements, we’re back to our campsite with our background character of choice! It’s the first time this is under the dedicated account, and someone even had a birthday just yesterday...we do live in exciting times! But, before I get ahead of myself - would you please introduce yourself, your author and the book you’re from?

“HEY! Hey man, glad you could make it!” *hooks around the neck* “I see you decided to come visit the Red Letters birthday bash weekend extravaganza. Tweety really outdid herself this time, and Bebe came up with a great gimmick! Can you believe those Double Trouble girls share the same birthday? OH! I’m supposed to ask… Single or part of a couple?”

Hey there! The pleasure’s all mi-Ooof. Well, at least I have to say I’m getting quite the warm welcome! And Bebe has a gimmick? Reminding me of my last visit here...And...uh...what’s the difference between the two? And which one are you?

“Oh! So you’re the one that got away? Better stick with me for your own safety. I’ll bring you around to Chef Wieners, if he’s not still tied up in the kitchen, if you need protection. Bebe and Tweet have gifts for each other, though not really normal things.” *Loud squealing giggle from a different room echoes by* “That sounds like Tweety gave her the bull. Not long until Bebe rounds up some men for Tweet’s present.” *Realizing there was much to answer for, Collar held up his wrist, showing off a colorful single handcuff, with a short chained key attached* “Single and ready to mingle of course. I think Tweeter decided on this lock and key idea after the time I pranked her. No one but me dares to, or at least does it and survives to tell it!” *Chuckles and snorts laughter*

I think I still have the number I got assigned last time...And...Chef Wieners? You guys really don’t lack colorful names, do you? How did Chef get this name?

And speaking of mingling...does that mean the lock and key are gonna come into play in this whole ‘singles/couple’ thing?

*Letting go long enough to helpfully plop guest onto empty stool with back to the crowds, Collar slips behind the bar to fix drinks, while a man in a chefs hat comes out to refill food tables* “Oh yeah, if you’re a couple, there’s a set of cuffs for you, so no one tries you. But if you’re single, then you get to play the game, and meet new people. If you see two different sets of cuffs, that’s your bi sort.” *Collar flashes his wrists, showing his two cuffs, before downing a shot*

“Hey, you know you shouldn’t be drinking, no one needs a man thong hunt again.” *Realizing he had been brought up, the chef hat man steps forward to introduce himself with a handshake* “Nathan Winners, Chef Nathan please. You have one person slip up on your last name, and you have a never dying nickname...” *With that thought, Nathan turns to watch Collar as he asks* “Do you happen to know what happened to all my cake supplies? Buckets of frosting and decorations are missing. You aren’t planning another prank are you Collar?” *Collar only snickers as an answer*

Aahhh, needed a bit of a stretch. And oh, I see! That does actually sound like quite the fun game, too...Might have to gather a couple of handcuffs myself for after we’re done with the interviews!

Glad to meet you too, Nathan! I get what you mean about names...Do you bake a lot of cakes around here? What’s your speciality dish?

And do they steal your frosting supplies often? I have to admit, considering the people around here I am curious about where on or who they end up…

*Nathan answers, as Collar’s attention is elsewhere for the moment* “Don’t worry, there are a ton of those cuffs around here, both the games one and the real kind, Bebe and Nira leave them everywhere! Oh, I bake a lot, because there are way too many sweet tooths in this place. Plus I am only the second in command of the kitchen, so the head chef does it all. The wee lasses never mind my savory dishes too, but you still need to supply them with cupcakes.”

“Ladies and Gentleman! The lovely Miss Tweety just gave me the best birthday gift ever! So, what does one get the woman who has just about everything? Do I have any volunteers?”

*Collar starts to grab a bottle to go, heading around the bar and outside* “That’s my cue. This cop can’t arrest what it doesn’t see happen...”

Good to know, good to know. I’ll make sure go get my cuffs then. And that not minding the savory dishes *can* be kinda taken in a weird way...speaking of which, I bet there’s a lot of gossip going around the kitchen. Anything saucy to share?

And Collar...you’re actually a cop? Like...a real cop? How did you end up here?

“Oh Collar is off to hang by the pool until whatever Bebe plans to do is over. I mean, on one hand, she is a bouncer, but on the other, she’s way out there.” *Nathan shakes his head, and then rearranges the cupcake display* “Honestly the best gossip happens out here, you miss everything being back there. And as far as Collar being a cop? No one is really sure… Doesn’t act like one, yet he knows everything. Knew who you were before you arrived didn’t he?”

“Oh good, one willing and one semi willing volunteer, my favorite!!”

Mmmh. I can’t help but notice you didn’t really share much...are we going to see a lot of the kind of gossip in the book? Do tell, and I’ll try to behave with my questions. About Collar...well, it does sound like a good plan, to stay out of trouble until trouble is over.

Then again, I would be betraying my..’not-journalistic-but-kinda’ duties as an interviewer if I didn’t at least spy on what sort of trouble is happening. Have you ever been dragged into this sort of stuff?

“I can’t share what I don’t really have. I make food, I could gossip about the time Tweet and the head chef cooked together, but Gus said that was part of being a good boss. Something about proving oneself. I mean, most of my stories are Deej, Roger, the cupcake racks, and Deej’s insistence he makes his own brownies, without my help.” *Nathan takes a step back, cowering slightly as some kind of clothing goes flying* “No! No way do I get involved in any plan of Bebe’s. At least Tweety plays to my strengths and only asks me to cater!”

Bebe does seem to be quite the troublemaker around here, for being the bouncer… ‘worst’ thing you saw her do in the club? Don’t worry, we’re not in a PG-13 space. You can tell us *everything*!

And, just to at least *try* and maintain the theme of camping for today’s interview… you guys seem pretty close to each other. Have you ever gone camping together? Do you cook there too?

*Nathan blushes crimson red* “Bebe has a thing for streaking, whether its herself or someone else...” *Peeks over and promptly turns not to watch* “Deej and I? Nah, Catman likes to take Roger out to forage, but also likes to have food delivered. That’s how Collar ran into me in Camp #CharactersTell. I barely made it out of that situation, and Collar now assumes I still have his thong when he’s drunk and forgets where it went.”

Oooh I see. Then again, considering how he acts...I’m quite sure the misplacement of underwear does tend to happen quite often.

Anyway! With that reply, I admit I do find myself a lot more invested, and I need to find some handcuffs and go take a nice good look. Anything you’d like to tell our readers before we close this off? You have free reign!

*Chef Nathan nods, then fixes his hat and smiles as if shooting a commercial* “Hi, I’m chef Nathan from Soulful, please enjoy the meals today! We have a lovely table with chicken spice rubbed with...”

“Ach lass! Donne record that! Let the blokes have their pride!” *Very large man takes a wee Cockney lass’ camera near you all*

I’m sure we will, and I can’t wait to see that cooking depicted in the Red Letters Series! Thank you guys for your time, despite the...clearly chaotic situation we’re in! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some cuffs to find!

Goodnight!

------

Soooooo...yeah, that was a very interesting night indeed! I had pictures of the other characters, and I have a lot more to recount...but let's just say I don't want to go too out of PG on my personal blog.

But, aside from that! Before we bid goodnight, let me remind you that you can have YOUR CHARACTERS interviewed on this blog! Just contact the @characterstell account on Twitter or send a mail to characterstell@gmail.com to get settled in one of the slots!

And with that being said - goodnight!!

#CharactersTell is growing! News and the future!

Hello there people!
Yes yes, I know - no interview this week. But it's for a good reason, I swear!

It's been a long time now - about 8 months - since #CharactersTell was born. I started it trying to do something fun that could help writers with their characters in a quirky and interesting way...and damn, I couldn't have expected such an intense reception to it!

Since the beginning some people took to this hashtag very well, and I've been overwhelmed by its growth during these months.

It was in the first months of this year that this little hashtag got its first evolution - the weekly interviews that I've done to the various characters, trying to spotlight them. I've retweeted and liked every single post relevant to the hashtag (and lately I've been dealing with some hilarious spam as well). And as the hashtag grew, this...kinda overtook my personal Twitter account.
I should have seen it coming, really.

So, what now?

ENTER #CHARACTERSTELL OFFICIAL ACCOUNT!

Simple! I've created an official account for #CharactersTell! https://twitter.com/characterstell
This will be the account where new cards for the day and the week will be posted, that will retweet all your #CharactersTell posts, and where all the announcements relative to this hashtag will appear!

WHAT CHANGES FOR YOU, THE PLAYER?

A definite quality of life improvement!
With all the posts under a definite account, you can share it much more easily, people will have a quick idea of what this hashtag is and how it works, and everything will be neatly organized under a specific name and place!
And, you'll have a dedicated email where you can send your suggestions or request an interview on this very blog - characterstell@gmail.com !
The rest - interviews, questions, promoting the blog interviews and so on - are still gonna proceed as usual, just under a different account!

WHAT CHANGES FOR ME, THE HOST?

As the host, right now I've got my feed divided and in a way 'stretched thin' with all the various things I'm trying to do - promoting the hashtag, doing personal posts, promoting my books and, soon enough, talking about the tabletop RPG I'm developing (which is coming along nicely! Test sessions are underway, and soon I'll be able to talk about it properly!)
Along with that, this will allow me to expand the hashtag even more - more interaction with the players, more collaborations, a better correlation with #CharactersHell and adding new and exciting things along with the usual daily questions - and a first change is gonna come soon, as you will see on the official #CharactersTell twitter with the poll that I'm gonna put up!
And this will make things a lot more orderly as well, allowing me to organize the tag and everything a lot better - something I sorely need to start doing if I want to preserve my neurons (or what little is left of them).

So, with this being said, let's move onwards to new and exciting times for us - and our characters!
To glory!