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.
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| 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.
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| 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!
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