#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 Antagonist Week - Interview with Count Cadarn

July is rolling on and our camping theme is still going strong! With the second week, of course, we get to know our antagonists a bit better - then again, we're the ones calling them antagonists due to our knowledges, but some of them have a vision and an ideal. And one such character is the one we're interviewing tonight!

Our guest for tonight's interview is Count Cadarn. He's a nobleman, but more than that he has noble ideals - a man who's after bringing a strong change to his country and the way of life of his people, to enlighten them to a better tomorrow...despite what others might think of his plans. He's a well spoken idealist, who was gracious enough to give us a bit of an insight to his life and his vision.

The lovely author! Look at that smile!

He comes from Jamie Marchant's current work in progress, "The Shattered Throne". This is the third book of her ongoing series, the Kronicles of Korthlundia. Already a prolific author, the other two books of the series can be found on amazon, through these links here:

I-The Goddess's Choice

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071RQ786T/

II - The Soul Stone

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06Y26WHZN/

Along with that, Jamie is active both on 

Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/jamieofkorthlundia/) and on 

Twitter (https://twitter.com/JamieMarchantSF) and she's quite the amazing woman all together, so go follow her!

Finally, her personal website can be found 

here: http://jamie-marchant.com/

But enough about this! Let's get to know the Count, shall we?

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Our camping adventures continue with this week interview! Last week we had a main character, and as always, the second week is all about the antagonist! This is who we have as our guest tonight - can you please introduce yourself, your book and your author?

I’m count Cadarn, but you seem confused. I am the hero, not the antagonist of this book. The book is called The Shattered Throne because I shattered it to do away with the outdated and oppressive political system. My author’s name is Jamie Marchant. She seems confused as well, as she keeps writing about me on the antagonist week of #CharactersTell. I repeated again. I am not the antagonist. I am the hero, as Annagret was before me. Some day my statue will be in the city square as he is in Svirza.

A lot of people tend to be misunderstood, especially when they hold positions of power. You introduced yourself as a Count. Can you tell us a bit more about your land? Were you born in nobility?

I was born noble, but don’t hold that against me. It isn’t as if I had a choice in the matter. I have modest holdings in the south of Korthlundia, but I was able to get a seat on the Royal Council. I will not be a count much longer though because when my revolution succeeds, there will no longer be a noble class. All of Sulis’s children will be equal, as the goddess intended they be. A man will be judged on his own actions, not his bloodline.

Oh, there’s no judging here, don’t worry. Your world does sound very different from ours, between those names and the worship of a different divine figure… What else is different between our world and yours? Is magic part of it? Are there any different races and cultures?

Your world is ruled by the voice of the people, as should be true everywhere. We are ruled by a queen, who merely inherited the title. Sulis is the mother of us all, so I don’t know what divine figure you could possibly be referring to. There is some magic in my world, but magic requires the mixture of blood between parents of different cultures. Korthlundia is a small, isolated country with little diversity because of that there is little magic. The king, whose mother was foreign, was a very powerful sorcerer, but fortunately, he was blown up when he destroyed the Soul Stone in the previous novel, which is conveniently titled The Soul Stone. If he weren’t gone, my revolution would have no chance of succeeding, but the queen has no magic and is only 20 years old. It shouldn’t be too hard to overthrow her.

Let’s talk about your revolution for a moment. You seem to garner quite the antipathy for the current ruling of your country - how did you end up starting this movement? What gave you the push to champion for the people and go against the same nobility you were born into?

My father was a progressive man and sent me to university in Svirza, which is ruled by the voice of the people. I became enamored with how peaceful and prosperous Svirza is. At the university I was taught how this marvelous system came about. In the city square are the statues of the heroes of the Svirzan revolution--Annagret and Dritan. My friend Nisse and I frequently hung out with these statues, and I vowed at merely 19 years of age that some day I would bring about the same kind of government to my homeland. I would be Annagret, and Nisse would be my Dritan. I had to bide my time waiting for the old king to die, but the time is finally ripe. The queen is young and inexperienced. She just gave birth to a baby. Nisse, who is Svirzan by the way, is now the captain of a company of mercenaries. As everyone knows, Svirza is noted for their mercenaries. With his help, Korthlundia will finally join the few free countries of my world.

That sounds like a very inspiring tale...it must have been hard to bide your time to put your plans into motion. But at the same time, have you ever noticed malcontent in your people when you came back home from Svirza? Were there already talks of revolution when you left?

The common people don’t know any better. How could they when they’ve never heard of Svirza’s marvelous system? The old king was extremely popular. He was able to unite the joined kingdoms and keep them at peace for 50 years. In 50 years, my people have known no war. He didn’t have an heir until he was in his 70s, and when the princess was finally born, they celebrated. And she is still quite well loved by the ignorant commoners. But since she is a woman and so young, other members of the nobility have been plotting against her, but they seek power for themselves, not for the people. They don’t know this, but I’m using them to not just overthrow the queen, but the entire system itself. The people will come over to my side when they see how good the new system is.

Don’t you fear this might backfire horribly? Once they figure out that your first rule of order is gonna be destroy the nobility and radically change the government system, there are bound to be some revolts or assassination attempts...then again, you seem to know your way and have a strong ally with Nisse’s company.

There you go with your doom and gloom, just like Nisse. He says my plan to kidnap the baby crown princess and use her to force the queen to surrender is excellent. Few people will have to die in my plot, but ever the doubter, Nisse insists that the few plans survive the first battle and that things might turn much bloodier. But I assure you, as I have assured him, that my plan is foolproof. The noble system will be overthrown. The people will reign supreme, and none of the atrocities that took place in the Svirzan revolution will be necessary. So stop your nay-saying and welcome Korthlundia’s freedom.

Well, I definitely hope you’re right, and I do have to say you have all the best intentions. Anyway, let’s lighten up the mood a bit - tell us a bit more about you outside of these plans: what are your interest? This month the theme revolves around camping...do you enjoy it?

Yes, I love the outdoors. Being out in nature brings me closer to the goddess. When I was at university, Nisse and I would frequently take a few days to escape to the countryside, fish at the rivers and lakes, and spend the night staring up at the stars. Plotting a revolution takes quite a bit of time, so I haven’t been able to camp recently, but once my country is free, I hope to return to such innocent pastimes. But mostly, I’m a scholar. I love to read and analyze all the governments of my world so that I can build the best system for my own nation.

A scholar, then? That’s quite intriguing. Is there any sort of odd fact about your world that you came across in your studies of the other countries’ government?

The oddest thing I’ve discovered is that dragons aren’t merely a myth. In the south seas, there are islands where they actually exist. Can you believe that, dragons? Since I was merely a child, I’ve wanted to ride a dragon like they do in the stories, but of course, no one does that. Despite how friendly the stories show them to be, dragons are dangerous beasts. They’ll eat you long before they’d consent to give you a ride. The island nations are positive terrified by these beasts. It’s truly a good thing that they don’t like the cold, so Korthlundia isn’t troubled by them. Still, it’s fun to think about, isn’t it?

Definitely! And hey, never say never - you might always be in a diplomatic expedition and manage to ride one, eventually. Before we have to call it a night...what are your thoughts about your adversaries? Considering your misunderstood position in the book, I guess you know this is gonna take some effort against certain someones…

One can always dream, can’t one? Yes, it will take effort. The common people are ignorant. Queen Samantha isn’t exactly a bad person. I’m willing to accept that she thinks she’s doing the right thing, and her consort King Robrek did destroy the Soul Stone, which was draining all life from the land. People want to call him a hero because of that, and I guess he was.The people feel sorry for the queen because she lost him. Theirs was truly a love for the legends. But she is too young, and besides, she’s a woman. The system is rotten to begin with, and with a young woman in charge, they are bound to go rapidly downhill. Progress can’t be stopped by sentimentality. It may take a short time, but the people will come to see the wisdom of what I’m bringing about.

That’s an interesting take on the situation...and I’m not sure everyone would agree with you on certain points. Anyway...I’m afraid we’re running out of time for tonight! Is there anything you’d like to say to our audience?

Thank you for having me, and all I ask is that you correct this misconception that I am a villain. I am the hero of this book. Can you be sure my author knows this, or who knows what she might do?

I’ll do my best to do it! Thank you for your time, Count! And best of luck on your endeavors! We’ll be sure to check how they unfold in “The Shattered Throne”!

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And there we go! As the old saying goes, everyone is the hero of their own story, and it's always nice to see an antagonist with a noble ideal!

But witht his, our time together for tonight is coming to an end - as always, let me remind you that if YOU want YOUR characters interviewed, the only thing you need to do is send me a message on Twitter! You can find it on the right-hand side of this blog!

And tomorrow we've got the next WIPchat/CharactersTell crossover, so make sure to bring your antagonists to Hollie's WIPchat!!

See you around people!