#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!

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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 Background Characters Week - Interview with Lauren

May is closer and closer to end, and now we approach the last full week of the month before the three days of the bonus round! As always, this week is reserved to the characters we don't see much of in any book - the faceless masses, the ones we mention in passing, that we glimpse like the blinking light of ships in an unending night (yes, I'm feeling poetic today): the background characters!

Our guest for tonight is Lauren - a very young, but very driven and determined lady, who is gonna tell us a bit more about her life in school, with her family and her dreams.

She comes from Twisted Fate, the upcoming novel from K.A. Grayson. She's a lovely author who's working on a number of titles, of which Twisted Fate is just one of them! She has the fuel to go on forever!

You can find her on Twitter, of course, using this link right here. She has a Facebook page too, which you should totally go and like, and she has a blog as well, that is reachable through this link!

But, with that being said - let's get to know Lauren!

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With this, we’re concluding the month, and as always we do that by taking a look at some of the characters overlooked by the authors in their books - the Background Characters! And to do this tonight, we have our new guest here! Would you please introduce yourself, your writer and the book you’re from?

Hey, I’m Lauren… I usually go by Elle. I’m a senior in high school, looking forward to graduating in May. My writer is K.A. Grayson and I guess I’m from their book The Kendrick Chronicles: Book One - Twisted Fate.

Welcome Lauren! Mh, I’m not entirely up to speed with the US scholastic system. You say you’re a senior in HS, so that makes you...how old? Do you feel your age? Are you more mature or less mature than your peers?

I’m 17 currently, 18 in July. Always felt older though and definitely more mature than the guys I go to school with. *laughs* Well, the girls too for that matter. I don’t know, I guess I’m the quiet, overly-serious one in my little group of friends, even though we all get into trouble. *shrugs*

That’s quite interesting. It’s a good thing to have your head on your shoulders at that age, but what made you this serious? Do you have any siblings? How’s life at home?

Funny you should ask that and then follow it with do I have siblings. *laughs uncomfortably* Well, I have an older brother. Seven years older and he and my dad don’t get on well. Dad’s got a shop… fixes cars. It’s been in our family for like… four or five generations. Wanted my brother to take it over, but he booked it to Philly so… that left me here at home. Dad’s serious. I’m supposed to be… I try. *laughs* Uhm, but he’s gonna be mad when I graduate because cars… ugh, I’m a girl for heaven’s sake. I don’t want dirt and grease under my nails, ya know?

I can completely understand that point of view. Do you ever feel like you had to be more mature and serious for your age due to the strained relationship between your dad and your older brother? You know, a sort of ‘there’s already too much on the plate for me to add more weight to it’.

Oh yes, definitely. And he’s not the kind of guy you can just have a normal conversation with. Maybe he was a bit more laid back when my brother was still at home, but I was too little to remember. All I know is that I can’t talk to him about what I REALLY want to do. Mom knows, but Dad… I don’t dare tell him until I have that tassel swished over on my graduation cap if you know what I mean. He’s scary when he’s mad.

You seem to have some very specific plans about your future, though. What sort of career are you going to pursuit? You said your mother knows, so you seem pretty bent on that choice if you risked them talking about it. Or… well, are your parents not really the ‘speak to each other’ kind?

They’ve been married… *thinks for a moment* twenty years? I think?  Anyway, Mom works for the newspaper in a different town so she’s got long hours and they don’t talk much when she is home. But when I do catch her, we talk about my plans. She’s all for it. Actually told me to keep my lips buttoned about it until I’m done with school. *smiles happily* I’m going to be a Vet!

Ohhh! A vet! As an animal lover myself, I don’t have anything against that sort of choice! When did you find out about your love for animals? Do you have any favorite?

Oh I LOVE animals! I kind of… and don’t let my Dad know this… I’ve had a make-shift animal rescue that I’ve kept hidden from him since I was six years old. He thinks I’m just overly sentimental about it all when he catches me checking out roadkill on the side of the road. *laughs* But if it’s alive I’m MAKING him pull over so I can see if I can help. Mom’s a bit better about it, let me rescue a momma turtle that got hit once. Cringed the whole time, but I got it in the back seat. *smiles*

That’s indeed very sweet of you, and hey, it’s all good work experience for your plans. But...well, you’re old enough to know it’s not all rose and flowers and saved animals. Do you think you’ll have trouble adapting to the...harsher realities of the job?

I hope so. My friend, Dee… she tells me that even though I’ll have to dissect animals in school… and learn how to euthanize them too, that I’m ultimately helping. I really hope I can do that part ‘cause this is all I’ve ever wanted to do since I was little, ya know?

I get what you mean. And I’m sure you’ll be able to pull it off, even if it’s not going to be easy. And you do have quite a lot of studying ahead of you. I suspect you already know that chemistry and biology will be quite important...have you ever experimented? Did it ever go badly?

I don’t think I’d call it ‘experimenting’, but there have been animals I haven’t been able to save. I’ll admit, I cry when that happens. Mom tries to assure me that having a big heart is okay and not everyone will be cut out for this line of work. But I’m determined and it’s a good thing I like chem and bio. *smiles* I actually help tutor for both of those already so I’m sure I’ll do fine in college.

You seem to put yourself on the line quite a lot. And we all know High School is not exactly the kindest place on Earth when it comes to certain behaviours. Did this eagerness and this way of pursuing your interest ever bitten you in the rear in your social life?

Yeah, I learned early on not to talk about my love for animals around certain people. The guys on the football team for one. They’re super mean and tease you relentlessly if you show any kind of ‘weakness’.  Didn’t know wanting to help animals was a ‘weakness’ but whatever. I just smile, shake my pom poms at their games and try to ignore everything else. I won’t date a jock, that’s for sure. Have my eye on a musician anyway. *winks*

A cheerleader too, huh? I can imagine that might bring you closer to musicians than jocks, considering how rhythm is important in that. How about your cheerleading companions? Did they ever give you any trouble?

The girls? Noooo, they’re all great. I mean, they tease me because I have THE BIGGEST crush on Dee’s brother. *sighs* He’s a guitarist and I could just listen to him play all day, but I don’t exist to him really. Dee’s trying to wear him down though. Wish me luck! *laughs*

Attacks on both fronts, I like it. Good strategical thinking. Lower his defenses then go in for the kill. And well, did you already have experiences in terms of sentimental life? Or is he the first boy you’ve had a crush on?

I’ve had a crush on him since grade school. What is WRONG with me? *laughs* He flirts every now and then, but then… I think he flirts with lots of girls. Wants to be a rockstar. Thinks he’s all that… but I know what he’s like beneath it all. Spent a lot of time at their house hanging out with Dee, ya know? Behind-the-scenes Chris is a whole lot different that he is in public. He’s almost… awkwardly sweet. And I kind of like that quality. *smiles*

There’s nothing wrong with you, that’s for sure! And I can imagine that might be the case, behind the rockstar front...Anyway, I’m afraid we’re almost out of time for tonight’s interview. Is there anything you’d like to tell to our audience? Whatever you want!

Hmmm, well… I guess something a little inspirational? Just follow your heart and your passion where it leads you and hopefully the right people will be there at just the right time. *smiles*

That’s a lovely message! Thanks again for your time tonight, Lauren, it’s been an absolute pleasure to meet you. And I hope the best for you and your dreams! Can’t wait to see more about your world in Twisted Fate!

Thanks for having me! This was a lot of fun!

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Before our goodbyes today, a little announcement! If you don't have enough of interviews, you might want to take a look at Interviews From The Void, from the amazing Arthur Macabe! This week interview is with yours truly, where we talk about the importance of characters, the experience as an author not being a native english speaker, and other amazing things! It was an absolute blast to be in this interview and you guys should absolutely give them a shot, they go very in depth in writing techniques and other important aspects of the process!

With that being said, this concludes our interviews for May! But the summer isn't gonna stop us - we'll be back the first of June to interview a new interesting Main Character, so be sure to stay tuned! Of course, as always, YOU can have YOUR characters interviewed on this blog by sending me a direct message on Twitter - from there I'll sort you out!

See ya around, gorgeous people!

#CharactersTell Background Character Week - Interview with Amanda Levi

And we're back for another week, and another #CharactersTell interview!

And as with every fourth week of the month, we're focusing on the background characters - the sort of people that live into your worlds, but that us, as readers, don't get to know much about: one of the faces in the crowds, one of the bodies hidden from sight in the houses of your books cities and villages, one of the drivers in the cars of that high-octane speed chase that just end up caught in the crossfire. They deserve some love too!

That's me! Some time ago...

Tonight we're hosting Amanda Levi. She's a woman, a wife and a mother coming from Cerulean Springs. A well mannered person, that tries to keep her neighborhood orderly along with her husband.

She comes from Tiogair, my recently released book now available on Kindle and Amazon - You can find the blogpost with the pitch, my experience writing it and all the links to get it following this link.
Of course, you can find me on Twitter (where you can follow me on this page). And if you wanna know more about me, there's the handy about section!


But! Let's get to it, shall we?

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Well, good evening there! Welcome to the blog! Would you please introduce yourself, your author and the book you're from, please?

Why yes. Good evening. I'm Amanda Levi, wife of Arnold Levi. I'm an housewife, and I tend to our child, Leonard. He's such a nice boy, he's ten now. We live in Cerulean Springs, ex Colorado Springs, in the Evergreen Boulevard gated community. I mean, at least we still have that. Even if things went...a bit downhill since the Gatecrash. I'm from Manuel Arbanassi's Tiogair, his newest novel. He called it a cyberfantasy thriller with erotica elements.

Can't say I really approve of his choice of Main Character, though.

Aren't we off to a great start... Interesting. Why don't you approve of that choice?

Well, it's simple, really. It's glorifying what can be considered a disease. I really can't understand how people can't see it. Not to mention, me and my husband have seen this woman and honestly? She's not a good role model. She's violent. Foul mouthed. Last time my husband spoke to her, she even threatened him, can you believe that? Just because he went to talk to that...damn orc woman that lives on the other side of the street. It wasn't enough that her gardening almost got us attacked, now she stubbornly keeps living in this area. It's just wrong, what will the children think? They'll think it's normal! Do you know she's not even from here? She came from Wales or something.

You do sound pretty opinionated on the manner. Some would even say... a bit on the extremist side? I know for a fact there is quite a bit of backlash against this point of view in your world.

Oh, please. Don't tell me you are one of those blind people as well? You all should listen to the morning broadcasts on Springtime radio with Tatiana Fairwater. That woman is a genius. She knows what's up. Everyone seems to hide behind the shield of us being 'racist' or some other awful epithet when we're just trying to look after humanity and the future generations. Tell me, did you know Gatecrashers are a lot less compatible with implantation technology? Human technology? Doesn't it sound strange to you?

Then again, you're barking against something that mutated a lot of the population. Between a quarter and a fifth. It's not something that has an easy solution, especially due to the fact society still does need people to function.

This is such a trite argument. I could understand it three years ago, after the riots - God, it was such a terrible time, we were locked in our houses for days! - But now? Now we need to face reality. We need to do something about the Gatecrashers, and Ether and all this...this weirdness! This is not a safe environment for us or our children!

Is this what puts your family into conflict with the Orc woman? By all accounts, she sounds like a lovely lady.

For the love of- Listen. Please. It's not that we didn't like July. She was a lovely woman, and we all know that, but since the Gatecrash we really can't let all these weird stuff spill over into our little community. We managed to be all spared by the Gatecrash except July, and what does that do for our kids? How-How do we explain this? We already have to send him to school with other weird kids, and it's all so normalized. We're not saying we hate Gatecrashers and Ether, but we need to face facts, as Tatiana says. We need to realize they're not *normal*. They're victims, but, again, as she said in her article she posted earlier this month, if they really had the best interest of our community in their mind, they'd take steps *themselves* to be studied and hopefully cured.

Who says they need a cure, though? I mean, there's plenty of Gatecrashers and Ether users that are perfectly integrated in all aspects of society. Doesn't that invalidate your point?

That's just anti-humanist propaganda. For every good example you can give me, there's plenty of others that completely disprove your points. For every doctor that uses Corpus Magic to do good, there's someone who suffers from C.D.E.D, Corpus Dis...basically, they become monsters. For every good application of alchemy, there's another weird, poisonous substance on the market. For every adjusted member of society there's some sort of new racist, anti-human Gatecrasher society. It's time to put a stop to this.

Well...I guess that's an interesting rebuttal. Anyway, I'm afraid we're kinda out of time for tonight. Anything you'd like to say?

I can see how it is. Let me tell you. You won't be able to deny us for much longer. People are starting to see the truth, and luckily I'm married to an amazing man who is still trying to do his best for the community. We'll see who's right or wrong when that happens. We just want the best.

I'm sure you do. Thank you for your time, Amanda. Have a nice evening.

Thank you for having me, I guess. Not for much else. Goodbye. I'll leave you the links to the morning broadcasts, please do listen to them.

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This concludes our brief (albeit intense) interview for tonight! I wonder what is it with characters from my book treating me badly...

But remember! You can have YOUR characters interviewed on this blog by sending me a direct message on Twitter! You can find the link to do so on the right-hand side of the page!

See you soon! Toodles!

#CharactersTell Background Characters - Interview with Setra Giardin

Well hello there people! Another week has passed, and not only that, we've officially entered Spring! It's the time for flowers, for birds to migrate south, for colors, and...well, for another interview! This week is dedicated to the Background Characters!

And well, he does bring the British charm!

This week we have Setra Giardin. She's a French-Canadian born-vampire working for The Order in Martyn Currill's novel "Of Angel's Blood". It's available on Amazon (Which you can find following this link!) and on FeedARead (Which instead is found here!)

Martyn is a UK based novelist, with already some works under his belt! You can find him on Twitter (where you should totally go follow him!). Aside from that, he's a fellow geek, and a lovely person to boot, so make sure to keep your eyes on him!

But! It's time to meet our guest for tonight!

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And we’re back with another week of #CharactersTell, and as it’s becoming tradition, fourth week is for Background Characters! So, hello there! Would you mind introducing yourself? Telling us who you are, what book are you from and who’s your author?

Bonsoir! I am Setra Giardin, from the novel OF ANGEL’S BLOOD, by Martyn Currill. And may I say, thank you for inviting me here. I don’t often get asked about myself.

I know right? The sad fate of background characters! But today we’re here to fix that! By your greeting, I’m guessing french? Where are you from? And especially, how is spring in your world?

French-Canadian. I was born in what is now Quebec, but I moved to Toronto about ten years ago, to undertake new duties here. And spring in Toronto is much like spring everywhere else, but with less rain and fog than England.

Oooh! New duties? What do you do for a living? And what were you used to do before moving to Toronto?

I serve The Order, as I always have. Like many born vampires, I was born into my service, and it is a matter of pride for us. Since moving here I have helped to train the team here, eventually taking over as the base commander three years ago.

Waitwaitwait! You were born a vampire? That does change things quite a lot! Are vampires common in your world? And what about other races? And what does The Order do in your universe?

[Laughs] you are either blind or ignorant to have gone so long without noticing. Though I suppose that is not your fault - we have been driven to hide our presence more than we would like, through your kinds’ relentless persecution of us. That is where The Order comes in. We are an organisation dedicated to providing safe, welcoming places where vampires and other preternatural beings are welcome, even finding purpose. We work, live and fight alongside a dedicated cadre of mortal soldier called Omega Company, men and women who believe in our cause, and seek to further a mutually co-existent society. Indeed, our current leader was a mortal himself, until recently.

As for other races, I do not know. There are a small amount of werewolves in Ireland, I believe, but I have heard little of any others. But they may well be out there! [chuckles]

Hey, can’t fault me. I see a lot of worlds a lot of times. So, vampires, men, and some werewolves in Ireland huh? Interesting! Let’s talk about the vampires. Are you like the popular culture depicts you? I mean, not evil, you don’t strike me as such, but speaking of abilities and problems and so on.

[laughs again] One of our greatest members once said that we are not inherently evil, we are simply ‘morally flexible’. A finer phrase I have yet to find.

Our abilities can vary, depending on bloodlines and so on, but we often have a certain degree of telepathy. Some are telekinetic, too, and only a very small number could control a human mind.

As for problems, it is a peculiar fact that over time, as more and more mortals were ‘turned’, many classic weaknesses were actually bred out of our physiology. Unfortunately, that just means the hunters become ever more inventive...and sadistic.

That sounds like a constant, uphill struggle...it sounds like there ain’t many of you, and you still need to keep everyone safe. It must be pretty stressful. What about your abilities and powers? How is it living with them? Telepathy might seem cool, but I bet it can get a tad annoying at times…

That is why we train rigorously. Lord Black - an unfortunate surname - suffered greatly with his psychic abilities, as I recall. However, those who were born into vampirism were taught how to use them, and how to block out the background noise, from a young age. Those who are turned...well, not all of them adapt well.

I can definitely imagine that! But let’s try to lighten up the mood, shall we? I understand how hard this life must be, but there has to be something you people do to relax and unwind. What’s your choice? Is there any game or passtime peculiar to your organization or your race?

Not particularly, no. Omega Company, being professional soldiers, will pass the time with their typical pastimes - drinking, or contact sports or some such. I do not know. I stay away from them. Myself, I am a lover of classical music and literature, though I have found a modern book series most fascinating - The Lord of the Rings. Exceptional.

Oh my, a book-lover! Can’t help but say that’s pretty much a winning tract around here. And do you ever think what you might do if things smooth out and the Order manages to make the world a better place for everyone? What would you do?

Human nature means that will never happen. I have lived through enough of your history to know that. But if it did? I might take up a different role. Maybe leave The Order, and teach. Or something similar. I have not had chance to consider it, really.

And what would you teach if you did? Any subject you’d love to pass on the younger generations?

With my background? French, naturally. Or history. [Laughs] or French history. Anything to curb the ignorance of the modern generations.

That’s a very noble ideal. And one I support one hundred percent. Unfortunately, though, our time is almost up - anything you’d like to say to our readers?

Only what our leader himself has added in his memoirs - to remind you, all of you, that we are not your enemies. We will welcome anyone who wishes to aid us, who believes in our cause.

We are all around you, but we are not evil. Merely morally flexible.

Also, I might be in need of a new aide. I will consider all applications.

Well, I *am* unemployed at the moment...But! Thank you for your time and telling us more about you today! We’ll make sure to see what’s going on in your world in the book!

Merci. It has been a pleasure.

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And this makes it for this week as well! We'll have a couple of days off, but April the 1st we'll be back with another Main Character! So keep your eyes open for that!

As always, remember that YOUR Characters can be featured in these interviews! Just send me a message on Twitter, which you can do just using the link on the right-hand side bar!

With that, I bid you all goodnight!

#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!