BLOOD DESTINY ~ INTERVIEW WITH THE CHARACTERS (Jocelyn, Nathaniel, Marquis, Tristan, and Braden)

Dear Readers,

I was scrolling through some old files and came across an early character interview, conducted by Char Hardin in 2010, right after the release of Blood Destiny! It was so interesting to see how the characters (and story lines) have evolved since then...I just had to share this with you all. :-)

Keep in mind, that the interview takes place immediately following Blood Destiny ~ before any of the other stories are written...or even conceived.

Enjoy!

Jocelyn

Question:
You are a strong and independent woman who falls right into the middle of a Friday Night Creature Feature. Before going to Dark Moon Vale, did you ever think it possible that Vampires could exist in the modern world?

Answer:
No! Absolutely not. I still have trouble believing all of this is real sometimes.

Question:
If Nathaniel did not have the power of persuasion, do you think that you could have resisted him?

Answer:
For a while…yes. Forever? As much as I hate to admit it, not a chance. Have you seen Nathaniel lately!? (She laughs)

Question:
It seemed like your feelings were manipulated, and I was left wondering if your feelings of love for him were genuine or constructed?

Answer:
Nathaniel and I were both manipulated by an ancient curse that chose our fates for us, but I have to tell you: I’ve never felt anything so genuine in all of my life.

Question:
(Beware: Plot spoiler ahead) When you discovered Tristan's deception, your feelings shifted to Nathaniel. Was that because you suddenly realized you did like Nathaniel, or was it self-preservation because of the life threatening position you were in?

Answer:
Hmm, maybe both—and neither.  I was already very conflicted; my attraction to Nathaniel was out of this world. It was like being a paperclip in the presence of a life-sized magnet, and somewhere deep inside, I recognized him. I knew I would love him. In fact, somewhere deep inside, I already did. And that’s what scared me the most. I just couldn't think clearly in his presence; everything was happening so fast! The moment I walked away with Tristan, I felt incredible guilt—like a part of my heart had been carved out of my body—but you have to understand: That’s a lot to absorb in such a short amount of time. And he came along with a Blood Curse! Are you kidding? I was scared $#!@less!

Question:
(Beware: Plot spoiler ahead) Your pregnancy with Nathaniel's and your twins was rapid. You had hours to go through the 9 months worth of emotions that a normal pregnancy brings. At anytime, did you want to smack Nathaniel or make him feel your discomfort?

Answer:
Yes!

Nathaniel

Question:
You sound decadent!

Answer:
(He smiles and chuckles).

Question:
The first time you laid eyes on Jocelyn what were you thinking?

Answer:
Frumoasa femeie! (Beautiful woman!)

Question:
Jocelyn is your destined mate. Was there ever the thought that she would resist you and not develop feelings for you? Or not fear you? Did you use persuasion to get her to fall in love with you?

Answer:
(Laughing) Mmm, let me see: I feared that she might resist me longer than was prudent—that I would  have to intervene in a way I would rather not, but there was no question as to the inevitability of her love: Jocelyn was my true destiny. She was created for me and me for her.  It was never a matter of if…only when.

And I used touch—never mind control. If that is considered persuasion, then so be it. However, the purpose of my touch was never to manipulate her love (although I did rather enjoy her physical reactions to my body…). I knew that in time she would remember the love that had always been between us…even before we were born.

Question:
(Beware: Plot Spoiler ahead). After the death of Shelby and news of Dalia's demise, you take to the prison trolling for prey. I can appreciate the location and the vilest of human predators you fed on. If you could rid the earth of pedophiles and domestic abuse violators how would you do it?

Answer:
Swiftly.

Question:
Would you hold a vampire's court, line them up, and let your warriors feed down the line, or would you make them suffer by other means of punishment?

Answer:
It would depend upon whether or not they had hurt someone I loved. In that case, death would be a gift….slow in coming.


Question:
The scene in the prison and when you your brothers took on the werewolves were the most vicious times that I saw the hidden demons within you. You demanded that Jocelyn stay inside, was that to prevent her from being harmed or damaging how she sees you? Were you afraid she would not want you after seeing your loss of control?

Answer:
I did not want her to see the rage I felt over Shelby; our entire culture was far too new. When we fought the hunters—the lycans—I did not want to be distracted, to have to worry about her safety in the heat of the battle.

Question:
The birth of your twins. You cried after one babe was removed. Was that genuine or to prove to Jocelyn that you cared about the Dark One? Did it hurt you to know that child would be destroyed? Is there not ANY way to break the curse, to stop the murder of the Dark Ones?

Answer:
Ah, this is so hard to explain to a human—one who has grown up without the shadow of the Curse ever present in their life. I cried for an eternity of tragedy and loss; for the continuous suffering of every male in the house of Jadon…for the endless perpetuation of this original sin. I cried for my destiny because her heart was breaking and she did not understand. I cried because I would have moved heaven and earth to spare her such heartache if it had been within my power, yet I could not.

But know this, curious o (inquisitive one), I did not cry for the Dark One. Never that. You speak of human predators, pedophiles, and domestic abusers; yet there are evils beyond your comprehension. There are creatures that once loosed would mean the end of civilization…of life as you know it: What you see as a child, I know to be an abomination. What you cry for as an innocent soul, I know to be malevolent, beyond the hope of redemption. Does not your own devil come in the guise of an angel? Would you pardon the one you call Satan if he wore a white cloak? I think not. The Dark Twin is not an offspring. He is not a child. Nor would he grow to be a brother, father, or son. He is the very essence of evil, itself: the cancer that is the Blood Curse. And he appears as a son—as one’s very own flesh and blood—as a form of torment…in order to further torture the sons of Jadon…to leave us helpless before our destinies. We have lived with this curse for eons, prietenul meu, and we know it to be exactly what it is.

Question:
Prietenul meu?

Answer:
My friend.

Marquis

Question:
You put off that you are self assured, strong, and in command.

Answer:
I put off nothing.

Question:
Do you relish this higher command you have on your family and warriors?

Answer:
No, each is a great responsibility.

Question:
Could you ever see yourself not at the head of command? Would you happily hand off your responsibilities to another, and if so, who would be worthy of the title? (Remember this question was asked after the release of Blood Destiny, long before Blood Father...)

Answer:
There is no point in entertaining hypothetical questions. I do not understand why humans do this. (He sighs) Among the warriors, Ramsey is the closest to my equal.  Among my brothers, they are all hard-headed and capable of being irrational at times…and Nachari is a wizard, so…there you go.

Question:
Your treatment towards Braden changes, why? Was it the near death situation after their werewolves had a go at him?

Answer:
(Again, this was right after Blood Destiny...)
The boy is still an accident waiting to happen, but he was brave when he fought Tristan. His courage saved Nathaniel’s destiny, and that in turn, saved Nathaniel: I will never forget such a thing.

Question:
What can readers look forward to in BLOOD AWAKENING for you?

Answer:
Way too much drama!

Tristan

Question:
So many questions, but you died so you can't answer them, haha.

Answer:
(We can’t print what he just said).

Question:
Okay, I will ask your ghost: Did you at anytime care for Jocelyn or was she strictly a decoy to get to Nathaniel?

Answer:
Jocelyn had the potential to be loyal, and her body would have kept me well entertained. I felt deep affection for her…until she crossed me.

Braden

Question:
There is a new relationship budding with you and Marquis, how do you think that will affect you? Is he a positive role model for you? What are your feelings for Jocelyn?

Answer: Marquis is really cool—sometimes—but I don’t know if anyone would call him positive. Jocelyn? Yeah, she’s amazing.Tough for a woman, and it’s funny to watch her with Nathaniel.  He plays like he’s still running things, but everyone knows he’s not. (He snickers).

Question:
Did you think you would die after being crucified and tortured by the werewolves?

Answer:
Hell yeah.

Question:
What's in store for you, Braden? And what do you want to happen?

Answer:
Well, I still don’t know if Marquis is gonna stay nice to me – or if I’m gonna get all these powers figured out -- but I hope I get to be a bad-ass (warrior) and maybe even meet some females…if Nachari will let me. (Face flushes red).

Author's Final Comments: 

Five books later, it's amazing to see how the characters have evolved since that first story and interview (look how much Braden has grown up since then, how far Nathaniel and Jocelyn have come as a couple...).

I imagine some of their answers would be a little bit different today. :-)

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