Wednesday, April 30, 2014

CHARACTER INTERVIEW: Moira MacDonald

Time for another character interview. These are turning out to be a lot of fun!

Tell me a little about yourself (where you live, who you are, what you look like, what you hope to achieve, etc.) 

My name is Moira MacDonald.  Ach!  Nae, ’tis Moira Morgan now!    I was Moira MacDonald for centuries.  ’Tis a hard habit to break!  Mrs. Moira Morgan.  Aye!  That has a lovely sound to it!  Long ago, I was betrothed to Donald MacDonald.  Dinnae laugh, lassie!  ’Twas nae such an uncommon name when Donald and I were young.  Well, my Donald… He died young, did my Donald.  Well now, truth to tell, “died” is nae the word for it, is it?  He was hanged for darin’ to serve his prince and his king against the Hanoverian usurper. 


But that was a long time ago.  He’s in God’s hands now. 

And now… now, I have a husband: my bonnie Carl.  How I love that laddie!  I’m a bride!  Me!  Can ye believe it?  I cannae believe it myself, sometimes.  After more than two and a half…  Aye, he’s but a bairn—barely in his mid-thirties, is my Carl.  But all the men who are my age—and there are nae sae many as ye may think—are men I’d be more inclined to behead than marry, truth to tell.  But what my laddie lacks in experience and maturity, he more than makes up for in heart and courage.  I've been trainin’ him, mentorin’ him, so to speak, and he’s doin’ just grand!  (Although, of the pair of us, I’m still far better with the sword, which is as should be.)  But, sae long as I’m bein’ perfectly honest here, I have to say, there’s nary a one as compares to my laddie in the air.  That man can fly as if he were born with wings.  Ach!  Aye, he had wings when he was Converted—we all do—but now… Well, I’ll just say that he was born to fly.  And I love flying with him!  He’s taught me a trick or two.  Me!

Ach!  There I am, rambling along like I’ve nae a care in the world.  Back to yer questions, Kathryn lass!



I've lived in Salt Lake City for nigh on eighty years now, most of that in this very house.  I was born in the Scottish Highlands more than… Well, let’s just say ’twas a long time ago and leave it there. 
I’m nae tall.  People simply were nae sae tall back then as they are now.  I’m petite, ye might say.  I’ve got green eyes and fair skin.  Oh, aye, I was fair-complected before my Conversion, and the color of our skin does nae really change after that.  And since sunlight can do a wee bit more to my skin than increase the melanin pigmentation… Well, enough of that.  As for my hair?  It’s always been as red as ’tis now.  Aye, the wave, ’tis natural.  I cannae cut nor curl it.  It just grows back to the original length, far down my back.  Truth to tell, I dinnae think I’d cut it if I could.  Carl likes it this way—though he does nae have a choice in the matter! 

Am I beautiful?  Fair to look upon?  Aye, but that beauty has been more of a curse to me than a blessin’.  Perhaps, if I had been more plain, the British would have simply killed me, rather than… what they did.  For centuries, I thought ’twould have been better had they killed me.  Now?  Well, now things have changed, have they nae?



As for what I hope to achieve… I would love to live a long and happy life with my laddie, to spend the coming centuries together, but such cannae be.  Above all, I desire children, bairns of my own.  But females of my kind cannae bear children.  And I must be content with my lot.  I am what my choices have made me.  I have my dearie… for now.  Carl and I will fight and we will die.  Even if we are victorious, we will die.  But perhaps we will rid the Earth of the plague of Lilith and her Children.

What do you like to do in your spare time? 
Deliverin’ babies!  I cannae have bairns of my own, but I can help bring the wee ones into this world.  ’Tis why I became a midwife, then a nurse, and then a doctor.    

What is your favorite color and why? 
Ach!  ’Tis a hard chestnut.  Nae, I’m jokin’ with ye, lassie!  ’Tis red, of course! 

What is your favorite food? Why is it your favorite? 
Ye are jokin’ with me now, are ye?  Blood, of course!  What else?  I can derive nourishment from naught else.  And it must be human.  My life would be sae simple if I could live off animal blood, like in that silly “vampire” romance book series I will nae allow to be mentioned in my presence! 

What would you say is your biggest quirk? 
I suppose ’twould be my brogue.  I could conceal my nature much more easily were I to simply “blend in.”  I’m perfectly capable of doing a spot-on Utah accent, I’ll have ye know.  I simply refuse to speak that way (most of the time).  I am who I am.  My friends dinnae question it.  Of course, I do have a wee bit of an unfair advantage when it comes to getting’ others to believe me.  And Carl finds it charmin’. 

What is it about your antagonist that irks you the most, and why? 
Antagonist?  As in one?  I have sae many enemies.  ’Twould be nigh impossible to single out one.    I’ll mention three (and obviously nae the worst of the lot).  When it comes to Rebecca, it does nae help matters that, on top of all her other sins, she’s also British!  With Michael, ’tis his treatment of Benjamin.  Michael is a vile creature who fouls the very air with his breath.  I ken very well that Benjamin was old enough to consent to Conversion—it does nae work, otherwise—but truly, how much free will does an eight year-old slave-boy have?  And then there’s Winnie Morrison.  Ach!  Poor Winnie!  She creates her own hell.  If she were nae sae obsessed with me and with destroying my life and reputation (and my poor flower beds), she might then be able to seek a measure of happiness for herself.  But nae, her only delight seems to be forcing her misery and bitterness on others.  I've tried to befriend her, truly I have.  At one time, I was her teacher and mentor.  But she was much younger then, happier and less bitter. 

What or who means the most to you in your life? What, if anything, would you do to keep him/her/it in your life? 
I would've thought ’twas obvious.  My bonnie laddie, my Carl.  My husband.  Aye, I love the sound of that!  My husband!  I've waited long enough for that, have I nae?  I would sae love to simply go hide somewhere together, just the two of us, for a few centuries.  Would that be sae much to ask?  But nae, we will fight and we will die.  There is nae other way.  I only pray that, when we die, ’twill be together.  And that we’ll win this war.  In the meantime, I plan to spend every possible moment together and to cherish those moments. 

What one thing would you like readers to know about you that may not be spelled out in the book in which you inhabit? 
Truth to tell, I’m afraid.  I’m always afraid.  I’m afraid I’ll slip up, that I’ll give in to my needs and kill some innocent or someone who is guilty but might yet repent.  I’m afraid I’ll fail.  I’m sae very afraid that Carl will die before I do, and I’ll be left alone again.  I've been alone for sae long. 

If you could tell your writer (creator) anything about yourself that might turn the direction of the plot, what would it be? 
Ach, lassie!  I've already done that!  David was all prepared to write what I was going to say (poor, simple, daft lad that he is) in a pivotal scene, when I spoke up in his head and said, “I would nae ever say such a thing, laddie!  Here’s what I’d say…”  And I did.  It changed the course of the story… for the better. 

Ask me any question. I've always wanted to know what a character thinks about writers like myself. I'll answer the question at the end of this interview. 
Have ye ever killed off a character simply because ye could nae longer decide what to do with him or because he was guilty of the mortal sin of bein’ uninterestin’? 

Good question, but I'm sorry to disappoint you. I haven't (yet) killed anyone off that turned out uninteresting or boring, but that doesn't mean I won't in the future. The very best and (worst) characters have to be in a book, don't they? You don't want a bunch of 'un-necessaries' running around with no purpose, right?

Thank you so much! 

It has been my very great pleasure.  (And I’m fairly certain ’twas a delight for David to get back into my noggin once more.)

***
You're welcome, Moira! Learn more about Moira and her writer below:

Purchase links (Amazon, B&N, iTunes, smashwords, etc., including hardcover, paperback, and e-book):


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