Meet Captain Jack Hunking from The White Hare's Lament

What’s his name?

Captain Jack Hunking

Why did you pick that name?

Hunking is family name – on my maternal grandmother’s side, and there were a few Jacks as well, so it seemed resonant to me. Also, it’s very much a name from the south west of England, which suited the story.

How does he look?

His appearance changed dramatically through the story, depending on how well he is, how mad. When clean, well fed and on top of his life, Jack is a rather ordinary middle aged, middle class man. You wouldn’t give him a second look. Wild in battle he’s a totally different figure – intense, dangerous and uncompromising. Put him in a wild place, and he is a far less imposing but much more rooted soul

Is there anything unusual about his appearance?

There’s a large scar on one of his thighs, from shrapnel damage.

Who does he love? Why?

Jack isn’t good at love, he doesn’t really understand it and it takes him a long time to make that connection with someone.

Does this person love him?

In her own peculiar way, yes.

Tell us about his family. Are they important to him?

Guile left his family to train as a musician. He went to Tirol as an apprentice when very young, and considers the trio to be his family.

Where is he from?

He grew up in a village in the Midlands.

Does his hometown affect his behaviour, thoughts and attitude?

He has all the prejudices and anxieties that go with such a background.

What does he want out of life?

When the story opens, Jack has lost all sense of himself and wants nothing more than to be sane and functional again. Beyond that he does not know, nor has he ever had much idea.

What’s his biggest secret?

The one he cannot remember, the one that drove him out of his wits in the first place.

Did you write more than one story about him?

No. This is a standalone book.

How would he describe you?

Perplexing.

Is there anything about your hero we need to know?

There’s a fair amount of ambiguity in the story, so how you understand the character probably depends a lot on your world view, and whether you interpret the tale as being about madness, or fantasy.

Please provide a link to your website

http://www.myspace.com/brynneth_n_colvin

What is the link to buy your book?

http://www.loveyoudivine.com/index.php?main_page=document_product_info&cPath=26&products_id=349&zenid=853cfe4236a8e41e78d726ad01b7c5f7

Hunting the Egret by Bryn Colvin

1 - Tell us a bit about your book.
‘Hunting The Egret’ is an erotic paranormal tale. Some of the eroticism is quite dark, exploring what happens when a BSM relationship becomes abusive. The book is set in Gloucestershire, England.

2 - Tell us about the best friend - gender, age, appearance, how they came to be with the hero or heroine and anything else we need to know about them.
My central character, Verity, is an odd soul. She doesn’t really connect very well with people and as a consequence pours her heart out to an aged hawthorn tree that grows near her house. However, the hawthorn tree does talk back, and Verity, being a rather magic creature herself, is able to hear that subtle voice.


3 - Who does the "best friend" help in the book?
The hawthorn tree offers advice and companionship. Verity is a very lonely person, and this gentle voice makes a lot of difference in her life.

4 - Does the best friend have a specific purpose in the book?
I tend to write about loners and misfits. The trouble is, it’s difficult to explore a character if they don’t have people to interact with. I needed a few entities my heroine could interact with – aside from her rather peculiar family. The purpose of the hawthorn tree is to give Verity something to talk to in times of distress.

5 - How does your hero or heroine feel about the best friend?
Deep affection. However, there’s a lot you can’t do with a tree, and as the Hawthorn itself is keen to point out, she does need human contact as well.

6 - How would your hero or heroine handle their problems or difficulties with the best friend?
It’s not the kind of relationship where there could be problems.

7 - Are there problems between the best friend and your main characters?
No.

8 - Do you see the best friend ever having their own story?
Not really. Although I am tempted by the idea of writing about dryads, so I might have a more central tree character one of these days.

9 - Was the best friend inspired by anyone you know?
I have one or two friends who are trees. Seriously. I’ve always talked to trees myself. Visually this one’s inspired by a hawthorn I met in the Malvern Hills.

10 - Is there anything else about the best friend that we need to know? Feel free to share.
For people who find the idea of talking trees hard to get to grips with, please do bear in mind this is a paranormal book, there’s a witch, a goddess, two shapeshifters… in which context talking trees may not seem so odd!

11 - Please provide your website link. http://www.myspace.com/brynneth_n_colvin

12 - What is the link to buy your book?
http://www.loveyoudivine.com/index.php?main_page=document_product_info&cPath=28&products_id=337&zenid=e8fb5f33a911b999e381b72512589bd7

The Villain from Hunting the Egret

Who causes friction in the story? Without wanting to give away too much of the plot, there’s a very sadistic and controlling former lover on the loose.

Do you prefer bad guys or bad gals? I’ve said in previous contributions to this blog that gender matters less to me than convincing motivation. I try to give my villains a bit of depth, but this one is, admittedly, just a bit of a psycho.

How do you use your bad guys? In this tale, one of the characters has a history of being abused, and of willingly submitting to it. It’s by confronting the violent former lover that they are able to move away from that very damaging past.

Do you enjoy writing the bad guys or do you find it difficult? I enjoy it – if I didn’t enjoy it I wouldn’t be doing it. The trouble is, I’m far too good at it. The villain in ‘Hunting the egret’ is a truly horrible piece of work.

Whether you enjoy writing them or hate writing them, we'd like to know why you feel that way? Probably says far too much about me – but I figure it’s better to write it than do it. I’m probably safer to be around for getting to turn my demons into stories. I have a very dark imagination, I’m capable of a lot of rage and righteous indignation, and worse. This way I get to vent it all and no one gets hurt.

Who is your favourite bad guy in any of your books? Which bad guy and which book are they in? Gardar in ‘On Borrowed Wings’ remains my favourite. He’s a singularly selfish and egotistical person, capable of making people fall in love with him even while he’s doing dreadful things to them. That said – this new villain has a certain something – the amorality, and again the selfishness and the unshakeable self confidence. One of the features of my bad guys is that they do tend to think they’re wonderful people and they don’t doubt themselves.

Who is your favorite fictional bad guy -- that's not in your books? I remain very fond of Severus Snape from the Harry Potter books (although his status as a bad guy is complicated.) ‘Rebecca’ from Du Maurier’s book is an awesome villainess.

Is there anything else about your bad guys that we need to know? Feel free to share.

When I was working on ‘Hunting the Egret’ I consulted with BDSM author JJ Giles as to what kinds of things would be considered unacceptable behaviour by people in that community. She told me. What I’ve written in this book is very much not what most Doms would consider doing. This villain is a sadist and an abuser and not a representation of BDSM lifestyle.

Please provide your website link. http://www.brynneth.org.uk

What is the link to buy your book? http://www.loveyoudivine.com/index.php?main_page=document_product_info&cPath=28&products_id=337&zenid=e8fb5f33a911b999e381b72512589bd7

Hero from The Girl Who Fell

What’s his name?

Guile

Why did you pick that name?

A fair few of the names in my Estraguil setting have literal meanings. Guile tends to mean cunning – in a slightly pejorative way, but it also gives us ‘beguiling’ which he certainly is.

How does he look?

Guile has bright red hair, high cheekbones, an expressive mouth and large eyes. He’s lean and good looking, with a touch of innocence about him.

Is there anything unusual about his appearance?

He has a forked tongue.

Who does he love? Why?

Guile loves his friends, and is drawn to the enigmatic Jehanne. He finds her mysterious, compelling, and beautiful.

Does this person love him?

Jehanne loves Guile’s musical trio.

Tell us about his family. Are they important to him?

Guile left his family to train as a musician. He went to Tirol as an apprentice when very young, and considers the trio to be his family.

Where is he from?

Guile is Strafian, a kith group that lives in the hills, farming and trading. They have a strong tradition of musicians and story tellers.

Does his hometown affect his behaviour, thoughts and attitude?

Being a Strafian, Guile prizes musicianship very highly indeed.

What does he want out of life?

Guile has no grand plans. He’s doing what he loves most and moves from one day to the next, taking it as it comes and making the best of it.

What’s his biggest secret?

Guile has no secrets. He’s open, honest and straight-forwards.

Did you write more than one story about him?

No, nor do I feel any need to.

How would he describe you?

A decent enough musician with a good singing voice and a fair knack for creating stories.

Is there anything about your hero we need to know?

He has lost his memory.

Please provide a link to your website

http://www.myspace.com/brynneth_n_colvin

What is the link to buy your book?

http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com/chapters/TheGirlWhoFell_BrynnethColvin.shtml

Best Friend From The Girl Who Fell

1 - Tell us a bit about your book.
“The Girl Who Fell” is a fantasy novel, set the Forest of Estraguil.

2 - Tell us about the best friend - gender, age, appearance, how they came to be with the hero or heroine and anything else we need to know about them.
Guile has two dear friends, and the three of them play music together, traveling through the forest as bards. Tirol is the eldest of the three and has mentored the younger musicians. He’s stern and serious, and plays an instrument akin to a marimba, but made of bone. Luthian is melfate – neither masculine or feminine, but something else. A talented percussionist with a keen sense of humour and a compassionate nature.


3 - Who does the "best friend" help in the book?
Guile is very much supported by his two close friends – the three of them support and aid each other.

4 - Does the best friend have a specific purpose in the book?
The trio create the musical magic that runs through the very heart of the narrative..

5 - How does your hero or heroine feel about the best friend?
Deep friendship and attachment, which endures even when memory has been stripped away.

6 - How would your hero or heroine handle their problems or difficulties with the best friend?
With patience and a determination to find the right way through any conflict.

7 - Are there problems between the best friend and your main characters?
There are, but I’m not prepared to post any plot spoilers!

8 - Do you see the best friend ever having their own story?
No. ‘The Girl who Fell’ is a very self contained book and I don’t plan to revisit any of the characters in it.

9 - Was the best friend inspired by anyone you know?
Not consciously, but the trio bear an uncanny resemblance to the band a friend of mine was in some years ago. The first gig of theirs I went to was very strange – because I knew them and had spent a couple of months writing about them, without having met them. I’d seen a few pictures, but they hadn’t been consciously on my mind when I was writing.

10 - Is there anything else about the best friend that we need to know? Feel free to share.
Nothing I could add without giving too much away.

11 - Please provide your website link. http://www.myspace.com/brynneth_n_colvin

12 - What is the link to buy your book?
http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com/chapters/TheGirlWhoFell_BrynnethColvin.shtml