May Scavenger Hunt--Character Interview

All month long, Purple Sword, Whimsical Publications and Astraea Press are hosting a scavenger hunt. Authors from all three publishers have created character interviews to let you get to know their characters a little bit better. This next part is important: If you want to participate you must email our publicist, Robyn White, at promorobyn@gmail.com. She will send you a list of participating authors along with the questions you will need to answer in order to enter to win.

Following is my character interview with Alecandros, the male lead from my paranormal romance, Tied to a Demon:

Thank you for joining us today, Alec. For those who might not know you, why don’t you start off with telling us a bit about yourself.

First of all, my full name is Alecandros. Very few people are allowed to use the shortened version of my name.

So sorry, Alecandros. I should know better.

Yes. You should. I’m a demon from the nine hells, though I haven’t always been a demon.

So how does one become a demon?

It’s a long and painful process. Not something I would recommend. When I underwent the change, it was an experimental process, a method designed by perhaps the greatest wizard of his time and the leading expert on demonology, Reynauld. Essentially, the subject’s soul must be separated from his body. In my case, Reynauld had plans for me, so he needed my soul. After yanking it out, he stuffed it back in because he couldn’t have a soulless demon running around. I guess it worked out in the end, though I wish the process would have erased more of my memories.

So you remember most of your life before?

I remember a great deal more than I think I should. It’s strange. Becoming a demon felt like having someone remove the wool over my eyes. I could see things clearly for the first time. As a result, everything that’s happened to me since that moment feels more real, like my real life didn’t begin until I lost my soul. My previous life is a bit muddled and fuzzy. The easiest moments for me to remember occurred towards the end of it unfortunately.

These events you speak of. Are they the reason you chose to submit to the process of becoming a demon?

Yes. Before that I was a renegade wizard. I had so much power, I cared little for the consequences of my actions. My own experiments were everything to me, and I didn’t balk at the thought of taking human life if it furthered my research. Towards the end, I was being hunted, and sought refuge with Reynauld. It turned out he could use me, but by that point I didn’t care. I only wanted to escape the hunters.

So what were you researching?

Oddly enough, my studies weren’t that different from Reynauld’s. I just went about it in a different way. I was studying the way a human’s soul was connected to its body. I began with animals, but I could learn very little from them since they’re so different.

What made you take the leap from animal experimentation to human?

I grew frustrated. You’re probably looking for a more satisfying answer, but that’s all it was. Animals couldn’t tell me what I wanted to know, so I moved on.

Let’s do the same. What became of you after Reynauld turned you into a demon?

Well, I don’t want to give too much of the story away, so I will just say that he made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. Instead of unlimited freedom, I found myself in the nine hells, awaiting my eventual release. Let me tell you, the hells are not a pleasant place. The seventh hell was my ‘home,’ for lack of a better term. I hated the place.

What does a demon do for fun then?

Most of my fellows dreamed up new ways to torture people. But I was stuck with my soul, so it was different for me. I moped a lot, in the beginning. There wasn’t a lot to do besides wait for the event that would finally set me free. And once I was free, there was no way I was going back.

Just a few more questions before I let you go. Shanna isn’t the first witch who’s summoned you, yet she called you forth from the nine hells. Care to explain that?

The  other witches all knew what they were doing. If Shanna had bound her circle properly, she would have been able to send me back, too. But once I broke free, there was no turning back.

Well, she did summon you accidentally.

Yes. And I used that to my advantage.

What did you think of Shanna when you first saw her?

I reacted badly at first, but being ripped from someplace and thrown into another is disconcerting. Once I’d adjusted to my surroundings, I realized Shanna wasn’t the all-powerful witch I imagined. She was struggling. I found her clumsiness adorable, but she’s just lucky I’m the worst thing she’s ever summoned.

Thank you for answering my questions today, Alecandros. One last thing. Are we thinking sequel?

I should think not. A prequel might be possible, but I think my adventuring days are mostly over now, and I prefer it that way. I’m quite happy with the way things turned out. Let’s just leave it at that, shall we?