(Continuing the conversation from last time)
Q: Who was you favorite character to write?
A: That’s hard to say; I enjoyed them all. I think which
ever one I was writing at the time became my favorite. Of course, it’s always
more fun to write the naughtier characters. I found myself more drawn to
Lucifer than Gabriel, especially in the beginning. An angel is often presumed,
incorrectly if one studies the mythology, to be the personification of
perfection. Characterization is best demonstrated by one’s flaws, and perhaps,
a story that shows how those flaws are overcome or dealt with. In Gabriel’s
case, I had to instill a flaw – doubt. That’s possibly the greatest flaw an
angel could have; it threatens the whole fabric of a reality structured on
belief.
Lucifer, on the other hand, is the guy born on the wrong
side of the tracks. I've always contemplated how fortunate I was to be born in
America, a land of wealth and opportunity, and not in Rwanda or Haiti. Where
you’re born is the luck of the draw; it’s something you have no control over.
Lucifer, was a demon born in Hell but he aspires for a better existence. To
obtain that, he has to earn it, raising the nature versus nurture question. Are
we who we are because of genetics or our environment? If we change our
environment, can we change, through exercise of free will, or is our fate
predestined? That’s a theme throughout the series, and not just for Lucifer.
Morgana struck me as a very flawed character. She starts out
as a healer and savior and ends as a villainess. Her father was a brute. Her
mother died while she was relatively young and she blamed her half-brother
Arthur for her death, once she found out his birth was the cause. She becomes
consumed with hatred and desirous of revenge against Arthur, Uther, and Merlin.
She sleeps with her half-brother, which would send most people into therapy for
years, and is overly obsessed with her son, Mordred. She is rejected by
Lancelot and her mentor, Nimue and only finds acceptance among the Fae – and
even then, probably more from fear than admiration. She’s haunted by
nightmarish patchwork visions she doesn't always understand that warp her sense
of reality. Is it any wonder she gradually descends from innocence into
darkness?
The comic relief characters were a blast to write. Pandora
is especially fun because you never know what’s going to come out of her mouth.
Both Pandora and Síofra are insouciant characters, but Pandora is lighthearted,
a bit of a space cadet. While Pandora approaches life in a carefree, cheerful
manner, Síofra is blithely unconcern with anyone other than herself.
Q: Your characters often formed disparate pairings.
A: I found I could achieve both good dialogue and
interesting plotting by matching characters with opposite attributes. Teaming
up an angel and a demon; pairing the selfish, corrupted changeling Síofra with
the innocent, naïve Kaya; or the innocent, naïve white angel Cassiopeia with
the more worldly, black emere, Asabi. The level-headed Sharon and the
scatter-brained Pandora; the Twitch sisters: Calliope, representing youth and
purity, Samantha, representing maternal maturity, and Drusilla, aged and
ruthless.
Q: Or Remick and Callaghan. That struck me as an unlikely
combination.
A: Literally the Odd Couple. The chauffeur and the tramp. But
they worked surprisingly well together.
Q: And in the Middle East, of all places. I noticed you use
a variety of locales in the series.
A: Las Vegas serves as the home base, but parts of the book
take place in Heaven and Hell. I incorporated global mythologies into the
series, including many Japanese legends, so there are scenes in Japan, too.
Some of the time travel takes the reader to Camelot, so England is visited, as
well.
Q: But not Italy?
A: You can tell your readers that oversight will be
corrected in future story arcs. I’m not sure how I would incorporate Italy into
the series, but I did have some Roman vampires in the first book and some of
the enchantments use pigeon Latin.
Q: Pigeon Latin?
A: It’s been a long time since I studied Latin, so I’m sure
my cases were probably flawed, but fortunately few readers will notice. I did
have someone correct me on the Hebrew, though. That wasn't entirely my fault.
Hebrew is read from right-to-left. I wrote it correctly, but the software
program flipped the letters. Fortunately, the proofreader caught it. But it’s
very hard to find a proficient Latin proofreader.
Q: (Laughter). That would not be a problem in Italy.
A: (Laughter). In that case, you’re hired.
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