Wistful Wednesday

My Interview With a Wayward One

Okay, ladies, hold onto your hats. Today, I am going to tackle one of my most difficult challenges yet: I am going to interview (or try to, at least) an angelic bad boy who has a certain, shall we say, way with the ladies. This could either be a grand success - or a complete disaster. Wish me luck!

Without further ado, please allow me to present my interview with Dante:

Cupid: First off, I’m kind of surprised you agreed to this.

Dante: I needed a good laugh.

Cupid: That's all this is to you - a good laugh?

Dante: Of course. It’s all rather comical, if you ask me. Cupid asking questions of me, of all beings. There's just something wonderfully Shakespearean about that - the comedies, not the tragedies. Although, this could turn out to be rather tragic, don't you think?

(Cupid shifts in his chair, uncomfortable. But being the intrepid soul that he is, he trudges on.)

Cupid: You find this rather humorous, don’t you?

Dante: Yes. Rather.

Cupid: Then why bother doing it?

Dante: Let’s just say I’m curious about what Cupid, of all beings, would want to ask me.

Cupid: Shall we get to it, then?

Dante: Oh, please. Let's.

Cupid:

Why did you fall, Dante?

Dante: No build up. I like it.

Cupid: I prefer the direct approach.

Dante: Duly noted. There's something to be said for the direct approach, although it doesn't always work for my...purposes, shall we say?

Cupid: We'll get into that later,if time allows. But first, answer the question. Why did you fall away, Dante?

Dante: Ask Peter. He knows the reason. He's been dogging me for eons about it.

Cupid: I'd rather hear it from you, not your guardian.

Dante: To what purpose?

Cupid: I think you know.

Dante: Are we to play that game, then?

Cupid: Say the words.

Dante: Ask another question.

Cupid: I want you to answer this one first.

Dante: Ask another!

Cupid: Answer this one! Say the words.

Dante: No.

Cupid: Say them.

Dante: I will not.

Cupid

: Why did you fall away?

Dante: For love! For Lyric. I fell away for Lyric. Are you happy now, angel boy? I fell away for Lyric.

Cupid: And what happened to Lyric - after your fall?

Dante: We were separated...as penance.

Cupid: But you are still searching for her?

Dante: Yes.

Cupid: Why? Why, after all this time, are you still searching for the cause of your fall - your penance?

Dante: Because I love her still! Isn't that what you wanted to hear?

Cupid: Only if it's true.

Dante: Oh, it's true. So now you can gloat, angel boy.

Cupid: Why would I want to do that?

Dante: Because I am just like any of your mortal subjects, desperate to prove my love for a woman.

Cupid: But Lyric isn't just a woman, is she?

Dante: No.

Cupid: She's a Wayward One, just like you.

Dante: Not just. When she fell, it was not of her own doing - my choice was my own. I fell with my eyes wide open.

Cupid: So what happens now?

Dante: I pay my penance.

Cupid: And search for Lyric?

Dante: And search for Lyric.

Cupid: Why don't you let Peter help you to find her?

Dante:

That meddling, goody-two-shoes angel?

Cupid: The one.

Dante: Because he wants to redeem me first.

Cupid: What's so wrong about being redeemed?

Dante: As I told our friend Peter already, I have no desire – or intention – to be redeemed.

Cupid: Then why did you agree to this? Why bother with this at all? And don't say it's for a laugh because I won't believe you.

Dante: I’m here for Lyric. Why else would I be?

Cupid: Well, this happens to be my area of expertise. Perhaps I could help you.

Dante: We shall see, angel boy. We shall see.

Want to read more about Dante and Peter? Comment for a chance to win an e-copy from Smashwords.

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What a Character

Have you ever had a character invade your mind? When you thought you were done with him, has he ever come back to haunt you, or to prove otherwise? It happened to me. When I began to write Nora’s Soul, the character of Dante was just a satellite character in my mind, a device to move the story forward. But he had other ideas and he just wouldn’t be silenced. He invaded my mind, took over my thoughts, and even tried to –

Dante: Stop, woman! You like to think you’re my creator, but we both know the truth of that, don’t we?
Margay: But I did create you.
Dante: Tell them how I came to you in a dream.
Margay: All right, so you came to me in a dream -
Dante: I love invading dreams. I don’t get to do it very often.
Margay: Can I tell the story?
Dante: Oh, yes. Please do.
Margay: Thank you. As I was about to say, it was one of the more vivid dreams I’d ever had, a fully realized scene of the two of us on the dance floor, dancing the night away.
Dante: I love dancing.
Margay: Dante, please.
Dante: Oh, sorry. Go on.
Margay: But you were something of a devil and that is how I first thought of you. But as the story came to develop, I realized that you were more of an angel, just a…misguided one. You’d lost your way somehow. You’ve been rather stingy on the details.
Dante: If I told you everything up front, what fun would that be?
Margay: Yes, I must admit it’s been more fun pulling the details out of you with a pair of tweezers. I just wish I didn’t have to go through Nora to get them.
Dante: Ah, yes, Nora. Sweet girl.
Margay: We’ve talked about this, Dante. You can’t have her. She’s not meant for you.
Dante: Can’t I have anyone? What kind of power do I have if I can’t take whomever I want?
Margay: Don’t forget free will. It’s all about free will. You see, they have to choose you. If they don’t choose you, you can’t have them.
Dante: I never did like free will. It’s always messing things up.
Margay: Dante, come on now. Maybe we should just talk about the book.
Dante: Yes, do that. Talk about the book.
Margay: At its core, Nora’s Soul is a story about one woman’s journey to rediscover her faith – in herself, in her beliefs, but along the way, she is challenged by two angels, one light and one dark. The light angel, Peter, wants to help her reconnect, but the dark angel, Dante, wants something entirely different. He wants her soul.
Dante: Nice summary.
Margay: Thanks.
Dante: I just hope you got the story right.
Margay: Well, I guess you’ll just have to wait until the release date to find out.
Dante: So you’re not even going to give me a little hint about how it turns out?
Margay: Nope. But if you go to my website http://margayleahjustice.com, you can read an excerpt.
Dante: And you thought I was the devil.
Margay: If you’re done, I’d like to regain some control over this article.
Dante: Oh. Sorry.
Margay: Right.

Well, there you have it. Character. You just never know when a character is going to invade your thoughts – or take them over completely and try to run your life. But what are we without the characters that populate our books, our movies, our lives?

If you would like a chance to get to know Dante better, read about the havoc he wreaks in Nora’s Soul. He is quite a character. Hope you enjoy him as much as I do.