We have the pleasure of meeting Belinda Moorland, a character from Darker Shadows, The Ghosts of Ravencrest Book 1. We'll get a chance to talk to the authors, Tamara Thorne and Alistair Cross, in a bit, but now we have on the stage...Belinda!
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Interview
Marie Lavender: Hello, Belinda. Please have a seat.
Character Belinda Moorland: Thank you. It's a pleasure to be here.
Marie: We're going to start out with some simple questions, okay?
Belinda: Sure.
Marie: So, what is your occupation? Are you any good at it? Do you like it?
Belinda: I’m employed by millionaire Eric Manning as
live-in governess to his two children, Thad and Cynthia, at Ravencrest Manor, a
beautiful estate in the hills above town. I try to be good at my job and some
days, I think I am. Other days, I’m not so sure. I do like it, yes, though
Ravencrest is a little scary, especially at night. They say it’s haunted. I’m
starting to believe them.
Marie: Oh, really? I'd love to hear about that. We'll get to that subject in a few minutes.
Belinda: My mother and I have always had difficulty
getting along. (My dad left Mother when I was nine. I’m an only child.) She
kept me in private religious schools and pretty much micro-managed me. Until I
went to work for Mr. Manning, I didn’t know how sheltered my life has been.
It’s ridiculous. Now, Mother keeps texting me and leaving voice mails, but I won’t
let her tell me what to do anymore. She’s never approved of anything I’ve ever
done on my own.
Marie: Sorry to hear that, Belinda. Parents can be overprotective sometimes.
What did your childhood home look like?
Belinda: Mother and I lived in a little two bedroom
bungalow. It was kind of dark inside because Mother was afraid of people
looking in the windows and kept the drapes closed all the time. She mostly had
landscape prints in the living room and a bunch of those big-eyed children from
the 1960s, plus paintings of Jesus on her bedroom walls. When I was little, she
decorated my room with a bunch of clown pictures that were famous when she was
a girl. I hated them and when I was nine, I tore them up and burned them. Boy,
did I get in trouble, but it was worth it because my bad dreams mostly stopped!
Marie: Oh, man. I hear you. Clowns can be scary.
So, do you
have any hobbies? What do you enjoy doing?
Belinda: I love music and theater; I minored in theater
arts. I enjoy playing piano. I love to read mysteries and science fiction. My
favorite movies are Amadeus, Young Frankenstein, and Aliens. On TV I still love X-Files, Dark Shadows, Twilight Zone,
and Supernatural. Mother wouldn’t let
me watch any of them, but I saw them at my friend’s house sometimes. I love
cats, too. Mother disapproved of pets, especially cats, but Mr. Manning has
given me permission to adopt one! I’m
going to name her Ripley.
Marie: Awesome! I love cats. I'm going to ask you some more serious questions now.
What
is your greatest dream, Belinda?
Belinda: To live free and be in full command of my own
life.
Marie: What
kind of person do you wish you could be? What is stopping you?
Belinda: I wish I wouldn’t worry about making other people
angry. I want to be better at standing up for myself. And I’m trying very hard
to learn.
Marie: Who was your first love?
Belinda: Fox Mulder of The
X-Files. When I was little, I pretended I was Agent Scully.
Marie: (Laughs.) Yeah, I can't blame you for having a crush on Fox. Okay, this next question is really serious.
What's
the most terrible thing that ever happened to you?
Belinda: I won’t tell you the most terrible thing, but I will tell you the scariest. It happened just recently at Ravencrest! Mrs. Heller, the House Administrator, sent me to the basement to retrieve some books that the previous governess used.
It’s cold and dark down there, and the place is
huge. The books were kept in an old chapel room, so after getting lost a few
times, I finally found the room and the books. Anyway, when I was on my way
back, I kept hearing strange sounds coming from down one of the halls; it
sounded like someone being slapped, or maybe spanked. Whatever it was, it
scared me and I ran. I rounded a corner and that’s when I saw them: three nuns
floating toward me. Floating above
the ground - and they had completely black eyes!
I took off at a dead run and Grant - he’s the
butler - helped me calm down. When I told him what I’d seen, he said that, many
years ago, there was an orphanage in the east wing that was run by nuns named
Faith, Hope, and Charity. He said the slapping sounds I heard were probably the
residual noises of children being punished by Sister Faith, who was really
quite mad. I’ll never go in that basement again!
Marie:
Wow! I can't blame you, Belinda. That is spooky. And how apropos is that, considering it's Halloween? (Shudders.) All right. Let's steer this conversation in another direction.
What was your dream growing up? Did you achieve that dream? If so, in
what ways was it not what you expected? If you never achieved the
dream, why not?
Belinda: I have lots of dreams. My biggest one is to find
true love;-) My next one is to work in the theater. I used to want to be a
scientist at NASA, but I gave that up when I realized I’m lousy at math. (Laughs.)
Marie: (Laughs as well.) You and me both! Math is definitely not my friend; that's what calculators are for, right? Just kidding.
So, who is your role model?
Belinda: Ripley, from Aliens.
Marie: I see. Now I understand the cat name. (Winks.)
Is
there someone you pretend to like but really dislike?
Belinda: Mrs. Heller. She frightens me for a lot of
reasons. One, her dislike for me is obvious; she seems like she’s out to get
me. Also, her “religious” practices are very mysterious. I wish I could say
more about this, but I’m afraid of what she might do to me if I did. I don’t
know who might see this interview. Maybe that sounds paranoid, but I know she’s
watching me. And she’s not the only one. I have to be careful. I hope you
understand.
Marie: Hmm...yes, I do. I have to admit that you've caught my interest, Belinda. I can't wait to find out more about what's going on at Ravencrest.
So, what is your deepest desire?
Belinda: I can’t really talk about that here. It’s very
personal.
Marie: All right. What
is your greatest fear?
Belinda: That I’ll
see Sisters Faith, Hope, and Charity again!
Marie: Well, I can't blame you for fearing that! I would too. (Smiles reassuringly and pats Belinda's hand.)
I want to thank you for visiting us today, Belinda. It's been a pleasure to have you here.
Now, let's shift over and get the perspective of the authors. We have Tamara Thorne and Alistair Cross on the stage today! Hi!
Author Tamara Thorne: Hello.
Author Alistair Cross: Hello.
Marie:
We
just got to talk to the heroine of your story, Belinda. Quite an interesting character. Can you tell us a little about her?
Authors Tamara and Alistair: Belinda is a lot of fun, and we love her dearly. She
has some great challenges ahead, as well as some horrific surprises. We don’t
have the heart to tell her that the phantom nuns are just the tip of a very
terrifying iceberg. Or that Ravencrest holds so many mysteries she may never
unravel them all. We believe in her ability to handle these horrors, though,
and we look forward to seeing how the experiences shape her.
Marie: What are your character's greatest strengths?
Tamara and Alistair: She knows right from wrong. She’s moral and
forgiving.
Marie: What
are her greatest weaknesses?
Tamara and Alistair: Self-doubt.
Marie: What
are some of her favorite foods?
Tamara and Alistair: Onion rings, salads, grilled cheese and bacon
sandwiches, and hot cocoa.
Marie: What's a positive quality that your character is unaware that he or she has?
Tamara and Alistair: Belinda doesn’t know it, but she’s strong. If
she’s able to harness her potential and grow from her strange and often
horrific experiences at Ravencrest, she will be capable of great power.
Marie: Will readers like or dislike this character, and why?
Tamara and Alistair: Belinda will appeal to readers looking for a
character they can follow long-term; a character who grows over time, changing
as a result of her experiences.
Great! Well, now that we have a real taste of Belinda, we have a few questions for you as well as the authors.
Marie: What first gave you the idea for Darker Shadows?
Tamara and Alistair: Our mutual love of ghosts, sex, and all things
gothic. We both love Dark Shadows
because it explored so many gothically spooky things; it never got old. We want
to do the same, but with a lot more sexual heat. Our ghosts don’t just moan in
hallways. They moan in bedrooms, too!
Marie: (Laughs.) All right, you two. Let's try to keep it clean in here.
So, what are your writing styles like? Are you pantsters or plotters?
Tamara and Alistair: Both of us are, by nature, plotters, but we also
delight in letting our characters surprise us. Characters are very important to
us, no matter what we’re writing. We like to follow their lead; they always
know best.
Marie: I know exactly what you mean. No matter how much you try to direct things, the characters always step in and set you back on track.
Okay, I’m throwing this one in for our aspiring writers. Did you come across any specific challenges in writing Darker Shadows or getting it published? What would you do differently the next time?
Okay, I’m throwing this one in for our aspiring writers. Did you come across any specific challenges in writing Darker Shadows or getting it published? What would you do differently the next time?
Tamara and Alistair: When writing a serialized novel, knowing your
plot is vital; if you don’t, you’re even more likely to write yourself into a
corner than you are in a regular novel because once a chapter is in print, you
can’t go just back and change things.
Marie: I agree. That is a challenge.
Honestly, I am curious to know more about your collaboration together. Sometimes when writers pair up on a project, it doesn't always work because of the varying personalities. Maybe you two can fill us in on how that works during your upcoming author interview, all right?
Tamara and Alistair: (Nods.) Of course.
Well,
it was such a pleasure having you here on Writing in the Modern Age.
Readers, you will just have to pick up a copy of this awesome book!
Here is the blurb for Darker Shadows.
When Belinda Moorland steps across the threshold of Ravencrest Manor, she feels as if she’s entered a fantasy world. The mansion is breathtaking, and her new employer, Eric Manning, is as mysterious as he is handsome.
But after just one night, she begins to suspect there is more to Ravencrest than she was told. Haunted by nightmares and seduced by erotic dreams, Belinda realizes her new home has a dark side. By day, the house and grounds are sublime, but the night is alive with dark shadows and phantom footsteps in empty corridors. Eyes - and hands - are upon her, and not all of them belong to the living.
Purchase Link:
Amazon Universal Link: http://bookgoodies.com/a/B00OZ4C21C
About Alistair Cross and Tamara Thorne:
Alistair
Cross grew up on horror novels and scary movies, and by the age of eight, began
writing his own stories. In 2012, his first novel, Beautiful Monster, was published by Damnation Books. under the
pseudonym Jared S. Anderson. Find out more about him at: http://alistaircross.com
Tamara
Thorne's first novel was published in 1991, and since then she has written many
more, including international bestsellers Haunted,
Bad Things, Moonfall, and The Sorority. Her novel, Thunder Road, hit bookstores in September, 2014. Learn more about
her at: http://tamarathorne.com
In collaboration, Thorne and Cross are currently
writing The Ghosts of Ravencrest, a
sexy serial novel full of dark shadows, ghosts, witches, and mysteries. (The
first three installments, Darker Shadows,
Awakening, and The New Governess
are now available in omnibus form.) Their horror novel, Grandma’s Rack, will appear this winter, and another big horror
novel is almost complete.
Author Links:
Book:
