A Character Interview with Roarke Hamilton from FOREVER AT MIDNIGHT plus a conversation with author Isobelle Cate (with giveaway)!

Today we're bringing something different to Writing in the Modern Age in the form of a character interview.  These character interviews, now and in the future, should prove to be very enlightening for all of us. 
We have the pleasure of meeting Roarke Hamilton, a character from Forever at Midnight. We'll get a chance to talk to the author, Isobelle Cate, in a bit, but now we have on the stage...Roarke!
Interview

 

Marie Lavender:  Hello, Roarke.  Please have a seat.
Character Roarke Hamilton: Hello, Marie. Allow me to thank you for interviewing me and featuring Isobelle’s books. The Cynn Cruors and I greatly appreciate it.

Marie:  We're going to start out with some simple questions, okay? Roarke:  Sure.

Marie:  So, what is your occupation? Are you any good at it?  Do you like it? 

Roarke:  I am the Dux of the leader of the Manchester Cynn Cruors. I am also one of the youngest of the youngest Cynn Cruors to be given this post. Am I good at it? I have to believe I am. My men, brethren look up to me to lead them against the Scatha Cruors whether it be city fighting or an all out battle in the field. Do I like it? I almost gave it up because of Deanna, my beloved. The leadership of the Manchester Faesten was nothing if Deanna was going to be tried as a Scatha Cruor spy.

Marie:  What is your family like?

Roarke:  My family is fun-loving, but steeped in responsibility when the need arises. My father is The Hamilton, one of the closest confidantes and adviser to the Ancient Eald. He carries a lot of authority but never have I seen him flaunt it. He instilled in me the importance of fairness and justice, or perseverance against the odds. My father prefers that he stays behind the scenes. My mother, Deidre, is The Hamilton’s perfect mate. She brought me up instilling in me the values of kinship, friendship and love. Do you know that she was one of the first who taught me how to wield a sword? Well, a sword I could carry when I was nine. She does make a mean haggis though.

I had a sister who was born before me, but she died in infancy. I never knew her. If she had lived, I would have cherished and protected her as all Cynn Cruors do with the women in their lives.

Then I have my brothers in arms. The Manchester Cynn Cruors. They, along with Deanna and their mates, are my family away from Scotland. There is Finn Qualtrough and his mate, Eirene Spence; Graeme Temple and his mate, Kate Corrigan; Zac McBain and his mate, Faith Hannah. Blake Strachan should be with us, but after one siege, he disappeared. I’m hoping that he returns to us. We miss him.

Marie:  What did your childhood home look like?

Roarke:  Hamel Dun Creag was a castle with a huge canopied bailey. It was the Cynn Cruors’ Faesten where immortals trained everyday so it was a bustling hive of activity. Since our blood carries the Kinaré, the vampire DNA does not allow us to be out in direct sunlight so for the warriors to train, the bailey has been covered. Thank God that we get lots of cloudy and rainy days. During those times, the canopy can be removed. Our blood sizzles a bit but it’s manageable.

There was also a huge library that housed books on the Cynn Cruors history and the lineages. Many were burned and destroyed when Dac Valerian, our enemy lay siege to my home. Fortunately, my mother had the foresight to store most of the more important documents in another place.

Marie:  I see.

Do you have any hobbies? What do you enjoy doing?   

Roarke:  Because of my responsibilities as the Dux of the Manchester Faesten, I have not had the time to indulge in my hobby of reading the numerous tomes in the Faesten’s library for days on end. If the wars were over, there’s nothing I would rather do than have my Lady Deanna by my side and read to our hearts’ content. Simple joys. 

Marie:  What is your greatest dream?

Roarke:  The end to the Cruor wars so that my lady and I can start a family.  

Marie:  What kind of person do you wish you could be? What is stopping you?  

 

Roarke:  I wish I could be a more peaceful immortal. I wish that sometimes a Cynn Cruor Dux’s responsibilities didn’t rest so heavily on my shoulders. More importantly, now that Deanna is back, I wish I could finally experience fatherhood. Nothing is stopping us from having children. But while Dac Valerian is alive, Deanna and I will have to fight him and his minions.  If we die, I do not want to leave our children to become orphans.   

Marie:  That makes sense. 

Who was your first love? 

Roarke:  My mate and lady, Deanna.  

 
Marie:  What's the most terrible thing that ever happened to you?   

Roarke:  When I believed that Deanna had perished in the siege of Hamel Dun Creag. For hundreds of years I lived when I should have been dead because a Cynn Cruor immortal dies when his mate dies. That would have already given me a clue that Deanna was still alive. Grief doesn’t make you see what your heart believes is true.  

Marie:  Sorry to hear that, Roarke. Let's move on to something a bit lighter, shall we?

(Nods.)

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?   

Roarke:  Leadership is the only life I’ve known so my dream was to be as strong as my father. I have achieved that dream at a great sacrifice. Losing Deanna was the catalyst that made me become the leader that I am, the youngest Cynn Cruor ever to hold the title of Dux. 

Marie:  Who is your role model?

Roarke:  My father, The Hamilton.

Marie:  Is there someone you pretend to like but really dislike?

Roarke:  Fortunately, none.   

Marie:  What is your deepest desire?

Roarke:  To have a family with Deanna.  

Marie:  What is your greatest fear? 

Roarke:  To lose her again.  

Well, thank you for visiting us today, Roarke.  

 

Roarke:  My pleasure, Marie.  

 

Marie:  I wish you luck with Deanna. It was so interesting getting to know you.  (Waves at her guest as he heads off the stage.)

Now, let's shift over and get the author's perspective.  We have Isobelle Cate on the stage today!  Hi, Isobelle!

 

 

 

Author Isobelle Cate:  

Hi Marie! Thank you so much for having me.

 

 

 

Marie:  We just got to talk to the hero of your story, Roarke Hamilton.  Quite an interesting character. Can you tell us a little about him?

 

Isobelle:  Roarke Hamilton is a Cynn Cruor immortal. He is unique because he carries vampire, werewolf, and human blood collectively known as the Kinaré gene.  This gene has to be kept fed and satiated with sex, otherwise it will weaken the immortal.

Roarke comes from a long line of warriors who stay in the side lines protecting humans from the Scatha Cruors, the breakaway group of Cruors hell bent on enslaving the human race.  Since there have been several Scatha abductions of men, women, and children, Roarke’s mission is to make sure that this does not happen.

Like all Cynn Cruors, they are experts when it comes to weaponry, but Roarke’s favorite weapon is the claymore and broadsword. 

Marie:  Great! So, what are your character's greatest strengths?  

Isobelle:  Leadership, adaptability, loyalty, and duty. He may be the Dux, but he allows his men to call the shots in operations, especially when their women are involved. This was seen when he gave the reins of authority for a mission to Graeme Temple in Midnight’s Atonement.

Deanna is also his greatest strength.  With her by his side, the burden of leadership is much easier to carry.

Marie:  What are his greatest weaknesses?

Isobelle:  When the mantle of authority and leadership sits firmly on his shoulders, he can be unbending especially when it comes to dealing with the Scatha Cruors.  He has learned to bend the rules a little, injecting compassion when people fall through no fault of their own.

Deanna is also his greatest weakness and he was willing to give up his leadership for Deanna’s sake.

Marie:  What are some of his favorite foods?

Isobelle:  Haggis and single malt. He has developed a taste for bacon though, thanks to Eirene Spence, Finn Qualtrough’s mate.  

Marie:  What's a positive quality that your character is unaware that he or she has?  

  Isobelle: His form of democratic leadership. Not many Cynn Cruor Duxs will be willing to give up the reins of authority over to their men.

Marie:  Will readers like or dislike this character, and why?

Isobelle: Readers will probably fall in love with Roarke because he is an immortal who will do anything to get Deanna back. His love has been constant through the centuries and went through a baptism of fire. Yet he held on.

In the next installment of the Cynn Cruors Bloodline series, My Haven, My Midnight, I think readers will see a part of Roarke they may not like. Roarke is a leader and will make an unpopular choice by imposing the law of the Cynn Cruors. He was brought up steeped in duty and loyalty to the Ancient Eald and what the Cynn Cruors stand for.

Marie:  I see.

Well, now that we have a real taste of Roarke, we have a few questions for you as well as the author.   

What first gave you the idea for Forever at Midnight? 

Isobelle:  I was writing Rapture at Midnight, when I wondered why Roarke was, at times, morose. That’s when it hit me that he must have lost something or someone he treasured. So, I wrote Forever at Midnight while I was finishing Rapture at Midnight.

I wanted the title to encompass Roarke’s undying love for Deanna, even though he believed that she had been killed during the Scatha Cruors’ siege of Hamel Dun Creag. I wanted to show the readers that Roarke was Deanna’s forever as he was hers.

 

Marie:  Brilliant, of course!

 

What is your writing style like?  Are you a pantster or a plotter?  

 

Isobelle:  I’m both a pantser and a plotter. A hybrid? Ha! Since I write erotic paranormal romance, there are a lot of steamy scenes because the Kinaré demands it. However, it isn’t all sex.  My stories are mostly plot driven. The Cynn Cruors are immortal warriors from different times so I give a little of the back story of where they came from in the beginning of each novel before I bring them to the present.

 

Marie:  It makes sense to me! And by your definition, I must be a hybrid as well. LOL.

 

So, I’m throwing this one in for our aspiring writers.  Did you come across any specific challenges in writing Forever at Midnight or getting it published?  What would you do differently the next time?   

 

Isobelle:  I didn’t have difficulty getting it published because it was the next instalment of Rapture at Midnight, which my publisher had already accepted.

Probably like all writers, I tend to think that, hey, I should have done it this way or I should have written the story in a different way. Next time? Maybe I’d keep the manuscript inside the drawer for a little while and return to it with fresh eyes.  I used to do that. I might just go back to doing it again.

Marie:  It is true that we should probably take a brief hiatus before looking at a manuscript again.

Isobelle:  Thank you very much for having me and showcasing Forever at Midnight, Marie!

Marie:  My pleasure! I hear you’re offering a FREE copy of this book. Is that right?

Isobelle:  Yes!  Just for this interview, I’m giving out one ebook of this title today.  

Marie:  Awesome! Well, you heard her, readers. If you leave a comment on this post with your email, you’ll automatically be entered into a contest for the book. How exciting!  

Well, it was such a pleasure having you here on Writing in the Modern Age, Isobelle. We hope you can come back sometime. 

Readers, I hope you all get a chance to pick up a copy of this awesome book!  

Here is the blurb for Forever at Midnight.

Picking up where Book 1, Rapture at Midnight, left off – Book 2 in “The Cynn Cruors Bloodline Series” 

When Roarke catches a glimpse of Deanna in Dac Valerian’s club, he searches for her in the streets of Manchester just to prove that he hasn’t lost his mind. He is unable to believe Deanna is alive when he’d buried her himself nearly five hundred years before. But when Deanna turns up on the street facing the Cynn Cruor’s headquarters, Roarke needs to know why she’s hid herself from him all these years. 

Knowing her secret can only destroy whatever feelings Roarke has left for her, Deanna remains silent until circumstances force her to reveal everything. 
Hearts are broken on both sides, but Roarke and Deanna have to work together if they are to find a way of ending Dac and the Scatha Cruor’s power once and for all. 

Desire rises and passions are rekindled. 
Will their pursuit of Dac lead to another chance at happiness? 
Or will it forever tear them apart? 

*Warning: Contains explicit content and graphic details. 18+ Audience 

Purchase Links:

Universal Amazon link:  http://bookgoodies.com/a/B00GH1BZQO 

Publisher:  http://www.beaucoupllcpublishing.com/forever-at-midnight-by-isobelle-cate/

 

Barnes & Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/listing/2691277867977 

 

About Isobelle Cate:

 

Isobelle Cate is a woman who wears different masks.  Mother-writer, wife-professional, scholar-novelist.  Currently living in Manchester, she has been drawn to the little known, the secret stories, about the people and the nations:  the English, the Irish, the Scots, the Welsh, and those who are now part of these nations whatever their origins.  Her vision and passion are fuelled by her interest and background in history and paradoxically, shaped by growing up in a clan steeped in lore, loyalty, and legend.     Isobelle is intrigued by forces that simmer beneath the surface of these cultures, the hidden passions, unsaid desires, and yearnings unfulfilled.

 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/AuthorIsobelleCate?ref=hl 

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Isobelle_Cate

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7191925.Isobelle_Cate

Amazon Author page:  http://www.amazon.com/Isobelle-Cate/e/B00E5OD27K/

Google+: https://plus.google.com/104606279558753180167/posts

Publisher:  http://www.beaucoupllcpublishing.com/isobelle-cate/

Authorgraph:  https://www.authorgraph.com/authors/Isobelle_Cate

Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBbB7h0DL9CEVRPJqByDOzA/videos 

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/clpardington/author-isobelle-cate/

Isobelle's Books:    

 

Once again, I want to thank both of our guests, Roarke Hamilton, the male main character of Forever at Midnight, and Isobelle Cate, the brilliant author of the novel, for stopping by!  It was a pleasure to have you here. 

Readers, don't forget to leave a comment below with your email address in order to compete in the giveaway. We'll run it for a week. Good luck! :)