Tell me a little about yourself (where you live, who you
are, what you look like, what you hope to achieve, etc.)
My name is Moira MacDonald. Ach!
Nae, ’tis Moira Morgan
now! I was Moira MacDonald for centuries. ’Tis a hard habit to break! Mrs.
Moira Morgan. Aye! That has a lovely sound to it! Long
ago, I was betrothed to Donald MacDonald.
Dinnae laugh, lassie! ’Twas nae
such an uncommon name when Donald and I were young. Well, my Donald… He died young, did my
Donald. Well now, truth to tell, “died”
is nae the word for it, is it? He was hanged for darin’ to serve his prince
and his king against the Hanoverian usurper.
But that was a long time ago. He’s in God’s hands now.
And now… now, I have a husband: my bonnie Carl. How I love that laddie! I’m a bride!
Me! Can ye believe it? I cannae believe it myself, sometimes. After more than two and a half… Aye, he’s but a bairn—barely in his
mid-thirties, is my Carl. But all the
men who are my age—and there are nae sae many as ye may think—are men I’d be
more inclined to behead than marry, truth to tell. But what my laddie lacks in experience and
maturity, he more than makes up for in heart and courage. I've been trainin’ him, mentorin’ him, so to
speak, and he’s doin’ just grand!
(Although, of the pair of us, I’m still far better with the sword, which
is as should be.) But, sae long as I’m
bein’ perfectly honest here, I have to say, there’s nary a one as compares to
my laddie in the air. That man can fly as
if he were born with wings. Ach!
Aye, he had wings when he was Converted—we all do—but now… Well, I’ll
just say that he was born to
fly. And I love flying with him! He’s
taught me a trick or two. Me!
Ach!
There I am, rambling along like I’ve nae a care in the world. Back to yer questions, Kathryn lass!
I've lived in Salt Lake City for
nigh on eighty years now, most of that in this very house. I was born in the Scottish Highlands more than…
Well, let’s just say ’twas a long time ago and leave it there.
I’m nae tall. People simply were nae sae tall back then as
they are now. I’m petite, ye might
say. I’ve got green eyes and fair
skin. Oh, aye, I was fair-complected
before my Conversion, and the color of our skin does nae really change after
that. And since sunlight can do a wee
bit more to my skin than increase the melanin pigmentation… Well, enough of that. As for my hair? It’s always been as red as ’tis now. Aye, the wave, ’tis natural. I cannae cut nor curl it. It just grows back to the original length,
far down my back. Truth to tell, I
dinnae think I’d cut it if I could. Carl
likes it this way—though he does nae have a choice in the matter!
Am I beautiful? Fair to look upon? Aye, but that beauty has been more of a curse
to me than a blessin’. Perhaps, if I had
been more plain, the British would have simply killed me, rather than… what
they did. For centuries, I thought
’twould have been better had they killed me.
Now? Well, now things have
changed, have they nae?
As for what I hope to achieve… I
would love to live a long and happy
life with my laddie, to spend the coming centuries together, but such cannae
be. Above all, I desire children, bairns
of my own. But females of my kind cannae
bear children. And I must be content
with my lot. I am what my choices have
made me. I have my dearie… for now. Carl and I will fight and we will die. Even if we are victorious, we will die. But perhaps we will rid the Earth of the
plague of Lilith and her Children.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Deliverin’ babies! I cannae have bairns of my own, but I can
help bring the wee ones into this world.
’Tis why I became a midwife, then a nurse, and then a doctor.
What is your favorite color and why?
Ach!
’Tis a hard chestnut. Nae, I’m
jokin’ with ye, lassie! ’Tis red, of
course!
What is your favorite food? Why is it your favorite?
Ye are jokin’ with me now, are
ye? Blood, of course! What else?
I can derive nourishment from naught else. And it must be human. My life would be sae
simple if I could live off animal blood, like in that silly “vampire” romance book
series I will nae allow to be mentioned in my presence!
What would you say is your biggest quirk?
I suppose ’twould be my brogue. I could conceal my nature much more easily
were I to simply “blend in.” I’m
perfectly capable of doing a spot-on Utah accent, I’ll have ye know. I simply refuse to speak that way (most of
the time). I am who I am. My friends dinnae question it. Of course, I do have a wee bit of an unfair
advantage when it comes to getting’ others to believe me. And Carl finds it charmin’.
What is it about your antagonist that irks you the most,
and why?
Antagonist? As in one?
I have sae many enemies. ’Twould
be nigh impossible to single out one. I’ll mention three (and obviously nae the
worst of the lot). When it comes to
Rebecca, it does nae help matters that, on top of all her other sins, she’s
also British! With Michael, ’tis his treatment of
Benjamin. Michael is a vile creature who
fouls the very air with his breath. I
ken very well that Benjamin was old enough to consent to Conversion—it does nae
work, otherwise—but truly, how much free will does an eight year-old slave-boy have? And then there’s Winnie Morrison. Ach!
Poor Winnie! She creates her own
hell. If she were nae sae obsessed with
me and with destroying my life and reputation (and my poor flower beds), she
might then be able to seek a measure of happiness for herself. But nae, her only delight seems to be forcing
her misery and bitterness on others. I've
tried to befriend her, truly I have. At
one time, I was her teacher and mentor.
But she was much younger then, happier and less bitter.
What or who means the most to you in your life? What, if
anything, would you do to keep him/her/it in your life?
I would've thought ’twas
obvious. My bonnie laddie, my Carl. My husband.
Aye, I love the sound of that! My
husband! I've waited long enough for that, have I
nae? I would sae love to simply go hide
somewhere together, just the two of us, for a few centuries. Would that be sae much to ask? But nae, we will fight and we will die. There is nae other way. I only pray that, when we die, ’twill be
together. And that we’ll win this war. In the meantime, I plan to spend every possible
moment together and to cherish those moments.
What one thing would you like readers to know about you
that may not be spelled out in the book in which you inhabit?
Truth to tell, I’m afraid. I’m always afraid. I’m afraid I’ll slip up, that I’ll give in to
my needs and kill some innocent or someone who is guilty but might yet repent. I’m afraid I’ll fail. I’m sae very afraid that Carl will die before
I do, and I’ll be left alone again. I've
been alone for sae long.
If you could tell your writer (creator) anything about
yourself that might turn the direction of the plot, what would it be?
Ach, lassie! I've already done that! David was all prepared to write what I was
going to say (poor, simple, daft lad that he is) in a pivotal scene, when I
spoke up in his head and said, “I would nae ever say such a thing, laddie! Here’s what I’d say…” And I did.
It changed the course of the story… for the better.
Ask me any question. I've always wanted to know what a
character thinks about writers like myself. I'll answer the question at the end
of this interview.
Have ye ever killed off a character
simply because ye could nae longer decide what to do with him or because he was
guilty of the mortal sin of bein’ uninterestin’?
Good question, but I'm sorry to disappoint you. I haven't (yet) killed anyone off that turned out uninteresting or boring, but that doesn't mean I won't in the future. The very best and (worst) characters have to be in a book, don't they? You don't want a bunch of 'un-necessaries' running around with no purpose, right?
Thank you so much!
It has been my very great
pleasure. (And I’m fairly certain ’twas
a delight for David to get back into my noggin once more.)
***
You're welcome, Moira! Learn more about Moira and her writer below:
Website: http://www.unwillingchild.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/unwillingchild/
Purchase links (Amazon, B&N,
iTunes, smashwords, etc., including hardcover, paperback, and e-book):
The Unwilling: http://www.unwillingchild.com/book.html
The Penitent: http://www.unwillingchild.com/book2.html
The Prophecy: http://www.unwillingchild.com/book3.html
Thank you , Kathryn!
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