With this, the last day before Undead Chaos goes live, we finish up our character interviews with none other than the Nucleus of Narration, the Prince of Protagonists, the Minstrel of Main Characters: Marcus Shifter!
Welcome to the blog, Marcus! Whoa, you look rough.
Yeah, I’ve been meaning to thank you for beating me up in the story.
Really?
No, that was sarcasm.
Ah.
We’ll talk about that later. For now, “Minstrel of Main Characters”? Really?
It’s been a long week of interviews. I was running low on creative juices.
Apparently. Anyway, thanks for having me. Quick question: How come everyone else is called “Mr.” or “Ms.”, but you call me by my first name?
I figured it was okay since we’re pretty close to one another.
Are we really that close?
I’d like to think so.
Hmphf.
So, big day tomorrow.
For both of us. You nervous?
A little. You?
A little.
*taps fingers*
No offense, but this is interview is pretty boring so far.
Sorry, I find myself a little lost for words today.
That doesn’t instill me with confidence, seeing as how you’re the author of me and my friends. So, you know, get over it.
Heh, will do. Okay, let’s get the ball rolling. You’re a Warlock, right?
Combat Warlock, yes.
There’s more than one type?
Council training allows you to pick your specialty: Wizards and Witches are research, Warlocks and Mages are warriors, Hunters and Huntresses are trackers, Healers are the medical pros, Summoners..um..summon things, etc. From there, you have the option for refinement. Warlocks are broken into two main categories: Combat, i.e. offensive spells, and Guardian, defensive spells.
So Combat Warlocks are like, what? The Marines?
Combat Warlocks are the ones who actively go after the creepy crawlies that prey on humanity. So, yeah, I guess you could call us that, although I’m not sure the Marines would appreciate it.
What’s the deal with the different titles like Warlock and Mage?
They’re based on gender. A Combat Warlock and Combat Mage are the exact same thing. The only difference is the genitals. Hey, what’s so funny?
Nothing. It’s just…Jones was right.
Forlorn Jones? About what?
Long story. Anyway, getting back to the titles, that seems rather sexist.
Oh, I agree. It shouldn’t matter if you stand or sit to pee, but the Council, and the Skilled as a society for the most part, are pretty old school. Very tradition based. The gender-distiction is unnecessary and a lot of us are working to change the stupidity that abounds in our world. But it has to start from the top and that ain’t happening anytime soon.
Sounds like you’re not much of a fan of the Council.
Not really, no.
I heard they kinda’ screwed you.
To be honest, I screwed myself when I walked away from my training. But they didn’t make life easy when I came back nor have they bothered to give me the time of day since. Not that I mind. It means I can work as a freelancer without sucking up to a bunch of bureaucrats.
Your father is one of those bureaucrats.
There are a handful of exceptions. Dad is one of them.
Fair enough. So why’d you give up on your training.
Personal reasons.
Care to share with our readers?
Nope.
Okay, how about the other characters? Would you be willing to share something about them?
Sure, why not?
Let’s start with Banks.
He’s a zombie.
Both Quinn and Simeon used the term “Reanimated”.
That’s a distinction only Necromancers care about. You ask me, anything that comes back from the dead is a zombie. And zombies get whacked.
Is that why you carry a sword? So you can behead zombies?
Not really. As I’m sure Simeon told you, the reanimation process is pretty intense, so zombies are a rarity. But like I said earlier, the Skilled are obsessive about tradition. Most of my kind still wear thick, heavy wool robes and carry wooden staffs. The Shifters decided long ago that swords were way more awesome. They help us focus our spells and make us look bad-ass.
And the pistol?
‘Pistol’, ha! This is bad boy is a .45 caliber Glock. It levels the playing field a LOT in a close-range fight.
How come none of the other Skilled seem to carry a gun?
Same reason most Council-members refuse to buy a cellphone: Tradition.
Rumor has it the gun makes up for your tendency to shy away from using your Skill. You know, since you’re still recovering from the atrophy to your powers after so much time away?
Who told you that?
Uh, I’m the author, remember?
Crap. Listen, I don’t want to talk about that, okay? Can we just get back to the other characters?
Fine. tell me about Jones. Who, by the way, said you vouched for me. Thanks.
You bet. Anyway, Jones is a good guy, but a total drunk. Some say his precognition is a gift, but I think it’s a curse. From what I understand, he can’t really control it, so he drinks to minimize the influx of data.
How about your folks?
Not much to tell. Dad’s been a Council-member for years and Mom was a stay-at-home mom.
She was more than that before you were born.
Yeah, apparently some great Huntress. The folks don’t talk about her past much, but other people do. There are a lot of Skilled that respect her. Plenty more are terrified of her.
What about Simeon?
Poor guy. The Council screwed him twenty years ago and then I screwed him even harder this go around.
How so?
I’d rather not get into it.
I assumed as much. Okay, how about Steve?
Underneath that rough, calloused exterior is a rough, calloused interior. But buried deep inside THAT is a genuinely decent guy. He’s had my back more often than I can count despite everything that happened.
Like burning down his bar?
That was…not entirely my fault.
Yeah right.
It wasn’t!
Lastly, Quinn.
*smiles* She’s amazing. Smart, pretty, talented.
You two an item?
*grins* That’s none of your business.
Seriously, not even a hint for the readers?
Nope.
Uh, my producer is signaling that we’re almost out of time. Any last words for our readers before they begin Undead Chaos?
Only that while I may not appreciate everything the author did to me and my friends, *glares*, I’d like to think it was all worth it in the end.
I certainly hope so. Thank you, Marcus, for helping us round out our character interviews and thanks to everyone who has tuned in this past week. It’s been a lot of fun and hopefully you’ve gotten some insight into the world of Undead Chaos and the people who inhabit it.
And remember, folks, Undead Chaos will be released TOMORROW from your favorite e-book distributor. Order now and it’ll show up on your e-reader at midnight. Just like magic!
Seriously, you beat the crap out of me.
It wasn’t personal, just part of the story.
Mom is pissed.
Yeah, she chewed me out pretty good.
At least I get some time off, right?
Um…
What?
It’s just, the initial draft of Book 2 is already with the publisher.
Are you kidding me?
If it makes you feel any better, it takes a while to go through all the edits, the cover art process, pre-marketing, etc.
Do I at least get some sexy-time in it?
Dude, it’s an Urban Fantasy, not a Paranormal Romance. You get a little time with Quinn, some bromance scenes with Steve, and a lot of action. Hey, where are you going?
To see if there are any positions open in the Paranormal Romance genre!