Destiny Rhodes – Seriously? And I’ve nothing better to do than sit chewing the fat with a lot of moaning skunks?
Destiny Rhodes- Looking at you? Well, maybe that’s cos there’s sod all else to eat in the God-forsaken place now Divers O’Roarke is running the show. Mind you, him and that sidekick, that Gil Wryson, have never had hamsters on the menu. Yet anyhow. Otherwise you can it as read, the ceiling is a lot more interesting.
Destiny Rhodes- Won’t I what? Sorry, I wasn’t listening there. Give tips? What on? Something I don’t have? I mean you see me sat here, with a smile pasted to me face and all? Ask yourselves, why don’t you, would I be able to do that if I had what you say?
Destiny Rhodes– of course I can. And I can get on with all me tasks too. Right now these in order include, mending the bedroom footstool, sewing the dining room cushions, getting the wassail bowl out of the attic, it’s not THAT long till Christmas after all, and hopefully not having Divers O’Roarke, that Wryson man–don’t get me started on how fanatical he is–me brother, or please call me John, that Lyon creep, getting in me face. So that then I can go lie down and dream of my husband, Ennis. Anything less makes me a bad person. And while I don’t mind being thought of as that locally, I’m sure you can appreciate that I don’t want to think of myself that way where he is concerned. But doing all that in the day, you can see how much I need that rest? And when I don’t get it, well my thoughts retreat. My head feels panned in.
Destiny –When they are my life, the things I cling to in order to cling to something and assure myself that my world is set? Maybe. I don’t know. Life is an unknown journey after all. But I tell you it won’t be for want of the times Divers O’Roarke gets in my face. Breaking the best china, insulting me Grandfather Austell’s stuffed parrots, throwing out Sir Tredwynne. Oh and other things. All manner of things actually. Messes I got myself in.
Destiny Rhodes – Damaged goods with a death wish that one. And such a man of mystery. Do you know that’s why I’m here today without him. He’s not allowed to be interviewed because you wouldn’t know what to interview him as. And there’s games not going to be given away here. But thank you for having me and now, if you don’t mind I’ve a new shortbread recipe to write down. May I just say that looking at you lot has quite fired me imagination that way…. Made me feel a bit more like my old self….
Destiny Rhodes– Me? Dance? Not since my Ennis died…. That ship has sailed. Nah. I’m thinking how tasty that recipe might be….
Extract.
“Well, I’d ask you in—properly, that is–but I’m afraid, as things stand, I wouldn’t know which parts of the house are mine to ask you in to.”
”And why is that?”
“You mean Divers O’Roarke hasn’t told you?”
“He hasn’t.”
”Yes. And pigs fly all over Cornwall. High in the sky. When we all know he probably has. And if he hasn’t–got to you yet that is–he’s probably on his way as we speak. It will be to tell you what a liar I am and how he’s split the house because of it. Obviously I didn’t come to Penvellyn sooner because I had to wait for me opportunity to do so. Anything more would have aroused his suspicions when he caught me talking to you earlier.”
“You are going on rather a lot about Divers O’Roarke, Miss Rhodes.”
“Only because he is a skunk.”
She set her coat on a chair, smoothed her hair back from her face. Actually she wasn’t going on about him half as much as she could.
“But you did have something to tell me? It’s why I’m here,” Lyon said.
Did she? When what she really wanted was to go upstairs and look out her recipe for lavender shortcake too. Maybe find some way of lighting the fire when her nose was pinched by the cold. The distance was there, spread like a long road in front of her. But really, she wasn’t getting much chance to go it. Not with the kitchen probably barred to her now the house had been sawn in half. In fact the way this was going, that recipe was about as much as she was going to get.
“Tell me something I don’t know.”
“I hope so.”
Right. Well, she didn’t. Did he have a point though? Was she perhaps going on about Divers O’Roarke instead of applying herself to what was important, like finding that recipe? She’d given him his chance. And very good of her it was too, even if she wasn’t sure what she’d have done if he’d taken it. Some might say she’d never have gotten Doom Bar Hall for a start. And she was inclined to agree. Maybe for that matter Divers O’Roarke had banned her from half the house in order to spark a reaction in her? In which case she’d be failing in her duty not to give him one, now she’d gone to the wire and he wouldn’t come off the fence? Lyon hadn’t come all this way to leave empty handed. Had he? He wasn’t here for a cup of tea either. And it was time to deal with that fact. Whatever she’d determined earlier, living or dying required a roof over her head. She passed her tongue over her lip.
shehanne moore 
Dear Shey, have I mentioned how much I love character interviews. I love hearing people from books speaking directly to me, plus you really know the author has lived with their character when they can extrapolate and extemporise on their character’s personality. It is a sign the character not only lives onthe page but also has their own independant life (Ex-libris -as it were) off the page. Pxxx
Paul xxxxxx. I do like doing a character interview This wasn’t the easiest in that she’d not exactly Brittany or indeed Splendor. I just went for a sort of day in the life of in a way if you get me, as opposed to any questions relating to any life after this book and what happens in it. I do try… I know it’s not succeeding but I do try… to get into the skin of every character. Call it in the theatrical in me. So …so glad you enjoyed.
Really did Shey. Pxxx
xxx Paul thank you.
I love the idea of character interview as well. As another dimension. I guess it can really help the great author as well.
Lol, I dunno with her .. She is a loose cannon but hey.. the fun along the way. Now please as she’d tell you herself.. no more herbal tea. They ming …. xxxxxx PS She’d also tell you a certain muppet haired sulk should sod off and not get in her face BUT she’d sort them school dinners cos they would be getting in her face. ( I am not even gonna talk about the times I ducked on that one with this character and said.. I am not in your face. I am hiding under the desk.) Good to see you xxxxxxxx
Oh how positively delicious, Lady Shey. Can’t wait to find out what else is in store!🥰🤩
OOH… Put nothing past this lady Pam. Nothing. She may be different from my other heroines in that she sees the world through a veil in a way, her reactions are slower and at times she does the unexpected by accepting things they wouldn’t, she’s beyond determined. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Ah, sounds just like her creator!🤣🥰
LOl…. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Quite a character she is, your Destiny!
LOl Dolly, I wrote you a reply re this earlier but it has not posted. I was just saying basically all my ladies are diff in some way but she prob the most diff. I mean she has a set to early on with the Hero cos he is taking down a wall …they would have been furious. Her? She just wants some peace and quiet. But she is no end of determined in a very different way from them and despite everything far smarter at figuring out things despite initially letting it all wash over her head.
I think you are in love with your heroine, darling!
LOL. I just had fun with her.. Divers now despite him struggling with a death wish at times….. ???
Destiny is a spitfire, all right, but I don’t think she’ll cook the hamsters. Right? Right?
You know what, Leslie, I sodding might if they don’t get out my face and stop doing me head in, Nothing much else doing round here now that Divers has got the roof over my head.
Destiny
Step away from the hamsters.
Now she will be saying.. but they’re getting in me face.. xxxxxxx
Fab interview, by the Hamsters, of course!
I recognized the excerpt, immediately. Destiny does not know how to stop getting in over her head, but her instincts take her where she needs to go/be.
I’m just going to review a couple of the Hamsters’ other posts, while I’m here.
You are so right re her but the thing is, it is cos she doesn’t see it re getting in over her head. She was always lippy and forthright but now with where she is in life, she’s just on this other plain. It doesn’t matter how Divers repeatedly–sort of to his credit– warns her either. She is going her way. I actually did have fun with this bit here so I am glad you recognised it straight off. She’s not even being angry or boiling about what happened earlier when she calls Divers a skunk, when my other ladies would be incandescent. She’s just calling it like she sees it. And yep her instincts do just what you say. Thank you for the lovely comment Resa xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
YAY!!!
My younger girl gets married FINALLY on Friday… got a gown . She does too xxxxxxxxxxx
Enjoyed your character interview, although, not sure the Dudes aren’t jealous, lol 😉 xoxo
I think Destiny will be going to heroine enemy number one, knocking Brittany and Fury not joint second place actually. x
Lol 🙂 xx
Oh Shey, Destiny is different in a way I hadn’t expected. I am drawn to a sense of sadness within her and am tapping my toes waiting for my copy of the book to arrive. Those dudes better start watching their tongues!
Well…I rather feared that between her, Lyon and the Cleanser whoever he is, they might actually prefer Divers. It’s saying something. But he’d just tell them to take all their little hamster wheels and little hamster balls and little hamster food away, whatever they wanted, back to wherever they wanted to take it all to–probably set the lot down at his feet and love him forever–and they would be happy with that. He wouldn’t but hey. She is different. She will fall and she will lie there a bit just cos she can’t be bothered but then she will get needled and that kind of glazed smile will come out on her face, as in when she says Divers is a skunk there, just because she wants whoever is in her face to get out of her face and …well….one really should have never gotten in her face. Without giving too many spoilers on this scene, any of my other ladies would be sweating and the shortcake recipe would be the very least of their worries, given the lines she’s crossed with two quite dangerous men. It was difficult in terms of the widow bit, in terms of not going down the obvious revenge route….done that…. and I had to find something in her that would, despite everything, get under Divers’ skin straight off, or there was no story cos she was out of that house. I then had to create a hero whose skin could be gotten under despite what he actually does for a living. But equally I did not want to create a heroine who is prostrate with grief, or a hero who is happy that she’s getting under his skin, either. Lol…never again… Next pairing will be easier….I hope..
Ahhhhh, such a complex web for you to navigate. Emotional currents that have to be channeled and stormy seas that have to be sailed. Cannot wait!!! I know in your hands there will be fireworks!
Kate, you are too kind. Thank you Indeed there were stormy seas xxxxx
I assume that sometime in history, somewhere in the world, people have eaten hamster D: Sorry, dudes, you didn’t hear that. As for dangerous men, Shey, I love to read about them. Just wouldn’t want to meet them in real life. I love how feisty Destiny sounds…
Anything to survive I am sure in history. I think dangerous men are best just read about. They are fine between a book’s covers. And Destiny is pretty feisty. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Lovely to see you again after your wee break. Sorry for the late reply. Just back from our younger girl’s wedding xxxxxxx
I hope the wedding was a wonderful happy occasion. Neither of my two offspring have tighed the knot as yet, but my daughter has produced two beautiful grandchildren for me xxxxxxxx
It was fabulous. I may even blog some pics xxxx Well our wee man grandie is five and he was his mum and dad’s best man. It was beyond touching to see. His mum and dad have been tighter on and off for 12 years.
She’s a wild one that Destiny, loved the interview xxxxxxx
Dawn, she is indeed. Wild as the ocean. Glad you enjoyed the interview. Wonderful to see you here xxxxxxx
Enjoyed the interview, and cannot wait to open the book xxxxxx
Oh Inese, I just hope I don’t let you down my darling xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Damn, but depression can be a nasty master, and I can feel Destiny’s struggle with it. I do hope the dudes don’t find a way into her cooking…
If they get in her face, who knows? One thing she does not like is anyone getting in her face……. Glad you could feel her wee daily struggle xxxx
What an intriguing extract, a woman like Destiny with her back to the wall? Things can only get hot, surely…
Oh…she just appears that way re backs to walls, largely cos she does not often register that is a wall and that is her back. But when she does…. you can bet sparks fly xxxxxxx
nicely written
Denise xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx This book was a hair tearer. SHE was a hair tearer xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Destiny is quite the character and I very much love the story/interview premise. 🙂 Incredible written. 🙂
Listen oh mighty grammalogue, mockumentary and masquerade schizophrenic sandwich creator, to name but a few of your effortless universes of word treats, that is very ,very kind. Truly. I like to create characters. I know writers create characters. Duh. But I like getting in the skin of slightly different ones shall we say. Destiny is basically a high functioning depressive. It gave me plenty scope in terms of the deep and dangerous waters she lands in given the way she views the world, situations, other people and gets through the day. Then for me it’s the kind of other half to match that character to. So thank you. Means a lot to me.
I can relate truly. I too, suffer from depression and I try my best to keep going even though life, has its struggles and I can differently see the characters that you create bring a real life and something we as writers can all relate very much. 🙂
You did an amazing and brilliant writing here. 🙂
Well, Charlie, I read your piece about the battle to cross a threshold and I hoped for people who live with this terrible condition that not everyone can relate to or understand, that I didn’t get it wrong. Because if I did I’d withdraw the book. My younger girl whose wedding day pictures you saw, looking all manner of smiles and happy, battles on a daily basis depression and that is a hangover from a time in her life where the rails were something she left completely and was a stranger to. But she battles bravely. We did have a giggle when I ran the scene past her where Divers is taking down a wall–he is not in control either, in terms of where he is. Now any other of my heroines would have spat fury, gone spare, or swallowed that fury to really get up his nose in terms of this being all right. But all she wants is for him to shut up so she can get some sleep cos the racket woke her up. Her goals in every scene are hopefully the goals of getting through the little tasks, as she crouches beneath the stone she views the world from, a world where even getting up is exhausting. So thank you so much, especially when I know every day must be a battle and how hard it is to keep going. Keep writing. Keep being inspired. Keep being brave. I think writing is something we can disappear into, even when the clouds are black. . And thank you again, so very much xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
awesome interviews
Denise..you are the awesome one, my friend xxx