posted the first Friday of the month
#IndieBragNovConv
To be a little different from the usual 'meet the author'
let's meet a character
Palmer Harrold Wentworth III
from
Q: Hello, I’m Helen the host of Novel Conversations, please do make yourself comfortable. Would you like a drink? Tea, coffee, wine – something stronger? You’ll find a box of chocolates and a bowl of fruit on the table next to you, please do help yourself. I believe you are a character in Mari Anne Christie’s novel Blind Tribute. Would you like to introduce yourself? Are you a lead character or a supporting role?
A: Good afternoon, Ms Hollick. Have you bourbon whiskey? No? Well, then, it is a blessing, is it not, that I always carry my own. If you would be so kind as to pass me a glass. I am Palmer Harrold Wentworth III, but please, do call me Harry. My readers know me as P.H. Wentworth III, but only my mother and my former wife refer to me as Palmer. In answer to your question, I have the dubious honor of playing the central role, though I would much rather have been off to the side, reporting on the goings-on.
Q: What genre is the novel and what is it about?
A: The novel is a historical account of my poor decisions during the American Civil War. I have been a newspaperman my entire life, you see, late of the Philadelphia Daily Standard, where I served as Executive Editor for more than two decades. When the Rebellion began, I returned home to Charleston, South Carolina, where I had been raised the son of wealthy planters—and slaveholders—to better observe and report on this conflict between two nations to which I have strong ties. I thought—quite naively, as it turned out—that I could use my links to the Southern states to act as a voice of reason, calling for peace at any cost, and use my global contacts to shine a light on the underlying strength of American values, even in the face of this colossal rift between us. I am not often wrong, but even I must admit the enormity of my failure in this case.
Q: No spoilers, but are you a ‘goodie’ or a ‘baddie’? (Or maybe you are both!)
A: At the beginning of the book, I would have told you I was a good man; by the end, I am painfully aware of my own deficiencies. I suspect, perhaps—if the gods are smiling—readers might see the opposite, believing I have grown from a man indifferent to the impact of his actions to one who does more good than harm.
Q: Tell me about another character in the novel – maybe your best friend, lover or partner … or maybe your arch enemy!
A: It is difficult to decide between John Hoyt, my business partner and a good friend since my much younger years, and Elias, my earliest best friend—my milk brother, in fact. It was John who made it possible for me to fulfil a lifelong dream to act as my own publisher and he who managed to save my life, against my own much better judgment, once reaction to my printed sentiments reached what can politely be called a fever pitch. However, arguably more involved in the ill-fated saving of what life remained to me was Elias, enslaved until the night he freed himself from my father and freed me from the life I had always assumed I wanted.
Q: Is this the only novel you have appeared in, or are there others in a series?
A: This is the only novel within which I appear, though I believe my author intends a sequel based on my young protégé, Bill O’Riordan, a copy boy I mentored at the Daily Standard. He follows in my metaphorical footsteps (ultimately reluctantly), although his focus is, by geographical and chronological necessity, the Western Expansion and the rise of Manifest Destiny.
Q: What is one of your least favourite scenes you appear in?
A: I should think it would be obvious; quite possibly, it is every protagonist’s least favorite scene: the recounting of the day I faced comeuppance for my hubris. The day my father and godfather conspired to end my life by the most horrific means possible. I still carry scars, both internal and external, although it was also the day I began to define and live according to my own values, not those ascribed to me. Rather late in life for a man regularly credited with a superior intellect.
Q: And your favourite scene?
A: It is difficult to say, as so much of the story revolves around the worst days of my life, but if I had to choose, I would say the day my daughter is married to the man she loves—quite unlike her parents’ stormy union.
Q: Tell me a little about your author. Has she written any other books?
A: Until my book, she had written mostly historical romance under the name Mariana Gabrielle, from which Blind Tribute is a radical departure. (If I have ever had romance in my life, it was with my quill pen and inkpot.)
Q: Is your author working on anything else at the moment?
A: She is alternately working on the sequel to my book, tentatively titled Lost Tribute, and the second draft of a historical fiction series, the Lion’s Club, set in turn-of-the-century Brooklyn, New York, centred on the criminal underbelly of the Tammany Hall political machine.
Q: How do you think indie authors, such as your author, can be helped or supported by readers or groups? What does your author think is the most useful for him/her personally?
A: Independent thought and independent livelihoods are the very backbones of our American history. I should think anyone with an eye toward keeping a strong and lively cultural landscape in these dystopian days would do their best to support independent authors and journalists. Financially, of course, by purchasing their work, but also morally and emotionally, by reminding everyone else of the need for such worthy creative endeavors, whether fact or fiction, and reminding writers of the inherent worth of their vocation.
Q: Finally, before we must bid adieu, the novel you appear in has been awarded a prestigious IndieBRAG Medallion, does your author find this helpful, and is there anything else she would like IndieBRAG to do to help indie authors receive the recognition they deserve?
A: I am quite proud that my book has won several awards now, the B.R.A.G Medallion among them, as it was quite a long road for Ms Christie to finish my story in a manner that did credit to my own work. I believe I am in agreement with my author that, as I mentioned in my last response, such awards of merit are a balm in an often-wearying occupation, providing moral support and encouragement when the struggle is too difficult to bear.
Helen: Thank you, it was a pleasure talking to you. Would your author like to add a short excerpt?
CONNECT WITH MARI ANNE CHRISTIE
Author Website & blog: www.MariAnneChristie.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MariChristieAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mchristieauthor
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/marichristie
Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/author/marichristie
from
Q: Hello, I’m Helen the host of Novel Conversations, please do make yourself comfortable. Would you like a drink? Tea, coffee, wine – something stronger? You’ll find a box of chocolates and a bowl of fruit on the table next to you, please do help yourself. I believe you are a character in Mari Anne Christie’s novel Blind Tribute. Would you like to introduce yourself? Are you a lead character or a supporting role?
A: Good afternoon, Ms Hollick. Have you bourbon whiskey? No? Well, then, it is a blessing, is it not, that I always carry my own. If you would be so kind as to pass me a glass. I am Palmer Harrold Wentworth III, but please, do call me Harry. My readers know me as P.H. Wentworth III, but only my mother and my former wife refer to me as Palmer. In answer to your question, I have the dubious honor of playing the central role, though I would much rather have been off to the side, reporting on the goings-on.
Q: What genre is the novel and what is it about?
A: The novel is a historical account of my poor decisions during the American Civil War. I have been a newspaperman my entire life, you see, late of the Philadelphia Daily Standard, where I served as Executive Editor for more than two decades. When the Rebellion began, I returned home to Charleston, South Carolina, where I had been raised the son of wealthy planters—and slaveholders—to better observe and report on this conflict between two nations to which I have strong ties. I thought—quite naively, as it turned out—that I could use my links to the Southern states to act as a voice of reason, calling for peace at any cost, and use my global contacts to shine a light on the underlying strength of American values, even in the face of this colossal rift between us. I am not often wrong, but even I must admit the enormity of my failure in this case.
Q: No spoilers, but are you a ‘goodie’ or a ‘baddie’? (Or maybe you are both!)
A: At the beginning of the book, I would have told you I was a good man; by the end, I am painfully aware of my own deficiencies. I suspect, perhaps—if the gods are smiling—readers might see the opposite, believing I have grown from a man indifferent to the impact of his actions to one who does more good than harm.
Q: Tell me about another character in the novel – maybe your best friend, lover or partner … or maybe your arch enemy!
A: It is difficult to decide between John Hoyt, my business partner and a good friend since my much younger years, and Elias, my earliest best friend—my milk brother, in fact. It was John who made it possible for me to fulfil a lifelong dream to act as my own publisher and he who managed to save my life, against my own much better judgment, once reaction to my printed sentiments reached what can politely be called a fever pitch. However, arguably more involved in the ill-fated saving of what life remained to me was Elias, enslaved until the night he freed himself from my father and freed me from the life I had always assumed I wanted.
Q: Is this the only novel you have appeared in, or are there others in a series?
A: This is the only novel within which I appear, though I believe my author intends a sequel based on my young protégé, Bill O’Riordan, a copy boy I mentored at the Daily Standard. He follows in my metaphorical footsteps (ultimately reluctantly), although his focus is, by geographical and chronological necessity, the Western Expansion and the rise of Manifest Destiny.
Q: What is one of your least favourite scenes you appear in?
A: I should think it would be obvious; quite possibly, it is every protagonist’s least favorite scene: the recounting of the day I faced comeuppance for my hubris. The day my father and godfather conspired to end my life by the most horrific means possible. I still carry scars, both internal and external, although it was also the day I began to define and live according to my own values, not those ascribed to me. Rather late in life for a man regularly credited with a superior intellect.
Q: And your favourite scene?
A: It is difficult to say, as so much of the story revolves around the worst days of my life, but if I had to choose, I would say the day my daughter is married to the man she loves—quite unlike her parents’ stormy union.
Q: Tell me a little about your author. Has she written any other books?
A: Until my book, she had written mostly historical romance under the name Mariana Gabrielle, from which Blind Tribute is a radical departure. (If I have ever had romance in my life, it was with my quill pen and inkpot.)
Q: Is your author working on anything else at the moment?
A: She is alternately working on the sequel to my book, tentatively titled Lost Tribute, and the second draft of a historical fiction series, the Lion’s Club, set in turn-of-the-century Brooklyn, New York, centred on the criminal underbelly of the Tammany Hall political machine.
 |
| Mari Anne |
A: Independent thought and independent livelihoods are the very backbones of our American history. I should think anyone with an eye toward keeping a strong and lively cultural landscape in these dystopian days would do their best to support independent authors and journalists. Financially, of course, by purchasing their work, but also morally and emotionally, by reminding everyone else of the need for such worthy creative endeavors, whether fact or fiction, and reminding writers of the inherent worth of their vocation.
Q: Finally, before we must bid adieu, the novel you appear in has been awarded a prestigious IndieBRAG Medallion, does your author find this helpful, and is there anything else she would like IndieBRAG to do to help indie authors receive the recognition they deserve?
A: I am quite proud that my book has won several awards now, the B.R.A.G Medallion among them, as it was quite a long road for Ms Christie to finish my story in a manner that did credit to my own work. I believe I am in agreement with my author that, as I mentioned in my last response, such awards of merit are a balm in an often-wearying occupation, providing moral support and encouragement when the struggle is too difficult to bear.
Helen: Thank you, it was a pleasure talking to you. Would your author like to add a short excerpt?
THE POLITICAL MADE PERSONAL: RUMINATIONS ON SECESSION
Reader:
Our nation is papered with newsprint. Every pen has an opinion, each louder than the last: Secession, Abolition, States’ Rights. Union and Confederacy saddling up for armed conflict. There is no end of rush judgment, no end of commentary, and no end to the people who will pay to read it. Fully half of every paper is news of impending war.
Trusted reporters have been dispatched to send the latest information by wire, all hoping to be caught in the thick of a battle and live to tell about it. New York Associated Press writers and artists are covering Richmond, Kansas, Charleston, New Orleans, and the front lines wherever they might be, establishing contacts and couriers and telegraphs, ready to ride on a moment’s notice to find the best news in the area.
Palmer Harrold Wentworth the Third, Executive Editor of The Philadelphia Daily Standard, delivered a period at the end of his sentence with enough force to split the nib of his old quill pen. He sat back and reached for a new goose feather from the box he kept in his desk drawer, next to the fountain pens he could not stand. One last time, he weighed his options and mulled over his reasons and rearranged all his rationalizations, deciding how he would write what might become the most important Saturday editorial of his career.
Author Website & blog: www.MariAnneChristie.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MariChristieAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mchristieauthor
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/marichristie
Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/author/marichristie
INDIE BRAG LINKS:
Website: https://www.bragmedallion.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Indiebrag/
Twitter: @IndieBrag
HELEN HOLLICK:
Website: www.helenhollick.net
On Amazon: http://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick
Subscribe to newsletter: http://tinyletter.com/HelenHollick
Twitter: @HelenHollick
Sounds like an interesting read...
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