The Moon Master: Hero, or Villain?

"Losing someone close to you is more haunting than a life of cursed solitude."

In the world of Winslow Village everyone has a secret. Lord Hollingberry, whom Tilly (Cinderella) works for, has been hiding a secret since he was a young man. Caroline, beloved innkeeper of Apple Tree Inn, always seems to have a mysterious gleam in her eye. Rodger, the jolly boy Tilly grew up with, is growing more serious by the day, and even Tilly herself has attempted to mask the frightening truth of her past.

But what of the Moon Master?

It would appear that all the dark happenings in Winslow are because of him, and everyone's secret is somehow touched by this shadowy man. But as I said before, everyone in Winslow has a secret -- even the dark Moon Master.

He might be a tortured soul, he might not, and it would seem that at some point in time he had been powerful. Perhaps, even good. But for now his outlook on life is through the gloom of the circus's lights, and the strange circus has a way of warping a man's character.

The Moon Master is someone I hope you're going to meet by reading about his ball, and everything that transpires during it. Perhaps you'll figure out his secret, and whether or not he plays the hero, or the villain...

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If I had to choose one actor to play the Moon Master, I would cast Colin Morgan in the role. His sharp, angular features fit the Master perfectly...not to mention Colin would do a fantastic job playing him.

     

"A far from perfect guy."

"And aside from the fact that he was a royal, Auguste thought his chances none too shabby; he thought  he'd seen a certain encouraging spirit in the way she looked at him."

-The Windy Side of Care by Rachel Heffington

Princes are the most underrated creatures in the world, I think. In fairy tales you seem to get either the Prince Charming type (a.k.a. Mr. Vapid) or the man who's pretty much a Cinderella-story himself. But what about the myraid of princes who are neither of these things? Surely you've got a handsome, privileged prince who can actually think? Or perhaps your prince isn't really into the whole prince-thing after all and would rather be doing something else?

Having Lady Alisandra Carlisle as the princess of The Windy Side of Care, I wanted a proper foil for her in Prince Auguste. And I thought to myself, well what if he is the sort of prince who doesn't give a hairpin for his throne? You know, there is nothing more frustrating to a person who wants to be angry than the object of one's anger not giving a whit for the thing you're hating them over.  Running off of this idea, I created Prince Auguste Blenheim and grew rather to love him. This song, found after I'd written Auguste's character, expresses my prince's views on his royalty rather wonderfully. Enjoy the listen. :)

I hope learn to love Prince Auguste Blenheim of Ashby as much as I did while writing him. He's not your classic fellow ... whatsoever. 

Oh. And P.S. Five Glass Slippers came out early on Kindle last night. Fly away  and get your copy, darlings. It'll be worth it! 

Character Interview with Darcy

Today I thought I'd do a fun little character interview with someone from Broken Glass.  (These questions can be found at Further Up and Further In, a wonderful writing blog).

1) What is their full name and is there a story behind why they got it? Prince Darcy of Arcadia. Darcy means "dark one", a name that fits well with his personality.
2) How old are they, and when were they born? Darcy is around twenty years old; he was born just one year after his older brother Marius, leaving him second in line for the throne. Being second place in his family has always been kind of a sore spot for Darcy.
3) Describe their physical appearance. (Bonus questions: 1. What is their race/nationality/ethnicity? 2. Do you have a picture of them? If so, include it!) He has dark hair which has habit of falling over one eye. He's not very tall, but he's not short either. Basically, this Darcy:

4) Describe your character's personality first in one word, and then elaborate with a few sentences. Bitter. He wishes he had the firstborn because he believes that he deserves the throne more than Marius.
5) What theme song(s) fit their personality and story arc? Henry Jackman's Magneto from the X-Men First Class soundtrack.
6) Which one of the seven deadly sins describes your character? Um...a lot of them would fit him. Envy probably describes him the best, though.
7) If they were an element (fire, water, earth, air), which one would they be? Air. He can be practically invisible when he wants to. He's a first class eavesdropper.
8) What is their favorite word? Me. He's very selfish and self-centered.
9) Who’s one person they really miss? (It could be someone who’s passed away, or someone they’re not close to anymore, or someone who’s moved away.) No one, really. He's too busy with his own desires to care about anyone else.
10) What sights, sounds, and smells remind them of that person? Nothing really applies here...
So I hope you enjoyed this interview with Darcy! It's less than 10 days until The Five Glass Slippers comes out. If you haven't already, you can preorder a copy now from Amazon!