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Monday, February 6, 2012

KILLING YOU SOFTLY WITH QUESTIONS_I'm hearing voices blogfest








http://readingwritingandlovinit.blogspot.com/2012/01/im-hearing-voices-character-blogfest.html

Cassie and Angie are doing I'M HEARING VOICES blogfest. Here is my entry (Victor Standish and I run for the thrill not the prize. I made this as short as possible.)

Vivian Hightower wiggled without moving as she sat across the table from me. She was sure of her sex appeal. She shouldn't have been.

I was married to an Empress, of whose beauty sonnets had been written by Shakespeare and Keats.

"Captain McCord, I'm surprised you are agreeing to this taped interview. My last one destroyed the career of your policewoman friend."

She cleared her throat at my silence, turning on her tape recorder. "They say your jazz club, Meilori's, is haunted."

Vivian narrowed her diamond eyes. "You aren't speaking."

I looked at her from under the wide brim of my Stetson. That I had not taken it off when she sat down should have been a warning.

"You haven't asked any questions, Miss Hightower."

"Oh, in that case : What is your biggest vulnerability? Do others know this, or is it a secret?"

I smiled like the last wolf I was often called.

"Now, my hunch on that might be dead-on, Miss, or it might be full of worms. But Mama McCord didn't raise any sons dippy enough to tell it to a vicious reporter ... on tape."

"Be that way. What do people believe about you that is false?"

"That I am a hero. In all the ways that count, I am a monster."

She wet her lips. "Wh-What would your best friend say is your f-fatal flaw?"

"Father Renfield believes me not believing in God anymore is that. Coming from a vampire priest that is saying something."

Vivian snoted at the word "vampire." "What would Father Renfield say is your one redeeming quality?"

I smiled sad. "That while I say I'm agnostic, I act as if I still believed ... which means to him that deep down I still do, for what we do, we believe."

She outright sneered at that. "What do you want most? And what will you do to get it?"

I bled a sigh. "Not a what but a who, Miss Hightower. My wife. And I will do nothing to get her back. Love forced is no love at all. On either side."

She turned off the tape recorder, and I asked her a question.

"When I said that you could come to my table, did I ever say anything about you leaving it alive?"

I tore off my right glove that kept my cursed palm from touching innocent flesh. I reached out and grabbed her satin throat tight. She withered before my eyes.

"I am a monster, Miss Hightower, in all the ways that count. But I only kill other monsters."


***

If you want to see what McCord looks like :

37 comments:

  1. Ooh, that was intense and exciting! I really loved the answer to the first question - it gave great insight into the character!

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  2. That ending was unexpected. I liked it.

    .......dhole

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  3. Very nice, Roland! I love the fact you had conducted the interview in the setting of the period! Very original!

    Good work! :)

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  4. Kyra :
    Thanks! I thought not every question had to be answered to be answered. LOL.

    Donna :
    That's Sam for you : surprising! Thanks for visiting and staying to chat, Roland

    Jack :
    I wanted to make the interview "real" as perhaps Hemingway would have made it. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'm off to visit yours. Sigh. Cassie seems to think I sold gloves and removed my name from her link. I think I may just stop blogfests and concentrate on my novels.

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  5. Vampire fiction os so often over done and full of cliches, but this was brilliant.

    It had a very old school feel to it, like the classic vampire tales I love.

    I found this line especially poignant:

    "Love forced is no love at all. On either side."

    And I just loved the ending where he killed Miss Hightower was just fantastic. what a twist.

    Consider me officially hooked.

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  6. Very dark and intriguing character. I love the way you weaved the story in there.

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  7. Remind me not to ask you any questions!!!!

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  8. Clare :
    Sam tips his Stetson to you. Father Renfield invites you to his church. But beware the collection plate -- it is sharp! I'm so very happy you enjoyed this post. You have a lovely entry as well, Roland

    Miranda :
    Thanks for the very nice words. Your post today was absorbing as well, Roland

    Dianne :
    I'm all right with questions. It's Sam and Father Renfield you have to worry about! LOL. Roland

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  9. Great scene! I was totally drawn in.

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  10. Thanks, Emily :
    Your interview was also absorbing and entertaining as well. Glad you enjoyed my post, Roland

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  11. Wow! I would've been hesitant to ask any more questions after that one too! You're writing is so capturing. Dude!

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  12. Thanks, Cassie :
    Sam took care of having to worry about any more questions from Miss Hightower! The three hellhounds that clean up after "spills" left no body. So it's all good.

    Until the next reporter. LOL. Thanks for visiting and staying to chat. Two hours to visit all those blogs! You must need Visine! LOL. Roland

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  13. Hey! Thanks for stopping by my blog. I have to say I really enjoyed your take too! I thought about doing an interview format as well, but in the end just didn't have the time. I definitely like the ending! You have quite a gripping style.

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  14. its bogart, paranormal style!
    excellent interview! way to scare the interviewer!

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  15. Good thing she taped the interview or there wouldn't have been one!

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  16. Hildred :
    I really enjoyed your blog. Sam is quite the anti-hero all right. I'm pleased you like my Noir style, Roland

    Tara :
    Yes, Sam is a bit of Bogart paranormal style. Haunted Noir! I made a paranormal CASABLANCA!

    Ah, actually, he killed her. Thanks to the hellhounds cleaning the "spills" in his place, the police will have a very hard time finding out the truth!

    Thanks for visiting and caring enough to chat awhile! Roland

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  17. That was awesome! I have chills! Great spin on the interview :)

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  18. Great interview. I consider myself a good monster but I am thinking I wouldn't want to sit at McCord's table! :)

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  19. Yikes! She should have never turned off that recorder.

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  20. He's so cool. (= Wish I could pull off a glove and take someone down. (=

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  21. Very cool, Roland. I liked his answer to her last question.

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  22. I loved it, though I was a bit jealous. I ended up cutting half of mine to get within the 250 word count-yours was great with all of the movement!

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  23. Inventive way to do the blogfest. I loved your post!

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  24. Thanks, Southpaw :
    Once upon a time when I still had a memory, I knew your first name. I miss your old blog, too. I guess I am old-fashioned. Sigh. Your new one is elegant and techno. Thank you again for the nice words. Sam and I are old-school. Call me Bogart I guess. LOL. Roland

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  25. Roland--There were so many line in there I don't know if I can pick a favorite :) Maybe--"She was sure of her sex appeal. She shouldn't have been." That made me laugh!

    Extremely creative and shocking last line. I loved it!

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  26. Angela :
    Haven't you met women like that? And guys, too! LOL. I'm glad you liked the last line, Roland

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  27. Gotta love a monster with a conscience. :D

    Great excerpt!

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  28. Nice tension... I like the surprise ending... the character took over the interview.

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  29. Stina :
    Sam is definitely a cursed man with a conscience all right! :-)

    Jess :
    Sam is rather a force of Nature. He tends to dominate his environment! LOL. Thanks for liking my post, Roland

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  30. Hope :
    Thank you so much. I was going for tension and chills, and you make me feel as if I got it right for once.

    Sherri :
    I believe you would be safe from Sam at his table -- the other customers? Not so much! His haunted jazz club is that kind of place.

    Jay :
    You have a point. But I think Sam might have turned it off for her at that stage! thanks for visiting and chatting.

    Jo :
    Sam certainly is a force of nature. About his curse ... he takes in their memories as well for a moment, feeling what they felt. In a sense, he is a sin-eater. Brrrr. Which is why he seldoms uses his power!

    Rachel :
    That last answer is pure Sam McCord. He is a monster who is a romantic at heart. Strange combination!

    Amber :
    I tried to keep it short, but I have always felt : what is the point of writing if you cannot make it entertaining as possible? Yours was truly good, Roland

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  31. "I only kill other monsters" Chills! He is a fascinating character, and manipulative in all the right ways

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  32. Thanks, Sara :
    Yes, he is a haunted monster, trying to find some small measure of peace by helping those who cannot help themselves. Glad you enjoyed my post, Roland

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  33. Brilliant and witty interview - almost a short story in itself.
    Loved it!

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  34. Wowee, that was awesome Roland! Good job. This was the most dramatic and action-packed interview I've read so far.

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  35. Hywela :
    Thanks for the kind words. I tried to make it complete as I could in such a short space. Tune in tomorrow for the dialogue segment of this blogfest. I think you will like it, Roland

    Trisha :
    Wow, a really nice compliment there. Sam tips his Stetson to you and asks for you to return tomorrow for the dialogue fun-n-games, Roland. Have a great evening. Me? I'm still at work! Ouch!

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  36. I wanted you to know you are in my top 10 for this challenge :)

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  37. Angela :
    I'm very honored to be in such company and flattered that you like my post. Like I said in my post : Victor Standish and I race for the thrill not the prize.

    I wish the best of good fortune to the other nine great writers who are probably looking at me going, "What is he doing here?"
    :-) Roland

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