Richard Schiver

Tag: character interview

  • A conversation with myself. Cheryl from Adversary

    A conversation with myself. Cheryl from Adversary

    1. Can you describe how your mother’s death changed your relationship with your father and your brother Frankie?

    When Mom died, it was like the ground disappeared beneath us. Dad just shut down. He was there, but not really there, you know? He drank more, and I felt like I had to be the adult, especially for Frankie. He needed someone, and I guess I needed to feel needed. But it was lonely. I missed having a real family, and sometimes I was angry at Dad for not being able to hold it together for us.

    2. What was going through your mind the night you left home with Andrea and her friends?

    Honestly? I was mad. At Dad, at Michelle, at the world. I wanted to get away, to feel like I had some control over my life. I thought maybe if I just left for a while, someone would notice. But mostly, I just wanted to forget everything for a night. I didn’t realize how quickly things could go wrong.

    How did you feel when you realized you were in over your head with Andrea’s group and the events that followed?

    Terrified. I tried to act tough, but inside I was panicking. I kept thinking, “What have I done?” I wanted to go home, but I was too proud to admit it. When things got violent, I just wanted to disappear. I felt so stupid for putting myself, others in danger.

    4. What was your relationship like with Michelle, and how did it evolve over the course of the story?

    At first, I hated her being around. She wasn’t my mom, and I didn’t want her to try to be. I was jealous, I guess, and angry that she could step in when I felt so lost. But she never gave up on us. She was there, even when I pushed her away. Over time, I saw how much she cared, and I realized she was hurting too. Now, I’m grateful for her. She’s family.

    5. Can you talk about your protective feelings toward Frankie? What drives you to defend him, even at great personal risk?

    Frankie’s my little brother. He’s different, and people don’t always understand him. After Mom died, I felt like it was my job to look out for him. He’s innocent, and I couldn’t stand the thought of anyone hurting him. I guess I needed to protect him because I couldn’t protect Mom, and I didn’t want to lose anyone else.

    6. How did you cope with the guilt and trauma after the violent events involving the police and your classmates?

    I didn’t, not at first. I tried to pretend it didn’t happen, but the nightmares wouldn’t let me forget. I felt guilty for surviving, for not doing more, for being there at all. It took a long time to talk about it, and even longer to forgive myself. Dad and Michelle helped, just by being there and not judging me.

    7. What did it mean to you when Michelle gave you the family heirloom on your eighteenth birthday?

    It meant everything. It was like Mom was reaching out to me, telling me it was okay to move forward. Michelle didn’t have to do that, but she did, and it made me realize she really cared. It helped me let go of some of the anger and finally accept her as part of our family.

    8. How did your view of your father change as he confronted his own grief and the supernatural threats facing your family?

    I saw him as human again. Not just my dad, but a person who was hurting and trying his best. When he fought for us, I realized he hadn’t given up, that he was just lost. It made me want to forgive him, and to try to rebuild what we’d lost together.

    9. Looking back, what advice would you give to someone facing loss and feeling alone, as you once did?

    Don’t shut people out. It’s easy to get angry and push everyone away, but that just makes it worse. Let people help you, even if you don’t think you want it. And don’t be afraid to talk about how you feel. You’re not alone, even when it feels like it.

    10. Now that your family has found some peace, what are your hopes for the future, for yourself, and for Frankie and your new family?

    I just want us to be happy. I want Frankie to have a chance at a normal life, whatever that means for him. I want Dad to find peace, and for Michelle to know she’s loved. As for me, I want to move forward, maybe go to college, and see what life has to offer. I want us to be a real family again.

    If you’d like to learn more about Cheryl and her family grab a copy of Adversary, book one in the Shadows of the Past trilogy.

    Click on cover for more info.

  • A conversation with myself.

    I’m still working on figuring out how to do these interviews with my characters so please bear with me. I’ve renamed the post, after all when I interview a character, I’m having a conversation with myself. This week I talk to Susan, the lead character in my novel Cursed.

    Susan is a middle-aged woman in her late thirties who takes care of herself and has a positive outlook on life. Slender with straight brown hair kept at an average length. There is warmth in her smile, and her eyes. She seems open and caring to those around her. Yet she carries an aura of sadness, as if there were a weight we cannot see bearing down on her.

    RS: What brought you to Porter Mines?

    S: My husband died in Iraq.

    RS: I’m so sorry for your loss.

    S: Thank you. I wanted our daughter, Christine, to be close to his parents who live in Oakland. The farmhouse in Porter Mines was nearby and was listed at a pretty good price. But had I known what I know now, I would never have moved there.

     RS: Why is that?

    S: Every small town has its secrets. Most are harmless little tales designed to scare kids. Or secrets everyone knows about. Like infidelity among the members of the council. Or certain people looking the other way when members of the council get drunk. Things of that nature. But Porter Mines was different, its secret is dangerous, even more so for my daughter.

    Here Susan becomes visibly upset and struggles to control herself. After a few moments she gets herself under control and wipes away her tears. Christine enters the room, crosses to her mommy and climbs into her lap. She’s a cute little thing carrying a stuffed bunny nearly as large as she is.

    S: I mean I didn’t know my maiden name was associated with the founders of the town who lived under this old curse.

    RS: What curse was that?

    S: According to the stories an old woman in the late seventeen hundreds got sick. The area was mostly virgin forest and there were Indians nearby. The people at the outpost believed she was a witch. They got together and dragged her from her home to burn her at the stake. It was said that with her dying breath she cursed every generation that would stain this land.

    C: That’s the witch, but it’s okay, daddy will take care of us.

    Susan glances at Christine with an expression of sorrow.

    RS: The witch?”

    C: She’s real, I saw her, but nobody believes me.

    RS: How will your daddy protect you?

    Here Christine breaks into a wide smile as she pulls the bunny tight against her chest.

    C: He’s here, in my bunny. If you listen real close you can hear his heartbeat. He told me that as long as I had the bunny with me, he would always be with me.

    RS: Did you dad buy the bunny for you?”

    C: No, he won it. It had to be earned.

    RS: Earned?

    C: That’s what the man at the carnival said. Daddy said it would be cheaper to just buy one. But the man at the carnival said it had to be earned.

    RS: What had to be earned?

    Christine shrugged as she twisted around in her seat to look up at her mom.

    S: He won the bunny at a roadside carnival the day before he shipped out. I got so mad at him because he spent so much money to win it. But looking back I was wrong. The bunny helped us get through the worst of everything after he died. It was a constant reminder of his love for us.

    C: Yeah, that’s what I said.

    RS: What about your parents Susan?

    S: My father died when I was young, and my mother passed several years ago.

    RS: I sense you were not close with her?

    S: Not at all, she’s the reason my brother killed himself. She started listening to a TV preacher and made me and my brother’s life miserable.

    RS: I’m so sorry to hear that. It looks like you’ve adapted.

    S: You can’t live in the past.

    RS: So true. Is there anything you’d like to share with our readers before we go?

    S: If you have children, listen to them when they tell you things that seem made up. They see things we can’t, they believe things we’ve turned our back on, and because of that the night holds a danger we cannot see.

    Cursed

    Click on cover to order

    After the loss of her husband, Susan sought a safe place to rebuild a life for herself and her six-year-old daughter, Christine. Quaint and picturesque, Porter Mines seemed ideal, but Susan soon learns appearances can be deceiving. 

    Like many small towns, the history of Porter Mines was woven in a tapestry of dark secrets. One centered on a witch, who vowed with her dying breath to claim vengeance against those who wronged her. A ghost story rooted in grisly truth. 

    Can Susan protect Christine from a wrath even death couldn’t tame?

    Or will her only child fall prey to the curse of Porter Mines?

  • 7 Questions

    As I’ve found it difficult to find participants for my weekly Fridays 5, I’ve decided to interview the characters from the books I’ve written. This is my first time trying this so bear with me.

    This week I give you Jimmy, an eleven year old who helped with the survivors at the Willowbrook Apartments where he lived with his mom. If you want to learn more about Jimmy and what he went through scroll down to the bottom of the page to get a copy of Zomething Dead This Way Comes. It’s free, well all I ask for is an email address in exchange for this full length novel I’m sure you will enjoy.

    Let us begin

    Jimmy is eleven and carries himself with the air of someone who knows they are right. Yet he seems hesitant to accept who he is. He and his mother moved to Willowbrook Apartments several months prior to the events that unfold in Zomething Dead This Way Comes. As he enters the room he crosses to the chair and settles into his seat, glancing around with unrestrained curiosity. Outwardly he appears alert and responsive, yet slightly withdrawn.

    RS: What brought you and your mother to Willowbrook?

    The question immediately puts him on guard, and he wipes at his eyes to hide the tears threatening to spill down his cheeks.

    J: My Dad died in a fire. (Here he falters as he lowers his head and struggles to bring himself under control. When he looks up it’s obvious he’s very proud of his dad.) He was a section chief for the Richmond Fire Department and became trapped in a warehouse, but he saved his crew before the building collapsed. So, he’s a hero. Mom couldn’t afford to keep up with all the bills, he didn’t have enough life insurance to cover the house, so she let the house in Reeds Landing go, and we moved here.

    RS: Do you miss your dad?

    J: Of course, but he always taught me that these things happen. That we only have a little control over our future. I believe in a way he was preparing me for what might happen.

    RS: When you say control, what do you mean?

    J: You know, such as the money you make, your life choices. Who you end up with and if you’re happy. That’s under your control. Like my Dad. If your choice puts you in danger, there’s a bigger chance of getting killed than if you worked in an office all day. Your chance is never zero because things happen. But working in a place where you go into burning buildings all the time, narrows that chance.

    RS: What was your childhood like?

    J: I’d say better than most, but not as good as some. There were rules I had to follow, chores I had to do, but I didn’t mind. I had to keep my grades up too. My dad always said if you want something you have to work for it, and if you must work, do the best you can no matter what the job is.

    RS: Do you have any dreams?

    J: I think we all have dreams, no matter what your life might be like, it can always be better. Right now, my dream is to find a safe place to sleep. Somewhere I can let my guard down and be a kid again, but I don’t think that’s gonna happen anytime soon.

    RS: What scares you?

    J: Before the awakening I was always afraid of losing my family, of becoming an orphan. I knew a kid in school whose parents were killed in a car accident. Before it happened, he was always happy, listened to the teachers and did his homework. After it happened, he became a different person.

    He stopped listening and seemed to be hiding inside himself. He was only in school for a couple of weeks after they died. One day he never showed up. Later we learned he had been placed in foster care. After my dad died I was so afraid something was going to happen to my mom, and I’d have to go to foster care too.

    Now you have to be careful with anyone you meet. You won’t know until the last moment if they’re friendly or willing to cut your throat to take what you have. I’m sure there are still good people out there, but you can’t assume everyone is going to be nice.

    RS: What would you say is your biggest weakness?

    J: What do you mean?

    RS: Like what is something you find hard to do?

    J: Hurt people, unless they deserve it. I trust people too much. I’d like to believe there are more nice people out there, but I know I’m wrong.

    RS: If you could have anything in the world, what would you want?

    J: My parents!

    This concludes Jimmy’s interview, if you ‘d like to learn more about Jimmy and what happened, signup for my readers group and grab a copy of Zomething Dead This Way Comes below.

    Synopsis: Jimmy and his friends have come to the roof of their apartment building to watch the passage of the comet Omega9. Little do they know the dust from the comet contains ancient organisms that are about to turn their world upside down.

    They’re already dealing with tough times, but things get even crazier when Robert’s mom is attacked by his dad and turns into a zombie. This is only the first act in a chain of events that plunges the world into the zombie apocalypse. Forcing the boys to figure out how to survive in this new, terrifying reality.

    Trapped between the undead, and the evil living in the building, their future becomes more perilous until Robert makes a startling discovery in the basement. In the end it’s all about survival, friendship, and facing their fears as they fight to protect each other and their home.

    Yes Please!