Today I have another Fireside Chat (with the debut of its new logo). Richard Dale will be interviewing the immortal, Gabriel Lennox, the main character from
The Gabriel Lennox series by Monique Desir. Enjoy...
A Fireside Chat with Gabriel
Lennox
“Welcome everyone, to
another Fireside Chat. I’m Richard Dale, your host. Today, our guest is the
immortal being, Gabriel Lennox.” Richard nods to the man sitting opposite
to him. “Welcome Mr. Lennox. Would you
care to begin by telling our audience
a bit about yourself.”
Gabriel reaches out his hand and gives Richard’s a firm
shake. “Thank you for this opportunity, Mr. Dale. There’s really not much to
say about my past. Sixteenth century British parents bore my twin sister and
me. All dead though. There were witch hunts in those days, notorious for their
cruelty. I’m the last of my mortal bloodline. I’ve lived for almost 500 years.”
Gabriel silently stares at the untouched glass of wine in front of him. “I’d rather keep the remainder of my rather
maudlin background to myself and share the much more pleasant present. There’s
nothing like the present, eh?”
Gabriel laughs and smiles. “I’m currently the owner of a Host Club service in Florida,
which caters not only to the Tampa Bay area’s ladies of the night, but to
wealthy women of all shapes and sizes. I encountered these fascinating
establishments while visiting Japan and just had to open one here. After all,
what better way to explain a mansion full of abnormally young, beautiful, and
age-defying men away to the rest of the world? I also self-publish books about
the 17th century swashbuckling opera singer and bloodsucker – I
added that juicy little tidbit—, Frenchwoman, Julie d'Aubigny, under the droll
penname I.M. Alucard. Both the business and writing work wonders in paying the
bills. After all, I have blood-children to provide for and clothe. And yet,
most importantly, both keep me entertained year after year.”
“An interesting array
of activities and obligations” Richard nods again, his expression rather
passive. “If I might inquire, you are one
of the Chosen, vampires if you will, though I know you are not fond of that
term. And yet, you have rejected their way of life. Why?”
Gabriel leans back in his chair and narrows his eyes. “Because
I simply find any addiction deplorable. And most importantly, the
vampires’,” he enunciates the word with
enough poison to kill an adder, “flavor of immortality leaves a bad taste in my
mouth. Are the vampires of legend truly immortal? Of course not. When one
really analyzes their nature, it’s quite pathetic really. Hide away all day,
stalk the dark, drink blood, seduce this person or that. Try to rule the world
or their insignificant and small region of said small world. Rinse and repeat. How
do these goals set vampires a part from any ordinary human being? I want more
than blood, lust, conquest, and darkness. I want to be my own god with no
shortcomings – especially the ultimate shortcoming – death. I need to conquer
that and then be able to do as I please without any inhibitions.” He shrugs his
shoulders, frowning. He
reaches for the glass, handling
it delicately by its fragile handle and twirls the blood-red contents before
draining it dry. “And sadly, I have learned that my desire comes at a price. A
price that I’m unwilling to pay. So, I will discover another way. If there is a
will . . .”
“A very determined
attitude. What would you consider your greatest character flaw?” Richard
smiles, adding, “And what would be your
most virtuous trait?”
Gabriel grins, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. “What if
they’re one in the same?” He waves his hand in the air, as if dismissing his
own question. “I’ve been called obstinate and I will claim the insult and
accept it as a compliment. Stubbornness has safeguarded my life. However, since
you didn’t say that the trait and character flaw could be one in the same, my
most virtuous trait is loyalty. My friends and those who I have sworn to
protect can depend on me.”
“Fascinating. As a
member of the paranormal set, how do you view your fellow supernatural beings?”
Gabriel’s jawline stiffens and his voice deepens with
resolve. “With caution. Creatures of darkness, such as demons, fallen angels
and the like are on my personal hit list. My ultimate passion in life is to
hunt and destroy demon-kind. There’s no love lost between us. I learned that my
maker deceived me into binding a pact with such monsters and I will not rest
until every last one is sent to the abyss. She even went so far as to enthrall
humanity to these beasts.” He pauses, clenching and unclenching his hand, a
faraway look in his emerald-green eyes, as if waiting for an inner, fuming tide
to ebb away. The lines in his young and handsome face relax. “I have
encountered elves and find them to be both equally charming and obnoxious. I
suppose it’s a cultural thing. I look forward to encountering other
supernatural beings and seeing where they fit in the paranormal puzzle.”
“I don’t disagree with
your assessment of demons, elves I have yet to encounter.” Richard grins,
and continues, “What would you consider
to be the best quality of human nature?”
“I suppose, resilience. You know, the courage to carry on
even when defeat appears to be the only possible outcome. I suppose such overly
optimistic thinking can also be rather foolish, but” he breaks off, chuckling,
“it’s rather endearing, eh?”
“Quite. What is the
strangest occurrence that happened to you in your long life?”
“The strangest occurrence I’ve experienced was a repetitive
dream I had of a beautiful woman. She appeared every now and then as I slept to
pass the time. But then, one evening I encountered her. She was weeping and
resembled a spectre. I ached to touch this vision, but was interrupted. That
first time I had glimpsed her was in 1888. And now, just a little while ago –
no more than a week – I believe I saw her sitting in a coffee shop parking lot.
Our eyes met and she slipped into her car and drove away. I wonder what this
means.” He brushes the tips of his fingers across his lips, looking deep in
thought.
Richard pauses for a moment to let his guest compose himself,
and then asks, “What is your best memory?”
“Hmmm. That’s another excellent question. Slaying my first
fallen angel, which is also my worst memory. You see, in order to conquer him,
I had to absorb his essence. Little did I know what that entailed. And as you
might realize it didn’t end well. You see, we’ve been somewhat er, uh . . . fused – for lack of a better word.” Gabriel
crosses his leg over his knee and sighs. He taps the side of his head with his
index finger. “He usually talks, spouting on and on about what I don’t know.
And on occasion, he gives me advice on how to defeat others like him. But as of
late, he’s been very quiet . . . too quiet.” He sighs again and fixes Mr. Dale
with an intense stare. “If you know of anyone who can exorcise a demon, please
send him or her my way.” He crosses his arms against his chest, trembling as if
someone had walked over his grave. He forces out a laugh. “I suppose there is a
bright side to this: I won’t grow bored devising a plan on ridding myself of
him.”
“I’m afraid I can’t
help you on exorcism. I tend to shy away from anything dealing with demons. I did
recently interview a priest, but I don’t think he practices that discipline.” Richard
clears his throat. “On a different subject, what do you do for relaxation? Are
you fond of reading, listening to music, or other leisure activities?
I enjoy gardening and enjoying the beauty of my labor. And
there is of course reading and writing. A long time ago I amused myself with
the notion of dating. But after several awkward first dates, I’ve come to the
conclusion that modern women and I don’t have much in common.”
“One last question. What
is your idea of perfect happiness?”
The shadow of a smirk plays on Gabriel’s mouth. “I have
never entertained such idyllic thinking. In an imperfect world, how could one
grasp such a state? And for the sake of argument, once one has obtained perfect
happiness, how would one maintain it? That is a riddle I would love to unlock.”
“Well thank you Mr. Lennox,
for agreeing to this interview. It has been enlightening.”
~*~
You can find the first book in the Gabriel Lennox series on Amazon
You can find about more on Gabriel Lennox and his author, Monique Desir at these sites:
