Reblogged from From Mia’s Desk…
Please welcome Rachelle Ayala and Michal, from Michal’s Window. This is an Out of World interview, with a bit of In World flavor as our guest speaks to us from… well… Heaven. Enjoy!
You can also visit me as I guest at Rachelle’s site to talk about character interviews! See my post at Rachelle’s Window!
– Mia Darien at MiaDarien.com
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Mia: What is the name of the book where we’ll find you? Can you tell us a little about it?
Michal: I wanted it to be Queen Michal the Great, but the 21st century author went to a liberal arts college and sought to confine me to that darn window. Seems like every disaster in my life hangs out a window.
Mia: You still haven’t told us the name of the book.
Michal: *crosses her arms* Her favorite general ed course was “The Russian Experience.” I mean, she loved Catherine the Great. And who was she but some obscure German princess of little money?
Mia: I happen to know it’s called “Michal’s Window.” You were saying about your window?
Michal: Windows and I just don’t get along, thank you very much. I’m a 3000 year old queen. What do I need with windows and mirrors?
Mia: Indeed. So… Tell us a little about yourself. Where do you fit into the story? What should we know about you?
Michal: *holds up hand* One question at a time, please. I’d prefer you to know very little about myself. I am, after all, a very private person.
Mia: This book seems like a tell all. You narrated it in first person. Tell me, Michal, was sex really that great back then? And with three men? You must have broken quite a few taboos of your culture.
Michal: *juts out her lip* Please, after 3000 years in Heaven, what do you want me to say?
Mia: Let’s pretend for a moment. You’re back at your father’s palace, and a young, handsome, red-headed harpist has just stepped in the gate. What did you think of him? What did you feel?
Michal: *sighs and rubs her palms on her dress* He was really very sweet, standing their trembling and sweating. But when he settled down to strum his harp, all I could do was imagine him singing to me, and strumming my hair. That intense look in his eyes, the fervor of his love for God and his desire for peace in Israel–I just wanted all of that directed on me.
Mia: So, love at first sight?
Michal: Oh yes.
Mia: What do you think his first impression of you was?
Michal: I knew he wanted me. After all, I was the princess of Israel. But it took a while for him to convince me that he cared for me and not my position. Of course, being the daughter of a man who hated him presented great difficulties.
Mia: I could imagine it would. All right, let’s move on. What do you think of the author? Be honest. We won’t tell.
Michal: The author? Ha, she was in love with David and Ittai. I was so mad at her. I mean, how dare she think about David all the time? And Ittai should have been a secret. Really, these 21st century women have no shame. But she’s Bathsheba’s bratty great to the hundredth generation granddaughter so I’ll let her take the wooden spoon and…
Mia: I’ll leave that for the two of you. How do you feel about the story you’re in?
Michal: Well, she did portray me pretty positively despite all the bad press I get elsewhere. This was the first book where I get to be victorious. My life was filled with dramatic tragedies, my husband escaping my father’s wrath through my window, the years he spent in the wilderness, my estrangement from him while married to Phalti, and then my disgrace at the Ark of the Covenant incident. Most books have me as the villain, the jealous first wife, unable to accept the sainted Abigail and beautiful Bathsheba. So I actually feel pretty good about this one, especially with three men in love with me throughout the book.
Mia: Certainly quite a thing. Do you like being a characer in such a book?
Michal: *smiles* How can I not? A girl’s gotta have some fun. Granted the book had a lot of tragic moments, but the author always gave me fun parts, my time with Jada, my little going-away party for Aunt Kyra, and of course the rug scene. Too bad she cut out my frolics with my sister’s future husband… Ahem…
Mia: How do you see your future? Without giving anything away about the story, naturally.
Michal: My future is pretty assured. It’s really peaceful up here in my mansion. The walls are gemstones with water trickling through so my favorite orchids can grow between the cracks. There’s a brook of diamonds and streets of white gold. And David is with me, did you want a word with him?
Mia: Let’s leave him where he is. What do you know about your author’s plans? Can we expect to see you in any future stories?
Michal: She seems to have left ancient Israel, although she has a draft of a follow-on story about Ittai’s time of exile. I do make brief appearances. There is a great scene of me buying a slave to set her free. Ittai just does not know how to bargain so I used him as a dummy while I talked the temple master down. But honestly, who knows if she’s going to run with the story. She seems to be working on some story about horseless chariots running over people. The people in that story are all stuck in front of boxes with magic lids that show moving pictures and play music.
Mia: We call them movies. It’s like a window where you can see people’s lives as they are played out.
Michal: Oh, sort of like the viewing tablets we have in Heaven, but they censor all the good parts.
Mia: Right. So. Let’s say they make a movie about this book. Who do you want to play you, and why?
Michal: Oh, that’s easy. There’s a woman who lives in France with lots of children. Angelina Jolly, I think. She looks tough enough to kill a man. You do know I killed a man, right?
Mia: Yes, indeed. But we’re out of time, thanks for being here tonight.
Michal: You’re welcome. I’ve got all eternity. Well, it’s back to looking out my window. *waves and floats away*
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Author Bio: Rachelle Ayala was a software engineer until she discovered storytelling works better in fiction than real code. Her first book, Michal’s Window, is a romance set in Biblical times. Rachelle has always lived in a multi-cultural environment, and the tapestry in her books reflect that diversity. Rachelle is currently working on a romantic suspense involving software engineers. She is a very happy woman.
Rachelle’s Site: http://rachelleayala.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AyalaRachelle
Buy Link: Kindle
March 22nd, 2012
Rachelle Ayala 