Marta: “Goodbye, Padania” is the first in a series of e-books featuring Daria Rigoletti. We meet her as an apparently cold-hearted killer. Over time, she changes. Instrumental in that change is Mercurio Ferraris. He is with us now.
Mercurio Ferraris, welcome. That’s quite an unusual name. Mercurio, I mean.
Mercurio: Yes. There is an old Italian tradition which portrays San Mercurio as a saint who disguises himself like a poor traveller and goes from door to door seeking hospitality. That is how he finds out who is good and who is not. My Papà had come to the industrial north of Italy to find work. There was always a lot of prejudice against poor southerners. I guess he wanted to weigh the odds in his son’s favour.
Marta: He never expected that prejudice to lead most of the north of Italy to break away and form an overtly racist state.
Mercurio: No. At first it was just people with dark skins they hated, then all foreigners, then even people from the south of Italy. And so on. They could always find more people to hate, but they ran out of people to run a country and an economy with.
Marta: You were instrumental in putting an end to that. With some help from a certain Daria Rigoletti. When and where did you first meet Daria?
Mercurio: Back in 2032. In the city of Turin, in what they called the Republic of Padania.
Marta: Was it a happy meeting?
Mercurio: Hah! Yes and no.
Marta: What do you mean?
Mercurio: She had been contracted to kill me.
Marta: Clearly she didn’t.
Mercurio: No. She had the chance, but she chose not to take it. Why? She told me later it was to do with the way I looked directly into her eyes.
Marta: But who wanted you dead?
Mercurio: After the pogroms against immigrants, factories were closing all over Padania for lack of manpower. The government’s answer was child labour. I opposed that.
Marta: So, the government?
Mercurio: Or the employers. I had always been a union man.
Marta: When and where did you next see Daria?
Mercurio: In Mongreno, in the hills above Turin, a year later. She had given up killing and set up a cult that espoused non-violence.
Marta: But by then there was a civil war on.
Mercurio: Yes, the armed rebellion had started. I came to ask her help. She refused to take part herself, but she did give some of our guys training.
Marta: In what?
Mercurio: Oh, techniques that are useful in a civil war.
Marta: Is it true that you and she became lovers?
Mercurio: Yes. Briefly.
Marta: Was she a good lover?
Mercurio: Let us just say that she demanded a lot and gave a lot. And that she warmed up.
Marta: Excuse me, but aren’t you a family man?
Mercurio: I lost my wife before the rebellion could start. My children both died during the war itself.
Marta: And the children of the country?
Mercurio: No children have to work in the factories of Italy today.
Marta: What happened to Daria?
Mercurio: She could not control the violent instincts among her followers. Last heard of in India. With their money.
Marta: Will you ever see her again?
Mercurio: If I never see her again, I will die happy because of what I have achieved in the reconstruction of my country. And because of what I had with her.
Marta: And if you do see her again?
Mercurio: Then I shall die even happier.
Marta: Saint or sinner, thank you, Mercurio Ferraris.
Mercurio: My pleasure.
[end]
Bryan Murphy’s “Goodbye, Padania”, featuring Daria Rigoletti and Mercurio Ferraris, is avialable from Amazon, Smashwords, Kobo, Sony, Barnes & Noble, etc. All the author’s e-books are available in multiple formats at: HYPERLINK "https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/bmzm" https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/bmzm In addition, he welcomes visitors at: HYPERLINK "http://www.bryanmurphy.eu/" http://www.bryanmurphy.eu/ .
Hi,
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not, I have read either a review on Goodbye Padania or looked at it while buying ebooks on Smashwords or Amazon. The characters interested me then and the plot drew me to it. In fact I thought I had actually bought the book but after checking my records, I see that I did not. That will be rectified.
All the best on your book and I look forward to getting to know Daria. The character development of Daria interest me greatly because I have a character with similar philosophical ideas that I am developing.
Shalom,
Patti
Sis,
I liked how this entry in your blogroll appeared. Great work. It caught my attention as soon as it landed in my mailbox.
Shalom,
Patti
Marta and Bryan, since I am not a novelist I have not had the experience in developing characters. This interview is awesome! What a great hook to dangle in front of readers. :-) Will Tweet and Share!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sharla, for commenting and for sharing!
DeleteExcellent article, Bryan. You certainly know how to captivate the reader. Kudos to you!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Cynthia. Marta's input made for a good interview.
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteWhat a sensational writing! As Pat, the characters interest me greatly. It's gripping from the beginning! I take note. Thanks, Murphy and Marta.
Daria and Mercurio sound like interesting characters who live in difficult times -- a good foundation for a novel. Thank you for introducing me to them in today's post. GOODBYE, PADANIA is on my TBR list, and I'm looking forward to reading it.
ReplyDeleteThank you, what an interesting way of introducing the story as the characters are brought to life. A good enticement, I am sure, for many to get to know more s they read the book itself.
ReplyDeleteMarta and Bryan, what a unigue, creative interview. It made the book come alive and certainly is a grabber. It's on my wish list for sure.!!
ReplyDeleteDear Marta and Bryan! If there was ever an attention grabber, this must be it! Bryan, I have your book on my Kindle, just anxious to be read. Now I know that it will be. Have a couple in progress to complete and then you're on! Now that you've invited me in, I think I just might stay for awhile. This is such a captivating post. You know how to pick your favorites Marta.
ReplyDeleteMarta and Bryan, I was hooked immediately with this interview format. Well done. I am wondering how it came about. Did one of you write the whole thing, part of it, or what? I am thinking of the mechanics of working with a partner who probably is in another hemisphere.
ReplyDeleteI will definitely use short questions in one of my interviews as they made the work skip along beautifully. Again, well done!
Yes, Elaine, I wrote the interview after being invited over by Marta and given free rein. I think I know Marta well enough to imagine the questions she might ask, and she, too, was happy with the result. And e-mail very quickly cuts the distance between Italy and Argentina. To spark an idea in a fellow author like yourself is an additional bonus for us. Thanks for letting us know.
DeleteA fascinating portrayal of what sounds like an utterly fascinating novel! Thank you Marta and Bryan for this most intriguing introduction to what sounds like an most engaging read!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your encouraging comments, Pat. I hope Daria will prove both interesting and helpful. All the best, Bryan
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Ana, Sandy, Jon, Micki, Linda and PJ for taking the time to stop by, read and comment. It is truly encouraging to get such positive reactions to our novel initiative. Frankly, for me it was a relief to look at Daria from a man's perspective for once, rather than trying to look at Daria's world from her perspective. I hope you will go on to enjoy "Goodbye, Padania". Thanks again, Bryan
ReplyDeleteI'd like to thank Bryan for giving us the opportunity to meet Mercurio and, through him, let us glimpse into his wonderful novel.
ReplyDeleteMy gratitude to all of you who took the time to stop by, read, and leave a comment.