I’m interviewing my character, Maisy Tripwater today. She lives in Midnight Point, one of my Shadow Towns.
Yasmine: So, Maisy, how did it feel when you realized you needed to move back home to Midnight Point?
Maisy: I wasn’t sure what to think, at first. I was in shock–losing my home like that just hit me on a gut level. It was all I had left of Dan, my late husband. But…in a way…I think it would have happened, one way or another. Losing my job made me admit to myself how restless I had become, and how I needed to do something different.
Yasmine: When you were growing up, did you realize that Midnight Point wasn’t like other towns?
Maisy: I don’t know if I thought that, but I also knew that the town could be dangerous. Children in shadow towns are taught at an early age to be cautious, and to avoid certain areas in town. I suppose that’s a lot like other cities, but our children are also taught the rules of the town–every shadow town has a set of rules–and we live by those, if at all possible.
Yasmine: And what are those rules?
Maisy: I have them memorized:
ADVICE FOR VISITORS TO MIDNIGHT POINT
- If someone calls your name from the forest, don’t answer.
- Never answer the call of the gulls.
- If you see the Girl in the Window, set your affairs in order.
- Never go hunting for Lanyard’s Treasure.
- If the Crow Man summons you, follow him.
- Remember: the depths of the Salish Sea contain monsters.
- And most important: if the Wandering Eye takes notice of you, prepare for the wildest ride of your life.
Yasmine: What’s your best memory of your marriage?
Maisy: That’s hard. There were so many good times. I think…it has to be one night when I was having a rough time–I was sick as a dog. I had a bad cold, and I looked like a wrung-out mop, and Dan had a late appointment with a woman I knew was gorgeous and talented. I was feeling particularly vulnerable.
Well, Dan had a sizable account dangling in front of him, but he canceled his appointment to come home early and he brought me soup and crackers. He sat up with me all night while I was coughing. I didn’t ask him to, but he told me that the only thing that mattered to him was how I felt, and that his potential new client–when he told her he needed to go home to his sick wife–told him she envied me. And she rescheduled.
I never felt so protected and so beloved.
Yasmine: Are you more afraid of ghosts or of monsters?
Maisy: I’m actually more afraid of the monsters who lurk within. As in serial killers, mass murderers, violent abusers…because at least with a ghost or a ‘monster’ you have a clear idea that you’re going up against them. But when you meet someone who seems nice on the surface, you never know how deep that kindness/niceness actually goes. Sometimes the most dangerous people wear the most congenial smiles.
Yasmine: What do you love most about your job?
Maisy: What do I love most about bringing people together? A sense of completion. Making people happy. Helping bring more love into the world because, the gods only know, we need it.
Yasmine: Thank you, Maisy. I’ll be seeing you on the keyboard!
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