Character Interview from Secrets Clad In Light

Today we’re talking with Henry, Kyra Gregory’s young protagonist from Secrets Clad in Light. With little education, he spent most of his life working for the upper-class where Seth, the black sheep of the family, was in his care. Headstrong about his desires, he always prepared himself for the consequences of his actions, even those of loving another man. Although not very trusting by nature, he is known to be very caring and protective of those around him. And now, a chat with Henry:

Hello, Henry. Tell us about your favorite scene in the book.

I felt so many things in the moment I realized Seth was still breathing. The way those breaths felt, the way they sounded... It was all so terrifying. A part of me felt a sense of relief though, a part of me was happy that for at least one moment longer he was still here with me.

What’s the best trait Kyra has given you?

Perhaps my best would be my caring personality. Although it is a trait that gets me into plenty of trouble, I don't regret it.

What’s the worst trait?

Certainly my indecisiveness. Had it not been for other's influences I don't think I could have ever made certain decisions. When things progress, when I feel satisfied, a feeling of dread washes over me and I think back, wondering if had I not been assisted would I have made the same choices that I did. Of course, while the path one didn't choose always appears more dazzling than the one they did, perhaps I take worrying about that to an extreme.

Do you have any secret aspirations that your author doesn't know about?

I don't want to appear...ungrateful. I'm aware that things have improved considerably, but I do have my sights set on a better place to live. I'm prepared for the difficulties that come with trying to get that.

If you had a free day with no responsibilities and your only mission was to enjoy yourself, what would you do?

A day with no responsibilities eh? Perhaps I would spend the entire day worrying about having no responsibilities... I think that by the time I stop worrying, at the very least, half my free day would have disappeared... Being burdened, showing others you're burdened...it's troublesome, don't you think? I try not to appear burdened by responsibility for a little time each day; I don't want others to worry. I like to spend that time cherishing the one closest to me; I'd like to make more happy memories.

What's the worst thing that's happened in your life?

It had to be the moment I lost Seth. For however long it was, it was a terrifying experience.

What did you learn from it?

I think so much happened in that moment, and everything thereafter that I'm not too sure what I learnt. I suppose you could say that I learnt how quickly things can change. Maybe that was also the moment I realised that my indecisiveness is more of a problem than I ever thought. I'm not sure if that is a good thing. After all, learning about something you can't really control only makes you feel more helpless.

Tell us about your best friend.

Seth is my best friend. I don't think I could ever imagine anyone else in that role. A best friend knows who you are, more than who you are on the surface; they know the 'you' that is deeper than what anyone else can see. Even while knowing that, they accept you and your differences. I don't think he and I could be any more different, and yet I never feel more accepted than when I'm with him.

What do you like best about Seth? What about the least?

It's two sides of the same coin I believe. His resilience to things is admirable; I think faced with many difficult situations he still tries his utmost to persevere. Of course, as someone who tries so hard to care for him, that type of resilience is easily seen as stubbornness through my eyes.

How do you feel about your life right now? What, if anything, would you like to change?

Things could certainly be better, but I'm not foolish enough not to be aware that things could also be far worse. I'm accepting the moment as it is; I won't ask for more than what I already have. 

You sound like a very intriguing character. If you want to know more about Henry, you should read Secrets Clad In Light, available in Kindle at Amazon. 
For more about Henry’s author, Kyra Gregory, you can find her at:


Website/Blog
Goodreads
Twitter
Amazon

London, 1888. Henry decides to abandon all social conventions and rescue his lover, Seth, from an abusive household. He has replayed the moment in his head and has always known it wouldn't be easy. He has never thought that it would be Seth who would cut his time too short. With Seth barely breathing, Henry must make the hardest decision of his life: try to save Seth, possibly condemning him to a life of suffering, or let him pass on in peace. But the arrival of a young stranger forces Henry's hand, doing little to ease his qualms of uncertainty as everything he thought he knew changes.

Caught between self-doubt and his own selfish desires, Henry learns to fight it all, using this stranger as a light to shine on what he hopes is the right path... All the while aware that there is still so much he doesn't yet know...

Author Bio:
Kyra Gregory is a young author from the tiny island of Malta. In those rare moments when she isn't writing or even thinking about writing she's furthering her education. Writing novels from a very young age, she began self-publishing in June 2011.

Book Excerpt: Secrets Clad In Light

Excerpt from Secrets Clad in Light by Kyra Gregory

A petite shadow cast over them shortly. When he glanced up he saw the earlier person standing there in the water, shoulders low as it struggled in holding a medium sized trunk. “It sounds like you’ve made a decision.”

“How much good does it do? It only hurts more.” With this decision his heart felt heavier, sickness settling into his stomach. He glanced back up and then dropped his gaze to the trunk, “What is that?”

“Reinforcement.” A boot peaked out from beneath the long coat as it stepped up, approaching slowly before chucking the trunk on the bed. The weight of the trunk caused it to bounce on the poor mattress. “Do you need more of my help or do you think you can do it?”

“Who are you?” He couldn’t help asking. The figure reached up and grabbed at the hood, lowering it so that finally Henry could see the gentle face of a young woman.

Her face was what was tender but otherwise her gaze was rather hard and cold. Her voice hadn’t given in to her femininity as she was so cold, or perhaps he had been so distracted by Seth that he hadn’t noticed.

The woman knelt down onto the bed, reaching out to touch the man’s cheek with her gloved fingers before she snatched the scarf from around his neck and took a look at the wound. From then on her movements were rather prompt as she opened up the small trunk and placed a hand over his chest, feeling for his heart. “The choice is really yours. He can’t decide anything at this point.”

Henry shifted uncomfortably and glanced at the man’s constant fighting. He lowered his head, shoulders beginning to shake with emotion. “Please save him.”

The damage was as extensive as he had dreaded. It was a difficult procedure with what the woman murmured to be sub-humane medical conditions. Henry only watched and assisted where he could, attempting as much as possible to make the area sterile by making use of some alcohol on each instrument that the woman intended to use.

He watched her actions very carefully, not knowing what type of person she truly was but not so wary that he was inclined to stop her from trying to save Seth. Other than watch her he could only follow her sporadic and rather unfeeling orders, hold the man’s hand and comb back his soaking hair.

Occasionally he could feel the woman’s eyes wandering up to examine him as scrupulously as she did the gaping wound. He wasn’t too surprised by the reaction. The sight was certainly one to see and he would have been staring too had he been in her position.

She exhaled heavily, wiping her damp cheek and forehead in her shoulder, “He’s probably not going to be thanking you for any of this if he lives.”

“How high are the chances that he’ll live?” Henry’s response came quickly with no real response in mind to her statement.

“They’re not too bad.” She seated herself rather unlady-like on the dusty mattress, holding up a needle and thread to the dim lighting of the roaring fire.

Henry winced sharply at the sight of the pointed object; the thought alone of the woman stitching the man’s tender skin made him sick with unease. “I’m sure he’ll be angry at me at first. Maybe for a little while.” Her earlier statement finally sunk in and a response left his lips before he could really give it much thought. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“How well do you know him?” She enquired, eyes shooting to glance at Henry. She didn’t hold that gaze for very long, quickly beginning to stitch up the wound.

Henry clenched Seth’s hand tightly in his as though he were trying to comfort him, unsure about whether he was in a lot of pain or not.

“There’s a lot of damage here.” She pointed out. “If he ever wakes up I don’t think he’s going to be very pleased with the state he’ll be in.”

“I’ll tend to him for however long necessary.” Henry whispered, lifting the man’s hand in his own clasped ones. “I’m sure he’ll get better. He…he’s still breathing. He’s…survived a lot already.”

“Only so much.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

The young woman appeared to smirk meekly, no doubt satisfied that she had jerked a response out of him. “It means, my dear friend, that he’s most likely not going to be thanking you when he wakes up. He won’t berate you either. Or say much of anything else.”

Henry wasn’t sure what had happened but he suddenly couldn’t tell the difference between his own body and Seth’s. Both were ice cold. “I don’t understand… Are you…” 

Come back on October 10th for an interview with Henry. For more on Kyra Gregory, scroll down for an interview with the author.

Kyra Gregory Answers Eight With Amy

About the book:

London, 1888. Henry decides to abandon all social conventions and rescue his lover, Seth, from an abusive household. He has replayed the moment in his head and has always known it wouldn't be easy. He has never thought that it would be Seth who would cut his time too short. With Seth barely breathing, Henry must make the hardest decision of his life: try to save Seth, possibly condemning him to a life of suffering, or let him pass on in peace. But the arrival of a young stranger forces Henry's hand, doing little to ease his qualms of uncertainty as everything he thought he knew changes.

Caught between self-doubt and his own selfish desires, Henry learns to fight it all, using this stranger as a light to shine on what he hopes is the right path... All the while aware that there is still so much he doesn't yet know...

And now...

Eight Questions with Amy:

Welcome, Kyra. Thank you for being here all the way from Malta! How did you come up with Secrets Clad in Light as the title of your book?

I thought about it for a long time; it was called 'untitled' throughout the writing process and well into the second round of editing. I was going to simply call it 'Secrets' but felt like it didn't quite suit the story. I wanted a title that made one aware of the secrecy throughout the story but also to know from the start that a secret can be seen as something positive to some people. Light is what scares away the darkness, the negativity, and this is how Henry sees this young stranger; however little he knows this person is the light in the darkness he's been plunged into. 



Sounds mysterious. How did you create the plot for this book? 

I first came up with the idea for this story when I was completing Lady in Red; there were two characters in that novel that I wondered how they would have developed had the circumstances been a little bit different. I wanted to try writing 19th Century London again, having failed a few times, and once I developed the new circumstances for Henry, things went on from there. Henry became a very different character from what I first had in mind. There was little intention for the story to become as mysterious as it did though.



I love it when characters begin to write the story. How do you develop your characters?

They usually develop all by themselves actually. I usually have a few qualities in mind for them or at least have their role in part of the story decided, but they end up fleshing themselves out with time. Most end up being entirely out of my control very quickly; they decide what they need and when, and they won't let me do anything in the plot unless they're ready or agree with it. I love that about them though. 



Me too! When you start a new book, do you know what the entire cast will be?

Absolutely not. A character in Secrets Clad in Light was introduced when I felt like things would be best explained with their introduction.



Reviews go with the territory. How do you handle criticism of your work?

I think it's important as a writer to know where your limitations are in your skill of writing and storytelling. It's tough to accept criticism of portions of your work that you felt satisfied with, and you begin to question that skill. I try to keep an open mind when reading people's criticism of my work; I know where my limitations are and can accept it. Regardless, I try to think a bit about what people said and question whether I could have done something better or differently. There will be times I agree with the person after some thought, but there are still some I'll disagree with. I don't approach anyone with my thoughts though.



Do you (or I should say, your characters) outline or do you write by the seat of your pants?

I outline because it takes me so long to get to a story that I wouldn't want to forget certain scenes and developments that I'd been thinking about. It also speeds up the writing process somewhat. I don't put a lot of priority on outlining though since, as I said, the characters tend to do things against my initial intentions.



Do you and your imaginary friends have a routine for writing? Do you work better at night, in the afternoon or morning?

I'll write at any time I can but find myself writing most efficiently at night. I often write until about 7 a.m. before deciding it's about time to go to sleep. I wouldn't say I have a particular routine for writing though.



Where's home for you?

Home is where your heart is; the place you feel comfortable; where you can be yourself. I have trouble finding that place at this point in my life, but I want to work hard at the things I love in order to find that place for myself.



What are you working on now?

I'm finishing up a romance novel that very much has a summer feel to it. I think it's really sweet and had plenty of fun writing. I will soon be moving on to re-writing and expanding a series that I had started a few years ago. I'm really looking forward to it!



Sounds great. I hope you’ll come back when those projects are ready to be published. Thank you for talking about yourself and your book. 

Next up is an excerpt from Secrets Clad In Light. Don’t miss it!

About the author:

Kyra Gregory is a young author from the tiny island of Malta. In those rare moments when she isn't writing or even thinking about writing, she's furthering her education. Writing novels from a very young age, she began self-publishing in June 2011.

Find Kyra at:

Website/Blog

Goodreads

Twitter

Amazon