Roxanne Rhoads: Character interview with Adom, a “foxy” character from The Strings of the Violin

For today’s guest blog we interview Adom, a “foxy” character from the novel The Strings of the Violin.

Adom, as the emissary for the King of Hadariah, what exactly do you do?

Well, I should like to start by saying that there are, in fact, two kings in Hadariah: the one I serve, and Asmodeus, the king of the dybbuks. I suppose there are those in your world who would call dybbuks “demons”.

For my king, I give him counsel, I care for him, run errands for him, and I am a form of messenger. I have been with him for a very long time. I was actually his tutor when he was a young prince.

How is it being in a role of such importance when you are a fox, and the royal family is made up of humans?

I am quite fortunate that they see me no differently than they see each other. I am treated with the utmost respect and care. Yet my species can be a boon to me in other situations…

How so?

There are others in the kingdom who tend to view myself, and others like me as merely “animals”. Around them I can travel almost invisibly and hear many interesting tidbits of information I can take back to my king and queen. It has come in handy in the past.

Tell me about your role in The Strings of the Violin.

In this story, Asmodeus has stolen the strings of a magical violin whose music gives life to my world. My king has sent me to your world to find someone to come back to Hadariah with me in order to face Asmodeus and retrieve them.

And you found Carrie, Lindsay, and Rebecca.

I did.

Tell me what you thought about them.

They were like no humans I had ever met before! Living in the castle, surrounded by nobility, I had never before encountered young women who liked to tease each other so relentlessly, or dress in breeches, or act so adventurously. To be honest, I quite liked them. They reminded me a bit of the young foxes I knew as a pup. Their energy and enthusiasm were quite infectious. It made me feel almost young again.

How old are you?

That is a very personal question. Suffice it to say, I knew the king as a child. He is now an adult. Animals like myself age significantly slower than those without magical abilities.

Fair enough. I would like to thank you for your time today. I know you have a lot to do.

I am indeed a busy fox. Thank you as well.

The Strings of the Violin

Hadariah Chronicles

Book One
Alisse Lee Goldenberg

Genre: YA Fantasy

Publisher: Prizm Books

Date of Publication: June 26, 2013

ISBN: 1610404947

Number of pages: 212

Word Count: 55,000

Cover Artist: Brandon Clay

Amazon Paperback Prizm Books

Book Description:

Seventeen-year-old Carrie is lying in her backyard ignoring all the looming responsibilities in her life, when a fox makes a mad dash across the grass in front of her. After she manages to keep her dog from attacking the frightened animal, the fox turns to Carrie and seems to bow in gratitude before he disappears into the bushes. All Carrie knows in that moment is that something has unexpectedly changed in her life.

Carrie has been best friends with Lindsay Smith and Rebecca Campbell for years. During a summer when they should focus on choosing colleges, the girls suddenly find themselves swept away on the adventure of their lives.

The fox reappears three days later and reveals to Carrie that he is Adom, emissary to the king of Hadariah. With his land of music and magic in peril, Adom has been sent to seek help from Carrie and her friends. In the blink of an eye, the three teenage girls go from living an average suburban life to being the champions of a world where they must contend with giants, witches, and magical beings. Will they ever make it home once more?

Prologue

The queen stood in front of her window and pulled back the curtain. She kept her eyes closed and for a long while just stood there, listening in vain. There was no sound other than her own breathing and the thumping of her heartbeat. Her long silver hair hung loosely down her back; the gold circlet around her head gleamed dully in the murky light. She had clothed herself in black, as if she were in mourning. She supposed, in a way, she was. She reluctantly opened her eyes and surveyed her kingdom from the tower window. A tear slowly made its way down her cheek.

She looked out at the night sky and sighed. The stars looked dimmer than ever before. She felt the world around her succumbing to absolute silence. Its very existence was crumbling into complete nothingness, and that fact brought her to a despair that threatened her very soul. The surrounding darkness seemed to her to be a living, breathing entity almost sensing her hopelessness, wrapping itself around her like a funeral shroud.

She felt her husband walk up behind her yet did not react when he brought his arms around her in a protective embrace. He rested his head upon her shoulder and held her close, as if he were trying to give her hope through human contact.

“Soon there will be nothing left.” Her voice sounded hollow to her own ears. She was heartbroken, knowing that all she had tried to achieve to help her people had been for naught. “All our people, our world, our very existence -- gone. I feel I must do something yet know not what that may be. I am helpless.”

“Do not despair. Even in these dark times, there must always be hope.” He seemed as if he were triying to sound as if he himself believed these words, yet he clearly did not feel any truth in them. “So long as I breathe, know I am at your side. We must stay strong, my love.”

His gaze followed hers, surveying the land. The darkness was oppressive, threatening to swallow all it touched. Once, he and his beloved had ruled these lands. They had gazed out of that very window with light hearts, filled with joy and love. They had heard music, a steady pulse, thrumming with life, filling them and their subjects with happiness. Now they heard only a silence that mocked them with its very existence, looking to devour all they held dear. The king unconsciously tightened his hold on his wife.

“What hope can we find?” she asked her husband. “Our land is dying. All is being swallowed by darkness. The sun has not given us its light in days. The night sky is absent of all stars. Soon all will be gone, and we shall follow.”

The king could hear her breathing. Her breath came laboriously, as if she were trying hard not to cry.

“I have sent someone to find us help. I will not give up hope, my beloved. We must not give up.” He lifted his head off her shoulder. She turned to gaze into his shining, gray eyes.

“As long as you cling to hope, I will as well,” she vowed. “I will not give up.” She only hoped she would have the strength to keep her word. She turned back to gaze upon the ruined land and fervently hoped that the help would come -- and come in time to save them all.

About the Author:

Alisse Lee Goldenberg is an author of Horror and Young Adult fantasy fiction. She has her Bachelors of Education and a Fine Arts degree, and has studied fantasy and folk lore since she was a child. Alisse lives in Toronto with her husband Brian, their triplets Joseph, Phillip, and Hailey, and their rambunctious Goldendoodle Sebastian.

www.alisseleegoldenberg.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alisse-Lee-Goldenberg/254397934598975

@AliLGoldenberg