13 Questions for Claudio du Fresne

Thursday Thirteen No. 3

I decided to have my own little interview with a vampire, and ask the “bastard hero” of my book, The Maestro’s Butterfly, a few little things about what it’s like to be him. Claudio is a character I have known for many years. I started writing him nearly a decade ago, and he has been both a pleasure and a pain. But those two things often show up together, don't they?

At this point, I think I may continue to conduct character interviews for my TTs, so if you know any characters who would like to be interviewed, or at least tolerate it, send them my way. And as for getting to know me through TT...pay special attention to the questions I ask, and there you will find your answers...

Or something like that. ;)

1. Tell our readers a little bit about yourself.

There is no need to send this to me in an email, cherie. I can hear your thoughts perfectly. This is like a telephone conversation between character and author, no? I am more than a simple character on a page. I will enter their minds, their dreams. I will be with them in the small hours of the night. It will be very romantic, yes? They will want me like they have wanted no other.

2. I was actually talking about more concrete details. Like where you were born and what you do for a living.

I am a classical musician born in Paris in 1744. I am a Scorpio. Does this help? I had a life as a noble before the French Revolution, but of course, politics often changes even the small lives of men. For the purposes of The Maestro's Butterfly, I am the leader of a chamber quartet called Sanguis Nocturnus. The Latin is sexy and forbidding, no? I am a virtuoso in many things, most notably the violin, the piano and the seduction of women. These things, I am very good at. I would challenge any reader to put that theory to the test. Come into my world and see if you can resist my charms.

3. How are you different from other vampires? I'm speaking of the vampires you see in other fictions like the Ricean works and most recently the television show True Blood.

I think perhaps you are speaking of biology. I remember my biology excited you a great deal when we were working together during late nights. Yes, we do not kill for food. Evolution has led us on a different path than the other vampires. We take very little blood, compared to vampires in other fictions. Perhaps a pint from one person, perhaps slightly more. We are very efficient. The bite and the sex between a vampire and his "feeder," as the community at large calls them, keeps the food source close to the vampire. Of course, there are, how do you say...fringe benefits...for the feeder. When you belong to a vampire, the aging process is slowed. I have a woman who is in her sixties, I believe, who looks like a thirty-five year old. It helps them heal their injuries quickly. And vampire sex is better than any sex you will ever experience, especially if I am the vampire.

4. You say the community calls them "feeders." What do you call them?

They are my pets, cherie. You know this.

5. Ravenous Romance, where The Maestro's Butterfly is being sold, is marketing you under Wicked Pleasures, which is the kinky section. Care to comment on that?

What can I say? I am French. The best pleasures in life are the wicked ones, my dear. Perhaps you have forgotten my talents. But it is no matter. I enjoy this feeling of power over a woman in my arms, to feel her tremble against me because she knows I will do everything I want. I will bring out her darkest desires and make her submit to them, and to me. I will put her over my knee and deliver a spanking she will not soon forget. Perhaps because she has displeased me, perhaps for my own pleasure. I enjoy this very much. If I am very displeased, I may be harsher still. This knowledge, that they may be punished ╨ truly punished, it is not a game with me when it comes to this ╨ it excites them on a very deep level. It lets them know I am not a man to be trifled with. To some, this is the strongest aphrodisiac.

6. Which leads me to my next question. In the book, we see you start a relationship with a potential new feeder, Miranda O'Connell. How did you know she was right for that kind of life? I'm sure being essentially owned by a vampire and subject to whatever crosses his (or her) mind isn't for everyone.

No, of course not. It is the first rule of seduction, to choose your target with care. Choose someone who wants to be taken. They are all different, of course. In Miranda's case, I became interested in her musically and decided to test her to see if she would perhaps like to be guided by someone like me. There are ways to discover if someone would make a good slave for vampires. Give them little commands to see their reactions. Admonish them for a mistake one moment and praise them the next. Mention punishment games in passing to see their response. By the time I have her in my car, which is on Page 1 of The Maestro's Butterfly, her fate was sealed. I knew exactly what kind of woman she was, that she would be a perfect addition to my family. Of course, for her, there was still the internal struggle.

7. Will you tell our readers about your family?

But of course. My musicians and I live and work together at my estate in the South, with several of my pets. I like to keep at least two feeders per vampire at the estate. At the time of The Maestro's Butterfly, there is my cellist, the beautiful Chloe de la Roche, whom I have known a very long time. We have never married, but if I would marry at this time in my life, she would be the one. She is the wife of my soul, my mate, my confidante. The second violinist is Adam Washington, who was in his twenties when I was in New Orleans in the 1940s. At that time, it was very difficult to be a black musician in the American South. I did not like to see such a brilliant musician like this, and I knew we would work well together. He accepted my offer to be a vampire. Unfortunately, we have always had disagreements about the necessity for vampires to keep slaves. But Adam is a strong, masterful man, and I have great respect for him. Seth, who prefers to have no last name, is younger still. In The Maestro's Butterfly he is perhaps in his thirties. I found him downtown in a terrible rock band. I liked how his fingers moved on the guitar and decided to make him a vampire and teach him viola instead. He was not happy when his tattoos disappeared. And today? He still thinks he is a rock star.

8. What about Miranda?

In The Maestro's Butterfly, Miranda is unsure of her own dark desires. She fights them, but it is no use. The desire wins, or the person must spend her life in a constant battle. She is never free until she gives in to temptation. It is my job to guide them in this acceptance. In the beginning, there may be tears and anger. In the end, perhaps, peace.

9. Your brother Victoire also has a role to play in The Maestro's Butterfly. Can you tell everyone a little about him?

Yes, my younger brother, Victoire du Fresne, who has decided long ago no longer to be French. He calls himself Jack, and has lost his beautiful French way of speaking and now sounds like an American. Forgive me. I have loved your country for a very long time, but I will always be French in my very soul. But Victoire is different from me, even though we are the same in many ways. He is also a performer. A magician, playwright, singer, actor. He has done everything. It is perhaps my fault. Many years ago, we were magicians together and there was a splitting of ways. I like to have a home, but he is a vagabond.

10. How are you and Victoire similar ╨ besides that...um...strong du Fresne nose? ;)

Yes, the nose. The large nose may be a sign of many other large things. I think you will find mine is slightly larger. I am, of course, the more handsome, but he is not far behind. The women seem to enjoy him. If you have read the book, then you understand how we are similar. It would be easier to talk about the ways we are different, which they will see in the next book.

11. You're very close to him, aren't you, aside from certain disagreements?

My family is very important to me. I do not abandon them, even when they behave ridiculously.

12. What about traditional vampire things like sleeping in coffins and staying out of sunlight?

It is complete nonsense. We may go in the sun as often as we like. More often than regular humans because we heal from sunburn more quickly. We sleep in beds, like everyone else, although I prefer a windowless bedroom. But it is merely my preference. If you buy The Maestro's Butterfly, you will see it for yourself. And perhaps you will enjoy to stay, yes?

13. Do you miss being human?

We vampires are as human as anyone else. Though our bodies change, we are still living, breathing human beings, with the same questions and desires, the same longings as anyone else. There is always something to be missed from the lives we leave behind. But we must embrace this time, now, and enjoy this chapter of our lives. There are always lovers to be kissed, no?

Thank you, Claudio, for a wonderful interview. Now, go! Charm our readers!

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