Character Interview: The Pale Rider

He's heeere!

From Death, with love.

1) So, Death...are you invincible or can you be killed like the other Riders?

I’m tempted to say, “That would be telling.” [GRINS] I can die, all right. But not like the other Riders.

2) Were you ever human?

Nope. But I’ve been fascinated by humans for a long, long time. You do such marvelous things. I mean, Twinkies. Seriously. God would never have thought of creating Twinkies. I love you people!

3) Do you have any memorable moments while collecting a soul or whatever it is you actually do?

Why would I collect souls? Would I put them in jars? Or cages? Maybe frame them? Much easier collecting coins. I have a preference for pennies.

4) Why did you choose Lisabeth to be Famine? Why her?

Why not her?

5) Have you ever been able to help anyone in your line of work, like Lisa learned to do as Famine?

Me? I don’t do anything of the sort. People do it all themselves. That’s the cool part: it’s all them. I may be a catalyst, but they do all the work. And it is work, no lie. If things were easy for them, they’d make lousy Horsemen.

6) Why did you let Lisa go back to being human? Don't you need a Black Rider to be complete as the Four Horsemen?

Let? I didn’t let her do anything. The choice was hers. Choice is the thing that sets people apart from other creatures. She chose to live, and so she gave up the mantle of the Black Rider. Granted, that gave me more work to do; it’s not like I have a mound of resumes to sort through, I sort of have to be proactive about filling a Horseman spot. But then, some things are worth it. Lisa wanted to live. That’s worth it.

7) Random, but...Being that you like to sing (with voices that aren't actually yours), what's your favorite song? What about a song that best describes you?

Hey, I love random. Life is random. Going with my current phase, my favorite song is “Jesus Don’t Want Me For A Sunbeam.” Best describes me? “Come As You Are.”

8) Have you ever been in love? Is that even possible because you are, you know, Death...?

Ah, love. [SMILES] Love drives us to do the most unreasonable of things. Yes, I’ve been in love. Still am. Love has consequences, you know. Which explains country music.

9) Why take on the appearance of a rockstar? Is there a reason or was it just a random decision?

If I may get in touch with my inner Marshall McLuhan, The medium is the message. There’s a reason. (My Author didn’t think of it until after she picked it for me, but shhh. Don’t tell her that.)

10) Can you tell us a little bit more about Missy, the next War or Red Rider of the Four Horsemen, and what you know about her?

Oh, Melissa. Oh, that girl. She’s much stronger than she believes, and I’m not just talking about her trying to stop cutting herself. I know everything about her, but hey, that’s part of what I do. [GRINS] She’s got this passion that transcends words, and she has trouble recognizing it for what it is. But it’s there. It’s amazing. Like her. [LAUGHS] I can’t help it if I have a type.

Be sure to pick up a copy of Hunger as well as look out for Rage coming in spring of this year!

Thank you, Jackie! And thanks Death for stopping by the blog!
So, what did you think of the interview?

Author Info: Jackie Morse Kessler grew up in Brooklyn, NY, with a cranky cat and overflowing shelves filled with dolls and books. Now she’s in Upstate NY with another cranky cat, a loving husband, two sons, and overflowing shelves filled with dragons and books (except when her sons steal her dragons). She has a bachelor’s degree in English and American Literature, and yet she’s never read any Jane Austen (with or without zombies). She also has a master’s degree in media ecology. (The living study of technology and culture. Which is cool, but she still can’t figure out how to use Tweetdeck.) Read on»»

Thanks for reading!

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Coming up is my review for Unearthly by Cynthia Hand!