February Character Interview
Patricia Parrington ~ February 1, 2025
Hello my lovely readers and fellow book-lovers! For those of you who are new here, I, your orange-loving host Patricia Parrington, have the pleasure of interviewing characters from books all over the world.
Today we have here with us Kathryn Moncur from the adult paranormal romance book Promises Delivered by Terri Stern. Terri is a dark romance writer based in Scotland. Outside of writing she loves walking with her dog, Darling, and traveling.
Meet Kat
Welcome to Fable Features!
[Patricia and her guest sit on a matching pair of orange suede couches. Patricia pats the arm of the couch.]
You know, I thought about changing up the color and furniture and whatnot for the new year, but I’m just too attached. Do you have anything that is just too sentimental to give up or change?
[Kat pats her couch arm, giving a firm nod.]
I say keep them, a bit of something bright keeps things feeling fresh! In terms of things too sentimental to change, I think that would be Page Turner, my little shop. I don’t technically need to keep the business, but I spent years building it up and I just love the routine I have with my little town of Avon-on-Lee. I can’t imagine giving it up.
That’s so cool you own a shop! I’m going to guess that Page Turner is a bookshop. Am I right? And what drove you to run the shop originally?
[Patricia leans forward, curious.]
You’re absolutely right, she’s the best little bookshop in Avon-on-Lee. And maybe the only one, but that’s beside the point!
[Kat laughs.]
I opened Page Turner after my mother passed away. I’d worked all sorts of jobs when she was ill, and I was left with some life insurance funds after she passed. I wanted to do something that would be fun and interesting but could be stable in a way I hadn’t had since we left the pack, and then since she got ill. It was probably incredibly foolhardy, but she’s still going, so I feel pretty good about it.
I have to say, I’m a little jealous. When I was little, I really wanted to open up my own bookstore.
So you mentioned leaving your pack. Where are you from?
I grew up with the Weir Pack in their hamlet in Minnesota, then when my family moved away we bounced around a lot until I settled in Avon-on-Lee.
Very nice. I’ve moved a bunch when I was younger as well.
What’s the weirdest thing a guest has done at your house?
[Kat gives a strangled laugh, patting her chest.]
Well, there was a guy who tried to stab me, but I don’t think he was really a guest given he broke in.
[She hums, scrunching her mouth up.]
Maybe when my upstairs neighbor at the shop dropped one of her parrots with me to look after while she was away. She has a whole gaggle of them, she loves those birds to bits, but CoCo is a very social creature even for a parrot and she knew me already, so my neighbor thought it would be better to leave her with me rather than in the kennel the others were staying in. I can still hear the squawking sometimes.
[Patricia laughs.]
Well that’s certainly a strange guest. I hope CoCo didn’t give you too much trouble!
And let’s back up a bit—someone broke into your house? And tried to stab you??
[Patricia’s green eyes widen with alarm.]
Are you okay? Why did they attack you?
[Kat laughs.]
Well, they weren’t very good at it, I got a slice rather than a stab.
[She traces a short line along her sternum.]
I was fine, if a little shaken up. I have this really neat trick where if I’m terrified I get blue fire on my hands, which that nasty little man got very acquainted with when I whacked him. And then he left, Seb, my betrothed at the time, patched me up. It was so sweet to find out he’d learned first aid, even if not the best way to get a demonstration.
It was a very badly thought-out attack too, it was meant to scare me off, but it just made me go and live with Seb because clearly the attacker knew my home address so why would I stay there?
[Patricia shakes her head.]
That sounds terrifying. I’m glad the attack went poorly and you had that blue fire to defend yourself.
Moving away from topics of attackers and being stabbed, what’s a lie you’ve had to combat?
[Kat lets out another strangled laugh.]
Oh boy, big question. I had to deal with a lot of misconceptions about why my family left the pack after my father died. I don’t know if I would call it a lie exactly, my mother never pretended we left for any reason other than fear, but there was a lot of confusion around what happened to my dad. Or, well, who. A werewolf is what happened, but which one.
Oh no! Did your dad get killed by a werewolf?
He did. My dad was the magic user for the pack—we’re not wolves ourselves—and that was meant to mean he was protected, but . . .
[Kat trails off. She gives a sad little smile.]
We left because no one knew who had done it, or they wouldn’t say, and my mother couldn’t trust that. I found out who did it eventually, and we got justice, but it was a heavy thing for a long while.
I’m sorry you had to go through that. It’s hard enough losing a parent—even worse not having justice for their murder. Why don’t we shelve the heavy topics for a sec and go to something a bit more fun?
If you could combine traits of two animals into one, what animals would you choose?
Oh I love this question! What a fun thing to imagine as a witch. I know exactly what my answer is too! You think about these things when you grow up around werewolves, you know? So, I would love to combine a rabbit or hare and an owl. There’s a myth in Germany about these things called Wolpertingers
[Kat mimes air quotes around the name.]
I’m probably saying it totally wrong, but they’re meant to be small mammals with antlers and wings and fangs, and they look like they’d absolutely be something you saw chasing a yeti or something. I don’t think I could handle fangs and antlers as well as the rest, but a rabbit with like, barn owl wings at its shoulders sounds so cute. I could so have one as a pet.
That does sound adorable. And I would totally get one as a pet too if they existed!
What’s a line you would never cross?
I don’t think I could hurt a child, honestly. I can’t stand people who are mean to children on purpose or make them feel scared. I kicked one guy so hard between his legs he about bowled over because he was mean to one of the girls in the pack.
Wow! Way to go, honestly. I’m glad you stood up for her.
On a more lighthearted topic, what place would you like to visit someday?
[Kat smiles, sitting back in her seat.]
I’d love to travel all over, there’s so many lovely places. If I had to pick one over all of them, I think Venice, I’d love to see the carnival there. I’d have to take my husband Seb too, though, I’m dragging him around everything.
[Patricia smiles and nods.]
Venice would be a lovely place to visit. I’ve never been, but my sister has and showed me pictures!
Well, we are almost out of time, but I think I can squeeze in one last question: If you could accomplish one great thing in your life, and money or time or other things weren’t an obstacle, what would that be?
Oh my gosh, what a question.
[Kat puts a hand up to her mouth, half covering it while she thinks.]
Probably I’d like to do something like make sure everyone had access to food when they need it. Things were very lean for me and my mother after my dad died, and she always made sure I was taken care of, but I’d like to make that easier for other people.
That would be amazing. Many people would be very grateful if that were to come to fruition.
[Patricia stands.]
Thank you so much for coming out today, Kat! I hope the best for you and your bookshop.
[Kat goes in for a hug, grinning.]
Thank you so much for having me, I had a blast!
Oh good! I’m so glad.
[Patricia smiles and hugs her back.]
End of interview.
Want to Read More?
Kat’s author, Terri Stern, can be found on X/Twitter and on her website, www.terristernwrites.com. Promises Delivered can be bought here.
See Ya Next Time
Aaand that's all the time we have today. Thank you, readers, for coming. And thank you, Kat, for letting us get to know you! See y'all next time.
If you would like to submit a character to be interviewed for a future issue of Fable Features, please send an email to linnae.writer@gmail.com with the subject line: Fable Features.
Please note that erotica and content with excessive vulgar language will not be accepted.
If you have questions you'd like Patricia Parrington to ask in a future interview, please submit them to linnae.writer@gmail.com with the subject line: Interview Questions.
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