November Character Interview
Patricia Parrington ~ November 23, 2024
Hello my lovely readers and fellow book-lovers! For those of you who are new here, I, your fabulous host, Patricia Parrington, have the pleasure of interviewing characters from books all over the world.
Today we have here with us Poppy Morton from The Poisoned Clergyman, book 2 in the Perfect Poison Murders series by E.L. Johnson. E.L. Johnson is an ex-pat from Boston, now living the dream in the UK. Johnson writes historical mysteries, fantasy, and paranormal tales.
Meet Poppy
[Patricia and her guest settle onto a matching pair of orange suede couches.]
Welcome to Fable Features!
Hello. How do you do?
[Poppy curtsies]
[Patricia pats the arm of her couch.]
You know, I’ve had these couches for quite a while. Do you have any treasured possessions?
[Poppy brushes a tangle of mousy brown hair out of her eyes.]
I do! As it’s 1806, and I’m only nineteen, I live in Hertfordshire, in England. I live with my aunt and uncle, who is a clergyman, and in my room I have a writing desk, some books, and a cross from my uncle.
Oh, I love books. Do you have a favorite?
Well my uncle prefers to read to us from Fordyce’s sermons after dinner, but that usually puts me to sleep. I actually love gothic horror and am hoping to pick up a copy of Mrs. Ann Radcliffe’s The Mysteries of Udolpho, which came out a few years ago but is apparently quite exciting.
That does sound exciting!
You’ve mentioned a few family members so far. Do you have any close friends? What are they like?
I used to, but I only recently found out that they weren’t really friends at all. I’m constantly on the hunt for new friends, as I think everyone could use a real solid friend to talk to.
I’m so sorry they didn’t turn out to be good friends. That’s an amazing perspective to have! And I agree—everyone needs a solid friend to talk to.
How do your friends—or people in general—describe you?
I’m quite tall, with mousy brown hair and fair skin. I talk a lot, and I like walking. I spend time out in the garden, feeding our chickens or running errands in town.
I talk a lot, too. My sister says I ended up in the perfect job for that.
[Patricia gestures at the interview studio and laughs.]
Do you have any hobbies? Or a hobby you wish you had time for?
I like to write letters and take long walks in the countryside, but I also enjoy horseback rides. A few months ago I was accused of murder, and the young man who was investigating, Constable Henry Dyngley, believed in my innocence. He took me on a midnight ride by horseback to view a body, and we found evidence of murder. It was wild and exciting, although looking at a dead body wasn’t my cup of tea.
I like detecting and investigating things. If someone is acting a bit differently, or doesn’t seem how they should, that piques my curiosity. Take our visitor, Mr. Ingleby. He’s taken over our parish briefly whilst my uncle was called away to tend to a sick relative. But . . . he doesn’t strike me like an ordinary clergyman. He’s a little bit rude, and he’s managed to offend my Aunt Rachel in the first five minutes of meeting her, which is a feat. Something tells me he’s not what he says he is . . .
Hmm, yeah, that does sound suspicious.
[Patricia taps her chin, frowning.]
Let’s go back to what you said just a minute ago—you said you were accused of murder? How did that happen? How did you feel in that moment?
Well . . . it’s a long story. But at the time, I was madly in love with my old friend, Thomas. I knew he fancied my good friend Mary but didn’t know how close they really were. One afternoon he told me he planned to propose marriage to her, and it broke my heart.
He planned to ask her that very night at the public assembly rooms in town, where all us young people go to dance and generally have a good time. But when I got there, she told me a secret—she didn’t want to marry him. But she didn’t want to hurt his feelings directly, so she wanted me to give him her answer.
I couldn’t stand that. To have to tell the young man I loved that my best female friend didn’t want to marry him? It was too much for me. Mary and I got into an argument. That led to a fight in front of everyone and the breaking of a window . . . it didn’t end well. The next day Mary was missing, and everyone in town thought I’d had something to do with her disappearance. They were even calling it murder.
Oh wow. That’s such an awful position to be in! I wouldn’t have wanted to be a messenger either. And that’s so unfortunate that the suspicion landed on you because of it.
Since we’ve talked about unfair and scary situations, let me ask this next question: What makes you feel safe?
Being at home up in my room where it’s warm and dry during a storm, or sitting before the fire with a good book, reading by candlelight. Or anywhere with Constable Dyngley. If he’s around, I know I’ll be safe.
[Patricia leans forward with interest.]
Constable Dyngley, hm? Is he perhaps around your age?
Yes, I think so. I’m in my late teens, and he’s a bit older, I think. He’s very dashing and smart. I’d guess he’s in his twenties.
Dashing, smart, and makes you feel safe? Better keep him around then.
[Patricia grins.]
What’s the weirdest smell you have ever smelled?
The smell of a dead body. I never want to smell that again, and yet I’ll never forget it. When Constable Dyngley took me on the midnight ride to view the murder victim, we visited a place at the edge of town and the smell was putrid. Never again!
[Patricia wrinkles her nose in distaste.]
I don’t blame you. I wouldn’t want to voluntarily smell a dead body either.
When was a time you surprised yourself?
I surprised myself when I stood up for myself. When I was accused of murder, the day after my former best friend and I had fought in public, everyone in town thought I’d done the crime, when I was innocent. The challenge was to convince other people. But I’m kind of . . . poor. I don’t have a lot of money, my parents are dead, and I have no real social connections to stand up for me. But standing up for myself when no one else would, aside from my aunt and uncle, it was eye-opening. I realized that I would need to prove my innocence, and that’s when the constable came into my life.
That is a hard thing to do, standing up for yourself when it seems like the whole world is against you. I really admire that.
Thank you!
[Patricia glances at her wrist.]
It seems that we are almost out of time, so here is our final question: What advice would you give your younger self?
Don’t give up. If you know you’re right, and need to right a wrong, don’t stop just because things are hard. If I can prove that I’m innocent of murder to an entire town who didn’t believe me, you can do anything if you put your mind to it.
That is great advice.
[Patricia stands up.]
Thank you for sharing about yourself, Poppy! It was very wonderful and inspiring getting to know you.
Thank you, Patricia. It was lovely to chat with you.
[Poppy curtsies]
End of interview.
Want to Read More?
Poppy’s author, E.L. Johnson, can be found on X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Goodreads, and Bookbub. The book Poppy appears in, The Poisoned Clergyman, can be bought here. The book that precedes it, The Strangled Servant, can be bought here.
author E.L. Johnson
See Ya Next Time
Aaand that's all the time we have today. Thank you, readers, for coming. And thank you, Poppy, 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 linnaekconkel@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 linnaekconkel@gmail.com with the subject line: Interview Questions.
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