Share Your World: Interview with Maxinia

A couple weeks ago I interviewed Hera as part of the Share Your World blog event. I had so much fun with it and think it’s such a great way to give my wonderful readers an inside scoop on the characters in my upcoming novel The Trials of Hercules, that each week until the book’s launch date (18 Oct 2014, in case you’ve forgotten) I’m going to interview a character from the book.

Many thanks to Cee Neuner of Cee’s Photography for the inspiring Share Your World interview questions!

This week I’m interviewing Maxinia. She’s a Herene (a priestess of Hera) who happens to be a bit on the tall side. Some think she may be half-giant, but no one has bothered to ask. Although she’s very dedicated to her work of balancing the books for the nearly empty treasury of Portaceae and seems to be a no-nonsense kind of gal, she has her mischievous side.

Now, on with the interview:

Question: If you were the architect of one existing building, which building would you select?

Maxinia: So many great buildings turned to ruins after The Disaster, but in the six hundred years since, Osteria has seen a strong rebound in architecture. It’s a wrenching choice for me. I do love the office space/library where I do most of my work in the House of Hera – one has to love those high ceilings – but if forced to choose I would have to say the Temple of Hera that sits outside the city walls of Portaceae. Certainly, it is beautiful sitting high up on its steps and a lovely building with all those columns, but secretly, I think I love it because that enormous statue of Hera inside is one of the rare things in the world that makes me feel small.

Question: What is one of your favorite quotes?

M: It’s not so much a quote, but what is written on a sign above the door of Portaceae’s brothel. It states: Hera is watching. One can’t help but laugh at the thought of Hera as the voyeur of all the comings and goings in there.

Question: What color do you feel most comfortable wearing?

M: Gosh, I’ve been a Herene so long, I can’t imagine wearing anything but white. I do have to say I hated the brown robes I had to wear as a novice – I felt like a giant walking poo. Still, some color would be nice now and then – hardly fair the sacred peacocks we care for get to be so splashy – perhaps a blue scarf now and then would feel quite decadent without being too over the top.

Question: What is something you learned in the last week?

M: Sore subject, but since you asked. It appears our leader, Eury, has not been reporting all income to the treasury, while at the same time fibbing about his use of funds. As with all other official documents, the Herenes keep tabs on the accounts. That new silk and gold dress his wife was wearing this week was apparently listed as a purchase of canvas for ships’ sails, and a new piece of statuary for his gaudy villa was reported as stones to shore up Portaceae’s City’s walls – which desperately needs done after the most recent earthquakes. We’ve a hard enough time making ends meet in Portaceae without his extravagances. Something needs to be done to rein him in, but Hera seems to simply ignore his failures. One does think the situation has to come to a breaking point soon.

Question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

M: Love to delve into that, but I really must get back to my books. Numbers to crunch and all that.

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TAMMIE PAINTER IS THE AUTHOR OF THE TRIALS OF HERCULES: BOOK ONE OF THE OSTERIA CHRONICLES AND AN ARTIST WHO DEDICATES HERSELF TO THE TEDIUM OF CREATING IMAGES WITH COLORED PENCILS.