Interview with March Morgan Aguillard from Life for Sale

 In my sci-fi romance, Life for Sale, the heroine is March Morgan, who has now married Christian Aguillard, a sentient, entirely human-like android capable of emotions, up to and including love. In fact Christian was programmed to love March when she signed on the dotted line, paying an exorbitant price for him. But she couldn't resist once she'd met him. Would you agree he's worth it?

March, shall we begin?

What is your greatest temptation?

            In men:           Tall, blonde, blue eyes. I prefer long hair. The man must have a sense of humor and be intelligent. Charming and handsome are big bonuses. (she laughs) I’ve just described Christian. I should have asked him to come along. If you passed him on the street, you’d take a look but not because he’s an android. Because he’s a hunk.

            In food:          I’m particularly fond of seafood but won’t turn down a nice steak prepared Pittsburg style (charred on the outside; rare inside).

            In clothes:       Tadashi Shoji, but I usually can’t afford him unless I find a dress on eBay. So, I settle for pretty business suits to wear to work.

 

What is your greatest weakness (example: buying shoes)? Other than Christian? I’d have to say Shoji’s fashions though I wouldn’t rule out shoes.

 

If you could have any kind of car, what would it be?       Red 1964 Jaguar XKE

 

Your dream home - mountains or ocean? Ocean. I love to watch the waves and listen to them whispering to me. Christian and I live by Galveston Bay, and I absolutely love it. When a storm grumbles and the sea is restless, the view is exquisite. So, inspiring I want to paint. Good thought, poor resolution—I can’t even draw a straight line.

 

What is your favorite book?   Silver Metal Lover by Tanith Lee. It’s a coming of age story about a rich, young woman and a completely human-like android. I loved that book long before I met Christian. I adore Tanith Lee’s writing style. Have you ever read Dark Dance? It’s a paranormal. I’d highly recommend the Silver Metal Lover series and Dark Dance.

 

If your life were made into a movie, what actress would you want to play you and who for Christian?  For me, Marilyn Monroe, but, unfortunately, I look nothing like her. For Christian, definitely Travis Fimmel (pre-Viking days. Like this photo but imagine him a year or two older. Even now, I swoon over the half-dressed photo, do you? Hint: Christian looks just as good half-naked…or without a stitch on. (She smiles)

If you were given the opportunity to spend a day with any person, living or dead, who would it be?  Queen Victoria. She was such a power unto herself. She might have been petite like me, but she ruled Britain with the iron fist in the velvet glove. After his death, she mourned her Albert for the rest of her life. That is the kind of love I dreamed of but could never find until, a tiny ad in a woman’s magazine advertising Love for Sale. With great trepidation, I followed my heart and he was waiting at the end of my journey. I saw him and the emptiness inside disappeared. I had to have him. I cleaned out my 401K to buy him, you understand, but despite the danger we now face, I don’t regret signing on that dotted line or one penny spent.

 Do you have a hobby?   I read quite a lot. I have been known to crochet a bad hat. I’ve just taken up snorkeling in preparation for our cruise from the Turks and Caicos. We heard that the snorkeling was fantastic at Smith’s Reef on the largest of the 40 islands (called Provid by locals) that make up the T&C. Christian won’t have any problem managing the fins, but there’s a short circuit somewhere between my brain and my feet.

 How do you maintain an android?  Believe it or not, they come with operating instructions and a maintenance guide as well as guidelines on how to deactivate your android, heaven forbid. Each has a kill switch hidden in different places on the body. I feel like that would be murder. Since they are basically built to be immortal, the only real concerns is the liquid to use in tears, for example. There are other fluids that must be replenished, but this is a PG post. The reservoirs, with too much use…can run dry. (she blushes) At that point, you can order said liquids from Mayfair and DIY, or you can return to Mayfair to have it done. Under the circumstances, you can return to Mayfair and let them do it. Ours aren’t normal at all. We and three other Special Editions are on the run from their creator.

 As to the care and feeding of your perfect lover, he or she must go into Sleep Mode somewhere near a power outlet, not necessarily an electrical plug-in but any power source will do, and will come awake refreshed and ready to go. The Special Editions do not have a digestive system and do not eat. Other than these minor lacks, you can’t tell them from human. Immediately, and today, I continue to, think of Christian as human. His brain may be a computer and his heart a central processor, but he is the man I love.

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Life for Sale is Book II in the Tomorrow's Angels series. The first book is Love for Sale. Here's the blurb for the series.

Tomorrow’s Angels: Series Blurb

 Mayfair Electronics has created life.

In Love for Sale, the high-tech electronics company, in black and white, offers “love for sale”. Mayfair has engineered sentient androids indistinguishable from humans. March Morgan flies to England and meets the man she has been searching for her entire life. Christian requires no programming to love March at first sight, but her past and his future soon threaten their happiness—and their lives.

In the sequel, Life for Sale, four of the Special Editions have escaped. Rebel, Christian and  March  are on the run, but they have a bigger problem than his creator's plan to destroy him. They've discovered that one of the renegades has suffered a dangerous malfunction, threatening them with more than just exposure. March and Christian must stop the insane robot before someone else dies. All the evidence points to March being the killer's next victim.

Excerpt of Life for Sale:

March shivered again, rested her face on his chest. “Hold me until I stop trembling.” Tears she didn’t want him to see welled in her eyes. The whole ghastly business had to be hard on a man encoded to protect not harm humans.

Her AI angel stroked her hair, and a sob broke through her control. She squeezed her eyes shut, battling tears.

“Shush, dear. It’s over now,” but he didn’t sound confident. The thing buried in the backyard could tear them apart or worse.  Any slight misstep, and they both faced Death in all his chilling glory.

“I love you,” she whispered.

He brushed a kiss to her lips and pulled her closer.

For some time, they stood. taking comfort from holding each other and simply being, then, hand-in-hand, they walked, when they wanted to run, to the house. Christian had switched on the overhead light in the anteroom. In the brilliance, it was possible to pretend the past few minutes hadn’t occurred. Again the tears threatened, and he held her until she’d regained control. She straightened, gazing into his eyes. Battered emotions stained them darker blue. Mayfair hadn’t missed even that small detail. He cradled her face between his hands and kissed her tenderly, his lips soft and his body close. In a lifetime of searching, she’d never have found anyone like him. If she were to lose him…she couldn’t imagine living without him.

Once, Mayfair had taken him away.  They could do it again—and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it. The golden ring on the third finger of his left hand should protect Christian from Mayfair, but who’d investigate a missing robot, or even believe her in the first place?

With almost religious fervor, she and Christian had adhered to Mayfair’s first commandment. Above all, the company demanded secrecy. The Special Editions passed for human, and no one was ever to know that Mayfair had engendered life, but at any moment Aguillard, the wild card for whom the Christian line was named, might renege on the freedom he’d grudgingly bestowed.

Her cell rang, ending their moment of respite.

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Happy Holidays, everyone! Be happy, be healthy, and have fun.

 Linda