Characters in Love: Maria from Mind of the Machine

Welcome to Unwritten's 

February Blog Series

 Characters in Love! 

Each day will feature a different fictional character from various books and genres, and a personal interview about their love lives. It's sure to be enlightening, and if you find yourself dying to know more about them, pick up a copy of the the book! 

Today we welcome Maria from Mind of the Machine:

1. Please tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Maria and I’m a conscript in the 27^th Nest Exterior Patrol Squad, located near the old site of Las Vegas NV. My daily duties mostly consist of making sure that nothing which could threaten the Nest or the Queen gets close enough to do so.  Being so close to the site of the Battle of Henderson, we often find

unexploded ordinance as well as occasional pieces of Machine tech, so my job is vital to the security of the Nest.

J-Lo as inspiration for Maria

2. How/where did you first meet your love interest?

I first met … ok… I first *saw* Roy slumped over the steering wheel of what is called a “car”. A “car” is a piece of Machine tech that was used for transport before and during the Battle of Henderson. As tech objects, they are of course, banned, so I was surprised to see a) a complete one and b) one that was occupied. I didn’t really *meet* Roy until I woke him up to find out why a Drone would be outside the Nest in banned tech.

3. Was it love (or attraction) at first sight?

Well, Roy is a sex Drone, so what do you think? {wink} Six feet five inches of lean, grey eyed, black haired awesome.

4. When did you know for certain that you were in love?

I remember the exact moment that I knew I was heading that way, that’s for sure. I had hidden him away because he was uncollared, unlicensed, and obviously extremely illegal and I wanted time to formulate a plan for getting rid of him. I was talking to a good friend, and I said, “I don’t know what I’m going to do with it”. Roy interjects, very matter of fact, “It prefers the pronoun ‘he’. I’m a DRONE, not a DROID. I am human, you know.” Well, I have to admit, I hadn’t known. How would I? Like I’ve ever seen one before!

5. Have you done anything to compromise your love (or vice versa)?

No, never.

6. Has anyone ever come between you?

If you consider having to run for our lives from the Queen coming between us …

Ian Somerholder as inspiration for Roy

7. If you could take your lover on the perfect date, where would that be?

I wish I could take him to Henderson before the War, meet him again in a time when men and women were actually part of the same society.

8. Is there anything your lover does that completely annoys you?

He takes completely ridiculous risks. I have tried to explain to him over and over that there is never going to be a reconciliation between the Nest and the Machine, but he just won’t listen.

9. What's the biggest challenge you've faced together as a couple?

I have to admit, when I found out that he wasn’t some random wilder Drone but was actually the person who had led the Machine army at the Battle of Henderson and had a big personal hand in the destruction of the old Las Vegas Nest… well, that wasn’t easy, shall we say. And then the whole thing with the “car” isn’t really a transport device but is an extension of the Drone and keeps him alive… it was a lot to take in, it really was. I… I kind of just don’t think about it.

10. Is there a happily ever after in store for you?

Assuming we live through it, I don’t see why not!

Maria and Roy are stars of the novel-in-progress, 'Mind of the Machine' by Judi Chesley, hopefully coming to bookstores in the near future! You can follow Judi on Twitter @FulltimeJC