Character interviews: Marcus Antonius via Brook Allen

Today for seven days I'm interviewing potential new recruits for my imaginary company. I've invited several authors to send along some suitable candidates, chosen from among their fictional characters.

The first interviewee is Marcus Antonius, from the Antonius Trilogy, put forward by author Brook Allen:

AW: Firstly, I'd like you, please, by way of introduction, to bring an object for Show and Tell, let us know what the item is and why it is special/important.  

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MA: This is a pugio—to us Romans—a dagger. But this one has a silver hilt and once belonged to one of the noblest of families. The reason I brought this one is because it was the one personal item I confiscated from Marcus Brutus’s corpse after his suicide. This is the very dagger that gave my cousin and commander, Julius Caesar, his final wound as he died on the Senate floor. I thought it appropriate to keep it near me as a reminder of what men are willing to do to others in jealousy and in hunger for power. 

AW: Secondly, I'm going to place four items front of you. Could you please rank them in order of usefulness/value, with a few words about your evaluation?

These items are: a leather-bound notebook, a horse, a bag of coins, a sharp pointy weapon. 

MA: First is this bag of aureii—gold coins. Gold is the only thing that will silence, persuade, and please men. Not friendship, not an “honorable word” or kindness—no. Nothing noble. Only gold.

Second is this gladius. And I’m pleased that you showed me this common weapon that belonged to a legionary, because it’s only with armies (and gold) that security for one’s ambitions might be found. And I’m talking about Roman armies, here—not foreign auxiliaries who will turn their backs and run at the first smell of blood. There is much I can do with one trustworthy Roman legion, provided they’ve not been corrupted against me.

Third, is this fine horse you’ve brought. (walks around the animal, eyeing it) Is it for sale? I’m a cavalryman at heart. My first command was as a cavalry commander and unlike many of my countrymen, I’m an expert horseman. Many Roman generals rely and place their trust in infantry. Not me. Give me a powerful and loyal cavalry, for such is capable of turning a losing fight into victory.

AW: [Thinks:Hmm, this fella would be handy in a fight] I have several vacancies in my global corporation. Would you be best suited to the role of CEO, Finance Officer, Head of Human Resources, or Chief Medical Officer? Why?

MA: I recognize none of these terms. No—don’t bother telling me what they are. If you have need of a general or triumvir, then I’m your man. But I am pleased not to see the office of “dictator” listed here, for that office I eradicated after Caesar’s assassination. It has no place in a Republic.

AW: [Could be tricky in meetings. Let's do some psychometric stuff instead] You're going on a first date. Who has chosen the venue - you, or your date? How are you feeling - nervous, tongue-tied, or have you totally got this? Who's your 'wingman'?

MA: Ha! You have a habit of choosing odd terms with which I’m unfamiliar. I know not what a “date” is, other than ones I often eat while in the East. What? You say a date is a social event with a single person? I’ve not heard of such, but my best friend and lover is the Queen of Egypt. I will confess that there have been times that she’s left me tongue-tied. When my armies were stationed in Tarsus, she came for a state visit on a magnificent golden ship that was breathtaking. It was so indescribably rich, that neither myself nor my staff could put it into words. The woman is truly a wonder, I tell you.

AW: [Wonder if she's free for interview?] You've been building something - a Lego model, a battleship made of matchsticks, a ship in a bottle, or something similar. Someone you don't get on with smashes it deliberately. How do you react?

MA: (Gestures to gladius) Do you see that “pointy thing” as you called it, over there? And who exactly do you suspect would do such a thing? Octavian? Probably. He’s currently a thorn up my ass. 

AW: [Things could get lively at the Christmas Party...] Thank you Mr Antonius. We'll let you know...

~~~~~~~~~~

Author Brook Allen has a passion for history.

Her Antonius Trilogy is a detailed account of the life of Marcus Antonius—Marc Antony, on which she worked for fifteen years. The first installment, Antonius: Son of Rome was published in March 2019. It follows Antony as a young man, from the age of eleven, when his father died in disgrace, until he’s twenty-seven and meets Cleopatra for the first time. Brook’s second book is Antonius: Second in Command, dealing with Antony’s tumultuous rise to power at Caesar’s side and culminating with the civil war against Brutus and Cassius. Antonius: Soldier of Fate is the last book in the trilogy, spotlighting the romance between Antonius and Cleopatra and the historic war with Octavian Caesar. In researching the Antonius Trilogy, Brook’s travels have led her to Italy, Egypt, Greece, and even Turkey to explore places where Antony once lived, fought, and eventually died. While researching abroad, she consulted with scholars and archaeologists well-versed in Hellenistic and Roman history, specifically pinpointing the late Republican Period in Rome.

Brook’s newest project is much closer to home. She is writing on Julia Hancock, the first wife of William Clark—the famous explorer. Consumed in reading research and frequent visits to historical sites around Botetourt County, Virginia, where she lives, Brook is plotting the life and times of Julia and William as their relationship blossoms, leads to marriage, and the conflict over the eventual publishing of the Journals of Lewis & Clark—a hard-won achievement in America’s early 19th century.

Brook Allen belongs to the Historical Novel Society and attends conferences as often as possible to study craft and meet fellow authors. In 2019, Son of Rome won the Coffee Pot Book Club Book of the Year Award. In 2020, it was honored with a silver medal in the international Reader’s Favorite Book Reviewers Book Awards. In 2021, it won 1st Place in the Chanticleer International Book Awards (Chaucer Divisiton). Though she graduated from Asbury University with a B.A. in Music Education, Brook has always loved writing. She completed a Masters program at Hollins University with an emphasis in Ancient Roman studies, which helped prepare her for authoring her Antonius Trilogy. Brook teaches full-time as a Music Educator and works in a rural public-school district near Roanoke, Virginia. Her personal interests include travel, cycling, hiking in the woods, reading, and spending downtime with her husband and two amazing Labrador Retrievers. She lives in the heart of southwest Virginia in the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains.

Website: https://www.brookallenauthor.com/

Twitter: @1BrookAllen

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Historical.FictionWriter