Character Interview: Rafael from Mary Carter's 'Meet Me in Barcelona'

We’re thrilled to have here today Rafael  from Mary Carter’s Meet Me in Barcelona.  He is coming to us all the way from the great city of Barcelona. It is a pleasure to have him with us today at The Literary Nook!

Thank you so for this interview, Rafael. Now that the book has been written, do you feel you were fairly portrayed or would you like to set anything straight with your readers?

I think the story should have been told from my perspective, no? I am the one who is native to Spain, I am the one who is covered in black feathers and wears stilts and make knives shoot out of my fingertips. It is a travesty that so much time was spent on Grace Sawyer. Grace, Grace, Grace. This should have been a love story between me and Carrie Ann. All the American women, they want this. They want a Spanish lover just like me. No?

What do you believe is your strongest trait?

Ah, you have noticed my muscles. Gracias. I am strong all over.

Worst trait?

You are very funny. I like your American humor.

Do you have a love interest in the book?

Yes, yes, yes! I am sorry to disappoint all the ladies, but it is Carrie Ann I want. Carrie Ann I will have.

At what point of the book did you start getting nervous about the way it was going to turn out?

From the very beginning! I was sent to spy on Grace. I am a lover not a spy. It was Carrie Ann who made me do it. I have never seen such golden blonde hair. She is a dream. And a devil.

If you could trade places with one of the other characters in the book, which character would you really not want to be and why?

You are very funny. I like your American humor.

How do you feel about the ending of the book without giving too much away?

How do I feel? Some people got what they deserved. I did not wish for such things to happen. I only wanted Carrie Ann.

What words of wisdom would you give your author if she decided to write another book with you in it?

I am not a minor character. I am a star. I a am a lover. I am a performer!

Thank you for this interview.  Will we be seeing more of you in the future?

If you are a pretty, American woman, you are welcome to see all of me. I am there, everyday, on La Rambla. I am watching. I am waiting. Come!

Mary Carter is a freelance writer and novelist.  Meet Me in Barcelona is her eighth novel. Her other works include:  Three Months in Florence, The Things I Do For You, The Pub Across the Pond, My Sister’s Voice, Sunnyside Blues, She’ll Take It, and Accidentally Engaged.  In addition to her novels she has written six novellas: Return to Hampton Beach in the anthology, Summer Days, A Southern Christmas in the upcoming 2014 anthology Our First Christmas, A Kiss Before Midnight in the anthology, You’re Still the One, A Very Maui Christmas in the New York Times best selling anthology Holiday Magic, and The Honeymoon House in the New York Times best selling anthology Almost Home. Mary currently lives in Chicago, IL with a demanding labradoodle. She wishes she could thank her gorgeous husband, but she doesn’t have one. In addition to writing she leads writing workshops.

For More Information

• Visit Mary Carter’s website.
• Check out her writing workshop at The Writer’s Loft
• Connect with Mary on Facebook and Twitter.
• More books by Mary Carter.

About the Book:

A surprise trip to Barcelona with her boyfriend, Jake, seems like the perfect antidote to Grace Sawyer's current woes. The city is dazzling and unpredictable, but the biggest surprise for Grace is discovering who arranged and paid for the vacation.

Carrie Ann wasn't just Grace's foster sister. Clever, pretty, and mercurial, she was her best friend—until everything went terribly wrong. Now, as she flees an abusive marriage, Carrie Ann has turned to the one person she hopes will come through for her. Despite her initial misgivings, Grace wants to help. But then Carrie Ann and Jake both go missing. Stunned and confused, Grace begins to realize how much of herself she's kept from Jake—and how much of Carrie Ann she never understood. Soon Grace is baited into following a trail of scant clues across Spain, determined to find the truth, even if she must revisit her troubled past to do it.

Mary Carter's intriguing novel delves into the complexities of childhood bonds, the corrosive weight of guilt and blame, and all the ways we try—and often fail—to truly know the ones we love.

For More Information

• Meet Me in Barcelona is available at Amazon.
• Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.
• Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.
• Read Chapter One here.