Characters in the Cosmos: Meet Scarlett
This week we welcome Scarlett Bretane and her author Kathryn Watts. Watts is currently editing Star Bound and is learning a lot about craft; she is "trying to apply those lessons to the manuscript."
Who are you? What do you do? I’m Scarlett Bretane. Before I left Earth, I was a physical therapist, just out of grad school. Now I’m a Noxi, or slave fighter, on the planet Etruska.
What is your greatest fear? Well, there is a particularly skeezy alien who gives me nightmares, but truthfully my biggest fear is that I’ve lost every piece of myself trying to survive and don’t know who I am anymore.
What's the worst thing that's happened in your life? What did you learn from it?
I was abducted into human trafficking on an intergalactic level. A lot of horrendous things happened after that, but that’s what started the downward spiral of craptastic, so let’s go with that. As for what I’ve learned? Aliens are real. Evil isn’t always ugly. And you can win the fight and still lose a piece of yourself.
What or who is the greatest love of your life? Ugh. Feelings. Do we have to? Can I just say chili cheese fries? No? Fine. I have deep feels for Garren Maier. He’s a fellow Noxi and has the patience of a saint, which I test on the regular.
When and where were you happiest? On Nylenda, a moon in the Kasaklam Quadrant of the Greater Galaxies. I had friends, freedom, and an appreciation for both that I never had while on Earth.
What is your most treasured possession? My dignity. I don’t have much else these days.
What do you most value in your friends? Honesty.
Tell me about your best friend. How did you meet? What do you like about this person? What do you think they like about you? Layla is my best friend. We met while I was finishing grad school. At the time she was dating one of the guys in my study group, but we stayed friends long after he exited stage left. In fact, we were roommates before I was abducted. She loves life and she loves people with her whole heart. Or I thought she did. We’re working through some issues on that. She likes that I remind her of her late sister.
What's the worst thing you've ever done to someone? Why? I killed my first slave owner when he tried to force me into prostitution.
What is your ideal world? One that is under the protections of the First Galactic Army and prosecutes slave traders. Somewhere humans aren’t considered a lesser species and subjugated. A world where I can be free with Garren without fear that someone will rip us apart.
You can find Kathryn Watts on Twitter, @KayeSwissWrites. But, according to her, "Other forms of social media get neglected, because if I can’t handle it while I’m getting small children to sleep, it has to get in line behind adulting and fiction writing," so follow her there!