Character Interview: Lord Denbury of Darker Still

I am beyond excited–maybe even bordering on ecstatic–to welcome Jonathon Whitby, also known as Lord Denbury, from Leanna Renee Hieber's paranormal young adult novel Darker Still to the blog today to answer some questions for me. Not only is he incredibly attractive and well-mannered, but he also calls me "Miss Snark" (*giggles*) which makes him completely adorable and a little bit in danger of becoming my next book boyfriend. Lucky him ;-) Darker Still just released this week, so be sure and pick up a copy if you haven't already so you can meet the oh-so charming Denbury!

If you could choose any other painting in which to be trapped, which one would you choose and why?

Oh, dear Lord, Miss Snark, you'd curse me into another one?! Well, let me see. If I had to be trapped, make it something out in the open; one of those glorious classic hunting scenes, so I'd at least be free to run about my estate. While I never liked killing on the hunt- it seemed inhumane- I do miss my hunting dogs. Otherwise, I'd ask to be put into one of Waterhouse's paintings. Miss Stewart looks a good deal like one of those pretty Waterhouse heroines and I'd like to be her knight in shining armor.

Let’s say you had the portrait of yourself commissioned instead of forced upon you; is the study the room you would have chosen as a backdrop or is there somewhere else you think would have been better suited to who you are?

I'd have preferred to be painted in the rooms of the clinic I opened with my student friends in London. I think of myself as a student of medicine more than I think of myself as a Lord.

Natalie is brave and trusting, wanting to help you despite the fact that you are a virtual stranger mixed up in quite unusual circumstances. Would you have been as eager to help her were your roles reversed?

A thousand times yes. You can't imagine how unbearable it's been not to be able to be as brave for Miss Stewart as she's been for me. The peculiarity of our situation meant we met soul-first. We met seeing the best, the most intimate parts, of ourselves first. I know I'd have felt the same way about her no matter what. I'd do anything for the girl and I hope she'll let me prove that to her. I helped her fight against the demons of her own nightmares, and for that, I'm grateful. To have been able to do something was my only solace. I'm a man of action, so being imprisoned while a girl I've grown to adore puts herself in danger has been my own particular version of hell.

What are your thoughts on the fact that women of various ages wind up unconscious before your portrait, having purportedly fainted due to your good looks?

*laughter* If the painter weren't so bloody evil, I'd have commended him for his fine work. I suppose I'll take the compliments. In our London clinic, I thought women swooned around me because they were ill. Perhaps I'm not as good as diagnosing their correct symptoms as I thought...

Natalie wrote every detail of recent events down in her journal, including her reactions to, and her interest in, you. What is the first thought that popped into your mind when she stumbled into your painting?

Miss Snark, I am a gentleman; I cannot possibly tell you the first thought that 'popped into my mind' when I first held Miss Stewart. What I will tell you is that I was relieved beyond all imagining that I was no longer alone, and that the light that shone around Miss Stewart meant she was the girl to help me. More directly, I thought; good God, she's lovely, my day has most certainly improved!

What is your favorite memory of your time with your parents before their unexpected passing?

The day mother gave me my key to the estate library. I was seven. She told me any book was mine for the taking and instituted a weekly allowance for any new books of my choice. We understood something about one another then; that books were the salve for our restless minds and souls. She was always fussing about, active and fastidious, but never was a book far from her reach. I'm very much my mother's son. While father wasn't a reader, he never discouraged her, or me. Having parents who don't deter you from your passions or calling is the greatest gift in the world. I wish they were here so I could tell them that. I can only hope they know.

When you resigned yourself to the fact that you were trapped in the painting, what is the first book you picked up off the shelf in your study and read to pass the time?

Ironically, I turned to works of Edgar Allan Poe, to see how his characters dealt with situations of horror and inexplicable acts. Can't say that was a comfort really. Depressing sot, that Poe. I read "The Oval Portrait" and nearly wept, feeling hopeless about my situation. So instead I read a good adventure novel to put my mind off my dread fate. Nothing like The Three Musketeers to take your mind off evil curses and demons. It also inspired me to practice my fencing with a letter opener. I maintain, I'm rather good with a blade, so I'd be wary of challenging me to a duel...

Do you think you’ll ever look at any painting the same way again?

Dear God, no. If I have art in my future home it will be sculptures. Perhaps some pottery. It's a shame, really, because I adore art. I love what these "impressionists" are doing these days. Fascinating. The less lifelike the better for me. Miss Stewart is going to have to be very persuasive to get me back into her beloved Metropolitan Museum of Art. But the dear girl is nothing if not persuasive, so I'm sure eventually I'll come around.

Thanks so much for stopping by Jonathon! I think I'm going to legally change my name to "Miss Snark" or at the very least demand everyone call me that from now on ;-) For more information on Leanna and her fabulous books, you can find her here:

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DARKER STILL

New York City, 1882. Seventeen-year-old Natalie Stewart's latest obsession is a painting of the handsome British Lord Denbury. Something in his striking blue eyes calls to her. As his incredibly life-like gaze seems to follow her, Natalie gets the uneasy feeling that details of the painting keep changing...

Jonathon Denbury's soul is trapped in the gilded painting by dark magic while his possessed body commits unspeakable crimes in the city slums. He must lure Natalie into the painting, for only together can they reverse the curse and free his damaged soul.