Character Interview with Moreva Tehi of 'Moreva of Astoreth' by Roxanne Bland

We’re thrilled to be talking to Moreva Tehi from Roxanne Bland’s, the Moreva of Astoreth.  It is a pleasure to have her with us today at Pimp That Character!

Thank you for your interview, Moreva Tehi.  How old are you and what do you do for a living?

I’m twenty-seven years old. That’s in my years, not yours. In your years, I’m about thirty-six. I’m not sure what you mean by “for a living,” but I can tell you what I do. I’m a moreva—that’s a priestess—in Astoreth’s Temple. Astoreth is our Goddess of Love. She’s also my grandmother. I work in the Temple as a scientist and a healer. I search for cures for various ailments—right now, I’m working on a cure for red fever—and I minister to sick Temple workers.

Can you tell us about one of your most distinguishable features?

My hair. I have hair like the gods. It’s snow-white, long and curly, almost coiled. With my blue-violet skin—like the gods—it really stands out. I’m always mistaken for a god, from a distance, anyway.

Where do you go when you are angry?

Well, right now I’m staying in a village called Mjor, and there’s small Temple there. So I either go to the Temple and dance, or I go to my lab. Dancing—giving myself a good, hard workout—clears my mind and helps me center myself. Working in the lab does pretty much the same thing. It allows me to concentrate on whatever it is I’m doing, instead of my anger.

What is your idea of a perfect day?

Spending the morning in my lab, and the after midday collecting herbs and other medicinal plants with Teger. He’s the Laerd—chief—of Mjor. I’ve broken my morevic vows by falling in love with him, and there’s going to be a heavy price to pay for that. But Teger’s my world. I love hiking up to the ridge with him to gather skagwort. There’s a meadow up there, and its bright purple grass with its yellow wildflowers is so pretty. And it’s peaceful. All my cares just seem to float away.

If you could change one physical thing about yourself, what would that be?

My height. I’m short. And everyone is taller than me, even the workers at the Temple. And in Mjor they’re really tall, though not as tall as the gods. Anyway, Mjorans are about seven feet or more. I get a crick in my neck from looking up all the time. *Smiles* The first time Teger and I had an argument, I grabbed a chair and stood on it, because my neck had started to hurt. He laughed, and then I started laughing, and the argument was over.

Who is your best friend?

Teger, of course.

Do you have children?

No. Morevas aren’t permitted to have children. But if my plan works—if I survive—I’ll be released from Astoreth’s service and then Teger and I can have as many children as we want.

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be an astronomer, but though I was good at it, my real talent was for healing. The way our Temple operates is that a morev is assigned to the work that makes the best use of his or her talents. My best talent is healing, so I’m a healer.

What is your most treasured possession?

My mother’s harp. I never knew her—she died soon after I was born—and her harp is all I have of her. I was told she was the best singer and harpist in the Temple.

If you knew you were going to die tomorrow, what would you do today?

Considering what I’ve done, that may happen. But I’d spend every precious moment with Teger. Maybe drive into the mountains, swim in one of its lakes, lounge on the grass, play...anything that involves him.

About the Author

Roxanne Bland grew up in Washington, D.C., where she discovered strange and wonderful new worlds through her local public library and bookstores. These and other life experiences have convinced her that reality is highly overrated. Ms. Bland lives in Rosedale, Maryland with her Great Dane, Daisy Mae.

Her latest book is the science fiction novel, The Moreva of Astoreth.

For More Information

• Visit Roxanne Bland’s website.
• Connect with Roxanne on Facebook and Twitter.
• Find out more about Roxanne at Goodreads.
• Visit Roxanne’s blog.

About the Book:

Title: THE MOREVA OF ASTORETH
Author: Roxanne Bland
Publisher: Blackrose Press
Pages: 607
Genre: Science Fiction

Moreva Tehi, scientist, healer, priestess of the Goddess of Love and three-quarters god, is a bigot. She hates the hakoi who are the Temple’s slaves. When she misses an important ritual because the enslaved hakoi are participants, her grandmother, the Goddess Astoreth, punishes her by exiling her for a year from her beloved southern desert home to the far north village of Mjor in the Syren Perritory, (where the hakoi are free) to steward Astoreth’s landing beacon. But Astoreth forbids her from taking with her scientific research on red fever, a devastating scourge that afflicts the hakoi. She does so, anyway.

The first Mjoran she meets is Laerd Teger, the hakoi chief of the village, who appears to hate her. She also meets Hyme, the hakoi village healer, and much to Moreva Tehi’s surprise, they form a fast friendship. This friendship forces her to set upon a spiritual journey to confront her bigotry. While doing so, she falls in love with Laerd Teger, who returns her love. She eventually has a revelation about the meaning of love, and rids herself of her bigotry. And she develops a cure for red fever, and is the first healer to do so.

But there is a price for her love for Laerd Teger, and that is her certain execution by the Goddess Astoreth upon her return home because she has broken her sacred vows. But then, through Laerd Teger, she learns a terrible secret about her gods, that they are not gods at all, but aliens, and rather than being part god, she is part alien. Her world destroyed, she turns on Laerd Teger for showing her the truth. They eventually reconcile. But there is still the problem about her love for Laerd Teger. Astoreth will know what she has done and will execute her. She formulates a plan, involving the erasure of her memory, in which she will bargain for her life by giving Astoreth the formula for red fever. Astoreth agrees. For breaking her vows and disobeying a direct order not to take her red fever research to Mjor, Astoreth strips her of her morevic status and exiles her again to Mjor. Back in Mjor, she recovers her memory and sends the red fever formula to Astoreth. Now freed from the constraints of being a Moreva, Tehi and Teger embark on a new life together.

For More Information

• The Moreva of Astoreth is available at Amazon.
• Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.