
Interview with a Harpy – Meena (from The Path of the Stone & The Rise of the Stone)
Side characters also play important roles and are essential to the story or even to the resolution of the conflict. Meena is a side character who appears in the Path of the Stone and The Rise of the Stone. I thought that an interview with a harpy besides the main ones such as Azure and Calliope would be an interesting way to explore their way of life.

So, let’s ask Meena a few questions and dive deeper into her fantastic world.
Ch Duts – How important would you rate your role in the events that unfolded in Azure’s and Eva’s accounts in The Rise of the Stone and The Path of the Stone?
Meena – I would call it very important. When Calliope came back into our midst and brought a human with her she didn’t get much support from my harpy sisters, especially after what he unleashed. I was the only one who stood by her.
Ch Duts – What did the human unleash?
Meena – The powers of the Stone, the murders of my sisters, the collapse of the tunnel, chaos. You wrote the book. Surely, you know.
Ch Duts – Well, it’s always good to hear it from a different perspective. Would you consider yourself good friends with Azure and Calliope?
Meena – Yes, but I’m closer to Azure. We have been together since she was first created. I think I know her pretty well. Calliope joined us a few hundred years later.
Ch Duts – Some harpies have special abilities. Do you have one?
Meena – Yes, I can read minds. It’s incredibly useful, you know, although at times it reveals certain things that I wish I hadn’t known. After my last brush with Aeron, however, my skill was greatly damaged, and now it comes and goes at will.”
Ch Duts – You mean, you can’t always mindread now.
Meena – Indeed, I can’t. I have no control over it. Sometimes I can glimpse into the minds of others but most of the time I can’t. I felt weakened when I first realized it, but I learned to live with it. I suppose that one doesn’t always have to know what’s going on in someone’s head. It is, after all, another world in there, one we shouldn’t always venture in.
Ch Duts – Did you get to know the humans when they ended up in your world?
Meena – I spent some time with Eva. I liked her, she’s very smart and easy to talk to. She may seem a little standoffish at first but she is just a little shy and not very outgoing. Once she opens up to you, though, she’s great. I also got to know Daniel. He’s not what he seems. He looks so calm and composed, nearly weak, but a lot of strength shelters in him. He surprised me.
Ch Duts – I think he surprised everyone, including Aeron.
Meena – Yes, Aeron didn’t think he had it in him.
Ch Duts – How do you feel about the 21st Century?
Meena (sighing) – I’m not sure. Your era is loud and bright. There are lights everywhere, day and night. The nights have lost their darkness for there is always light in the cities, and it is disconcerting. You can’t even see the stars in the sky anymore. The constant noise is overwhelming. The machines, the horseless vehicles that run on an ever-spinning motor … it is too much, I couldn’t live with all that noise on a permanent basis.
Ch Duts – Is that the reason why you prefer to live in the 18th Century?
Meena – It’s the main reason, and the time period we chose – in the early 1700s – provides us with a safe haven and peace. We all like it.
Ch Duts – Do you have any advice for our readers? Any tips or quotes that can be helpful?
Meena – I’m not one who always shares her wisdom, but I remember how I once advised Eva to throw things when she was angry, to release it in that way instead of bottling it up or venting it on an innocent bystander or loved one.
Ch Duts – Throwing things? Not bad, I should try that out. Perhaps a pen would do.
Meena – Yes, definitely throw things of no or little value, and aim for the floor, where it can do no damage. I suggest doing it when you’re alone and not in the presence of the one who is part of the conflict. There is no need to make things worse, is there?
Final Thoughts
This is the first of my harpy interviews. I have three more lined up. The next one will be Calista, the Athenian girl from 1991 who was sent through the time tunnel to 341 AD and turned into a harpy. Although – or perhaps because? – she is the only harpy who came from the future and has seen things none of the others have, she soon started playing an important role in their world.
Calista quickly made a name for herself, and I am looking forward to speaking to her in my next interview. 🙂
Chastity
Hi Christi,
I found your interview post very intriguing. It is interesting to get a deeper view of a side character. I am interested to see the other interviews that you have planned unfolded. I haven’t really had any interactions with harpies in anything except in a game I played and that was minimal.
Thank you for sharing,
Chastity
Christine
Hi Chastity,
Thank you! I had fun writing this interview and I already started the interview with Calista. It will be up soon 🙂
I think that harpies are grossly under-represented in modern-day literature and if they appear they are always described as evil, treacherous monsters. I like to add some humanity to my monsters, have some grey area in between, not just black and white.
Thanks for your comment!
Eric Cantu
Must be intimidating to interview someone who already knows the questions you’re going to ask before you ask them, lol. Nicely done! I enjoyed this 🙂
Christine
Thank you!
Julia
Hi Christi, your post is very different it gets down to business, throwing one straight into the interview.
The name Calliope, sounds familiar it’s a Greek name, although I don’t hear it very much now, it actually means ‘beautiful voice’.
Imagine if Meena, or a harpy had to come back in 21st Century, what would she comment on, especially with what’s been going on currently, that could be an angle to look at. Could she save the world, or at least help it a bit?
I don’t know how I would react if I came face to face with one, best if it was invisible perhaps?
Thanks for sharing.
Keep up the good work.
Julia. 😀
Christine
Hi Julia,
I have three more interviews lined up, so there will be more and different questions.
I’m not sure about commenting on what is going in the world right now or how Meena could help. The Path of the Stone and The Rise of the Stone are set in the 1700s (with time travel to different centuries) and these harpies avoid the 21st Century because it is too overwhelming.
Those issues could be addressed in a book that is set in the future, I think, and right now I am working on a fantasy book that is set in the year 2089 and it addresses the consequences of our actions, however, it is not the main focus of the book. It has a part in it, though.
Thanks for your comment!
Matt
Hi Christine,
It’s creative to interview a character you wrote in your novels, which might be an excellent way to sharpen her role or to know better the importance of this character in your story. I can’t wait to read your interview with Calista since she is only the harpy from the future. Her words might be wise and new. 🙂
Cheers,
Matt
Christine
Thanks Matt! I’ll publish Calista’s interview today 🙂