[Setting: A smoky, low-lit bar somewhere outside of time. A velvet booth hugs the far corner. The cast of The Dollhouse WidowâAyoka, Viktor, Sabine, and Genevieveâsit with drinks in hand. No stage, no scripts. Just them. A crooked bartender named Elroy tends bar nearby, pretending not to listen.]
----------------------------------------
1. What was your first thought reading the script for Book 1?
Ayoka: "...Y'all ever read something and realize you're the problem and the solution?"
Sabine: "I kept count of how many times I had to save everyone. Twenty-three, for the record."
Viktor: (drinks whiskey) "I thought, 'Ah. So this is penance dressed in lace.'"
Genevieve: "I was told Iâd be glamorous. I wasnât told Iâd be hated by chapter three."
----------------------------------------
2. Favorite outfit from the book?
Ayoka: "That powder blue corset? Tighter than my self-restraint."
Sabine: "The green silk robes. Flowed like regret on a good day."
Viktor: "The long coat with blood-red lining. Classic."
Genevieve: "Every single thing I wore. Obviously."
----------------------------------------
3. Which scene made you the most uncomfortable?
Viktor: "The rope scene. I knew what I was doing, but the ghosts in that house were watching."
Ayoka: "Every time I let him touch me with tenderness. That stuff hurts more than pain."
Genevieve: "When I wasnât in the scene."
Sabine: "Watching those two flirt with trauma. Like lighting candles in a gas leak."
----------------------------------------
4. Did anyone ad-lib lines?
Ayoka: "'Fuck prayer.' That was all me."
Viktor: "I mightâve gone off-script during the lap scene. The axe wasnât in the original take."
Genevieve: "I ad-lib shade. Constantly."
Sabine: "My glares should be credited."
----------------------------------------
5. Did you have a safe word?
Ayoka: "I had three. Forgot all of them."
Viktor: "My safe word is obedience. Never had to use it."
Sabine: (chokes on drink) "Next question."
Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
Genevieve: "'Stop.' But no one listens, do they?"
----------------------------------------
6. How would you describe the mansion in one word?
Ayoka: "Alive."
Sabine: "Rude."
Viktor: "Hungry."
Genevieve: "Mine."
----------------------------------------
7. Who broke character the most?
Sabine: "Ayoka laughed in every serious take."
Ayoka: "Viktor fell down the stairs once and tried to make it sexy."
Genevieve: "I do not break character. I am character."
Viktor: "Genevieve cried when she got splashed with soup."
----------------------------------------
8. Was anything too far?
Ayoka: "Yes. But I went there anyway."
Viktor: "The shadows. They know too much."
Sabine: "Watching women be expected to smile through cruelty. That never stops stinging."
Genevieve: "Being compared to porcelain. I am bone china at worst."
----------------------------------------
9. Most surprising moment while filming?
Ayoka: "When the gods didnât show up. Not even once."
Viktor: "When she called me hers."
Genevieve: "When Sabine slapped me. That wasnât in the script."
Sabine: "Felt like it shouldâve been."
----------------------------------------
10. Who do you think is the real villain?
Ayoka: "The systems that built the house."
Viktor: "My past."
Genevieve: "Everyone but me."
Sabine: "Genevieve."
----------------------------------------
11. Favorite line of yours?
Ayoka: "'I might as well become the storm theyâre too busy to send.'"
Viktor: "'I donât like repeating myself. Sit or leave.'"
Sabine: "'This ainât perfume, itâs pain wearinâ gloves.'"
Genevieve: "'Symmetrical, isnât she?'"
----------------------------------------
12. How do you all feel about Malik?
All (in unison): "Weâd kill for him."
----------------------------------------
13. Ever actually scared on set?
Ayoka: "The mirror scene. Something blinked back."
Viktor: "The basement. Something still lives down there."
Genevieve: "Ayokaâs eyes when sheâs quiet."
Sabine: "Genevieveâs presence when itâs too quiet."
----------------------------------------
14. Any cast crushes?
Ayoka: (points at Viktor) "Obviously."
Viktor: (smirks) "Sabine, in the red dress. Donât lie."
Sabine: (sips drink) "I plead the fifth."
Genevieve: "Myself."
----------------------------------------
15. What would you be doing in a normal world?
Ayoka: "Dance teacher, probably. Or robbing rich men."
Viktor: "Antique weapons dealer."
Sabine: "Nurse. Or executioner. Same difference."
Genevieve: "CEO of a high-end cruelty brand."
----------------------------------------
16. Weirdest fan theory youâve heard?
Ayoka: "That Iâm secretly a reincarnated god."
Viktor: "That I sparkle in sunlight."
Genevieve: "That I have a heart."
Sabine: "That the house is actually Ayoka in disguise."
----------------------------------------
17. What would your drink order be?
Ayoka: "Lavender vodka. Neat."
Viktor: "Blood wine. Or bourbon. Depends."
Sabine: "Something that burns on the way down."
Genevieve: "Champagne, obviously."
----------------------------------------
18. If you could say one thing to the author?
Ayoka: "You better not kill me."
Viktor: "Finish what you started."
Sabine: "Donât make me a martyr."
Genevieve: "More scenes for me. And monologues."
----------------------------------------
19. If you could rewrite one scene, what would it be?
Ayoka: "Closet scene. Iâd have worn better underwear."
Viktor: "The first night. I wouldnât have waited."
Sabine: "When I handed over the white dress. I shouldâve warned her harder."
Genevieve: "Iâd slap Viktor. Twice."
----------------------------------------
20. Last words for the readers of Book 1 Part 1?
Ayoka: "We just gettinâ started, baby."
Viktor: "Thanks for watching me unravel. Thereâs more."
Sabine: "Rest now. Book 2 donât pull punches."
Genevieve: "Next time, I win."
[They raise their glasses. Fade to black.]