The Interpreter

The way I’ve imagined Radoslav, he’s often tongue-tied. He has strong feelings and opinions, but struggles to express them in words. Thus, it’s a bit ironic that he is an interpreter—whose job depends on being able to clearly communicate what another person is saying. It’s a challenging job at the best of times, and in a war zone like the city of Dor, where lives may depend on quickly, respectfully and accurately sharing what people are saying to each other, it can be downright terrifying.

I tried to create a balance between making Radoslav so inarticulate that readers wouldn’t believe he’d ever be hired to work with the IPF troops who are occupying Sevia, and also portray his struggle to bridge two worlds with the right words. Because of this, he’s been an interesting challenge to create. Because of his communication struggles, of all the characters I’ve written so far, he’s the one I most easily see myself in, despite the fact he happens to be male.