Joyce Marietta Murrason

February Character Interview

Patricia Parrington ~ February 1, 2026

Hello my lovely readers and fellow booklovers! For those of you new here, I, your decoration-loving host Patricia Parrington, have the pleasure of interviewing characters from books all over the world.

Today, Joyce Marietta Murrason is here with us from the middle grade historical fiction book The Murrasons’ Barn by Henrietta DuCap. Henrietta earned her BA in creative writing in 2017 and has had several shorter works published in a variety of literary journals. The Murrasons’ Barn is her debut novel.

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Meet Joyce

Welcome to Fable Features!

[Patricia waves a hand at the Christmas lights hanging above them as her guest sits.]

Ignore the decorations. I still haven’t gotten around to putting them away. I do love Christmas lights, though! And Christmas. Do you have a favorite holiday?

I love the parties we have in the summer! I can’t wait until we can celebrate Fourth of July again like we used to before we moved to Kansas–picnics, fireworks, and dancing.

[Joyce smiles.]

That does sound like a lot of fun! What was your favorite part of those Fourth of July celebrations?

All of the food! There was always pie, so many different kinds. And I loved seeing the fireworks, even though they were the loudest thing I ever heard.

Mmm, I love pie.

[Patricia licks her lips and grins.]

Tell me a little bit about where you’re from. Do you have many good memories from there?

I live in Lawrence, Kansas. We just finished building a new barn on our property, and my dad is going to paint on the walls. I’m excited to see how it turns out!

[Patricia smiles.]

That sounds exciting! I’m sure the barn will look lovely when it’s done.

What do you do when you’re bored?

I love to play with my friend Eliza. She lives right across the field from me!

Oh that’s very convenient!

[Patricia leans forward a little, curious.]

How did you first meet Eliza?

Her family settled here about the same time ours did. When we met them, I was happy to find out another little girl lived so close by. Now we always spend time together—sometimes I lose track and it gets so late that Ma has to send my big brother Anthony over to come take me home!

That’s wonderful you met and got along so well! It’s good to have a close friend you can lose track of time with.

If you were a superhero, what would your name and superpower be?

People all over would call me Joyce the Fortune Teller and I’d be able to see the future with my crystal ball instead of worrying about things that might happen.

What an interesting choice! I think that would be a very handy power to have.

Speaking of worrying about things, what’s a problem you’re struggling with right now?

There are so many scary things going on right now in Kansas.

[Joyce fidgets with her skirt hem.]

People are fighting over the laws, whether or not to allow slavery in the Territory. My family doesn’t believe in it, but the border ruffians chase anti-slavery men and sometimes I worry my dad or my big brother will get caught up in one of those fights.

[Patricia frowns sympathetically.]

That sounds very scary. And awful. I hope your family stays safe.

Switching to a more lighthearted topic, what is something you thought would be a great idea but was terrible when you actually did it?

The first time I tried to cook by myself, I almost burned the whole house down! Now I can do a little better, though—it’s just that my pancakes are about as circular as a postcard sometimes.

[Joyce laughs.]

[Patricia chuckles as well.]

You and I would get along very well in the kitchen, I think. I tend to burn things as well. Is there something you haven’t cooked yet but would like to try sometime?

I’d like to make a fancy-looking pastry like I see in the bakery shop windows when we visit town. I’d make them in all different shapes and dust some sugar on top.

Oh that would be fun! My favorites are the cupcakes with the fancy flowers on them.

If you could make one big animal tiny or one tiny animal big, what animal would that be?

I would make my cow, Frida, the same size as a cat so she could sleep at the foot of my bed instead of in the barn.

Aww that would be adorable! I don’t have a cow, but I do have a pet pseudodragon who loves to snuggle in bed with me.

[Patricia glances at her wrist.]

Wow, time flies! Let’s squeeze in one last question before you have to go:

What advice would you give your younger self?

I’d tell Little Joyce that family can be friends too! It’s not just the people born into it that make up a family.

Wise words! Well thank you for coming out today, Joyce. It was lovely getting to meet you and I hope your family stays safe.

End of interview.

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Want to Read More?

Joyce’s author, Henrietta DuCap, can be found on Facebook, Instagram, and at her website, https://henriettaducap.com/novel-the-murrasons-barn/. You can purchase The Murrasons’ Barn here.

Cover by Megan Whitfield; Headshot by Nicholas A. Photography.

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See Ya Next Time

Aaand that's all the time we have today. Thank you, readers, for coming. And thank you, Joyce, for letting us get to know you! See y'all next time.

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If you would like to submit a character to be interviewed for a future issue of Fable Features, please send an email to linnae.writer@gmail.com with the subject line: Fable Features.

Please note that erotica and content with excessive vulgar language will not be accepted.

If you have questions you'd like Patricia Parrington to ask in a future interview, please submit them to linnae.writer@gmail.com with the subject line: Interview Questions.