Dear readers, tonight with us is a sweet lady who likes pastries and cats — and in her spare time explores magical realms. She is here to talk anything from fairy folk to dragons, from Paris to the Sahara.

Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there?

I’m a woman in the prime of life, ‘of a certain age,’ they say, but I am filled with energy, curiosity, and a big appetite. The USA Midwest was my birthplace and still is home, but I travel a lot. Mostly to Paris, France because I can’t get enough of the city’s baguettes and croissants. It’s nothing like the small town I grew up in, with a few diners, a gas station, an all-purpose general store—you get the picture.

Did you have any favourite toys as a child? Any cherished memories?

Puppets!!! I loved pretending. I used to put on puppet shows for the kids in my neighborhood, you know, I’d hide behind a card table resting on its side and I’d put on a show. With my hands moving dragons, princesses, kings, queens, elves, and more, I created a magical world for us kids. 

What do you do now?

No one has known this about me, but I have traveled so much because I wanted to find places still inhabited by dragons, fairy folk, and the unfortunate mortals who have to live with them.

What can you tell us about your latest adventure?

Gerty’s Way is a perfect disguise, hiding the real work that I do. Yes, I am that sweet lady who likes pastries, cats, and my best friends, but I am also an explorer of magical realms and that, my friend, is where future books about my life will be going. Mysteriously, Author is working on her upcoming book about goofy birds. I don’t know why she’s doing that first since my secret life is more interesting.

What first make you think about fairies?

When the croissant I was eating vanished? Fairy folk, for sure; but who knows why? They don’t eat mortal food; so they must have been teasing me.

What is the worst thing about having a secret life?

The worst thing about having a secret life, hidden by Author’s lovely book about me, is waiting for her to draw me in all sorts of fantastic adventures, more than just that one in Gerty’s Way, where I am  dancing in the moonlight with a gander (male goose) in evening wear.

What is the best thing about it?

 I am so happy that Author shared her plans to expose my secret life in a new book.

Tell us a little about your friends.

One of my closest friends is an old schoolmate named Clarice. She is the one who led me and other kids on crazy adventures, which is the inspiration for my current secret life.  

Any romantic involvement?

Unfortunately, my one true love, another old friend from school days, wandered into parts unknown in the Sahara and no one has heard from him since.

Whom (or what) do you really hate?

Hypocrites and evil sorcerers, of course, They’re in it just for themselves.

What’s your favourite drink, colour, and relaxing pastime?

I love fairy nectar, but only the non-drowsy kind. For every day, a good caffé au lait or, and especially, a big flat white. My favorite color for boots and shoes is red. I almost always wear a purple top and a blue skirt or trousers. My most relaxing time is spent looking for the perfect baguette.

What does the future hold for you?

As I mentioned, Author is sketching ideas to show readers the kinds of magical, fantastic, and sometimes weird adventures I have experienced or plan to experience.

Can you share a secret with us, which you’ve never told anyone else?

Here it is: you might think that a person like me has a calm, quiet life, but really, there’s a daring explorer of magical realms hidden beneath that calm exterior.

After long careers in puppetry then museum education, Susan Bass Marcus continues her creative work as a cartoonist and author of published fantasy novels, an anthology of short stories, and now Gerty’s Way, her fourth book in a new format featuring illustrations complemented by haiku, rhyming verses, and Gerty’s own comments on the drawings.

You can find Gerty on the pages of Gerty’s Way.

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