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The Protagonist Speaks

Interviews with the characters of your favourite books

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Anna Persson (of Red Desert series by Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli)

Red Desert

Dear readers, tonight we deviate from our usual Friday schedule, in order to celebrate the 40 year anniversary of the an important event in human space exploration – Viking 1 became the first spacecraft to successfully land on Mars!

The following interview was originally published in Italian as “Intervista ad Anna Persson” on http://www.kuiperbelt.it/intervista-ad-anna-persson/, and is republished here with permission.

Translation by Eric Klein.

Interview with Anna Persson

For several days now I am immersed in the lives of the creatures encased in what you call books. For days I come into contact with the entities in them and I interact with these entities, I can participate in their stories, the events that the imagination of the authors pour on the pages, whether they are digital or not.

My name is Lok and if you have followed me you know that I can do this and more.

Today I got in touch with Anna Persson, the main character of the Red Desert series by Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli. Anna is a friendly person yet reserved, it was not easy snatch two words from her. Since I’m not human I tried to be as empathetic as possible, trusting however on her curiosity about space and the endless creatures it hosts.

Warning, the following interview contains elements that reveal the events depicted in the books of Red Desert (they are called spoilers, aren’t they?). Continue reading “Anna Persson (of Red Desert series by Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli)” →

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Winston (of Winston – a Horses’s Tale, by Rita Lee Chapman)

Rita Lee Chapman - Winston - A Horse's TaleDear readers, tonight with me is someone who can’t sit on the interview couch, as his body is built to run in open meadows. Winston is a thoroughbred horse, and he’s here to tell us about the life of an animal many of admire but few understand.

 

 

 

 

Hello Winston, please tell us a little about yourself.

Hi Assaph.  Thank you for inviting me to be on The Protagonist Speaks.

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Winston from Winston – A Horse’s Tale, written by Rita Lee Chapman. This book is for horse lovers from teenagers upwards who enjoy reading about horses.  It tells of my life and adventures in Australia from my birth, as well as stories of other horses I met along the way.  I try to put over the horse’s point of view on our needs and the reasons why we sometimes act as we do.

What was it like to be a young foal?

My earliest memories are of galloping across green meadows with the wind in my mane and tail as they streamed out behind me, kicking up my heels in pure excitement at being alive and at peace with the world.  At the back of my mind was the sure knowledge that Mum was there watching me, waiting for me to come trotting back to her, exhausted and hungry after playing with the other foals or trying out my still wobbly legs on some new and fanciful manoeuvre. Continue reading “Winston (of Winston – a Horses’s Tale, by Rita Lee Chapman)” →

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Ian Wilson (from Ian’s Realm Saga by Dianne Lynn Gardner)

The Ian's Realm Saga

Dear readers, tonight with us is a young man who discovered a magical land after following his father through a magical portal that opened on their computer screen.

Things, however, quickly revealed themselves to be not as idyllic as initially seemed. He is here with us to tell us about his adventures.

 

 

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

I grew up in the suburbs of Seattle. We had a small house in an old neighborhood. My dad had a foundry business and made things like armor for renaissance faires. He made swords too. Really big beautiful swords. Mom stayed home mostly. I think we were a pretty happy family except when I was ten years old my mom died and that kind of made everything go black for me and Dad. He tried to make up for her absence, treating me special but I could see he was broken hearted.  I clammed up like a shell. Started overachieving at school. Got too smart for my class and they skipped me to the next grade. We coped the best we could and then Dad found the portal. That changed my life forever-both our lives. We went into the Realm and, well that was it. Continue reading “Ian Wilson (from Ian’s Realm Saga by Dianne Lynn Gardner)” →

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Gaius Petreius Ruso (of Vita Brevis by Ruth Downie)

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Dear readers, tonight with us is a combat medic, servicing in the legions assigned to one of the Roman Empire’s most notoriously dangerous provinces – Britain. He’s here to tell about his adventures, and accidental involvement in crime.

How does a Roman army medic end up solving murders?

I’m glad you asked that, because the answer is: reluctantly. I’m supposed to be in the business of making people feel better, so despite what anyone tells you, I’m not keen on stirring up trouble. I wouldn’t have gone near that business of the dead girl back in Deva if anyone else had been willing to deal with it. Oh, and if the lady who is now my wife hadn’t been quite so insistent.

(Of course as the head of the household, I’m the one in charge. Not my wife. I want to make that clear, because some of the people reading this may be Britons, who often have trouble remembering the proper order of things. I know this because my wife, Tilla, is a Briton. On the other hand, since very few of them see the point of reading and writing, this paragraph may be redundant.)

To return to the subject of murders—I certainly don’t go looking for them, but in the course of my work I stumble across suspicious injuries, and now word seems to have got round that if you’ve found an unexpected body, Ruso’s the man to deal with it. My author tells me that in the future there will be a specialist unit called the Police Force who are called in to sort out these things, while doctors can get on with seeing their patients and writing reports for the Treasury administrators. I’m sure she must have got the second half of that wrong. No-one in their right mind would pay a doctor to work as a scribe. Continue reading “Gaius Petreius Ruso (of Vita Brevis by Ruth Downie)” →

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Desu (of Watership by Jenna Whittaker)

Watership - Jenna WhittakerDear readers, tonight with us is Desu. She is a Crawler, a member of a genetically bred race of caretakers who have watched over the last remnants of humanity. She is here to talk with us about humanity’s travels across the universe in it’s Hollow Earth spaceship.

We had the chance to interview her as part of her blog tour around the Earth. You can find more info about Desu, Jenna and the rest of the tour stop in the links below.

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

I was created in the depths of the earth, Assaph, by human scientists bent on the survival of their species. I am one of a horde of creatures, genetically modified to best suit the underground environment of the humans’ sanctuary.

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

I had no childhood, no cherished memories…and I wish I did. It is something that brings me great sadness; that the humans have these things, and take them for granted. I would give anything to be one of them. They have families and happy memories–all I know is awakening in the darkness, fully grown, and ready to protect the humans with the rest of my kind.

What do you do now?

I protect the humans! For…I don’t know how long, I lived underground inside the hollow earth with them, watching over them, making sure they stayed in the city limits and stayed safe. But when the watership awoke and told us–all of my kind, the Crawlers–to take the humans and put them inside the ship, ready for departure, everything changed. Now I watch over the humans in a far more volatile environment–inside the watership, in space. Continue reading “Desu (of Watership by Jenna Whittaker)” →

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Jackie Moretti (of Love’s Illusions by Jolene Cazzola)

Jolene Cazzola - Love's IllusionsDear readers, relationships have always been complicated. Tonight on the guest couch with me is a young woman, trying to navigate the complexities of relationships in the age of sex, drugs and rock’n’roll.

 

 

 

Tell us about where you grew up. Did you have a favourite toy or memory?

I grew up in a middle class suburb of Boston, Weymouth, Massachusetts. Since I was born in 1951, it was pretty much like you saw on Ozzie & Harriet, in other words, dull, boring; the kind of place where all the neighbors would stop to make their purchase whenever one of the kids on the street set up a Lemonade Stand. My parents also had a hunting and fishing lodge in northern New England that was pretty cool. You can read more about it in The BackStory. It’s FREE at www.jolenecazzola.com.

I didn’t really have a favorite toy – I played with my animals, mostly cats, a German Shepard named Satchamo, a couple rabbits and some baby chickens I hatched for a school project. Eventually my parents talked me into letting a local farmer take the rabbits and chickens so they would have more room to roam around. He promised he wouldn’t eat them! And I grew worms to sell to the fishermen – do they count as pets? Continue reading “Jackie Moretti (of Love’s Illusions by Jolene Cazzola)” →

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Ted Applegate (of Vengeance of the Werewolf by Mercedes Fox)

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Dear readers, tonight with us on the interview couch is a brave man who fought several werewolves – and has the scars to prove it.

Tell us about where you grew up. Did you have a favorite toy, a favorite memory?

Crystal and I moved to Wolfcreek right after I graduated the police academy. I don’t call anywhere home because we moved around a lot. My favorite memory was graduation. For Crystal and I it meant the beginning of a whole new life—a life we controlled. So we packed up and took off and ended up in Wolfcreek.

How does one become a werewolf? What are the popular culture myths that are just not true?

I didn’t even believe in these things until the murders in Wolfcreek started. We were only finding parts of people at times. If we did find a body it looked like an animal feasted on it. The bodies were torn open and much of the entrails were missing.

Since my attack I’ve learned quite a bit about werewolves. For one, they don’t need the full moon to turn. Only a newborn pup (or newly bitten, like myself) need the moon’s pull for the first change. Werewolves are not mindless monsters either. I control my wolfish side. The wolf is part of me now and I can call it out anytime I want. Continue reading “Ted Applegate (of Vengeance of the Werewolf by Mercedes Fox)” →

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Sapphyre (of Sapphyre by Jason Komito)

Jason Komito - SapphyreDear readers, tonight with me is a young woman, who recently found out that she has latent magical abilities. Accompanied by a mysterious gentlemen and following an ancient prophecy, Sapphyre goes out to face the world.

 

What can you tell us of the streets you grew up on?

Thorenn has not changed much in the past 17 winters, I don’t believe. Oh, yes, please pardon me. I forget that most of the people who are reading this have never been to Arstevia. The capital lays on the east coast of the continent and is the largest city in the land. It is also the largest port on the eastern seaboard and it is a few weeks ride south of the Myth Mountains on the finest of steeds.

Even though I spent my first few winters living on the streets of the city and begging and stealing to get my fill, I do have some good memories of my childhood. I never knew my parents and the first time I ever felt any feeling of family was when I met Kat and joined the Pugs.

I’m sorry I get a little choked up when talking about Katrivus. He is my dearest friend and we are still trying to figure out a way to rescue him.

But I digress. We were speaking of my youth. Continue reading “Sapphyre (of Sapphyre by Jason Komito)” →

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Lydia Bell (of One Fling to Rule Them All by Deanna Dee)

One Fling To Rule Them All - Deanna DeeDear reader, tonight on the interview couch with us in a young woman, an avid role-playing gamer who found love in the most unexpected and unusual of circumstances.

 

 

What was your childhood like? Any favourite toys or memories?

It was pretty awesome, actually. I had a decent spread of toys, but I mostly enjoyed taking my mom’s electronics apart and putting them back together. She wasn’t too thrilled when I’d do this, but it’s evolved into a computer science major. So there’s that, at least.

Does Craig share your love of Tolkien? Does Scott?

Craig has a general geeky respect for Tolkien. Scott, on the other hand, is as in love with it as I am. It makes for some awesome moments. Continue reading “Lydia Bell (of One Fling to Rule Them All by Deanna Dee)” →

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