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The Protagonist Speaks

Interviews with the protagonists of your favourite books

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Coming of Age

Nikki Sotolongo (of Cherry Pickers by Bonnie Milani)

Dear readers, with me tonight is a young woman from the planet Sisyphus. As you may recall, Sisyphus is a particularly inhospitable world, and is home to a woman-only penal colony.

At seventeen years of age Nikki is obsessed about getting her gun to impress her mother, the director of the penal colony. For this she needs to be an adult, which – in her opinion – requires losing her virginity. The only way to do this is to lure and kidnap a man from a passing space ship, to ‘pick her cherry’, as it were.

She is here to tell us of her adventures, together with her adopted native brother.

Tell us about how you grew up.

If you ask Mah – that’s my mom – she’ll tell you I’m still not grown up.  And I’m seventeen already!  I mean, I earned my gun!  Hard way, too, not like some other girls I could name.

Okay, but do tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like in the colony?

You mean SisPenOne?  It’s a penal colony.  Same as every other penal colony in the Commonwealth, I guess.  Well, except it’s all women.  And Mah says Sisyphus got its name ‘cause the whole planet really is out to get you.  But never bothered me… well, ‘cept for that time the toilet vacuum failed and a nosher got through and nipped out a chunk’a my butt.  Got a really great scar from it.  Wanna see?  (She turns, loosening her pants)

No, no, that’s all right, we’ll take your word for it. Did you have any favourite toys as a child? Any cherished memories?

Toys?  Oh, those fakey things you give little kids.  Dolls and stuff, yeah?  Saw some of those things in those social studies vids Mah made Sam and me study.  Never needed any myself.  Sam and me – Continue reading “Nikki Sotolongo (of Cherry Pickers by Bonnie Milani)” →

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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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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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Joe and Amber (of Summer’s Dark Waters by Simon WIlliams)

Summer's Dark Waters - Simon WilliamsDear readers, tonight with me are two extraordinary young persons. Joe and Amber have just returned to us from a series of adventures – very extraordinary adventures. One can say, out of this world adventures.

 

 

How was your life at school, before your adventures started?

Amber: It was just ordinary really, but I always felt I was trying to be someone who I actually wasn’t – like just a normal kid… sometimes I just wanted to go away and be on my own and just think about things.

Joe: Mostly I kept myself to myself. I suppose thinking back I must have known deep down that I was different, but I could never have imagined how.

What was it like, the first time you met the aliens?

Amber: Oh, the Lost? We didn’t really know what they were at first, or at least we wouldn’t have if Stephen hadn’t told us. The weird thing is, some of them ARE aliens, but some of them are human. Continue reading “Joe and Amber (of Summer’s Dark Waters by Simon WIlliams)” →

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