Deliverers Interview: Mr. Marrow

We'll be wrapping up this latest round of Deliverers interviews with someone truly nasty. Yes, that's right, we'll be speaking with Captain Sharky's first mate, Mr. Marrow. Now Sharky was violent, cruel and brutal, but Mr. Marrow is  just plain creepy. I always thought he added another layer of evil to the pirate band in The Deliverers: Sharky and the Jewel.

In spite of the way he creeps me out, I thought it would be interesting to get his point of view on the whole Deliverers rebellion. What did he think of Sharky, the villagers, the pirates? Let's see if we can get him to spill his guts. Umm, might not have been the best choice of words there...

Greg:  Hello there, Mr. Marrow. It's a er, umm, pleasure to have you here tonight.

Marrow:  Oh and it's extremely nice to be here, I can assure you.

Greg:  Well, heh, that's awfully nice of you to say. Have you been sailing with Sharky for long?

Marrow:  Aye squire, that I did. Now Sharky lived infernally long. I rose through the ranks to become his first mate. All told, I sailed with him for over 30 years. Before I came along, he went through mates like he changed clothes--every year or so.

Greg:  How did you manage to stick around so long?

Marrow:  The Captain and I complement each other. He is more direct, more forceful--like a Force 5 hurricane. On the other hand, I am much more subtle. I keep him calm enough so that he doesn't rip someone limb from limb before we squeeze every ounce of usefulness from them. Waste not want not, it's the most prudent course. Torture is more effective than force in most cases, I've learned. Sharky sometimes forgets that.

Greg:  Well sure, yeah, of course. I could see that. So what is it like, sailing the high seas with Sharky and his crew?

Deliverers Interview: Jeremiah Tosis

As we head into summer, I thought it might be a good idea to interview some more characters from my book, The Deliverers: Sharky and the Jewel. Please click the link and "Like" the book's Amazon page if you have a second. Last week week spoke with Charles Endria, the Lord Mayor of Calendria, and Cordon, blacksmith and town Council Member.

This week, I thought we'd journey beneath the Iron Mountains to the Dwarf Kingdom to speak with Hallo's father, Jeremiah Tosis. I thought it might be interesting to find out a little about Jeremiah's career and to see if he could give us any insight to Hallo's childhood.

Greg:  Thank you Jeremiah for letting us visit you here in your lovely home.

Jeremiah:  You're welcome. It aint no big deal t' have Big Folk visitin' the Kingdom nowadays, but back before all the recent hubbub, it were unheard of.

Greg:  Recent hubbub? Oh yes, you mean before Eric and Stig's visit. Well, yes there wasn't much traffic between the Big Folk and the dwarves back in the day. The dwarves kind of kept themselves hidden, didn't they?

Jeremiah:  That's so. I didn't do no good messin' with things that weren't none of our concern. Leastways, that were the prevailin' line o' thought.

Greg:  So, Jeremiah, what's your role in the Dwarf Kingdom?

Jeremiah:  Well sir, I don't mind tellin' ya that I hold a right important position within the Kingdom. I'm the Royal Goldsmithy t' His Majesty, King Angus Thunderhelm. I'm in charge of the precious metal-works what makes all sorts o' rare an' wond'rous things for His Majesty. 

I'm not ashamed t' say that m' creations're deemed t' be rare an' wonderful by them as should know best.

Greg:  Well that's just fine, Jeremiah. I've seen your work and it's definitely of the highest quality. I'd like to talk a little about your son, Hallo Tosis, who accompanied Eric, Stig and Kate on their journey.

Deliverers Interview: Cordon

Our second Deliverers interview this week is with Cordon the blacksmith and Calendria Council member. Let's see what he's got to say.

Greg:  Hi Cordon. Thanks for taking some time out of your busy schedule to talk with us.

Cordon:  Don't mention it. Always happy to chew the fat with one of Eric's friends.

Greg:  You were one of the first Calendrians to push for actively resisting Sharky, is that right?

Cordon:   I'm not rightly sure what you mean. If you're asking was I one of the first to say that we should stand up to Sharky and his lowdown band of scum, then yeah, I'd say I was. THe majority of the village was afraid of Sharky. I guess I couldn't blame them, seeing as how he seemed to live forever.

Greg:  But you weren't aftraid?

Cordon:  Oh sure, I was afraid. But I got to thinking. Did I want to go spending my life always under that filthy dogs thumb? As far as I was concerned, that wasn't any way to live. So what could I do? Sit around while he robbed us blind and made our lives miserable, or do something about it? I chose to do something.

Greg:  So what did you decide to do?

Cordon:  Well, sir, I started making weapons. I figured one day they'd come in handy when I convinced everyone that resistance was the only course of action. And they did come in handy, eventually.

I never put much stock in the Deliverers legend, but I have to admit to the truth of it now. It took the arrival of Eric and Stig to spark the village. If they hadn't arrived, I don't know what would have happened.

Greg:  So what was your plan?

Deliverers Interview: Charles Endria

Well, some time has passed since The Deliverers: Sharky and the Jewel was published--seven months tomorrow to be exact. It seems like a long time ago. Some of you may recall that when I first started this blog, I conducted interviews with the main characters in the book; Eric Scott, Kate Endria, Stig, Hallo Tosis, and Sharky. I thought it was a good way to introduce folks to the book. If you missed those, you can find them here.

Now that more of you are familiar with the story, I've decided to feature a few more characters. I'll have an interview today and tomorrow, and a couple more next week. Today, we'll be chatting with Charles Endria, the Lord Mayor of Calendria.

Greg: Welcome to Deliverers Publishing Headquarters. It's great to have a chance to speak with you.

Charles:  Thank you for having me. 

Greg:  For the benefit of those who may not be familiar with the book, you are the Lord Mayor of the village of Calendria and the father of Kate Endria, who assists Eric and Stig on their Assignment.

Charles:  That's right, Greg. Our village had been victimized for centuries by the pirate captain Sharky and his band of cutthroats. Eric and Stig arrived to help us. It was Kate who first recognized them as The Deliverers, heroes of an ancient legend.

Greg:  Yes, and she managed to convince you that the legend referred to them. How was she able to do that?

Charles:  Well, first of all you have to remember that one of the Deliverers was an eagle with the gift of speech. Now, Stig is no eagle, but he can definitely talk. That caught my attention. But I suppose the main reason that she was able to convince me was she passionately believed that one day The Deliverers would appear. It was a belief that she shared with her mother.

Greg:  Yes, I've heard that. You lost her when Kate was a little girl, I believe.