Character Interview: Kate Endria

Our Thanksgiving/Hanukkah week character interview review continues with the feisty Kate Endria. She is the daughter of the Lord Mayor of Calendria, and an important part of the Deliverers team.

By the way, here's wishing you and yours a happy, healthy, safe Thanksgiving and Hanukkah filled with joy and blessings. Let's all take this time to give thanks for everything we've been blessed with!

Editor:  Welcome to the Deliverers Publishing Headquarters, Kate. Thanks for stopping by.

Kate:  You’re very welcome. This is so exciting! I never thought I’d get to visit this place. Stig told me all about it, but I would never have believed how extravagant your headquarters was if I hadn’t have seen it for myself.

Ed.:  Well, I don’t think it’s as impressive as you’re making it out to be. But anyway, what was your family life like growing up?

Kate:  Some might say that I still have some growing up to do, especially the members of our Council. I remember some happy times when I was younger. Of course, Sharky and the pirates were always around. If they weren’t terrorizing Calendria on Tariff Day, there was always the thought that Sharky was watching.

I remember times with Papa and Mother—before she died. We were happy, going to the Green for picnics, pot luck suppers at the meeting house. But, then Mother got sick, and things weren’t so good. I was seven when she passed.

But, Papa has always been wonderful, and he does his best to make up for my not having a mother. And of course Gretchen, our maid, has always been a dear, and Madame Bottleneck, too. I’ve been blessed to live in a village where everyone cares about one another, and I’m proud of Papa, who’s the Lord Mayor.

Ed.:  Tell us a little bit about Calendria and its history.

Kate:  Well, Calendria has a long and rich history. It was established over 300 years ago by my ancestor, Calvin Endria. Cal Endria had been Sharky’s first mate, but he and about 40 others in Sharky’s band decided it was time to settle down and retire. So, Cal went to the captain and stated his intentions, expecting that Shaky would either laugh in his face or run him through.

I think that he was pretty surprised when Sharky didn’t do either. Instead, he agreed to let Cal and his mates retire, provided that they paid a tariff of half of everything the settlement produced twice a year for a hundred years.

So that’s how Calendria started. Calvin Endria was the first Lord Mayor, and the village was named in his honor. The position of Lord Mayor has been handed down to the eldest son in the Endria family for generation after generation.

Ed.:  You were the one who discovered the Deliverers. How did you come to be searching for them?

Kate:  Well, in Calendria there’s this legend called the Deliverers about a hero and a talking eagle that appear to defeat Sharky and his pirate band. My mother was a big believer in the legend, and she passed that belief on to me.

I took it as my duty as daughter of the Lord Mayor to search for the Deliverers whenever I had some spare time. So, one day, I came across Eric and Stig. As soon as Stig started talking, I knew that I had found the Deliverers.

Ed.:  What do you like to do in your spare time?

Kate:  You mean besides searching for the Deliverers? Well, I try to help Papa with anything he needs. I’m also studying. I hope one day to succeed my papa as the first Lady Mayor. That keeps me pretty busy.

Ed.:  So, what do you think of Eric? There are rumors floating around that the two of you might be getting close…

Kate:  Eric and I are good friends. I’m eternally grateful for what he and Stig did for Calendria. As for anything else, I think he and I are too young to be concerned with that at this point. There’s too much we’re still working through personally. Of course, I look forward to working with him, Stig and Hallo on future Assignments if the Gatekeeper needs us.

Ed.:  I guess that kind of answers my last question. Would you like to take part in future Assignments?

Kate:  Oh, yes. I’m hoping to. I mean, it’s important work, helping others. It’s also dangerous work, but no one in my family has ever backed down from a challenge. I always want to make Papa, and Mother, proud.

Ed.:  I think they are very proud of you, Kate. Thank you again for taking a few minutes to sit and chat with us.

Kate:  Any time. It was really a lot of fun. Is this a new map?

Ed.:  Yes, we’ve adjusted it since Stig visited. You should be able to find your way out of here now.

Kate:  Why, how sweet. Thank you so much.

Character Interview: Stigidae Ghostwing

Okay, since I've been working on the plot for The Deliverers 4, which involves a bit of time travel, I thought I'd go back in time two years or so to my first character interview. Back then, I conducted a survey of the dozen or so readers I had at the time to determine which of the characters from The Deliverers: Sharky & the Jewel I should interview first. The winner was Stigadae Ghostwing the owl--Stig for short.

As I read this interview, it's interesting to see what was said when everything was fresh and new. For those of you who had not yet discovered this blog when this interview appeared right before Thanksgiving 2011, it may prove mildly amusing. Enjoy.

Editor:  Welcome to the Deliverers Publishing Headquarters, Stig. Thanks for taking the time to, um, perch with us.

Stig:  It’s my pleasure entirely, I assure you. I say, your headquarters is really quite impressive.

Ed.:  Oh, how so?

Stig:  Well, the sheer size of the place for one thing, and the fine art and furnishings, to say nothing of all the awards and autographed political and celebrity photographs. I mean, who knew this was such an accomplished organization!

Ed.:  Stop, I’m blushing. But this isn’t about us. We want to hear about you. What was your childhood like?  Were you an only owl?

Stig:  I was an only child. It was rather difficult. You see, my childhood lasted for about 150 years. Most of that time was spent in school. Owls are nothing if not educated. When I wasn’t in school I was with my parents hunting for mice, moles, and the occasional rabbit.

Mother was kindly and very understanding of my youthful foibles. My father was a most respectable business owl, and did not go in for any “carrying on” whatsoever. This led to some friction between us when I entered my adolescent years. I must confide that, just between you and I, I was quite the hellion back in those days. Eventually, I settled down and became somewhat respectable myself, but the entire process was rather painful.

Ed.:  What is your world like?

Stig:  Oh, much like any other, I suppose. Owls are the predominant species. We’ve developed a very learned society, known for our universities. A nice place altogether, but not really my cup of tea. I don’t spend much time there these days, what with my Assignments and all.

Ed.:  How did you first get sent on an Assignment?

Stig:  I first stumbled upon the Hallway of Worlds when I chanced upon a doorway while exploring a cave on my world. This was, let me see, over 100 years ago when I was around 320 or so. I can’t begin to describe my amazement when I found myself in the Hallway.

Then, the Gatekeeper appeared. He seemed to have been expecting me. Naturally, I was skeptical when he told me he needed my help, but I could not deny that I was not in the cave that I had entered, so I agreed to help him as best I could.

That was the first of many Assignments in my service to the Gatekeeper. It took a long time until I was chosen to lead an Assignment.

Ed.:  Let me guess, that was this last mission with Eric, right?

Stig:  Mmmm…Yes. Apparently, the Gatekeeper had his eye on Eric for some time. He asked me to approach him with an Assignment. Mind you, I wasn’t sure Eric would accept. He was going through an extremely rough patch, and had quite a large chip on his shoulder. Thankfully, I was able to convince him, which worked out to everyone’s benefit.

Ed.:  What do you like to do in your spare time?

Stig:  Well, I don’t have much of it, I can tell you. I teach a class at university on my home world every other semester. I enjoy it—it’s a real hoot.

Ed.:  Did you know Hedwig, Harry Potter’s owl?

Stig:  Oh, not that well. We flew in different circles. The few times I did meet her, she didn’t have much to say. Bad show what happened to her, but she died bravely. For me, it underscored just how unpredictable life can be.

Ed.:  How has the release of the book impacted your life?

Stig:  I’ve worked in virtual anonymity for over 100 years, so it was a trifle disconcerting to have the bright light of the media turned upon my work. All in all, though, I must say that it has been surprisingly satisfying. For one thing, it was an excellent Assignment. For another, it gave me a chance to work as part of a team, which was a most singular experience.

Eric, Kate, and Hallo were fun to work with, although a trifle exasperating at times. Each brings their own expertise to an Assignment, and I think we play well off each other. I’m looking forward to working with them again in future.

Ed.:  So, do you think you will all take part in future Assignments?

Stig:  From what the Gatekeeper says, I would think it stands to reason. There are thousands of worlds out there, and more than a few are encountering difficulties, so I would think you could count on it.

Ed.:  Well, thank you for your time Stig. I look forward to reading about The Deliverers’ future Assignments.

Stig:  You’re quite welcome. The pleasure has been all mine. Now, do you think you could help me find my way out of the building? All the passages are quite confusing, and I can’t make head or tail out of the map you gave me.

A Writer's Week #93: Making Progress

This week has been very satisfying for me. First off, my request for book donations from authors that I have been privileged to meet over the last years has been generous to say the least. Thanks to C. Lee McKenzie, Celia Carlisle, Kimberly Sentek, Karen Pokras Toz and Tracey Lynn Best for offering to donate books to the Danbury, CT Salvation Army's Christmas Distribution event. Thanks to you, a bunch of children in need will receive the gift of reading.

After a week, I've got 36 books. I need to reach at least 100 by December 13th. If you would like to help, purchase a copy of one of my Deliverers books on this site, and I will donate another copy to the kids. If you are an author and would like to donate copies of your book, leave a comment on this post or message me on Facebook and we can work out the details.

On the writing front, I've worked out the general arc of the story for The Deliverers 4. It took a while, but I'm pretty satisfied with it. I'm now filling in the details of the story line. It's looking pretty good. Things are picking up. Eric and friends will be getting to the heart of what's threatening the universe. Mix in a little historical fiction elements and I think we'll have an entertaining book!

My brain's telling me it's almost time to start writing chapter one. I'll let things stew in my head until after my

last show on December 1st and then get started. I hope to have the first draft completed by September or October. We'll see. As always, I'll be sure to keep you up to date on my progress.

The illustration for the cover of The Deliverers 3: The Golden Dragon of Ang is looking really good. Daniel Vogel is doing a great job. The cover should be ready by the end of the year.

Appearance Alert:  I will be at the 28th annual Holiday Festival FBO Newtown Youth and Family Services at Edmund Town Hall in Newtown, CT.

What's Elizabeth Reading? Incantation

This week, young reader Elizabeth is here to tell us a little bit about a book she's been reading. Incantation, by Alice Hoffman is a book that I am not ffamiliar with, so I am anxious to find out a little bit about it. Let's see what Elizabeth has to say.

Here's what Elizabeth says the book is about.

"I am someone 

I never would have imagined. 

A secret. 

A dream... 

body and soul. 

Burn me. 

Drown me. 

Tell me lies. 

I will still be who I am."

                                                     -ESTRELLA DEMADRIGAL 

                               SPAIN 1500

This book takes place in England in the 1500's. Estrella is the main character of the story. She is passionate about what she believes. She enjoys her life with her grandmother, mother, grandfather, and her best friend right next door. But all around her, everybody else is not having as carefree lives as she. Different religions were unjustly treated. Jews and Muslims were treated horribly! I mean, the book said that Jews were locked in at night for goodness sake.

Estrella will be made to question her beliefs, question who she is, and question where her family's loyalties lie. In the end, she will be forced to make a hard decision concerning her and her grandmother's future. This story is great for people who want to know what it was like to live in different time periods in history. There is not a lot of dialogue, but the story still goes into great depth and detail. I loved this book and my only regret is that there is no sequel to this book that I know of because I would have loved to learn what happened to Estrella after the story ended.

So, how did Elizabeth rate Incantation, by Alice Hoffman?

She gave it four out of five blue dragons.

New Assignment

Hi all. Long time, no see. Sorry about skipping the last Writer's Week. The truth is, the past week was very rewarding and productive. I met with  illustrator Dan Vogel to review the progress on the cover for The Deliverers 3: The Golden Dragon of Ang. It's coming along great and will be complete by Christmas. I'll share it with you when it's all done.

This weekend, I had a book signing at the Barn gallery in New Fairfield. It was a beautiful day. I saw a number of old friends and made a couple new ones. To be honest, the turnout was less than I had hoped. For a while I was disappointed, but after a lot of thought and some prayer, I decided to take a big step.

You might say that I took a new Assignment from the Gatekeeper. The Gatekeeper is the guy in my books that gives different missions--Assignments--to Eric and the other Deliverers. For a little over a year now, I've toyed with thoughts of how I could use my books to help others. I say toyed with because I kept running up against a, "I can't give stuff away, I have to make money" roadblock in my head.

This weekend changed all that. I now realize that the most important thing is that I write books and that I share them with as many kids as possible. Not only that, but I should be looking to get books to kids that don't have many--or in some cases, any.

With that in mind, I will be donating books to the Salvation Army to be distributed to children in need. I'm going to start in my own backyard and hopefully expand over time. My local Salvation Army collects new toys for children whose parents can't afford presents at Christmas. There are about 500 families that have registered this year. Not all of these families have children of reading age, but most of them do.

I am hoping to donate books, my books and those of any children's authors who would like to donate, to as many of these families as possible. I will pay  for a bunch myself using money that I've made from previous shows this month. From now on, when I sell a Deliverers book face to face or on this website, I will donate a second Deliverers book to the Salvation Army.

That's my mission and my Assignment this holiday season. I've posted it at the top of my blog, along with a donation button. If you would like to donate some cash to the cause, please do. The Deliverers 1 costs about $4 and the Deliverers 2 costs about $5 to produce, if you need a donation guideline. All funds donated (after Paypal's small processing fee) will go towards the purchase of books for kids in need. If you'd like a great book in the bargain, then go to my Store, buy a copy of book 1 or book 2 (or both), and I'll deliver a second copy to the Salvation Army. I'll personalize it with a book plate that tells the recipient it was donated by whomever you name.

I'm going to start small, but hopefully this will grow over time. I'd love to be able to offer a range of titles. If you are a children's author, please consider donating 5, 10, 25, however many copies you can. I promise they will find good homes. Email me at gregslomba@hotmail.com and we can work out the details. Thanks!