Thrilling Thursdays of Talking to Tessa's Characters...

Hello my dearies!

It's Thursday today and I've decided to unearth a type of post I used last autumn but then sort of forgot about. In honour of my October Blogathon, Thrilling Thursdays are back! Well, they thrill me, at least -   I hope you like them, too.

Let me explain the concept - one of my favourite methods of characterisation and plot-development is through character interviews. I pretend I'm sitting down right there with one of my characters, and we strike up a conversation. Sometimes it worked out stranger than others (here's a short one and here's another), but no matter what, I've always had fun doing character interviews.

Tessa Conte sits in a comfy armchair before a happily dancing hearth-fire in a room full of books and leather. She has a yellow legal pad on her lap, and is busily chewing the end of her pencil. 

There's a knock at the door.

TC: Come in, please.

A man enters the room, dressed in a desertman's garb, all loosely flowing robes and leather belts holding it all together. He's armed with at least two blades -  a sword on his back and a knife in his belt - that Tessa can see, but there's bound to be more. He comes to a stop before Tessa's chair. 

TC (waits a bit, tapping her pencil against the legal pad): Well? Are you going to sit down? (He sits and pulls off the black turban and veil) Thank you. So, what are we talking about today? How about we start with you introducing yourself to the audience?

R: I'm Rashid.

TC: That's it? Just Rashid?

R (he's studying the room, the fire, the books, anything but looking straight at Tessa): Yes. I'm the Peacemaker's guard.

TC (frowns): Care to elaborate on that? And why aren't you looking at me?

R (deliberately turns his head to look straight at a spot behind Tessa's right shoulder): I'm just a guard, I shouldn't be looking at you.

TC (watches him for a bit): Are you looking for threats, Rashid? (he just nods) So you'd protect me, too, then?

R (apparently startled, he meets Tessa's gaze and she sees that his eyes are a strangely mezmerizing honey shade): Yes, my lady. Of course I would! That's my purpose, is it not?

TC: To protect?

R (frowns, then nods as if he needs to reassure himself of this): Yes. I protect, that's what I'm here for. There's nothing else for me, is there?

TC: You don't sound very certain of that.

R (looks into the fire; his hand is resting on the hilt of his dagger, clenching and unclenching): I don't know what to think. I have no memory older than the day I was given into the Peacemaker's service, you know that, don't you? How am I to know what or who I was before then? It should not matter. I know I can't be that anymore, that I'm not allowed to, but...

TC (leans forward): But?

R: But there's something there, shadows, echoes of something...

TC (sits back in her chair): We'll figure it out, don't worry.  

Welcome, Kerry!

Hello my dearies!

Today, I have a special treat for you... an interview with fellow Book Bunny and published author...(insert drumroll, please)...

KERRY FREEMAN!!

Here's what Kerry says about herself... 

The Short Version
Author. Southerner. Geek. Writer of romance, believer in HEA. Positive there's nothing better than shrimp & grits and red velvet cake.

*At this point I absolutely have to add: I love Red Velvet Cake...*

The Longer Version
Kerry was born and raised in Alabama, and she grew up swearing she was going to get the hell out of Dodge the instant she could. Turns out Dodge ain’t so bad, and she never left. Alabama’s version of a city girl, she married a country boy, and the adorkable couple lives in a small town with their two socially awkward dogs.
Kerry loves to write about love, and it turns out most of the voices in her head are men. She also loves to write about the South, so most of her stories end up there, one way or another.
A tomboy and a geek from way back, Kerry has a day job but dreams she will one day write full time. She has a weakness for yaoi, Japanese stationery, YA, and ginger-haired singers from Britain. She owns an impressive t-shirt collection. Nowaki & Hiroki are her homeboys.

In short, Kerry writes romance of the m/m kind, fell-good stories at the rainbow end of the spectrum, and her newest work of genius, 

Pine Tar and Sweet Tea

has just been published by Loose Id. To celebrate, she's off on a blog tour and today I get to welcome her here, on Tessa's Blurb. 

First, let me tell you a little something about her book, and then I'll be asking Kerry five questions for your amusement and enlightenment ; P

So without further ado, here's the Blurb for Pine Tar and Sweet Tea:

After playing eleven years in the Minor Leagues, Coach Matt Hawley has returned to his tiny Alabama hometown to lead his old high school baseball team to their first state championship. At the other end of the state, René Días, who left the Major League after one season, is getting his team ready to defend their state title for the second straight year. One is in the closet. The other is between relationships. Neither has any intention of hooking up at the state tournament. 

Then they see each other. 

Pre-game lust turns into an intense one-night stand neither man can forget, and when their best friends embark on a romance, Matt and René are thrown together again. This time they decide it won't be for just a single night. But the fear of disappointing his minister father and shaming his family forces Matt to keep one foot in the closet, even as he and René find their lust is maybe something more. He's going to have to make a choice between between his family and his freedom.

Sounds good, no? I'm lucky enough to have read it already and I can attest to its awesomeness. Romance comes in all colours and flavours and this story celebrates love. Right in time for Thursday's Coming Out Day, too! Did you celebrate? I hope you did, our world can do with more tolerance. 

Speaking of colourful (and what a great lead is that, huh? Huh?), here comes Kerry! 

Hello Kerry, welcome to my blog. Let me get right in there with my five questions...here comes number one....

I love the title of the new book - bur as someone from the other side of the great pond, can you tell me what exactly it means and what kind of picture you want to invoke for your reader? 

Ah, yes, the title. Pine tar is a sticky substance that is used for a number of purposes but most notably by baseball players. They put it on the handle on the bat to help keep the bat in their hands when they swing hard. Pitchers sometimes use it, but if they put it directly on the ball, they get suspended. 

Sweet tea is the quintessential Southern drink. You can order it anywhere. If I go to a restaurant that only has unsweet tea, I know it's run by a yankee ;) 

So basically I'm hoping the title will invoke images of baseball and the South (US).

Are you a baseball fan or did you need to do research? Does your family fall ona particular side of the baseball-football divide or do you like/play both?

I LOVE baseball! I used to watch it all the time until I got married. My husband thinks baseball is boring to watch on TV. He will go to games with me, though, and we have a great time. Our favorite team is the Atlanta Braves... who totally got robbed in the playoffs last week *booooo* *hissssss*

My husband's side of the family are all huge football fans, and they've got me hooked on it too. Especially college football. Our favorite team is the University of Alabama Crimson Tide, which were the national champions last year.

I never played sports. I'm too clumsy :)

*grins* I'm not particularly sporty, either. Unless keyboard surfing counts....

As a writer, I know from experience that stories are born in many, many different ways. Did this one start with an idea or with a character? 

This story was inspired by two friends from high school who both came out in college. One went on to be a teacher. She came home for a visit with a girlfriend, and we all went to the only gay bar in town. She wouldn't go to one where she lived in fear it would get back to her school and she'd lose her job. My other friend went through a religious process to make her "not gay," and we didn't see her again. I often wonder where she is now and how she's lived her life. I only hope she's happy.

It's really sad that people are still so ignorant and intolerant. I sincerely hope we're on our way to a better society than that. I hope your friend is ok, wherever she is. 

Now a really, really important question...how do you take your tea?

Asked like someone who ain't from around here ;) In the South, we drink our tea over ice, and you can only get it one of two ways: sweet (with sugar) or unsweet.

I take my tea straight up unsweet. Some people add artificial sweeteners, but since the tea’s already cold, the sweetener doesn’t dissolve completely. I’d rather drink it plain than have a mouth full of gritty powder.

Heh. As a person who lived in the UK for a long time, I take my tea in a mug, with a spot of milk and a lump or two... not the done thing in the South, I guess! ; ) 

Now, I don't know if you read that post, but I've recently talked about the wonderful(ly difficult) thing that is dialogue... heaven or hell for a writer, and oh so important to get your story across. Do you have a favourite line of dialogue from your new book that you'd like to share? Or maybe there's a particular scene you like best? 

My favorite passage is René talking about what his devout grandmother told him when he came out to her. 

“My grandmother was devout. Rosary, hair covering, the whole thing. When I told her I was gay, she sat me down and told me to remember one thing: God is love. He wants me to love and be loved in return. She didn’t believe that he would put me on earth only able to feel true love for a man if he didn’t mean for me to love that way.”

You're right, that's a powerful bit of dialogue you have there, and the sentiment is one I think everyone should take to heart. Thank you for joining me today, and I wish you all the best for your new book!!! 

If you like the sound of Kerry's story, go check it out on Loose Id or on Amazon, and do pop in on her website and say hi! You can also find her here:

Blog: http://blog.kerryfreeman.com/

Monthly Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/pkZ95

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kfwritesbooks

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authorkerryfreeman

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4759363.Kerry_Freeman

Magic and miracles

A little conversation with my muse about just how things work in Merle's world...

Tessa: What is magic?

Muse: Magic is everything and nothing.

T: Great. That helps.

M: (mysterious smile) 

T: I always thought that magic is somethings that stops the normal rules of the world from working. Something along the lines of chaos.

M: (shakes his head, still with that mysterious and admittedly somewhat sexy smile of his) Magic is an absence of chaos.

T: But...then how does it work?

M: Magic has its own rules, honey.

T: (smiles; her muse just called her honey, that can only be a good thing) It does? What are they?

M: (grins) Wouldn't make much sense to you right now. You'll figure it out.

T: (rolls her eyes at him) So what do you call something that doesn't follow the rules?

M: That would be a miracle.

Say Hi to Jessica Bell, author of String Bridge

First of all, I suck. I was supposed to post this yesterday, but - guess what - epic #Tessafail once again. (I've stopped trying to schedule things because it ALWAYS goes wrong somehow)


Jessica, I'm SOOO SOORRY!!


Welcome to Interview Saturday @ Tessa's Blurb! (*edit: OKAY so technically it's Sunday now, just imagine it were still Saturday!)


And doesn't that sound nice? Maybe I should make it a feature... ; P


I have a special treat for you today - Jessica Bell, writer and blogger extraordinaire, author of the recently released String Bridge, has been so kind as to let me interview her today. She's been busy busy busy this past month, zipping back and forth on her String Bridge tour, so I've decided to forgo the usual interview questions and ask her something DIFFERENT! HA!


But first, here's a little something about Jessica:


Jessica Bell is a literary women's fiction author, poet and singer/songwriter who grew up in Melbourne, Australia, to two gothic rock musicians who had successful independent careers during the '80s and early '90s.

She spent much of her childhood travelling to and from Australia to Europe, experiencing two entirely different worlds, yet feeling equally at home in both environments. She currently lives in Athens, Greece and works as a freelance writer/editor for English Language Teaching publishers worldwide, such as HarperCollins, Pearson Education and Macmillan Education.

In addition to String Bridge, Jessica has published a book of poetry called Twisted Velvet Chains. A full list of poems and short stories published in various anthologies and literary magazines can be found under Published Works & Awards, on her website.

From September 2012 Jessica will be hosting the Homeric Writers' Retreat & Workshop on the Greek island of Ithaca, home of Odysseus.


And now, the questions.... 


Tessa: Hello Jessica! Thank you for taking the time to pop in on my blog and answer my questions. Let's get right to the meat of it, shall we? You write about music with such poetry that it seems to me this must be something very, very close to your heart - both music and poetry, that is. So here's my first question - if you had to choose one single instrument - voice and pen included - what would you want to be? (I write fantasy stories, remember ; ) )


Jessica: Ha! I hate these sorts of questions. I guess it would be my voice, because then I could sing and tell someone else what to write for me 


Tessa: Sneaky! And what if you could do only one thing, music or writing? Or are they so intertwined for you that they're one and the same? 


Jessica: Definitely intertwined. What are you trying to do to me, Tessa? You’re as cheeky as Tessa is in my novel 


Tessa: Good to know I live up to the name! You live in Athens - do you find your surroundings inspiring? Or maybe something Greek just 'sneaks' into your writing, on occasion? Or do you think your writing would be the same if you lived somewhere else?


Jessica: I think being here is definitely inspiring. Sometimes I’m actually afraid I might forget how English speakers interact, because Greeks use their hands a lot.

Tessa: As a writer, I find myself reading a lot. More than a lot, in fact... ; P Is it like that for you? Do you have a favourite read, ever? Poetry, lyrics, novels - is there something you read, over and over again, something you can't leave on the shelf? 

Jessica: Everyone has asked me this! Housekeeping, by Marilynne Robinson. Read it cover to cover numerous times and each time I’ve gotten something new out of it.

Tessa: Oh no! And here I wanted to be original. Ah well. Housekeeping? I don't think I've heard of that one before. I'll have to look it up! Ok, so at the risk of not being original... Do you have a favourite place and time to write? I'm partial to the local coffe shop, myself - whenever I can spare an hour or so. Or maybe you stay at your desk, approach it like a job and write for a set amount of time? 

Jessica: I love writing in my purple and blue office, but I never approach it like a job. I write when I feel like it. But I can’t just sit and write for an hour. If I sit down to write I want to be able to dedicate an entire day to it.

Tessa: The whole day, really? That's dedication! I can only write for a couple of hours at a time before my muse runs screaming. Okay, one last question and I'll leave you to go write... What, exactly, is a "biriki"*?

Jessica: It’s a little pot that you make Greek coffee in!

Tessa: Ah! That explains a lot. I should know that, really, considering my addiction to coffee! Thank you, Jessica, for answering my questions, good luck this book and with all your future writing! 

Tune in again tomorrow (*edit: later today) for a review of Jessica's debut novel, String Bridge. 

* it's mentioned in the book


You should also visit Jessica's wonderful BLOG and her WEBSITE. There's a Book Website, too.


Other interesting interviews with Jessica:


Madeline Sharples (interview/review)
Emily White (interview)
Pam Torres  (review/interview)


If you want to buy the book, you can do so here:

eBook

Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/String-Bridge-ebook/dp/B005Y48DF6/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319369262&sr=1-1

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/String-Bridge-ebook/dp/B005Y48DF6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319370801&sr=8-1

Paperback:

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/string-bridge-jessica-bell/1030101696

Soundtrack:

iTunes: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playlistId=465313522

Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Melody-Hill-Other-Side/dp/B005P7ARNS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317118328&sr=8-1

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Melody-Hill-Other-Side/dp/B005P7G02A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317118484&sr=8-1

An interview with Merle...

Takes place sometime during the beginning of the first chapter of my story....

Tessa: (motions for her guest to sit in one of the soft chairs before the fireplace; the young man before her looks at the chair as if not quite sure what to do, but finally sits down right on the edge of the seat) Nice to meet you, Merle. I've been looking forward to this for some time now.

Merle: (he bows to me, a courtier's move with a cute little flourish) Uhm...thank you. Nice to meet you, too, ma'am.

T: (smiling at him) Took you long enough to come by.

M: (bobs his head down, won't meet T's eyes) Sorry, ma'am.

T: (waves a hand through the air) Don't worry about it. You're here now. So tell me, Merle, what are you up to at the moment?

M: Nothing, ma'am.

T: That can't be right. I know for a fact that you won the last arena match, and quite handily, too.

M: Yes, ma'am.

T: So....?