There are a lot of firsts in the blogosphere, and even more for specific kinds of bloggers. In my case, as a writer/reader/book blogger, these would be some personal blog firsts I've accomplished:
First author interview
First guest post hosted by me
First guest post written by me
First giveaway won
First giveaway hosted
First book review
First blog hop I've joined
Today, I add to the list as I have my first character interview - with one of my own characters! Now, before we being, I just want to note that, while authors do create or 'give birth' to their characters, they do not control them. Characters are people like everyone else, with their own hopes, dreams, likes and dislikes, motives, and personalities. None are purely good or purely evil, and none do or say something simply because the author wants them to. They are their own persons.
That said, let's all welcome my good friend Christy. She's from my Christian YA romance novella, Babies and Blessings (working title), about her best friend Nikki and the struggles she went through. While she's not the main character of the story, as the main character's best friend she plays a large part in the decisions Nikki makes after her life starts to fall apart.
Hi Christy! Welcome to my blog, Struggles of a (Maybe) Teen Author.
Hey Emily! It's great to finally be here, and to meet somebody outside of my town. It's pretty small, you know, and my family doesn't leave much.
Speaking of your family, why don't you tell us about them?
Okay then! Haha. Well, there's my mom and dad, obviously. Then there's Tommy, my little brother. He can be a real handful sometimes.
I can understand obnoxious brothers! I have three of them. :) So, Christy, can you tell us what happened in your story?
Really, it's not my story at all. It's Nikki's - and Matt's and Claire's. See, Nikki was sixteen and working as the assistant ballet teacher at the community center when she met Matt. He was taking his niece to her lessons, and they really hit it off. I mean, you should've seen the way Nikki would talk about him - and to him! He always made her day, and they could talk for hours. One evening after classes they actually did and were kicked out of the center at closing time. That's when Matt decided he should meet Nikki's parents. That would've been fine and dandy, except Nikki... well, she always had problems with her mom, and Matt was... older. Twenty-four, to be exact. So of course Nikki's mom was all over them. Personally, I think she worries too much in general, and Nikki just never liked being worried over.
Anyway, Nikki's dad liked Matt, so he convinced her mom to let them date for a while and see what happened. Things were going really great for them - she met his family and visited him at work, stuff like that - and she was crazy for him. But after this one date she seemed to just shut down. She practically ignored Matt, but not just him - she closed off from her family and me too. After a while I put my foot down and went over to get her to talk to me. To make a long story short, her life seemed pretty much over. She had a lot of relationships to figure out - her parents, Matt, God. Things were a mess.
We all know what comes next. You have to read the story to find out, right?
Haha, exactly. You read my mind.
Well then, Christy, you said this wasn't your story at all. In a way, that's true; you're just the best friend. Will we have a chance to learn your story anytime soon?
I probably will share my own story at some point, yes. Soon, probably not. My story is pretty different from Nikki's, though - and her daughter Claire's, who I've heard has had a lot going on lately. I feel so old just knowing that she's already in college.
Yeah, Claire and Nikki are a lot alike, and really, you don't strike me as much like either of them. While we're on the topic of personalities, I have a couple of questions about yours. First of all, what's a random fact that nobody would know from reading Babies and Blessings?
Hmm... well, I love seafood. My favorite color is pink. My first time babysitting Claire was also my first time babysitting a child with colic. I had to give her medicine and every time she coughed I nearly panicked - and it happened several times! Although, in my own defense, I had been misinformed by a non-babysitting friend of mine on the nature of colic, but Nikki set the record straight. I thought it was a more serious problem than it really was, apparently.
I've had all sorts of babysitting firsts. The job definitely comes with its pros and cons - but then, so does any job, I suppose. Okay, next question: if you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Ooh, that's a hard one. Probably... hmm... this is for a vacation, not to live, right? Okay, then France. Paris, France. I'd love to see the Eiffel Tower and have everybody speaking French - well, hopefully a few would speak English, like some hotel workers and cafe owners and all. Haha, I don't know how I'd survive a trip if *somebody* didn't speak English! But really, I'm very romantic and would love to go to the city of lights and love. Plus I'm pretty sure they have amazing chocolate!
Yes, Paris is definitely a popular spot for romantics. Lots of hearts and couples - and chocolate! The next question was pulled from an interview with a character from a murder mystery: if you were to die and come back as an inanimate object, what would you want to come back as?
Well, nothing edible. Nothing that needs a temperature-controlled environment. Probably nothing that lasts too long, either, because after I die I'd really rather just go straight to heaven and not return to earth. I'd choose a flower, except if someone picked me or ran me over or something ate me then my second death would be rather long and painful, I think. What about... I don't know, a stuffed animal? Preferably one that's not a big brand or anything, something more likely to be cheap and only bought by families that can't afford the usual toys. At least then I could hope to be loving and helpful still as some lower-class child's comfort object. Hmm, maybe a baby blankie would be even better.
You know, I never would have thought of that. I'd probably have picked something pretty or useful and then regretted it for some crazy reason. My last question and then we're out of time. I know your name was actually inspired by two different people who also came from the world of literature. Care to share about that?
You're right, I'm named after two Christy characters. One is Christy Miller from Robin Jones Gunn's incredible Christy & Friends series, and the other is Christy Huddleston from the famous Christy by Catherine Marshall. Christy was actually made into a television show and three movies. Of course, the book was better, but isn't it always? Anyway, I'm named after these two wonderful women - one living in early-1900s Tennessee, the other in modern-day California - because they both had a strong relationship with God and were clearly Christian characters. I want their kind of reputation for my life - plus I've been told that I have similar personality traits from both of them.
Well, the chain said to ask ten questions, but we've done seven and we're out of time. Anything else you'd like to share?
Not really. Thanks for letting me come!
Thanks for coming! I really enjoyed this, and I can't wait getting to know you better through your own story - that is, if it's ever fully told. I really hope it is! Anyway, my lovely readers, this has been a great interview, but now it's time for me to sign off. Have a great day!
