Interview Special: The Deliverers Group Interview

Today is a special anniversary for me. The paperback version of my first novel, The Deliverers: Sharky and the Jewel was published a year ago today! When I first published the book, I never thought that I'd be able to do the things that I have this past year. For one thing, I've made a ton of friends through this blog. I've been lucky enough to visit many classrooms and talk to student (and parents) of all ages. I've written a sequel and have mapped out a third book.

This last year has been so great, that it makes me wonder what the next 12 months has in store. Right now I have an idea, but who knows how it will actually turn out? Here's what I'm envisioning: the release in the next month of the audio book version of The Deliverers: Sharky and the Jewel; beginning to write The Deliverers 3; the release early next year of The Deliverers 2: Order of the Crystal Lion; more classroom visits; continuing to grow and improve this blog. Wow, it looks like the coming year will be as busy as the last!

Since this is such a special day, I wanted to do something a little bit different. Normally, I interview someone from a classic children's book or fairy tale. Today, I was able to get all four of The Deliverers here to give us their thoughts on what the past year has been like for them, what they've been doing, and what their future plans are. So, without further ado, I give you Eric Scott, Stig the owl, Kate Endria, and Hallo Tosis the dwarf.

Greg:  Well, thank you all for coming and happy anniversary! I must say that you're all looking well.

Stig:  Thank you. It's quite good of you to say so. Happy anniversary to you as well. A most auspicious occasion if I do say so myself.

Eric:  Yeah, it's pretty cool. Thanks for having us.

Kate:  Yes, it's very exciting. I love anniversaries and birthdays and things like that. They're always such fun!

Hallo:  Yes siree, I love a good party, m'self. M' Pappy always said, work hard, play hard. Thank'ee for havin' us here t' celebrate, don't ya know.

Greg:  What has the last year been like for all of you?

Hallo:  It's been like a ride on a dragon's back, don't ya know. Lotsa comin's an' goin's. Everybody sayin' hey, really like the tale, whatcha doin' for an encore. We've also been enjoyin' visits from a large number o' Big Folk. It's a big change from the old days, don't ya know.

Eric:  It's been really exciting. Lots of people have told me they really like the book. I don't think a lot of people at school really believe that it actually happened. They think you just used my name. That's okay, though, because everyone thinks that's cool, so I don't mind. If they really believed I did those things, it would make me feel kind of, like, weird and they might treat me differently. So I'm happy with things as they are. There's an election coming up tomorrow, so everyone's, like, excited. 

Stig:  Things have been rather quiet in my neck of the woods. We owls tend to take things in our stride, and don't get all a twitter about our deeds. To be honest, most owls tend to lead rather exciting lives, so in some respects it's rather old hat back home. I've been doing a little bit of lecturing at university in my spare time.

Kate:  Calendria is still buzzing about everything that happened, but to tell you the truth, I think I can speak for all of us in saying that we really haven't had too much time to rest on our laurels. I've been working with Papa. He's been showing me what I'll have to do when he retires and I become the first Lady Mayor of Calendria. The audio book is coming out soon, and we all spent some time with Jimm Singer, the nice man who's narrating it, so that he could get our voices sounding as realistic as possible. 

Eric:  Yeah, he did a really great job. It was kind of freaky, because he'd be talking to me and it was like listening to me talking to me.

Greg:  So, how has that process been?

Stig:  Quite fascinating, really. It is really quite remarkable how well he's been able to capture the tone of my voice. Mind you, it is extremely difficult for a human to capture all the nuances of the owlish accent, but he has done much better than I had expected.

Hallo:  Aye, he's a fine lad is ol' Jimm. He's got m' way o' speakin' down pat. M' Pappy heard a recordin' an' thought it was me talkin'. Wouldn't believe it weren't until Jimm done it for him in person, then Pap about keeled over he were so amazed.

Kate:  It's going to be a wonderful production. I can't wait for everyone to hear it. Everyone in Calendria is really excited about it. You should hear Jimm do Sharky--it's like he was right there in the same room with us. It was quite scary.

Eric:  It's really cool. My friends are so jealous that I'm going to be in an audio book. They think it's my voice, but they still don't believe that I actually did the things in the book. Maybe they will after they read about our next Assignment. Oh well, I still find it hard to believe myself! 

Greg:  Can you tell us a little bit about the next Assignment?

Kate:  Well, we really can't tell you too much, we wouldn't want to spoil anything. But we can say that it was really exciting, and a little scary.

Eric:  Yeah, we have to stop this civil war. These people called the Vynistri and their leader, Chancellor Trelango take the DNA of lions and combines them with humans to form a warrior class called the Chazum. Anyway, they're fighting to be free and equal. It's different from the first Assignment.

Stig:  Thet's the way it is with Assignments, you see. They are all different. You never know what might happen. That's what keeps things interesting.

Eric:  Yeah, it was scary there for a while, but it was cool, too. I learned that I could do more than I thought I could.

Hallo:  Aye, I think we all learned some hard lessons on this here Assignment. It were a tough one, don't ya know.

Greg:  Well, thanks for taking some time to fill us in on what's been going on this past year. It looks like the coming year will be just as exciting, so please stay in touch.