Interview With A Book-Diver
It’s release day for IMPRINT!
This is a special day, y’all. Not only is a brand-new meta-fiction fantasy novel releasing. Not only is a brand-new author emerging onto the scene. Not only is the world about to be filled with more wonderful characters and exciting adventures…. but today I get to help celebrate the debut novel of my dear blogging buddy AND epic Silmaril Award Host, Madeline J. Rose!
I have been following Madeline through the blogosphere for 7 years now. I found her blog shortly after she began blogging and she’s been with the Silmaril Awards since the very beginning back in 2016!
So I feel like I’ve gotten to watch her author journey, and just like with many adventures, what can seem like the culmination of all the hard work and effort is often only the beginning. So here we are, at release day for Imprint, Madeline J. Rose’s debut novel… and here’s hoping that this is only the beginning for her!
As part of the celebration, I got to sit down with Paige Turner, the main character of Imprint and have a little chat…..
I sit in the comfortable corner booth of the cafe in The Book Stop, sipping at my coffee. (I don't drink coffee in my world, but I've found that fictional coffee tastes delicious, and it's nice to be able to blend in a bit better). I stare around at the quaint little cafe, enjoying the unique pieces of art hanging on the walls around me, my eyes traveling over the packed shelves of books on the other side of the shop. I am completely at ease and comfortable here, and I can see why Paige Turner wanted to meet here for our interview. Everything about this place is warm and welcoming, and it smells of coffee and baked goods.
A teenage girl with messy brown curls and hazel eyes creeps up to my booth with a sort of nervous sidle. She sits down across the table from me and stares at my InterFiction badge, her expression both wary and intrigued.
"Hi, Paige," I say, with my gentlest smile, trying to put her at ease. "We spoke on the phone earlier. I'm Jenelle with the InterFiction Gazette. Thanks for being willing to answer a few questions."
Paige nods. “Thanks for having me. The InterFiction Gazette sounds like a really cool organization.”
I grin. “It is pretty awesome. And with your special abilities, you might want to think about applying for a job with them some day!”
Her eyes light up, and she kind of ducks her head nervously.
"I love this little bookstore you picked for our interview,” I say. “Is there anything special about this location for you?"
“Well…” Paige appears hesitant before she sighs and speaks. “It used to be a place I felt safe. I’d come here all the time, by myself, with my family…but that was before the man attacked me…Now I feel like I need to watch my back at all times.” She gazes warily at me.
I nod. “I heard about that. Please don’t worry, I am not here to hurt you. I just want to ask a few questions.” I glance down at my notes. "Okay, let's get started. First of all, can you tell me a little bit about yourself and your family?"
“Well, my name is Paige Turner.” She shakes her head and smiles. “Parents thought that’d be a funny one. Anyway, I live in a suburb not far from here with my mom, dad, and little sister Paisley. I have an older sister, Parker, who lives in New Jersey.”
“All P names, I like it,” I grin. "Can you tell my readers what it’s like living in Fallcoast, Minnesota?"
“It’s nice! I love my home. Sure, the summers are usually very hot, and the winters…well, to put it lightly, they’re brutal.” She grins. “But I wouldn’t choose anywhere else to be. I mean, this little town is all I’ve ever known.”
"I'm from Wisconsin, myself. We're practically neighbors! And I know what you mean about not wanting to live anywhere else." I grin. "So what are some of your interests? Any thoughts on what you'd like to do with your life after high school?"
“Well, part of the reason I agreed to this interview is because I have an interest in journalism.” She pulls out a little notebook and a pencil. “I love watching people and getting the scoop on interesting things happening in town. I’ve even submitted a few stories to the local paper, but…” She sighs. “They haven’t accepted any of them. Guess all I can do is keep trying.” She fiddles with the pencil. “As for after high school…” She blows out a weary breath. “I mean, I’d love to be a journalist, but…It’s not the easiest profession to get into.” She glances up at me and smiles. “I really admire what you do. It’s like a combination of my two favorite things; books and journalism. You have the best of both worlds.”
“It is a pretty epic job,” I agree, and find myself struggling not to chuckle. InterFiction isn’t your typical newspaper. I plow on with my next question before I spill too much information. "You have a fairly special ability when it comes to books, is that correct? Can you tell me a bit about what you can do and sort of how it works?"
She frowns. “I don’t usually tell people this, but…you seem trustworthy.” She glances around the little shop before speaking. “For as long as I can remember, I’ve been able to travel into books. It only works with old books though, and I still don’t quite understand what qualifies as an ‘old book’. What I’ve managed to discover is that it depends on the ink used, at least I think. Something about the ink on the pages…whenever I touch it, it pulls me in.” She smiles shyly.
"That is very cool. But it also sounds like it could be sort of dangerous. Aren't you ever worried you won't be able to get back? Or that something might follow you out of a story?"
Paige stares at me, eyes fearful. “Funny you should mention that. I am afraid. All the time. I never sleep with books near my bed, and I try to be very careful. But…well, I think someone did follow me out of a story…”
I nod. "Yeah, I heard that you recently had a pretty bad scare. Want to tell me about it?" I’m really hoping she doesn’t suddenly start wondering how I know so much about her…. she’s already spooked enough as it is.
“It was here at The Book Stop, actually. I was with Paisley, when a man I had never seen before began approaching us. Mrs. Meredith—she’s the owner of the shop—came up to him and told him to stop, but…” Her eyes go wide. “He blasted her with a burst of magic. She went down and then turned to me and Paisley.” She shudders, as if reliving the experience. “We ran. I couldn’t think straight. But we managed to outrun him. And now…” She heaves a heavy breath. “I’m afraid he’s going to try to come back to get me.”
“Whoa.” I give her my most sympathetic look. “That must be terrifying. What about your family and friends? Do they know about your ability? What do they think of it?"
“My family…” She shrugs. “They know. And my mom always tells me to be extremely cautious. She doesn’t have to warn me twice. But…” She looks miserably at me. “Maybe I wasn’t cautious enough.” She shakes her head. “As for my friends, neither Lena nor Markus knows. I can’t imagine what either of them would say if they knew…especially Markus.” She glances up, sheepish. “He’s pretty dramatic, I mean.”
"Seems like this Markus is pretty important to you," I let a little note of teasing enter my voice. "Care to tell me a little more about him?"
“Lena and I call him the Drama King, to give you an indication of what he’s like.” She chuckles. “He’s wanted to be an actor ever since he was little. He’s not afraid to say what he means, and he’s always so optimistic and cheerful…” She looks away, bashful.
“Do I detect a hint of a crush?” I grin at her as she squirms a little. “You don’t have to answer that. How about this one: If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be and why?"
Paige seems to ponder this for a moment before answering. “I would go back in time and stop whatever caused the mysterious man to find me. Then I would never have to worry about him again.” She sighs. “If only.”
My badge starts to gleam and my time is up. I stand up and extend my hand. I have to get out of the bookstore before she sees my form dissolve. Characters like Paige think they live in the real world, and I definitely don't want to be the one to tell her that she's a character in a story. She already has enough to worry about when it comes to books... besides, I'm not sure what would happen if her ability works both ways. Her author might not like it if Paige hopped out of her book and wandered off!
"Well," I say. "Thank you so much for chatting with me today! It was lovely getting to know you a bit better and I wish you well with any future adventures you might have!"
Author Bio
Madeline is an author and a believer living with her family in the town of Annandale, Minnesota. For over ten years, she has worked on improving her craft and writing many, many stories. Imprint was one of her first ideas she thought had potential, so she decided to begin a story that she would end up working on for over nine years.
Along with writing, she enjoys reading, music, and cooking. She has an A.A.S. in Multimedia Design Technology and uses her degree as a freelance graphic designer who owns her own design firm, Inklings LLC. She also runs a small sticker business on Etsy called RaspberryMilkCo.
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What do you think, dear Reader? Does this character sound like one you’d like to get to know some more? Do you enjoy meta-fiction (books where the characters either know they are in a book and try to interact with their reader/author or books where characters think they are real and jump inside books and interact with the characters inside)? Have you ever read any meta-fiction before? I’d love to hear what titles you’ve enjoyed!