I love character interviews. It's so much fun to get a bit more insight into characters before (or even after) reading the book. Today author Jill Daugherty joins us with an interview of her character, Brandon, from The Courage Series.
Siblings Today recently interviewed 13-year-old Brandon
O’Neill about his relationship with his older sister, Maggie, and about his
life as a typical teenager growing up in the suburbs of Denver.
ST: So, you seem to really enjoy doing things to torment
your sister, Maggie. Do you have to spend a lot of time coming up with these
ideas, or do they just come to you naturally?
Brandon: You know, for the most part, they just come to me
naturally. I don’t even think about what I’m going to say because it just rolls
out, and let’s be honest, just about anything I say is going to annoy or embarrass
my sister in some way. But there are times when I feel like the occasion calls
for something more thought out. Like when Maggie started dating Simon, I
couldn’t just pull something out of a hat at the last minute. It was a big deal
for her, and I needed to have something really good planned.
ST: You’re talking, of course, about her first date with
Simon to the Denver Art Museum.
Brandon: DAM. Yes.
ST: So you spent a lot of time coming up with the DAM jokes?
Brandon: Well, I mean, I didn’t really have to spend a lot
of time thinking up the jokes. I was sort of inspired by a trip we made to the
Hoover Dam a few years ago. When you’re on the tour, they make all these dam
jokes. Like, “We’re going to go up some dam stairs now.” Or, “This would be a
good spot for some dam pictures.” That sort of thing. So when I saw that Maggie
and Simon were going to the Denver Art Museum, I just ran with it.
ST: And do your parents object to you teasing your sister?
Brandon: Not really. I think they both know that it’s a duty
I’m obligated to fulfill. Simon does like it very much, though. I have to be
careful when he’s around.
ST: Do you worry that he would cause you physical harm if
you tease Maggie too much?
Brandon: No. I don’t think he’d every do anything to
physically hurt me, but I think he’d find a way to cause some serious emotional
pain.
ST: How so?
Brandon: I’m no sure, really. I just get the feeling he
could if he wanted to.
ST: Have you ever thought about teasing your sister, then
decided not to go through with it?
Brandon: I don’t understand the question.
ST: Have you ever not followed through with plans to tease
your sister?
Brandon: Seriously. I don’t understand what you’re asking
here.
ST: Okay, let’s move on. If you were a tree, what kind of
tree would you be?
Brandon: {Laughs openly.} Oh, you’re serious. What kind of
question is that? Why I would I want to be a tree?
ST: {Shuffles through papers} Um...Okay...Let’s see...Oh,
here’s one. If you were stranded on a desert island, what book would you take
with you?
Brandon: Any book that tells me how to get off the island.
ST: Well, yes, but which book would you take besides that one?
Brandon: Any book that tells me how to survive on the island
while I’m waiting to get off it.
ST: {Exasperated sigh.} Tell me three things you can’t live
without.
Brandon: Video games, video games, and video games.
ST: {Exasperated sigh.} Well, I think we have enough here.
Brandon: Seriously? Those are all of your questions?
ST: Yes. That was it.
Brandon: But you have like 10 sheets of paper there with
questions.
ST: Oh, uh, those are questions for another interview I’m
doing.
{Shuffling paper.}
Brandon: Let me see.
ST: No. I can’t. It’s a top-secret interview.
Brandon: What kind of top-secret interview could you be
doing for Siblings Today magazine?
ST: Oh. Look at the time. I’m running late. Must go.
{Footsteps. Door opening. Door closing.}
Brandon: I think that went well.
Courage and Other Demons
Jill Daugherty
YA Urban Fantasy
FREE on Amazon July 17 - July 22
The end of the world will start in the suburbs of Denver with a faery
transfer student from Ireland. If you think that’s totally ridiculous, then you
understand how Maggie O’Neill feels. In all of her sixteen years, faeries were
something you read about in children’s books. They didn’t actually show up on
your doorstep. They didn’t kiss you and make your knees go weak and whisper
sweet nothings in your ear. Until Simon Brady, that is. Simon changed
everything. He makes her heart race and her skin burn with excitement, but he
has also changed her core beliefs about the world and made her see it as a dark
and dangerous place filled with monsters that belong only in the lines of faery
tales. There is no doubt in Maggie’s mind that she loves Simon, but can she see
past who he is and find a place for him in her heart?
Abandoned Courage
Book #2
Maggie O’Neill had a rough junior year… She fell in love with Simon. She
found out Simon was a faery. She spent some time with her dead ancestors. An
evil faery with control issues came after her and brought his groupies to kill
her. …but that was nothing compared to what’s in store for senior year. She’s
the new girl at faery boarding school and is subjected to something she never
thought she’d have to deal with in her entire life—mean girls. To make matters
worse, she’s seeing less and less of Simon, her faery guard is smothering her
in their efforts to protect her, and the evil faery is still stalking her,
determined to kill her before she can kill him. She starts to wonder if she’ll
make it to graduation. Then the unthinkable happens and she wonders if she’ll
be able to survive even one more day.
Defining Courage
Book #3
Eighteen-year-old Maggie O’Neill is a high school dropout. If her
parents knew, they’d probably kill her, but that’s the least of her worries.
Balor—the evil faery from hell—is still stalking her, someone is still
betraying her, and the mean girl at school is still mean. The worst part of her
life, however, is figuring out how to live it without Simon. Will Maggie
discover a way to defeat Balor? Will she ever be able to out-snark the mean
girl? Will she find Simon? Tune in next week—uh, read the book—to find out.
About the Author
Jill
Daugherty lives in Denver with Bailey, the world's cutest dog. By day, she
works with gifted children and their teachers. By night, she writes. A lot. She
is the author of the Courage series, which has received glowing reviews. At the
insistence of her readers, she has started work on a spin-off series.
Thank you so much for including me on your blog, Kimber!
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure! Brandon sounds like an intriguing character :)
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