The BBC kindly sent over the video files of the interviews with Nick before and after the Para-Tri triathlon. As so many of you who have given him your support and encouragement were unable to see them on the iPlayer and expressed a wish to do so, here they are… in his own words:
The first interview was with reporter Ben Moore and cameraman Trevor Adamson, the second with Nikki Mitchell, both filmed for the news on BBC South Today.
My thanks to Ben, Trevor and Nikki for doing such a great job.
Nick, with Heather and Eva from the Royal Buckinghamshire Hospital, competed yesterday in the first Para-Tri triathlon relay, where teams are comprised of able-bodied and disabled members, the first such event in the country. Nick’s campaign to raise awareness and funds for UKABIF, an organisation focussed on acquired brain injury, has so far reached and…
If you had the choice of any occupation, what would you actually like to be? .
Being a Queen definitely suits me, but I assume you want me to pick something different. Maybe a teacher or a nurse? A position where I help and protect others would be nice. .
Do you have any hobbies that you would like to be able to spend more time on? .
Life in Shayd and my position as an agent of Baron Kernaghan doesn’t give me much free time. When I’m not on assignments, I’m helping my people gather and prepare food. Other times I sit with the children to teach them about our people. They love when I arrive because I entertain them with magic. .
What’s your favorite meal? .
Anything that tastes better than chewy roots and whatever else we can find in our lands. Chocolate is high on the list. .
Do you play any musical instruments–if so, what? If you don’t, what would you like to play? .
My people aren’t know for our musical talents or history. I think I’d like to learn how to play a harp. Those seem require very nimble fingers, which suits me. .
Is there any one in particular that you wish you didn’t have to be around? .
Stephen. I hope he falls groin first into a demon’s maw. .
Have you ever been strongly attracted to someone and it never developed? .
No. That’s a dangerous situation and be seen as a potential weakness. I can think about romance when my master is either dead or victorious. .
Are you surprised about what you have become? Is this what you expected when you were a child? .
Chaos elves are all born with the expectation to die at any moment. So taking the throne and wielding powerful magic are unexpected successes. My position helps me give hope to the younger generations, which is nice. Maybe they will have a more interesting response to this question when they grow up. .
What is your biggest fear? .
Failing my people. They depend on me to keep their spirits up and their flesh protected. I can’t think of anything more painful than letting them down. .
If you could change places with another person in Windemere, who would it be and why? .
Nyx. I would make a much better champion and it is the only position I can think of that would help my people more than being their Queen. If I were in her shoes, I’d have conquered every temple and led the others to the final battle already. .
What makes you happy? .
Dreams of freedom and a nice, cool breeze. .
What does teamwork mean to you? .
Not much these days. A team is nothing more than a bunch of people who hold the same goal for a limited time. You’re always going to have someone with an ulterior motive and that person will inevitably fight to take over. At that point, you either step in line, fight for the throne, or escape. .
How would you define honor? .
Making a promise and never breaking it. Simple as that. .
What’s the best way to hunt monsters? .
I’ll never understand why people take that job. It’s hard enough surviving a normal life with monsters roaming around the wilderness. A person who makes it their job to leap into a dangerous creature’s path is mentally unstable. So the best way to hunt a monster is to not do it. Just leave it alone and wait for someone stronger to take care of it. Kind of odd for me to say that since I would be considered one of the stronger people. .
What’s your first response when someone makes you really, really mad? .
Something naughty that either kills, cripples, or leaves a lasting mental scar. It really depends on my original intention with the person who made me mad. .
What’s it like working for Charles? .
My master’s name is Baron Arthuru Kernaghan.
I’m barely functioning here due to the parents’ 70th bdays & 40th anniversary party. It was fun, the food was good, and nothing went wrong. That leaves me plenty of time to plan for my exile.
So I’m basically putting the kid to sleep on Thursday night and then leaving for a nearby hotel. Once there, I wander out to get food from time to time while writing . . . or something. There’s a pretty big wrinkle in the situation. I will have editing of Book 11 to do and I have a special project to format. Yet the main event was going to be the release of The Merchant of Nevra Coil. That was the hope anyway and I’m not sure if that’s going to happen. Without going into details, I’m still missing an essential piece. Once it’s in my hand, I can get everything out and do all the marketing emails. Then the blog post, which I’ll copy and send to all the volunteers. I’m hoping the character interviews are helping to get people excited about the new book. Anyway, those things and maybe some notebook work will be what I do.
Am I happy about the exile? I will get some extra sleep and not have to worry about being responsible for the house/kid. Part of that is good because I’m also feeling like I’ll be in foreign territory. A strange thing with many authors is that they have a ‘spot’ where they feel most comfortable. These are areas where the muse can strike more freely or a person is so used to the pitfalls that it’s manageable. Take an author like this out of the area and they might feel lost. I don’t have a microwave or oven to cook. No games or DVD player to relax with if I need a break. No control over the Wifi if it goes down and it will be incredibly quiet. Yes, people around here get underfoot a lot and it stresses me, but to go to the opposite extreme is jarring in its own way. So we’ll see what happens. Releasing the next book will definitely help take the edge off.
As far as everything else, I’ll be trying my best to edit as much as I can and get things ready for the exile. A lot of delays and distractions have put me back, but I should be done before I get home. That’s when I’ll become a rarity for 3-4 weeks. My son will no longer have school, so I can’t sit on my computer all day. Book 12 and ‘Crossing Bedlam’ will have to wait, but I really hope to finish those two projects before the end of the year. That means I can release the latter at my leisure and I’ll be 3 books away from writing a first draft of every Legends of Windemere book. Not sure what comes after that. I could go to the next series after a break, but there’s a potential one-shot. A downside to that is it reveals a lot of the ending of the main series. So I might write it and put it aside until the last book has been out for a year.
So I’m rambling and exhausted and my Internet connection keeps cutting out. Here are the goals:
Edit Book 11 more.
Pack and prepare for exile.
List potential September posts.
Laundry at some point.
Bike at least twice before I leave.
Make sure I have everything needed for notebook work. Will involve bringing several notebooks to condense information.
Don’t forget. Next Sunday will be a Twubs Chat from 7-11 PM EST. Hope to see some people there.
Sunday, August 16th, 7-11 PM EST
TWUBS CHAT
With Charles E. Yallowitz
I’m going to give this time and day a test run. Saturday nights weren’t bad, but I had a lot of people say they were busy during that time. Daytime chats didn’t work out. So I’ll try with Sunday and see how it goes. It will be easier this time since I’ll be away from the house . . . get more into that tomorrow. Although I don’t know how good the Wifi situation will be. I assume good since the hotel has good reviews.
With any luck, this will be on the heels of a book debut. If not, I’m still going to do this and field questions from people. Hope to see a few faces. Otherwise, I’ll be spending the night staring at a quiet computer screen.
As usual, instructions will be posted earlier that day. All you need is Twitter to join in the fun.
If you had the choice of any occupation, what would you actually like to be? .
I feel that I have chosen the correct path. Durag’s light has blessed me and I am obligated to do work in his name. You would be surprised how many people need to feel the sun’s warmth on their life. .
Do you have any hobbies that you would like to be able to spend more time on? .
I practice elegant writing in my spare time. Part of it is because of my work, but many times I do it for fun. Many beautiful pictures can be made from creatively writing a poem or random words. .
What’s your favorite meal? .
There are crackers made from my order’s highest temple. They are imbued with pure sunlight, which makes them very warm and light. .
Do you play any musical instruments–if so, what? If you don’t, what would you like to play? .
Priest of the sun can sing, but only for rituals. I assume that the mild skill can be transferred if need be. .
Is there any one in particular that you wish you didn’t have to be around? .
A man whose name I refuse to utter. .
Have you ever been strongly attracted to someone and it never developed? .
I apologize for the short answer, but no. Romance has never been a focus in my life. I always felt that it would happen if it was meant to be. .
Are you surprised about what you have become? Is this what you expected when you were a child? .
I did hope to be a warrior as a child, but the death of my mother changed my path. I do not know if I would say that I am surprised because that sounds . . . insulting to her memory. She made me want to help the world through more than violence. As a Duragian priest, I heal the sick, mend the injured, and destroy the creatures of corruption that threaten others. Perhaps in a way, I am a warrior. .
What is your biggest fear? .
To fail Durag and lose his warmth. To fall out of favoris the biggest fear for all priests and priestesses. .
If you could change places with another person in Windemere, who would it be and why? .
It may sound silly, but I wish I could change places with a friend who died. He would be upset with that sentiment since he was old and I am young. I can already hear him scolding me for being foolish and forgetting that I still have work to do. To be honest, I do have the power to speak with him from time to time. So when I say I can hear him scolding me, I mean I can hear his words from a distance. .
What makes you happy? .
Being in the sun, especially with friends. .
What does teamwork mean to you? .
Dedication to the path that everyone has agreed on. This does hint that one can stray if the group changes direction and you do not feel comfortable. Teams are not always written in stone since living beings change with experience and time. .
How would you define honor? .
Being true to your path and self. I would normally say that one can only have honor if they are good, but that might not always be true. Going by my own definition, an evil man can have honor among his peers by staying true to that life. Perhaps honor is in the eye of the beholder. .
What’s the best way to hunt monsters? .
I would recommend caution and bringing a healer. If you do not have such a person with you in the field then know where to find one quickly. .
What’s your first response when someone makes you really, really mad? .
To meditate and not act in anger. That is when one makes mistakes, so it is a mental state that should be kept in check. .
What’s it like working for Charles? .
This person is not familiar to me.
This week, starting today August 6th, through next Thursday, August 13th, all four volumes of my series The Book Of Lost Doors will be on sale for 99 cents each.
Welcome to the first official installment of this new thingy. The rules are that there are no rules. Sort of. I think of a topic on the fly and make a post that has 3 questions. You can answer in the comments or answer on your own blog. If you do the latter then please pingback to this post. Hopefully we can get some fun conversations going here. Here we go:
If ‘Fantasy Style’ magic appeared in our world, do you think it would be a good or bad thing?
What would you do with your new magical powers or would you even want them?
How much of a change would the introduction of magic be to our world?
Now I’m leaving the system of magic up to you. There are many out there and everyone has their preference.
