Book Character Interviews – The Inside Scoop

Curious Minds Want to Know!

Let’s face it, most of us have at least a little voyeur in our souls. I would posit that part of that trait comes from nature and some comes from nurture.

On the nature side, from our prehistoric days, humans needed to pay attention to what was happening in the world around them if they hoped to survive. The approaching stranger – is his expression open and friendly or closed and hostile? Have the birds and insects grown quiet, maybe hinting at danger nearby? Do the clouds look ominous meaning we’d best find shelter?

There is also the deep-seated desire to connect with people on an intimate level. In the large and scary world out there, most of us don’t want to be alone. We crave emotional closeness and the sense that we belong somewhere. Since the rise of social media, we’ve been given a unique opportunity to feed the beast of curiosity – to connect with those we may only know online, to learn about what they are thinking a feeling at any given moment in time. We want to feel like we know them, even if we’ve never met them. Learning more about others can also give us a point of reference for ourselves and what we might feel in a similar situation.

Nurture comes into play because we’re encouraged to become involved with those around us from a young age. How many of us have cooed over our infants trying to get them to say ‘mama’ or ‘dada’? Our parents clap and cheer when we reach new milestones – smiling, walking, talking. We’re encouraged – sometimes by spending time in the corner – to socialize in a way that wins friends.

So it doesn’t surprise me at all that readers form attachments to their book heroes and heroines. Books give you a view inside a character’s head that you probably don’t even have with your best friend – but we always want to go deeper. We want to know what may not be in the book. What are their favorite foods, songs, colors, seasons, and why? Where does the character go to think or to unwind? What are their pet peeves? What would the inscription on their tombstone say? Basically we want to see into their souls.

Stop every Wednesday and meet a new character from a group of amazing romance authors. Hopefully, these guest posts help satisfy your curiosity and pique your interest enough to follow the links and read the character’s story.

The goal of the “Meet the Character” series is to answer the questions you wish you could ask when you’re reading the book. Below are the questions I send out to authors that their characters can answer. I’d love to hear why you enjoy reading character interviews and any suggestions you have for new questions to add to the list.

QUESTION OPTIONS:

·         How old are you?

·         What is your relationship status?

·         When you look in the mirror, what do you see?

·         What is people’s first impression of you?

·         Name three of your favorite things.

·         Name three things that tick you off.

·         What is your best memory to date?

·         What are you most afraid of?

·         What would you like it to say on your tombstone?

·         Now on to something lighter, what is your favorite drink?

·         What is your favorite food?

·         What is your favorite song?

·         Do you have a hobby and if yes, what is it?

·         What was your first impression of (his/her love interest)?

·         If we could only hear your voice (but not see you) what characteristic would identify you?

·         What would you most like to forget?

·         If you could go back in time, what one thing would you change in your life?

·         Are you close to family?

·         Do you see morality as black-and-white, or with shades of gray?

·         Do you care about what others assume about you?

·         If someone from your past showed up, who would you most want it to be, and why?

·         If someone from your past showed up, who would you most NOT want it to be, and why?

·         If you could make any one thing happen, what would it be?

·         Who in your life has the power to hurt you the most and why?

·         Describe a typical Friday night.

·         If there is one place in the world you could go, where would it be?

·         What is your most prized possession?

·         Are you a morning person or a night owl?

·         What kinds of things do you always carry (in pockets or purse)?

·         What inner doubt causes you the most difficulty?

·         What is your biggest need?

·         What would make you completely happy?

·         If you had a free day with no responsibilities and your only mission was to enjoy yourself, what would you do?

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