Monday, January 8, 2018

CHARACTER INTERVIEW: Phillip Miiithainson from A Knight in Dented Armor

Tell me a little about yourself (where you live, who you are, what you look like, what you hope to achieve, etc.)

My name is Phillip Miiithainson head consultant for Miiithainson business consulting. Well the only consultant right now, but business is really growing.  

Miiithainson is pronounced with a long I and a long A and yes it’s spelled right. I know because I have the legal documents from my Great-grandmother when she went to great lengths to see to the proper spelling when she became a citizen of the United States after escaping from Germany during World War II.

I currently live in a basement apartment in Taylorsville Utah but I was born and raised in Chester Pennsylvania. I’m the fourth child of six children born to Albert Miiithainson and Anna Smith Miiithainson.  My siblings and I were all raised in an apartment above one of the best French restaurants in Pennsylvania.  My grandparents owned, cooked in and managed said restaurant. My Brothers and I spent a lot of time helping out and working in that restaurant while we were growing up. 

From my Grandparents, I learned to speak both French and German at a very young age and got into a lot of trouble at school doing so.   From my grandmother, I learned to wait on tables with flair and not spill a single drop on the customers.   From my Grandfather I learned a great bit about business, how to build on profits, how to manage employees and how to keep all the books.  My mother saw to it that I learned to play the piano from the main entertainer at the restaurant and he became my most trusted confidant.  From my father, I learned the importance of religion and developed my voice while singing in the choir in his church where he served as a nondenominational minister.   I dabbled in professional entertaining for a few years, but it’s not for me.  Too much hype, way too many girls with too many expectations, not the lifestyle I want to live.

I joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when I was eighteen and even though I know in my heart that it is the true church on this earth I haven’t seen my family since.  I served a two-year full-time mission in Peru and now I’m moving on with my life. Trying to find the right girl to settle down with and raise a family.

Right now, I want more than anything to have a career where I can be home every night so that I can be a good and supportive husband to my wife and actively involved in raising my children in the gospel and to be good productive citizens with enough time to do whatever the Lord has need of me.
        

 What do you like to do in your spare time?

I don’t have a lot of spare time now that my business is really starting to take off. On those rare occasions when I do find spare time I like to play the piano. My current apartment is too small for one, but there are plenty of music stores around and I never have any trouble persuading them to let me play.  I’m polished enough that I’m allowed to play for great lengths of time whenever I find the time.   If I really need to unwind and can’t get to a piano I’ll play my violin, however, I haven’t professionally mastered the violin like I have the Piano.

What is your favorite color and why?

My favorite Color, well now that depends.   I like my car’s blue, which is the most professional business like color, not too flashy, just practical and down to business. Most of my suits are a dark blue also, but I prefer my ties red.   I think a good crisp red tie, tied in the perfect full Winsor knot gives the best first impression in a business setting.

  What is your favorite food? Why is it your favorite?  

I’m the Grandson of one of the best French chefs in Pennsylvania. Of course, I love French food. I’m particularly fond of a good French onion soup with a warm from the oven savory Brioche.  I’ve found that when I’m cooking I can roll just about anything, usually leftovers into a crepe and wolf it down on my way out the door.  I also make a pretty good pizza when I have the time, but I must admit I enjoy making them more than eating them.

What would you say is your biggest quirk?

Quirk, me?  I don’t have any quirks.  Well, okay, some people think I’m a little overly theatrical. There does seem to be a good Shakespeare line to meet just about any circumstance, and if Shakespeare didn’t think one up someone else in theater did.  If you’ve got it you might as well use it. I’m also the only person in the area that has a suit of armor that I can fit into.  It gets a little attention when I wear it.

What is it about your antagonist that irks you the most, and why? Share a line in the book where this irk is manifested.

That’s easy, my former talent agent. That man just won’t give up or take ‘no’ for an answer. He’ll stop at nothing to get what he wants even if he has to break the law to do it.  He can’t accept that I don’t drink alcohol, don't want to be seen with lots of women at the same time (and all of the time) or partake in other forms of stimulation, which he keeps in little bottles in his pockets at all times.

There’s no way I trust him enough to ever say yes to him again. Not sure why I signed with him in the first place, but it will never happen again.

Shellie met him once when she picked me up at the airport.  When the airport security finally detained him so that we could get away from him she asked who he was and I could only think of one way to describe him.  “He’s a salesman, a drunken salesman.”

  What or who means the most to you in your life? What, if anything, would you do to keep him/her/it in your life?

Who is the most important person in my life? That’s easy. Right now it’s Shellie, Shelleenia Marie Rawson, soon to be Miiithainson.  She is the most perfect person on the earth right now and she makes me the happiest person in the world just thinking about her. I’m looking forward to every minute through time and all eternity that I get to spend with her at my side. 

Next to Shellie it would have to be my family. I know where my only living brother is but he refuses to see me. As for the rest of my family, I pray every night that I’ll be able to see them again and tell them that I forgive them and still love them.  I want so much to share the gospel with them.  If not in this life I hope to get the chance to say all of these things in the next life.

What one thing would you like readers to know about you that may not be spelled out in the book in which you inhabit?

I wasn’t always the man I am today, in my younger years I was selfish and self-centered. I was the meanest little brother ever known and I deserved most of what I got in my life.   I’ve changed now since I’ve joined the Church and served a mission.   I wouldn’t be the person I am today without the hardships I’ve had to endure. I’m a better person than I was when everything was easy, but I still have a lot to learn and a lot of growing to do.

If you could tell your writer (creator) anything about yourself that might turn the direction of the plot, what would it be?

Wow, that’s a tough question to answer.  I never thought I could tell my creator anything, or my writer for that matter, and no I don’t think they are the same person.   I would say that I want my writer to remember that I’m human and make mistakes and still have a bit of a selfish side.   If she had realized that while she was writing her masterpiece, I don’t think I would have been able to accomplish most of what she gives me credit for.

***
A Question for Kathryn:

How do people like you, writers, find characters like me?  Do you meet us in everyday life, read about us in the news or are we little more than figments of your imagination and manifestations of your dreams and nightmares?

My characters are a little bit of me, a little bit of my family and friends, and a little bit made up. The interesting thing is that they truly feel real, and I'm always glad I've gotten to know them.

Learn more about Phillip Miiithainson and his author:

My Writer’s website, where I currently have top billing, is https://www.vickieastewart.com.  There are easy to use buttons that take your right to my Amazon page but if you want to bypass the website, go to https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=a+knight+in+dented+armor



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