CHARACTER INTERVIEW: Felicity Augustina Sparrow

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

Hi, there! My name is Felicity Augustina Sparrow.  I live in a hollow part in a tree.  I am a Passeridae. I read that word in a big book that my friend Mister Yellow Horse has. He says it’s called an, um, En-cyclone-pedia. Or something like that. Anyway, Passeridae is a fancy word that means Sparrow. That’s what I am!  I am brown with dark brown stripes.  I have wings, and a tail, and um, feathers.  I’m about the size of, um, other sparrows.  Let’s see, what do I want to achieve? Oh, I know! I would like to read more books, and learn how to use a come-putter better.  I also want to be able to talk to nice featherless two-foots. Mister Yellow Horse says I just sound like chirps and stuff when I try to talk. So it’s lucky I can write stuff, because he can read what I say. Oh, and featherless two-foot is the bird-word for persons.

What do you like to do in your spare time? 

Reeead!  I love to read books, and more books! 

What is your favorite color and why? 

Um, I guess that might be green, because that’s what I see all the time.  Or maybe it’s black!  Because beetles are black! And beetles are delicious.

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

Beetles!  Beetles, beetles, beetles!  They are the best! Especially when they’re fresh and kicking!  And I love the guts the best, oh, yum!

What would you say is your biggest quirk?  

Hmm. Maybe I talk too much. But Cairn talks way more than I do. (He’s another pal of mine, and he’s also a sparrow.)

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

Well, there’s Grak, and there’s Davy. I guess I’ll pick Grak. He’s a hawk, and the biggest thing that annoys me about him, is that he wants to EAT ME!  I don’t like that at all, no way.  Plus, he is really good at writing confusing riddles. I had to figure out a bunch one time.  It was so annoying.  And scary. Also, he kidnapped Colin’s mom Queen Lilia. She’s a fairy.  And so is Colin.  And I still don’t know why he would do that, other than Grak’s just a jerk. Maybe I’ll ask him some time.  What the heck was I saying? Grak wants to EAT ME!  (Well, still, I’m curious.) Oh, and here’s an example of one of his riddles from the book:

If you wish to enter, my name then you must speak.

I’m in the deepest cavern, I’m at the highest peak.

I’m very large. I’m very small. I’m flat I’m sharp I’m round.

If you wish to find me, just take a look around.

If you haven’t guessed my name, one more thing you must know.

As I grow old and older still, the smaller then I grow.

See what I mean about the riddles? So confusing!

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?  

Well, let’s see.  I’ve got a bunch of friends.  There’s Mister Yellow Horse.  He’s a nice featherless two-foot, and there’s Cairn Constantine Sparrow. He’s my pal. And he's really good at math. But my best friend in the whole wide world, is probably Colin.  He’s a fairy.  And he lives in the Wildwood.  He and his parents made me an honorary fairy, and I would do anything to help them, and keep them from getting found by crazy featherless two-foots. Because that would be bad. I also love the Wildwood, because it is nature, and I want it treated nicely.

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 like featherless two-foots who treat the Wildwood nicely, and pick up their garbage, and don’t start fires, or take things that aren’t theirs. I like them a lot!

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

I want to ask Grak (remember that mean hawk who wants to EAT ME?) why he kidnapped Queen Lilia in the first place, because I don’t know.  But it’s scary, because he wants to EAT ME!

Ask me any question. I've always wanted to know what a character thinks about writers like myself. I'll answer the question at the end of this interview.

Okay. What exactly is an inter-net? I used to think it was like other nets (I'm not a fan of nets) but now, I don’t think it is. I know you can use it on a come-putter because Mister Yellow Horse says he can send letters to his family with an inter-net. But what is it, exactly? (Oh, and the answer to the riddle, is A Rock!)

Felicity, great question and pretty technical too if you ask me. But since you asked me, let's just say it's too hard to explain. Just know that it works, sort of like a telephone works and a television works. I'm glad all I have to do most of the time is turn the computer on and everything works the way I want it to.

Thanks for asking! I wish I was more computer literate.

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Learn more about Felicity and her author LoraLee here:

LoraLee Evans, Author

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Loralee Evans, author of Felicity and the Featherless Two-Foot

1.     Tell me about yourself. What got you started in writing?

I have loved stories as long as I could remember.  My parents would read to me when I was little, and one of the things I was most excited about, when I started school was learning how to read.  Just as fast as I started reading, I started writing.  I started writing more seriously in high school and college, and got a few pieces published in literary magazines.  The inspiration for my first book, which was based on The Book of Mormon, was from a verse in Alma in the Book of Mormon that talked about a young woman who was beaten by her boss Morianton, a pretty abusive man by all standards, and she ran away, traveled what had to have been quite a distance, and told Captain Moroni all of Morianton’s plans.  I always thought that girl had spunk, and I wanted to write a story about her.  So I did.

How do you schedule your writing time? When do you write?  

I am a teacher and a mom as well as a writer, and so I have to schedule writing time around that.  Mostly, my writing time is during the summer.  I also write a little bit on the weekends when I am able to.

How and where do you write? Do you prefer a lap top or some other method of getting your words down?   

I write at my kitchen table, on my laptop.  It’s the easiest place for me to write.  I wish I had a big old private office, but I don’t.  My whole house is my office.

What's your favorite part about writing? Your least favorite part about writing? 

My favorite part is going to book signings, and especially school visits.  My last two books have been middle grade books, so I’ve gotten to do many school visits, and I absolutely love those.  My least favorite part is when I’m trying to work through a scene, and I think I know how I want to do it, but when I write it down, it looks crazy and illogical, and so I have to go back and do it over again.  And again, etc.

How did you come up with your book idea? How long did it take you to write your book?  

Get the Book at Amazon

My two most recent books are about a little sparrow named Felicity.  She can read, and because of this gift, she goes on an adventure in one book, and another adventure in the next.  The idea for her came to be when I was in junior high, actually.  I was on the bus on the way to school, and we passed a chain link fence.  In the fence, there was a little bird perched in one of the diamond shaped squares, and I got the idea that if a bird and its tiny fairy friend were trying to escape from a hawk, they could fly through a chain link fence since they could fit, and the hawk would crash into the fence.  Many years later, after having written and published my first few books as I was watching a few sparrows playing around, I remembered that idea.  The thought came to my mind that the sparrow would be a female named Felicity, and the idea stayed in my mind, so finally I started writing it down.

What types of marketing do you do to promote your writing? 

I use a lot of social media like Twitter, Facebook, etc.  My first Felicity book, titled Felicity~ A Sparrow’s Tale, is perma-free on Amazon and a number of other online booksellers, like smashwords, Kobo, itunes, barnes and noble, etc.  I also have a website and blog. 

What are you currently working on? Do you have a new book out? 

My second Felicity book, Felicity and the Featherless Two-Foot came out this last fall.  It continues Felicity’s adventures, but this time, she’s dealing with a bunch of crazy unpredictable creatures that her fairy friends call people.  She’s not sure what to make of their crazy ways.  That one is my latest published book.  This summer I plan to write a third book about Felicity’s adventures. 

Do you have a project on the back burner? Tell me about it.  

I’ve been working a little bit on a story that takes place in a fantasy world that involves lots of sword fights, intrigue, and a few kissing scenes.  I think I’ll start working on it more seriously this summer, along with Felicity’s third book. 

What would you tell a beginning writer who wants to publish but doesn't believe he/she has enough talent?  

I would say that you should find out all you can about how to be a good writer by learning as much as you can.  Take creative writing classes in school.  Go to writers’ conferences if you can.  Read books written by good authors, and see what they do, and how they weave their words to create plausible stories, and pictures in your head.  Be willing to admit that your writing isn’t perfect, and can use polishing and improving.  At the same time, be encouraged by your chances to better your skill, not discouraged.  Don’t be too proud to listen to any constructive correction that you’re given; quite often, readers can see something in a piece of writing that the author simply can’t; but also don’t take it too hard, and remember don’t think you need to impress everyone.  Most importantly, if you want to write, do it.  Don’t let anyone (ANYONE) tell you that you can’t.

Thank you, Loralee! Learn more about Loralee here:

http://www.loraleeevans.com/