Bookania Party and an Interview with an Artist

 Today I am excited to be participating in Kendra E. Ardnek's "Five Years of Bookania" party! She's got all sorts of fun stuff going on over at her blog and on other blogs right now. For the event, InterFiction sent me into Bookania to interview one of my favorite characters from her stories.

I was quite excited to go to Bookania to interview Madeleine. I have enjoyed the stories in which she appears immensely, so when InterFiction gave me the go-ahead to hop over to her home realm and interview her, I was quite pleased with the assignment. I entered Skewwood Castle, thrilled to be there in person, and looked around for the character I was supposed to be interviewing.

There she was, painting, as per usual.

"Hello, Madeleine." I say the words as gently as I can, I don't want to startle her while she is in the middle of such an intricate design on her painting. "I'm the reporter from the InterFiction Gazette, did they tell you I was coming? May I ask you a few questions?"

Madeleine turns, and a grin spreads across her face. "Yes! Kendra told me I could expect you. Sure, ask away. Oh, and do call me Maddie."

"Maddie," I smile. "Let me start off by saying that I always love the descriptions Kendra writes of your paintings. I know you were gifted with artistic ability by your fairy godmother. In fact, the painting you are working on now is quite magnificent. But what is the significance of your paint set? At one point in your story, you become rather frantic at being without it, can you explain why that was?"

Madeleine pulls her head out of the paintbox where it had been buried. "It was a gift from Drayana as a companion to my skill as an artist. It's a magic paintbox that always contains the exact paint or brush that I need. It wasn't so much that I was frantic without it, per say, but because, since I didn't have it, I didn't have the ability to paint ... and white walls just drive me mad."

"I see. That makes sense. So, of all the paintings you have created, can you tell me which one is your favorite (and perhaps describe it for my readers back on Earth)?"

Madeleine grins mischievously. "I have a favorite," she admits. "It wasn't the most magnificent painting I ever did, but I was a child at the time. I spent nearly a week on that painting, and it is for certain one of my most complicated. I'm afraid that a verbal description would hardly do it justice. Kendra does have a description of it in My Kingdom for a Quest, though. It's the one with the roses."

I chuckle. "I remember that one. Very nice." I glance down at my notepad. "So, something I've been wondering: you live in a realm based on fairy tales. And I've read your books, but I can't quite tell... are you based on a specific fairy tale character? Or are you something new?"

"I wasn't created to be a particular fairy tale character, just one of the faceless attendees of Rosamond's birthday party," Madeleine explains, waving her brush around. "However, the possibility exists that I'm Morgan Le Fay of Arthurian lore. Kendra isn't sure, but I come the closest to filling the criteria. I'd be more of a Magic Tree House Morgan, though. A nice one, you know."

"Cool," I reply, writing furiously. "I haven't read the Magic Tree House series, but knowing there's some Arthurian legends to them makes me much more interested in reading them! So, you were enchanted with Rosamond to sleep for 100 years... but unlike the others in the castle with you, you were aware throughout that entire time. Can you tell me a bit more about that? How were you able to stay aware of things going on outside? What was it like to know you were sleeping for that long as the world outside changed without you?"

"One of my gifts is sensitivity to magic," Madeleine explains. "When I'm exposed to it, the effects are ... more extreme than they are with other people. So when Rosamond's curse put the whole castle to sleep, it was either I was aware of my sleep or I sleep an extra hundred years. I was given the ability to watch anything that was within a mile of my bother's sword. I ... I won't say that it was always easy for me to watch the world move on without me, and nights could get boring ... but it's over now, and I thank the Author."

"Speaking of the Author," I muse. "I know that you are well acquainted with yours. How do you feel about the way Kendra has written your story thus far? Is it turning out as you hoped it might? Is there anything you are pestering her to change in future stories?"

"Kendra's proper title is 'Arista,'" Madeleine corrects. "She's not the Author, you know. My life hasn't been what I'd hoped it'd be, but in many ways, it's been much better, and I don't know if I would change anything. Kendra hasn't told me very much about my future, but she has dropped a few hints that I don't like the sound of ... but you don't argue with Kendra. She has ... methods for getting her own way."

I laugh out loud at that. "Ah yes, I forgot. I meant author with a lowercase 'a.' All right, I've taken up plenty of your time, one final question: What would you say is the hardest thing about living in Bookania?"

"It's a world of magic, and I'm sensitive to magic," Madeleine explains, twisting her paintbrush between her fingers. "I mean, it's fun sometimes, but it can also be very dangerous. Also, I sometimes get headaches from the amount of magic in the air."

"Thank you very much for taking the time to talk with me and tell me and my readers a bit about yourself and your world, Maddie," I say, feeling a flutter of delight at being on such a first-name basis with a character I completely adore. "I can't wait to see where your adventures take you in the future.... tell the Arista to get on that, will you?"

She just smiles at me and returns to her painting. I can see the glimmerings of swords and knights in her work, and assume this piece will eventually feature an extremely realistic battle scene. Knowing that she always signs her work in a significant way, I idly wonder where she will insert her own face into this painting. But I don't ask... hopefully this scene she's working on will make an appearance in a book someday and I'll get to see its completed form!

I wrap my hand around my InterFiction badge and feel the world lurch out from under me... returning me home and depositing me back into the normalcy of everyday life.

This is the best job ever.

 If you enjoyed this interview, make sure you pick up a copy of Tears, Frogs and Laughter or CinderEddy - both of which are FREE on Kindle Today! And go show Kendra some love by checking out her blog where you can read all about the marvelous world of Bookania and the characters within!