SH: Last week we chatted with Chris for a bit about one of his more obscure characters. Being a newbie, it’s hard to believe any one of his characters are more obscure than any one of his others, but that’s kinda beside the point. So Chris, this week we’re talking about Airel, right?
CW: That is correct.
SH: What’s she like?
CW: Oh, you would love her.
SH: [after a considerable pause] You do know that you’re supposed to provide like five hundred words for this interview.
CW: Well, you would love her. She’s the kind of girl who is just beautiful enough to remain in your mind after passing her in the hall, but she’s also average enough to remain at least a little anonymous. And she doesn’t run with any single crowd—she moves through cliques easily and doesn’t linger socially—she’s smarter than that. She has better things to do than subjugate her life to a fad in order to fit in somewhere.
And that’s not to say that she doesn’t want to fit in. She feels the sting and the pain of isolation when it brushes too closely. But as I said, she’s got other interests than being super-friends with super-popular types. Like reading a good book, for instance. It’s probably a little bit of an addiction for her.
Her best bud is Kim, who’s pretty much her opposite. Where Airel would roll her eyes at the idea of shopping all day for a single shade of eye shadow, Kim relishes it. And where Airel likes the idea of boys, Kim has flash crushes that come and go from week to week. For Kim, almost any boy will do if he’s sufficiently hot and popular. For Airel though, high school boys are ridiculous. She doesn’t have time for anyone who’s not potentially a real man—or developing in that direction.
She’s beautiful in such a way that she doesn’t have to try, or look like she’s trying to be that way. Honestly, since I’m not a woman (though I am married to one) I can’t say with 100% certainty, but I think Airel is the kind of girl most girls would want to be, or be like. She fits into society and high school drama in her own way and on her terms—mostly—but she’s not perfect by any means and she can be broken.
SH: She sounds actually pretty cool.
CW: I think she is. I made a little mention of this in one of the scenes that occurs in the book. There’s a fleeting mention of Audrey Hepburn in there. If you saw her in Breakfast at Tiffany’s or Roman Holiday or Sabrina, you know—some bits of those characters Audrey played got written into Airel, whether in regard to her appearance or how she reacts to certain situations. And I think that’s why people will fall for her as hard as her love interest in the book.
SH: Ooooo, so there’s some romance?
CW: There’s a little bit of that. There are also sword fighting scenes and high school intrigues and high speed chases. There’s a little bit of everything for everybody.
SH: Sounds good. And the book is available now on Kindle?
CW: Yep it is, and we’re going to print this fall, so if you’re one of those like me who want to smell the paper and feel the full color cover under your fingertips, your version is coming soon.
SH: Very cool. Thanks, Chris, for stopping by. Next week we’ll be featuring…someone else.
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