Saturday Writing Essential: Character Interviews

Hello, friends and writers!

Character interviews can be fun, and they're a nice way to get folks interested in your books. Have you tried it yet? If not, here's today's challenge.

Write a character interview with one of your characters that will pique our interest in your book (published or not), and which will also give us a good picture of your character's personna. Post it in the comments section below, or email it to me at aaron dot lazar at yahoo dot com and I'll add it to the main body of this article.

Here's one I was just asked to write for the Voice in the Dark Literary Journal over at mysteryfiction.net. It will likely be published next month. See what you think? As many of you know, Siegfried Marggrander - a behemoth, blond, gentle man and Gus LeGarde's best friend - Sig is among my favorite characters in the LeGarde Mystery series. Here's a bit about him that I pulled from my character notes:

Siegfried is a true gentle-giant, whose child-like soul encourages solid friendships with men and mothering instincts in women. Fiercely devoted to the LeGarde family, he is frequently called upon to rescue or be rescued by Gus, who calls Sig his "behemoth brother-in-law."  He stands at 6'8," sports a long blond ponytail, and relates exceptionally well with animals and children. Siegfried, Elsbeth's fraternal twin brother, suffered severe brain damage at the age of twelve, due to a boating accident. The brilliant young man awoke after the coma with severely limited faculties. After much therapy and retraining, he graduated from high school at the age of twenty-one. He lives in the updated carriage house on the LeGarde property and works at Freddie's veterinary clinic. Sadly, he has never known the love of a woman, although his great big mushy heart would be more than capable of romantic involvements. (note: see the ninth LeGarde mystery, Lady Blues, where this finally changes!)

And for those of you who already know and love my gentle giant, tell me if you think his personality comes through in this interview?

-Aaron

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Interview with Siegfried Marggrander, close friend and brother-in-law of Gus LeGarde, of the LeGarde Mystery series.  Mr. Marggrander was interviewed by Mary Malone, Genesee Valley news journalist. Transcribed from a video made on LeGarde's front porch in East Goodland, NY.

Mary:  Mr. Marggrander, thank you for taking time from your busy life to join us. We seem to have trouble getting on Gus LeGarde's calendar. And your author friend, Lazar, is just as hard to nail down.

Siegfried (smiles): Kein problem. I mean, that is not a problem. Sorry if I speak a little in German. Sometimes it is what comes out of my mouth. And please, call me Siegfried.

Mary:  Okay, Siegfried. Can you tell us a bit about your life on the LeGarde homestead?

Siegfried (frowns):  Home... stead?

Mary:   I mean here on the LeGarde property.

Siegfried:  Ah! Ja. I do. I live in the carriage house beside the barn. (points across the yard) There is a nice room to sleep in, and a kitchen. But I mostly eat meals with the professor and his family. His cooking is sehr gut. (Very good.)

Mary:  I see. Well, let's get right to it, shall we? You and Professor LeGarde have been through some pretty challenging times together, to say the least. I've read the first three books that Aaron Lazar has written to chronicle your ...er...adventures together and was frankly astounded that so much could happen in such a short time. Can you comment on that?

Siegfried (eyes flare, he's a little nervous): How so much has happened to us? Is that what you mean?

Mary (nods): Yes. It seems as if you two are magnets for danger.

Siegfried (laughs): Ja! I know. Trouble follows Gus and me. (eyes darken). But part of it is not just coincidence. There is evil in the world, and we must stop it where we can.

Mary: Can you give us an example, Siegfried?

Siegfried: Ja. Like last summer. A little while ago we returned from Germany, where I visited my Aunt Frieda. She is not well and-

Mary: So what happened over there?

Siegfried: We ran into some very bad men in Paris. They want to be Nazis, like those who killed my mother's family in Buchenwald. Gus says they are "neo-Nazis."

Mary: Buchenwald? The concentration camp?

Siegfried: Ja. My mother was Jewish, and I am half. Her parents and brothers and sisters were killed there. She was the only one left. Aunt Frieda took care of her when she got out of the camp. When the Americans saved them.

Mary: Sorry to hear about that. (shuffles her notes) I heard something about you and Gus getting in a brawl over in Paris, on the Champs D'Elysees. Is that right?

Siegfried (rubs his jaw): Ja, ja. My face still hurts. They tried to make me join the parade. They were marching in Paris. The Nazis. I am German, you know. My hair is light, but I am half Jewish. (slides blond ponytail over his broad shoulders). But I got mad. Very mad.

Mary: And their leader was killed?

Siegfried (holds up one hand in protest): Ja, but I did not kill him. He had a knife. A big one. And we fought on the street. His friend tried to shoot me, but I flipped Müller over just when his friend fired the gun. Herr Müller was killed.

Mary: The CNN report I saw made it look like you and Gus were responsible for Müller's death. Did that cause problems for you?

Siegfried: Too many. They took me from my aunt's house in Denkendorf and put me in a cell. It was in the woods, in Austria. Many men came to train with guns. They shot at targets and chased people in the woods. Sometimes they died. And then Gus and Camille-

Mary: Did anything good happen to you on that European trip?

Siegfried (brightens): Ja! We had a boat ride on the Seine, and good croissants. I ate too many. And Gus found the same church that is in the Hunchback movie, which I watch with Johnny.

Mary:  Anything else? Why is this new book of Mr. Lazar's called MAZURKA? What does it have to do with your European trip?

Siegfried: Aaron told me not to talk about the mazurka. Not yet. It is a surprise. But he said I can tell you that we made some big discoveries about Frederick Chopin. You see, Gus studies Chopin and writes a book about him. He wanted to learn more in Europe, before the bad guys got in our way. Also (anyway), Aaron's publisher said the book cover is ready and he is waiting for the books to be printed.

Mary: We'll look forward to seeing this one, the fourth in Lazar's series. Do you think he'll write more?

Siegfried: I hope he does not. That would mean our lives are normal for a while, Ja? No bad guys to chase! But something tells me it might not be so easy...

***

Aaron Paul Lazar writes to soothe his soul. The author of LeGarde Mysteries and Moore Mysteries savors the countryside in the Genesee Valley in upstate New York, where his characters embrace life, play with their dogs and grandkids, grow sumptuous gardens, and chase bad guys. Visit his websites at http://www.legardemysteries.com/ and http://www.mooremysteries.com/ and watch for the fourth book in the LeGarde series, MAZURKA, coming in fall 2008 from Twilight Times Books.