WENDY L: Wolf

Delighted and excited to have the Mistress of Sci-Fi Fantasy visit my garden today. Welcome

Rosalie Skinner

Hey Rosalie, since you have the dragon, Merkaat with you, today, we should not risk setting the trees on fire. Come and sit by the lagoon. Share a cup of nectar with us.

Now, knowing what a fertile imagination you have, I've chosen some questions with the express purpose to catch you out. So here goes.

1. What recipe would you love to try if ever you could find it?

Great to be here, Wendy. So you plan to catch me out, do you? okay...
A recipe? Hmm

The recipe for success.

If I could find the right mix I would patent it. So far I am experimenting with…

2 cups inspiration

2 cups passion

500gm perspiration

300gms determination

60 ml blood

120ml sweat

1 ½ cup tears

250gm grated rhino skin

1 ½ litres of self confidence

Mix thoroughly and apply generous amounts daily.

Obviously I am lacking the key ingredient.

Any suggestions? How about a pinch of patience :)

Very good answer. I had a 'cake' in mind. Okay, that's one to you.

2. What occupation would you love to try?

You mean there is something out there more inspiring and fulfilling than being a starving artist? Wow… let me think.

I would love to sail on a tall ship and study migrating whales. So I guess a seafaring marine biologist on a tall ship replica or a vessel as seaworthy as the Young Endeavour.

I couldn't top that one. Being 'all at sea' most of the time would suit me, too.

3. Who would you particularly like to meet. Now or in the past?

Douglas Adams. I loved his sense of humour and find his outlook on life inspiring. Not only for his famous series The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and his character Dirk Gently but for his insight and humour in Last Chance to See.

Ah ha, trick question. I didn't specify 'author'. Nevertheless, since you evoke happy memories, because I once owned a Ford Prefect, I'll give you that one.

4. Would you like to meet someone in the future who hasn’t been born yet? Give this some special thought.

           Interesting concept. You really ask the curly questions, Wendy.

       Okay, recently I read about a one way trip to Mars, scheduled for
      2022 for forty adventurous souls. The idea is to start a colony on
      the red planet. I guess I would like to meet the first human born on
       an off-world colony.

ah ha...

      What would their life be like growing up? Would they want to return
      to  Earth? What visions or regrets would they have? I wonder if Earth
      would still be habitable by the time they reached maturity or would
      our self-destructive tendencies make the colony man’s last stand?

Wait a second. Who's asking the questions, here?
Besides the best answer for my question would simply be, "No." :)

     I can feel a science fiction novel brewing.

So can I, and you have the best imagination and world building skills to write it. Can't wait to see how you do that.

5. In an Ideal World where would you live, in the mountains or by the sea?

         Easy. By the sea. I am drawn to the coast. My passion is to sit and
        watch the pounding surf, the endless rolling waves, and ocean denizens
        appearing for precious moments while they seem uninterested in my
        existence. Living close to the harbour and being able to get ‘up close
        and personal’ to migrating humpbacks thrills me to the core. Dolphins
        playing, turtles and stingrays, birds, sharks, even jellyfish going about
        their own business fascinate me. No question, I love living by the sea.
        The mountains are a nice place to visit but in my Ideal World a house
        on a cliff overlooking the ocean would be the perfect place for me.

Agreed, whole heartedly. I knew you'd get that one right.

6. Given the means, you have one year to explore. Where would you go? Into deep space or to the depths of the sea? What do you hope to find there?

Deep space. Although, being cooped up on a space ship doesn’t appeal. Can we travel through wormholes so we don’t need extended time in a tin can?

Certainly. Instantaneous travel through space-time is the way to go.

Claustrophobia spoils my urge to explore the deep sea regions. So it’s off into space.

My search would be for intelligent life. Surely there is a race out there who could teach us how to master our aptitude for violence, teach us how to curb our destructive ways and perhaps share renewable forms of energy, healing powers and (hey, let’s go the whole hog…) teach us how to use magic! All in one year. We need to learn fast.

Another nice answer. I'm running out of ideas to stump you.

7. Imagine you and your family live on a magical island with all your needs catered for. What is the one special feature keeps you here?

Goodness, why would you want to leave? One feature…as long as my family are loving living there and there is good internet access, I would never want to leave. Imagine having such an ideal location for writing. Ahh… all needs catered for. I am there!!!

Haha. 'Good Internet access.' ROFL. Okay, humour saves you, here.

8. You can have one pet, real or from your imagination. What would it be? What is its name?

On the magical island? I would love to have a sentient dragon. Merkaat… from the Chronicles would be an awesome companion. I don’t think she would like to be called a ‘pet’.

Why?
To share the knowledge and history of the species; to take the occasional flight around the island; to keep intruders at bay and to add a certain fantastic element when attending mandatory book signings on the mainland.

Merkaat could even fly you to the mainland for those book signing and draw the crowds in, if you could get her to sit quietly in the corner for the duration.

9. 'The main character "Caleath" is awesome, a total badass who is often also the slightly reluctant good-guy.' FIVE STAR Review Amazon

So, you encounter two of the characters from your Chronicles of Caleath series, apart from Caleath?

How would you react to them in their natural environment?

a) One which is warm and friendly.

        Goodness, most of the characters have agendas and don’t want to
        waste time chatting to a stranger. Luckily I have a source of coins and
        Gwilt has a thirst. I catch up to him on an autumn afternoon in the
        Boar’s Head Inn in Orinth. His ready smile suggests confidence and
        with a mug in hand I approach. Around us the locals pause to watch as
        Gwilt accepts the proffered drink and gestures for me to take a seat at
       his table. His shoulders lower, his green eyes glint and his long legs
        stretch under the table.

A lanky wolf settles at his feet. Clearing my throat and banishing my nerves, I introduce myself and rush my first question. Gwilt’s grin spreads. He sips his ale, tilts his head and proceeds to answer. His voice is deeper than I imagined and I am mesmerised by his words.
Obviously both Gwilt and the wolf are less wary of strangers than most. I try to speak and Gwilt leans forward as though offering encouragement.

He'd be my choice too. Gwilt is one of my favourite characters in your books.

b) A character which is cold and scary.

        Right, cold and scary. You mean Merkaat? Meeting the dragon
       outside of my magical island paradise…I am shaking in my shoes.
       Hiding, as you do, from all-seeing dragons. Pointless, maybe, but can
       you see the steam gushing from those huge nostrils?

Okay, I did mean cold in attitude so Merkaat will suffice. She sure is scary.

      She’s not even annoyed yet. Her scales gleam iridescent as the
     late afternoon sunlight bathes her. Shhh. Don’t move, don’t make a
      sound. Her blue eyes blink and she’s turning toward my niche. Right…
      so she knows I am here. How brave do I feel now? Hmm. Would
     ‘not at all’ fit? Did you feel the ground shake as she moved? I hope
      she’s in a good mood. The smell of her breath is quite rank. Perhaps
      she’s eaten recently and I may survive this encounter.

      Dragons aren’t supposed to harm humans… So if I make my exit
      now, as rapidly as possible, I should be okay? Right.

      Can’t talk now, running!

Wait for me! This way! We should be safe here, behind the waterfall.

10. If you had one magic spell you could use, what would you choose?

      Having thought about ‘what recipe’ I would like to have access to,
      I think if I could wave a magic wand, once, I would choose a spell of
     “knowing how to”. Imagine life ‘knowing how to’ do the things that
      have previously been beyond your skill levels!

I like that. 'Knowing how to' escape from Merkaat, for starters. You should patent it.

***

Well, Rosalie, it's pretty obvious, when it comes to imagination, your muse is firing on all cylinders, just like Merkaat, so I give you...10/10.

     Thanks for having me here today, Wendy. It’s been great fun. I hope
     Merkaat hasn’t damaged the garden beyond repair. She means well.
     Well, no, maybe she doesn’t care, but I don’t think the charred fence,
     burning shrubbery and the flattened herb garden were destroyed
     deliberately.

     Perhaps I should use my one magic spell to return your yard to good
     order.

Don't worry Rosalie, it was worth it. I've enjoyed your visit immensely. Save your magic spell. Besides, Merkaat's fire damage makes my garden look like a beautiful sunset, see...