Spellweaver by Tamara Grantham
Character Interview
Hi everyone! My name is Tamara Grantham and I write about a psychiatrist named Olive Kennedy. To be honest, character interviews scare me. Just to be clear, and for anyone who doesn’t know, character interviews are author code for an author writing a question and answer WITH THEIR OWN CHARACTERS THAT THEY MADE UP!
Since I write about a head doctor, whose mind is not the most stable place to begin with, I have to ask myself, whose mind am I really going into? My character’s mind? Or my own???
But, I am taking a deep breath in order for you, the reader, to exploit the inner-workings of my brain and see things that I probably don’t even realize or understand. Take that, Freud.
Q: Olive, you’ve spent time in two different worlds, Earth and Faythander, and you have the unique position of being able to remember them both. Can you tell us which of these worlds you prefer to live in?
A: To be honest, both worlds have good and bad qualities. Faythander is the most beautiful, hands down. But their political systems are a bit one-sided. Elves tend to control everything, from transportation to geographic dominance—their capital sits right in the center of the continent. My stepfather is the sky king of Faythander, yet even he has a hard time keeping the elves from exploiting other races.
Earth is also a beautiful place, even without the natural magic of Faythander. But it’s never really felt like home.
So, if I had to pick between the two, I would rather spend my time in Faythander.
Q: What person do you most look up to?
A: Actually, he isn’t a person at all. Fan’twar, the dragon Sky King of Faythander, is the one being I can count on to never let me down. He has always had my best interests at heart, and he is the only being I trust implicitly.
Q: Where do you see yourself in ten years?
A: Alive, I hope.
Q: Do you have a favorite hobby?
A: Yes. Knitting and crocheting. Both are actually quite therapeutic. Plus, my cat loves yarn, so I have to keep the stuff around for him.
Q: Your cat is named Han Solo. Can you tell us why you decided to pick that name?
A: It’s probably obvious that I’m a Star Wars fan, but there are other reasons for it as well. I’m gone so often from my apartment that my poor cat does spend quite a lot of time alone. Solo. Plus, he’s a gray cat. Fitting, you know.
Q: What is the hardest challenge you’ve ever faced?
A: Saving my godson from an evil being called the Dreamthief. Although I suspect that my problems will only get worse as time goes on. Just a hunch.
Q: Can you give us some inside information on your relationship with Kull?
A: NO! That’s my personal business. Besides, although I’m rather fond of the guy, he’s got a few lessons to learn about humility, and I’m not too sure that will end smoothly.
Q: Tell us about your parents. Your mother is a human from Earth and your father is an elf from Faythander—how do you deal with this dynamic?
A: I hate this question. Sure, I’m different. But honestly—who isn’t? Don’t we all have challenges of some sort or another? This happens to be my own personal burden—to never be able to fit in on one single world—to always be different—whether I’m on Earth or Faythander. But I don’t let it get me down. In truth, I’ve had a pretty great life. I was never abused or neglected, so that is something I can be thankful for.
Q: You counsel people who suffer with depression because they have traveled from Earth to Faythander and back, and subsequently lost their memories. Can you tell us about the process of how you diagnose these patients?
A: Sure. Usually I do an initial assessment. Hoarders and collectors of fairy world-type items—usually fairies, dragons, or elves—tend to be my most likely patients. However, to actually determine whether or not they’ve been to Fairy World takes a little more effort. I use my mirror case, which is an old laptop computer that I modified. Inside are five figurines that represent the five races of Faythander—dragons, elves, Wults, pixies, goblins. If any of these figurines reacts during the test, I know that the person has traveled to Faythander.
This sounds pretty boring and by-the-book as I talk about it, but really it’s a pretty cool process to watch. I don’t get paid tons for doing the kind of work I’m in, but I’m helping people overcome depression and reconnect with a part of their lives that was lost. That’s worth it to me.
That’s it for the interview. However, I’m sure there will be more interviews to follow. After all, Olive has a lot of crap in store for her in the future, and the author can’t wait until you all see what she has up her sleeve.
*Olive sits in corner looking appalled.
Spellweaver
Olive's to-do list: Feed the cat. Pay the rent. Save
Faythander. Again.
After Olive's last trip through Faythander, she wants nothing more than a nice vacation. But there's never time for relaxation when goblin treachery is afoot. When Geth, a goblin Spellweaver, destroys the Everblossom—a tree containing Faythander's pure magic—the fairy-world utopia begins to die. The bloom of the Everblossom is all that remains of pure magic. Now Olive must travel through Earth and Faythander to find a place where it will flourish.
As a psychiatrist, her skills are top notch. However, her abilities to handle patients with abnormal mental behaviors will be put to the test when she confronts Geth. Nothing has prepared her for what he reveals to her about goblins and elves. As Olive's quest takes her from her home in Houston through the most dangerous places in Faythander, she learns that history is a muddled subject, especially when elves are involved.
Her only comfort comes from Kull, her Viking warrior sidekick—who somehow negates her bad fortune. Yet how long can their relationship last when his past is brought to light? Olive will be tested beyond anything she has endured so far, as the secrets of Faythander's sordid and bloody past are exposed—one that could irrevocably alter the future and destroy the lives of everyone she loves.
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Dreamthief
Olive Kennedy Fairy World MD Book One
Visiting Faythander is a nasty business. Forget the fairies and unicorns, most people come back with lost memories and mental problems. Olive Kennedy knows. She's the therapist who treats patients suffering from Faythander's side effects. Despite her empty bank account, she takes pride in her job as Houston’s only Fairy World medical doctor. She's never failed to cure a client—until now.
Traveling back to Faythander wasn't on Olive's to-do list. But she has no choice. The fate of both Earth and Fairy depends on her ability to stop an ancient being called the Dreamthief. To complicate matters, she may be losing her heart to someone who can’t love her in return. Saving the world, she can handle. Falling in love—not so much.
As if battling the forces of evil wasn't difficult enough…
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About the Author
Tamara Grantham was born and raised in Southeast Texas. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in English from Lamar University. After marrying her husband David, she followed him through his training to become a burn surgeon, which consisted of moving from Vidor, Texas to Galveston, Texas, then to Tulsa, Oklahoma, back to Galveston, and they finally settled in Wichita, Kansas. Tamara and David have five active, sweet, and almost always well-mannered children, ages zero to ten years. Their two pets, June—the Jack Russell Terrier, and Chester—a black cat, help to keep the house lively (in addition to the children.)
When Tamara isn’t writing or tending her children, she enjoys taking walks through the woods, eating chocolate, and very infrequently, she enjoys a good night’s sleep.
Check out Tamara's website at: WWW.TAMARAGRANTHAM.COM
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