The Confabulator Cafe

Tag: character interview

  • What Makes us Confabulators

    When we embarked upon this experiment a year ago, I’m not sure any of us were sure exactly what we were doing, or where we were going. The Cafe has evolved a lot since then, and we continue to define what it is we do with every assignment. I’ve learned something new about myself and my writing each week, not only because I’m forced to look closely at my process for each assignment, but also by reading how my fellow writers approach their craft. I think I’ve learned as much from them as I have from myself.

    One or two specific assignments stand out in my memory, but my absolute favorite category has been Confabulation. (more…)

  • Let Me Play and I’m a Happy Man

    I’m not usually a guy who engages in literary exercises. If I’m writing, I want the words I produce to count toward something.

    Now I understand there is value in learning, and no word written in pursuit of craft is ever wasted. I get that. But I also know myself well enough to realize that I get impatient when words on the page aren’t leading me toward completing a work in progress.

    It’s not a great trait, but we all work with what we’ve got. (I also don’t like to read books about writing, though I love to buy them and have a bookcase full, but that is a blog post for another day.)

    So after laying this groundwork, you’ll understand why I was less than enthusiastic when October rolled around and one of our assignments was to interview a character for our upcoming NaNoWriMo novel. I admit that I had an advantage over some of the other Café contributors because I’d planned to use the month of November to complete a novel I was already writing. But that didn’t stop me from doing a whole lot of internal bitching about the task.

    (more…)

  • Everything In Its Place

    Full name and designation, please.
    Former Civil Security Special Agent Benjamin Delaney Hardin, ID 90581.

    How has civilian life been treating you, Benjamin?
    I imagine it would be a lot nicer outside a cell, but beggars can’t be choosers, can they? Not when my other options are death or — ah, a rather forceful debriefing. I’ve had enough force since the incident. Thanks.

    Have the guards been unkind?
    Not all force is violent, darling. It’s nice seeing you again — is this our third visit, or our fourth? Are you still enjoying that shiny new promotion? Is there going to be version five in your future?

    We’re not here to talk about me, Benjamin. We’re here to talk about you.
    Of course we are. What does the government want to know now? Everything about my life is in those files — I’ve been nothing but forthcoming since I registered for IHA citizenship.

    (more…)

  • Jimmy Cavanaugh

    The following is a translated transcript of The Overnight Show originating from the Buntoohn Room on level 343 of Kunwaq Station.  Content is approved for dissemination by Conclave Order BX/J5873.

     

    GIXO: Welcome back, gentlebeings. Our first guest tonight is a Peregrinator, one of those who can move easily between the ‘branes as well as across them. He’s older than everyone on our crew here — combined — and he’s been a lot of places and seen a lot of things. If you’ve heard of him, and not many have, you may have been at a very exclusive party where his food was featured. A magnificent chef, a tastemaker, and popular with ladies of every species, please welcome Jimmy Cavanaugh!

    (Applause. Cavanaugh comes onstage, is greeted by Gixo and both sit facing one another.)

    GIXO: Glad you could come by, Jimmy.

    CAVANAUGH: Thank you for inviting me. It’s nice to be here.

    GIXO: You have a book coming out, don’t you? We should get that out of the way.

    CAVANAUGH: Well — no, actually — I don’t. I’m not sure where you got that from. (more…)

  • Hero of Light

    This week at Hero Hypertext, we’re having a live chat with veteran superhero Candela, and discussing her new book, Learning to Fly: a memoir, which comes out next week.

    Candela from Learning to FlyHero Hypertext: As they say on television, our guest needs no introduction. Everyone in New Chicago is familiar with her. She’s saved the city more times than anyone can count. Candela, welcome to Hero Hypertext.

    Candela: Thank you so much, Gary. I’m glad to be here. I’ve been reading your blog for years. You have a great site.

    HH: That’s nice of you to say. I’ll be sure to sign the check for your endorsement before you leave. 🙂

    C: Seriously. You’re doing great things for the caped  community.

    HH: So, let’s jump right into it. You’re retiring at the end of the month, is that correct?

    (more…)

  • Jemma Behker Shares All (Or So We Hope)

    Good morning ladies and gentlemen! Usually right now I would be blathering on about some writing topic or entertaining you with a story I spewed out after a few glasses of wine. But today I have something different, something special. I’ve managed to secure an interview with Jemma Behker. You may remember her from my 2011 NaNo novel. She’s a lovely young lady from the Kingdom of Callador and… well, why don’t we cut straight to the interview?

    Good morning, Jemma.

    Jemma: It’s the middle of the night.

    Technically, yes, but…

    J: I’m not stupid. It’s the middle of the night.

    Right, right. Good evening then. Why don’t you tell me a bit about yourself? (more…)

  • Chat with Shane from Monsters of Lawrence

    Sara E. Lundberg: Hello Shane, welcome to the Confabulator Cafe. So glad you could join us here today.

    Shane: Yeah, awesome, thanks for having me. Love this place. Any café, really. I’m a barista.

    SEL: Excellent, I hope that makes you feel right at home.

    Shane: Totally.

    SEL: So, you are one of the supporting characters for the up and coming Monsters of Lawrence novel. Tell me a little bit about yourself.

    Shane: When you say supporting character, what exactly does that mean? (more…)

  • Failed Conversion

    (Broadcast transcript provided by Station URHI, Holy Roller Radio. Creators of the forthcoming documentary Glock and Awe: God’s plan for you and your guns.)

    HOST:    Happy Monday, people! And thank you for tuning in to this week’s edition of The Wooly Pulpit, America’s premier destination for hairy men of God and the nation who loves them. 

    As always, I am your host, Cubby Carlson, and boy, do we have a great show for you tonight.

    Joining us in studio, New Argo’s newest Bible Bear, the reverend Mike Mackey. He’ll talk about becoming ordained, forming his own church, and if there’s anyone special in his life, aside from the Big Guy, I mean.

    (Laughs) 

    But before we get to the good stuff, and let me tell you people, from where I’m sitting, it is Very. Good. Stuff. Here’s a quick word from our sponsors. (more…)

  • Meeting with Mitch

    This interview is with a character from my short story Patchwork. The story is not yet available. It is being submitted to horror markets with the hope of being published soon.

    “ Welcome to a Meeting with Mitch, I’m Mitch Marlins. Our guest today could not join us in the studio. He is currently being housed in the Taylor County Jail facing charges on several murders, but he has agreed to talk to us via satellite. Denny, thanks for joining us.

    “ Goddammit, my name’s not Denny.

    “The deputies said—“

    “Those [beep]heads,” he yells off-camera. “Hey, Joel. It’s not enough that you got me locked up in this [beep]ing [beep]hole, but you gotta keep busting my balls on the Denny thing? Yeah, real [beep]ing funny.”

    “So your name isn’t Denny?” Mitch asks. (more…)

  • Getting to Know You (Week Ending October 13)

    The characters we invent are little extensions of ourselves. Whether we create heroes or villains, friends or foils, writers invest a bit of their own personalities into them. So, we thought it might be fun to meet some of these characters.

    Recently, the “character interview” has been used by authors to help promote books. It’s a great way to talk about the book and give a feel for the writing without actually giving away an excerpt. And sometimes the characters are entertaining enough on their own to entice readers to pick up the book.

    This week, you’ll meet a variety of characters from a variety of works by our Cafe authors. Some of these interviews are straight-forward. Some are … offbeat. But we’re sure you’ll enjoy meeting these characters and the authors who created them.

    Until Next Week,

    The Cafe Management