Today's an exciting day at Transitional-Woman. We are the fourth stop on A.E. Howard's blog tour for her newly
released book Flight of Blue. I read and reviewed Flight of Blue earlier this month and can't say enough good things about it.
Rather than conducting an interview with Anna or asking her to write a guest post, T-W instead interviewed Sebastian, one of Flight of Blue's characters. This was a little tricky since Sebastian is a Boxer dog ,but here's how it transpired with the help of Ellie, another character in Flight of Blue.
Transitional-Woman: Welcome Sebastian. Please tell us about yourself.
Sebastian: (Barks and looks at Ellie).
Ellie: He says, He’s a five-year-old Boxer dog, Boxers, by the way, being the most awesome of all dogs. And he can understand human speech even though most people can’t understand him.
T-W: When did you first realize you could understand human speech but they couldn’t understand you?
S: (Jumps up and wiggles in circles, blowing out his jowls).
E (laughing): He was a puppy. Kai and his parents had just adopted him, and Kai had kicked a ball down the hill into some brush. Only Kai didn’t realize exactly where it had gone and was looking in the wrong place. Seb says that he told him clearly where it was, but Kai didn’t respond. So he ended up barking until Kai paid him attention and then nudging him over to where the ball was. After that, he realized he’d have to behave like most other Middle Realm dogs, and not rely on trying to talk.
T-W: When Kai takes you to meet Reginald Long-Tail Jackson Weaver, Sorcerer of the Third Order, your initial reaction was to attack the opossum. Why didn’t you think you could trust him?
S: (Bites the sides of his lips with his canine teeth, and looks down his nose with a serious expression at Ellie).
E: He was looking at me funny. I thought he must have rabies. I didn’t know he was a talking animal.
T-W: Are you able to communicate with all other animals? We know you can at least understand Reginald. If so, does that include fish and insects?
S: (Gives a short bark and shakes his head).
E: He says that most animals in the Middle Realm either have never talked, or have been here so long that they’ve forgotten how to talk. He’s rare in that enough of the pure-bred line of dogs from the Realm of Light is in his blood that he can still communicate as well as he can.
T-W: What do you think about Reginald now?
S: (Stands at attention, and gives three short barks).
E: Now Seb, you can’t mean that. Mmm hmm. I know that’s how you feel, but... mmm hmmm. (Ellie sighes). Seb says that Reginald is a little difficult to get along with.
S: (Barks again).
E: okay, so that’s not exactly what he said, but it’s all I’m saying.
S: (Nudges her with his head).
E: Leave off, buddy, I said, that’s all I’m saying. You need to rethink that whole bit. You really do.
S: (Lies down, puts his head on his paws and sighs).
T-W: How did you feel when you realized Ellie could understand you?
S: (Picks his head back up and woofs).
E: He says “Great.” I asked him if there was more, but he says I’m not translating right, so why bother?
T-W: Did you know Kai’s parents were special and have a specific mission to accomplish on earth?
(Ellie looks at Seb, who has cocked his head, with a glint in his eye).
E: He says, of course. Everyone talks in front of the dog. Sometimes even to the dog. No one expects that the dog can understand. He says he knows more secrets than anyone in the family.
T-W: Did you know that Kai was more than just a typical 12-year-old boy?
E: He says he knew what Kai’s parents suspected, but none of them knew whether or not it was all true until the events recorded in Flight of Blue began happening.
T-W: There are some hints that you are more than just Kai’s pet dog. Do you have a special gift too?
S: (Raises an eyebrow at me).
E (laughing again): He says, “I’m a talking dog. What more do you want?”
T-W: You have been on some hair-raising adventures so far. When were you the most frightened?
S: (Head up, hackles raised).
E: That whole incident in the caves, not the first cave, but you know... that other one. And everything that happened after that... (Seb shudders). He says he hopes to never see that place again.
T-W: Will you have a larger role to play in the next volume of the Keeper of the Keys Chronicles?
S: (Sniffs the air and looks around).
E: He says that depends on whether Anna (a.k.a. A.E. Howard) can remember to write his parts properly or not. Evidently, he feels he had quite a time making her record everything he did because like most humans, she’s prejudiced toward recording the doings of beings that can vocalize their words.
T-W: And, finally, can you give us a few hints about your and Kai’s adventures in the next book?
S: (Jumps up and turns in a circle, then looks back at me).
E: He says that all Anna has given us permission to say is that we all set off to figure out how to rescue the missing Guardians, and that there’s a search, and traps, and this shady character called the Dream Walker that tries to get into Kai’s head. Oh, and Kai has to fight like a bunch of Name Monsters. Not just one, like a bunch of them. And Seb wants you to know that he helps in very heroic ways.
Thank you Sebastian for the fascinating and amusing interview.
And thank you, Ellie, for sharing you astonishing gift of interpretation with us. The interview couldn't have worked without you.
Do you want to learn more about Sebastian, Ellie and our hero Kai? Order your very own copy of Flight of Blue! You can order the paperback here or the Kindle edition here.
Want to learn more about author A.E. Howard? Visit her at aehowardwrites.
Between chasing chickens off the porch and raising her son, A. E. Howard tells tales of the three Realms and the boy who changed it all.
