{Character Interview} Shawn Kleiner of Laura Vosika's The Water is Wide
We’re thrilled to be talking to Shawn Kleiner from Laura
Vosika’s The Water is Wide. It is a pleasure to have him with us today
at Pimp That Character!
Thank you for your interview, Shawn. How old are you and what do you do for a
living?
26. But I’ll tell you, 26 in 1315
feels a whole lot older—I’m talking wise, mature—than 26 in my past—by which I
mean the twenty-first century.
What do I do? In my past life—in
your time—I was an entertainer. Yeah, fabulously wealthy and I thought pretty
highly of myself. Hey, in my defense, so did plenty of other people. Especially
women and the people making money off me.
Now, 1315, 1316—I fight for the
Bruce. I raid England
with James Douglas. Yeah, I know, raiding, burning, looting churches which for
some reason Douglas always makes me do—I know that’s
meant to be awful. But you gotta know what was going on before you judge.
Oh, and I save Niall’s neck. A lot.
I had to haul him out of Chez MacDougall right under the shadow of the gallows
they were building for him and now this little jaunt to Jura—he’s got this
thing about water. Me—I love it! He was kind of pissy about me getting him out
of it. Ungrateful lunkhead if you ask me. Yeah, that’s what I do.
Can you tell us about one of your most distinguishable
features?
Besides my ego? Confidence? Oh, you
mean things you can see? Tall? Good-looking? Auburn hair. Long red-gold
hair. The ladies love it. It was my trademark.
What would I love the most about you?
The most? [Laughs] What’s not
to love?
Look—all jesting—I mean kidding—aside.
I had my faults. Okay, I had lots of faults. But I had some redeeming
qualities even then. Like—I’m generous. Even the people who hated me the most
in the twenty-first century (and yeah, there were plenty vying for that title)
had to admit I was really generous. And pretty damn funny, too. I threw
the best parties.
What is your most treasured possession?
I might have once said my trombone.
I mean—I make my living with it. But more than that, to be able to make
music—it’s like flying, leaving all the misery of life below while you soar.
Know what I mean?
I might have said my house. A
mansion with floor to ceiling windows on either side of a two-story fireplace
and acres of granite counters in the kitchen, on twenty acres with a stream and
a little waterfall.
But now—possessions don’t seem to
matter much. Like—I don’t actually own anything here. A gold chain the
Bruce gave me. And the pony for winning that joust. [laughs] Yeah, I kind of
love that pony. Which is funny because I hated horses.
But mostly—it’s people that matter
now. The things we do together and surviving and working together.
What is your idea of a perfect day?
Any day in which I don’t end up
dead.
My answer would have once been, a
day with a great sold out performance, money pouring in, filet mignon, fine
wine, satin sheets, and a beautiful woman.
Funny how our views change, isn’t
it? Fighting with the Bruce, raiding with Douglas, being
on the front line at Bannockburn
with twenty thousand medieval knights charging you, being swiped across the
middle by one of their blades—yeah, any day where I go to bed still alive is a
perfect day now.
Hawking and riding with Niall,
Allene, Hugh, Christina—that’s a pretty sweet day, too. Even if I did totally
humiliate myself with that stupid bird in front of Christina. [laughs] Okay,
maybe it was a little bit funny. In retrospect. The shock on her face—now that
was funny!
If you could change one physical thing about yourself, what
would that be?
[spreads arms, turns, showing off]
This? Why would I want change this? Well, okay, I’d get rid of the scar
left by the knight’s sword. Medieval medical care isn’t exactly Beverly
Hills plastic surgery. [snorts] Guess I should be
grateful to be alive.
Who is your best friend?
Okay, I hate the sappy questions. I
hate them. But let’s get real for a minute. Niall. He’s a stick in the
mud, all about faith and Mr. Purity and Duty and crap. I’m always having to
save his neck and step in for him and the one time he had to give me a hand, he
never lets me forget.
But—yeah, he’s the best friend I
ever had. I hate to admit it—and so does he—but in some ways we’re kind of
alike. And—well, he did haul my two halves off that battlefield. I’ve
never had anyone I knew who would put themselves on the line for me the way I
know he will.
Do you have children?
Yeah. [stares at ground] Yeah, Amy
was pregnant when I left. You know, I thought once—I’m not the father type.
Life is about having fun. And now—now what I want most is to tell Amy I’m sorry
and to see our child.
I even prayed. Told God, hey, look,
I set Niall straight about you. Told him you’re all about love, so send me
back. I learned my lesson. And—well, here I am. It’s still 1315.
Someone is secretly in love with you. Who is it and how do you feel about that?
It’s not really all that secret.
But it’s not like we’ve ever say anything out loud. [stares out the window for
a minute and speaks softly.] Christina. [looks up.] How do I feel? [laughs,
shakes head] Confused!
One—I’m trying to get back to Amy.
I swore this time I was going to be faithful to her. Even in my heart. And I
never did anything but kiss Christina’s fingers which is really just a social
convention here. Then again, so is keeping your barbet on in front of men. And
there she was with her hair uncovered....
Never mind. Two—Confused. I teased
Amy mercilessly about her ‘Victorian’ attitudes. And now I’m in love with
someone who’s light years away from being even that up to date? I don’t get it.
If you knew you were going to die tomorrow, what would you
do today?
Dying tomorrow—or even today—is a
very real prospect in 1315. Given my choice—I’d tell Amy I’m sorry. Really,
really sorry. I’d tell her I’d do anything to make it up to her, all the
crappy, lousy things I did. The way I got other people to lie and cover for me
and play mind games with her, till she doubted her own senses.
But the truth is, I’m stuck here in
1315. What I’ll do today is probably save Niall’s medieval heiny. Again. I
don’t mean to brag, but man, he’s lucky to have me around.
Website:
www.bluebellschronicles.com
facebook: www.facebook.com/laura.vosika.author
twitter: www.twitter.com/lauravosika
About the Author
She
has been featured in newspapers, on radio, and TV, has spoken for regional book
events, and hosted the radio program Books and Brews. She currently
teaches writing at Minneapolis Community and Technical College.
As a musician, Laura has performed as on
trombone, flute, and harp, in orchestras, and big bands. She lives in Brooklyn
park with 5 of her 9 children, 3 cats, and an Irish
Wolfhound.
Her latest book is the time
travel/historical fiction, The Water is
Wide.
WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:
WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK
About the Book:
Title: THE WATER IS WIDE
Author: Laura Vosika
Publisher: Gabriel’s Horn Press
Pages: 451
Genre: Time Travel/Historical Fiction
Author: Laura Vosika
Publisher: Gabriel’s Horn Press
Pages: 451
Genre: Time Travel/Historical Fiction
BOOK BLURB:
After his failure to escape back
to his own time, Shawn is sent with Niall on the Bruce’s business. They
criss-cross Scotland
and northern England,
working for the Bruce and James Douglas, as they seek ways to get Shawn home to
Amy and his own time.
Returning from the Bruce’s
business, to Glenmirril, Shawn finally meets the mysterious Christina. Despite
his vow to finally be faithful to Amy, his feelings for Christina grow.
In modern Scotland,
having already told Angus she’s pregnant, Amy must now tell him Shawn is alive
and well—in medieval Scotland.
Together, they seek a way to bring him back across time.
They are pursued by Simon
Beaumont, esteemed knight in the service of King Edward, has also passed
between times. Having learned that Amy’s son will kill him—he seeks to kill the
infant James first.
The book concludes with
MacDougall’s attack on Glenmirril, Amy and Angus’s race to be there and Shawn’s
attempt to reach the mysterious tower through the battling armies.
Watch the Trailer:
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