Character Interview: Martin from Leonard Bassed’s, The Witch Port Video Game

We’re thrilled to be talking to Martin from Leonard Bassed’s, The Witch Port Video Game.  It is a pleasure to have him with us today at Pimp That Character!

Thank you for your interview, Martin.  How old are you and what do you do for a living?

I’m 16 years old and in my junior year at St Phillips Academy of Performing Arts, where I study performance art.

Can you tell us about one of your most distinguishable features?

I guess… I’m kinda good looking in an altar boy kind of way. I’m a pretty strait-laced sort. I take pride in my image as most kids in my school.

What would I love the most about you?

This isn’t bias at all [he jokes]. I’d have to say the trait you’d love most about me is my loyalty. I would literally walk through flames to protect the ones I love, and I’m also kind of magical these days, I’ve been told that’s a good thing, but the jury is still out on that one. 

What would I hate the most about you?

Lets just get it out there, you’d probably hate my fibbing that’s my one fatal flaw, that and well maybe my choice of friends, who are kind of responsible for getting us into this mess.

What makes you laugh out loud?

My best friends Mackenzie and Francesca are generally the cause of my laughter. Cameron, my brother on occasion has been known to make me laugh as well.

What is your greatest fear?

This question isn’t exactly as straightforward as I once thought. The world I inhabit is a much more frightening place than I ever imagined. I guess my greatest fear is ultimately not being able to protect my loved ones from the impending danger they face due to the evil we’ve let into our lives.

What is your idea of a perfect day?

My idea of a perfect day is one spent with my family and friends. We live in a small town so technically everyone feels like extended family until they arrived of course.

Are you a loner or do you prefer to surround yourself with friends?

I’m a wall flower compared to my brother Cameron, but I do enjoy an exciting social life or did enjoy one past tense. Nowadays I’ve taken up battling warlocks in my spare time.

Who is your best friend?

I have two best friends, as I mentioned earlier. Named Francesca and Mackenzie.

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Since childhood my aspirations have been consistent, I hope to escape our quaint little town and make it big in the big apple. I hope to pursue a career in entertainment, singing and acting mostly.

About the Book:

Title: THE WITCH PORT VIDEO GAME
Author: Leonard Bassed
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 108
Genre: YA

BOOK BLURB:

Leonard Bassed had no plan to write a novel titled THE WITCH PORT VIDEO GAME when he set out to create a movie script with a similar name.  “I had written the pilot script first and I kept the same ending for the novel…everything from the script I wrote found its way into the finished book version of ‘The Witch Port Video Game,’ said writer-singer-actor Leonard Bassed.  “I was able to spend more time developing the characters and their world…the whole thing was just such an organic experience and extremely enjoyable, creative for me.”

THE WITCH PORT VIDEO GAME tells the story through the lives of three ordinary teens who live in the fictional town of Cradle Creek, USA – a small town they hope to one day escape, attracted by the bright lights and promise of the Big City.  All three are students at a prestigious performing art school with hopes of one day making names for themselves in the entertainment world.

Mr. Bassed continued about his story, “A chance encounter the three have with a girl named Bianca Morris threatens to derail their plans. Bianca introduces them to an enticing video game, ‘The Witch Port Video Game’.  This encounter, coupled with the arrival of the MacQuoid brothers sets in motion a series of bizarre events that spins their lives into chaos and disarray as the three head into a world of sorcery with an ultimate fight for survival.”

As a young boy growing up in South Africa, Leonard dreamed one day of working in the arts.  He wanted to write, to act, to sing.  While drawn to acting and song writing, he was also a good story teller.  “The auditions I would go out for as an actor were never reflective of the kinds of roles I was after to play. It was this realization that led me to writing the pilot script which I planned to pitch to TV and movie producers.  But, once I finished the script I’d grown too attached to the characters and the wonders of their world that ultimately led the script into the shape of a full novel,” he went on to say.

PRAISE

“While the book’s final moments leave us with a rather sudden, enigmatic ending, an end note does indicate a sequel Witch Port Igniting the Coven on the horizon. For those who enjoy the entertaining literary chemistry that results from inquisitive teens and their foray into the mysterious world of sorcery, Bassed’s venture should prove an intriguing reveal.”

--Pacific Book Review

“Filled with cheeky references to famous pop-culture stories of sorcery and mixed with some classic teenage angst, this book is a fast-paced, suspenseful story. The novel’s premise that some teenagers gain special powers through a video game is an updated, modern take on magic and suits the story quite well for a 21st-century setting. The author sets up the story mechanisms so that everything that happens through the students’ video game play also happens in real life. The author states that this novel was originally a screenplay, and those elements shine through, from the descriptive settings to the fast pace in which the action occurs on the page. It will be interesting to see how the protagonists grow with their powers in the sequel.”

--The U.S. Review of Books

Book can be purchased at the author’s web site at www.leonardbassed.com

About the Author

Writer-actor-singer Leonard Bassed was born in the town of Middleburg, Mpumalanga and raised in Johannesburg.  He started taking vocal lessons at age eight and studied drama throughout his high school years.  A mentor encouraged him to pursue an acting career.  Leonard went on to complete acting classes in both South Africa and later Los Angeles.  Currently, when not writing or singing, Leonard continues to study acting techniques with the renowned Margie Haber Studio in Hollywood. In his free time, he enjoys travel, reading and movie going.  His latest book is The Witch Port Video Game.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

Website: https://leonardbassed.com/

Facebook page for author: https://www.facebook.com/leobassed/

Twitter page for author: https://twitter.com/LeonardBassed