There has been blog after blog listing favorite book boyfriends, talking about what people would do if given a day (or night) with their book boyfriend, obsessing over them, etc. But no one has ever thought to ask how they feel being the focus of all our attention. Which got me thinking. Since I talk to him on Twitter all the time, I figured I would ask Micah Condie from Mythology some questions. And since Janice (@rabidreading on Twitter) joins me in harassing talking to him, I included her.
Laura: So I guess my first question for you is how do you feel about me and other women drooling over you, and do you feel like you are cheating on hope when you chat with us?
Micah: I'm okay with that. For the good of the book, ya know? ;) And Hope knows I'd never cheat on her in real life.
L: So are us fan-girls just fictional characters to you then? I mean, we talk on twitter all the time, yet you say you would never cheat on Hope in "real life" ... are you just using us as promotional tools then? *sobs*
M: No, but I have a book life (what I guess I kinda think of as "real life" because I started out there and spend most of my time there) and my other life where I hang out with people like you and get in discussions with my author about stuff, etc. I'd never cheat on Hope in my book life. But I can love other people and it's not cheating on her because it's a different plane of existence. Oh... this is confusing as hell...
Bottom line: No sobbing!
Janice: LOL. Am I the only one who sees all the holes in demon boy's answer? Micah, honey, you may want to clarify....unless you want readers to think you are faithful to Hope in book life but spreading your love around everywhere else ;)
M: Why did I think that talking over email would be any different than what we do on Twitter? Gah. You're both trying to torture me, aren't you?....
J: We only torture you because we love you ;) *hugs*
M: WAIT. Is this part of the blog discussion already? Omg...
Okay, here is what I mean by all that.
My book life is with Hope, and as far as I'm concerned, that's forever (unless she decides otherwise). Yes, I talk to fans (fangirls AND fanboys, btw - lol) on Twitter, and I love them too, but not in a way that would ever jeopardize my relationship with Hope. It is confusing having two planes of existence, but Hope wants me to reach out to people, and she understands if I have fans and she even understands if I take someone for a flight or ride on my bike. I give as much as I can back.
(Off the record: BETTER, JANICE? AND GIVE ME A BREAK, WILL YA?)
L: Play nice! So why do you think some guys *coughyoucough* get elevated to the book boyfriend status and some don't quite make it there?
M: *looks around* Me, elevated? Aw, that's sweet of you. :)
Hmm...I think a guy needs to have at least one of the "obvious" things going for him - confidence (but not arrogance), looks (but not conceit), a little mystery (or a lot), etc. But I think he also has to show that he has a lot more layered underneath all that: vulnerabilities, imperfections, sensitivities. So you don't just admire from afar in the book but feel like you actually want to get to know the guy, ya know?
It's just like what draws me to a girl. Sure, we notice outside appearances first - we're only human after all. ;) But there has to be something more than that to make me want to have her as my girl.
And are you okay, sweetie? That's some cough you have there. *hands you cough medicine*
L: Ha, thanks. *takes cough medicine* *gets a little loopy* Well, we all know you are certainly all of those things. But the one thing that will seal the deal for me, is a tough guy crying. Not that I EVER want to see you hurt, but what are some things that would make you cry?
M: Whoa, take it easy with that cough medicine, k? *takes it away from you before you do yourself harm*
Easy. If the love of my life ever crushed my heart. Other things... if anything bad ever happened to my family, especially my brother and sisters.
J: Awww, isn't he the sweetest? I have a question. A lot of readers have "bad boy" book boyfriends. As one of the good guys, how do you feel about that? Do you ever want to be a bit of a bad boy yourself?
M: Oh, the evil queen has a question about bad boys. Why am I not surprised? *wink*.
I'll fully admit that when my demon comes out, it feels pretty good. (Sorry, Laura.) Yeah, I have those moments when I wonder what it'd be like to give in. I think it comes out at times in my need to blow off steam/escape on my bike, or in my temper when I can't. Do I wish I was more of a bad boy? Sometimes, but I know the price would be too high.
L: Don't apologize to me, it's your nature. Speaking of nature, your whole story is a discussion of nature vs. nurture. Do you credit your parents & siblings for keeping you tied to your humanity? And when the demon tries to make an appearance, how do you reign it in? (So I know this is off topic, but now I am curious LOL)
M: I largely credit my upbringing (by the Condies, NOT my biological dad) to my family, yes. My mom especially is a stabilizing force for everyone in the family. You can imagine what it did to me when I accidentally hurt her, and when my dad kicked me out.
My demon is always there, lurking just below the surface. When I feel it coming out, I have to think about something good, happy. Picture every detail of it. And it's usually Hope. No pun intended. ;)
J: So back to the book boyfriend thing. As you know, readers become very attached to characters and especially to their book boyfriends. We see you guys so clearly in our minds, and we sort of expect you to conform to whatever mental image we have of you. Sometimes we even get mad when characters we love behave in ways we don't like, lol. Is it hard dealing with the weight of so many readers' expectations?
M: Nah, I don't care what people think. Haha - totally just kidding....
Yeah, it can be a little bit hard sometimes. On Twitter, I have had people try to convince me that I don't actually have this dark side to me. That's because of exactly what you said - they have this impression of me and want to view me a certain way. (And then I'm like, "Sorry dude, I'm still a demon.") Bottom line is that I know who I am and I have to act true to myself, whether people prefer me to be a different way or not.
Also, I think it may get a little bit worse after people read book two. While my author has a soft spot for me, she also likes to put me -- all of us -- to the test (gross understatement). Plus, with my POV being highlighted in the book, you'll get to see me like you never have before. That's all I'm allowed to say ;)
L: Along with the whole attached things, some readers get ... shall we say ... possessive of what they come to think of as their characters. Has that become an issue with you yet, and if not, when it does how will you handle it? Some examples - people getting mad at other people that don't like you (you can't please everyone!) or people fighting over you, that kind of thing.
M: Jonathan definitely has more of this problem than I do, maybe because he's *currently* unattached and my readers know how committed I am to Hope. (Or maybe because he's got that whole immortal French guy thing going for him.) People call "dibs" on him, get very possessive of him, get in Twitter fights over whose guy he is. He's always very gracious about it. He's also a pretty private person so he does tend keep a bit of distance from the mortals. I gotta hand it to him for keeping so cool about it. I'd like to think that I'd do the same.
Umm, and I did once piss someone off by saying I'd go to the Mythology movie premiere with someone else, but it was all a big misunderstanding. I said I'd go with BOTH of them. (I *think* I smoothed everything over since then, but it was a touchy situation.) Honestly, I'd probably go with my author anyhow. *hides*
L: If Mythology went to the big screen, do you think you would play yourself? If not, who would you want to play you, Hope, and Jonathan? And how would you deal with all the new rapid fan-people (girls & guys) that a movie deal would bring you?
J: What is the best part of being a book boyfriend? And when your series is over someday, what are your plans, and will you stay in touch with your fans? (You'd better!!!)
L: Seriously ... *glares at Micah* You wouldn't forget US now, would you?
J: How could he? We are amazeballs :). BUT that doesn't mean we won't hurt him if he even *thinks* about bailing on us. You've been warned, demon boy!
M: Okay, so that first question made me feel like I was in that Inception movie. You're asking the dream cast who our dream cast would be... We are it. ;)
- Left to right: Micah, Hope, Jonathan
Although... if it winds up being a few years more before Mythology hits the big screen, you may have to ask me again because then we'd have to find younger versions of ourselves.
I'm not all about popularity and fame -- that's more of Troy's deal. But If I ever reached superstar status (you talking like Ian Somerhalder status here?), I would do my best to reach out to fans. And I would never, ever lose touch with the people who helped us get off the ground, which brings me to the last question...
When the series is over, I'll still be around. I guess I'm like that first favorite child of my author's that'll never go away. And don't worry, Janice and Laura -- I'll always be your demon boy. xo
J: Darn right you will! Well, that about covers it for me. What do you think, Laura, have we grilled him enough? ;)
L: I suppose that's all ... for now ... Thanks for being so open and cooperative!
M: Good times - it was fun. Thanks for having me, and if either of you ever want to visit my world, just say the word! ;) xo
Friday, May 24, 2013
Lynsey Taylor
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