Favourite book?
Carmen (Thunder Chicken) I don't think I could ever pick a favourite. I mean, I obviously love my own books, but I wouldn't place them as favourites. I gravitate toward high fantasy (and I am an absolute nerd), so the LOTR trilogy is high on my list. I've recently discovered that LGBTQ romance is a thing and I really enjoyed the Something Like.... series by Jay Bell, but still... I guess if I had to pick one it would be Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, otherwise known as The Secret of NIMH. When I was 10 years old I saw the movie Secret of NIMH and I was enthralled. It wasn't until a few years later, when I was in middle school, that I discovered the book that the movie was based on. The class was doing a book report project and it was one of the books that we could choose, so I latched right onto it. I was not prepared for how good that book was! It was the first real book that I read and enjoyed, and it introduced me to the fact that if there is a movie based on a book, the book is always better. Much, much better. I still reread that book occasionally.
I have an irrational attachment to books. I cannot stand to see a book discarded or destroyed. It breaks my heart. Because of this I've still got every book I've ever owned, including that original and very tattered Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH book.
Daecon: I'm Gen Z. I grew up on Harry Potter. My father Dionysius used to read the books to me when I was little, and I loved them. Little did I know (but Dion knew!) that I would grow up to be able to do magic myself! I mean, it was no Hogwarts letter, but I was (and am) stoked to find out! I didn't read much other than that, so I'd say the HP series was my favourite, and among them I loved Prisoner of Azkaban the most. Sirius was dope! And I just realized, the Animagus featured big in that story and I'm pretty close to being an Animagus myself (though I can't do transfiguration - but I can change into a bunch of different animals, not just a house cat, so take that McGonagall!)
What did you want to be when you were a kid?
Thunder Chicken: This is gonna sound really corny, but the one thing I wanted to be, and the one thing I thought I never could be, was happy. The whole book Wild Nights, Hot and Crazy Days is about this very thing! I suppose this question was more about careers, though. In that case, I wanted to be an engineer, a meteorologist, or a pilot. Unfortunately these were all expensive things to study, and I came from a poor family. I used my knack for mechanical knowledge to do the next best thing to being an engineer: I became a mechanic. Now, 30 years in, I have my regrets.
Daecon: Yeah, that's pretty damned corny. I can see where you're coming from, though. I just wanted to be normal. The other kids gave me a hard time about my white hair, pointy ears, and mismatched eyes. The joke is on them though: Once I got older everyone thought those features made me hot as hell! Career-wise, I wanted to be a lawyer, but then I got rich mining crypto and just wanted to party.
Do you like kids?
Thunder Chicken: Yes, I love kids, and I always wished that I could have been a father. Being gay made this impossible, though. Or, rather, being gay and poor (adoption and surrogates cost money!!!). Now I am not so poor, but I'm too old (in my 50's). Still, my husband and I have fun trying... And I have five nieces, so I had plenty of opportunity to warp the minds of kids!
Daecon: If you'd asked me this question a month ago I'd have laughed loud enough to deafen you. I'd have probably made a joke about loving kids because they provide some essential nutrition! Now, though, after I've discovered my powers, met Evander, and became ruler of the Shapeshifters, I would love to have kids. Evander wants them too, so we'll [REDACTED]
Thunder Chicken: Hey! No spoilers! Jeez!
