Nine-year-old Character Getting Out the Vote

Eccentric author photo. Huh??
Okay, authors and readers, especially you horror and smexy ones, be on your best behavior today. We have a nine-year-old girl visiting the blog. Yes, I said nine! Pansy V. Pants, the main character in my critique partner's middle grade fantasy, Pansy Pants & the Search for Magic, has stopped by to say 'hello.' Pansy wanted to make sure I'd voted in the CBAY contest. (If her creator Kath Marsh wins, Pansy's story will be published.) While she and her friends are here, I've given her a list of questions to answer. I never miss an opportunity to interview anybody! :)

"Hey, Ally. I have both of your books on my book shelf. Minor demon Posso keeps borrowing them and dragon-earing the pages he and dragon Chester like best. Posso, stop staring at Ari. You know he has a crush on Ari.  Uh oh,  I wasn't supposed to tell you about that. 
" So you had some questions? Where did I put your list? Give me that paper, Chester. Posso, grab the paper. NO! Don't let the dragon.... 
 "Ally, do you have another copy?" 

Ally: Why don't I just ask the questions instead?

PANSY: Thanks, Ally. Okay, Number one?

Ally: Before we get started on those, why does Kath Marsh, use a photo of a bat as her author pic? Is she secretly  a vampire or something?
 
PANSY: Nope. She's not a vampire or anything supernatural. She's just weird, and hates having her photo taken. She used to volunteer at a wildlife rescue place, and her favorite animals included vultures and bats. Posso says she's just batty. 
I'm saving up for a camera. When I get one, Posso and Chester will keep Kath busy, and I'll sneak up and get a real photo of her.

Ally:  Oooh, good! Will you send me a copy?

PANSY: Sure. If she doesn't catch me.

Ally:  Now to the questions.  I've read the beginning pages of your story. Tell the readers why you want to turn Gary the bully into a frog.

PANSY:  That's an easy one. Gary stole my lunch one time too many. I wanted him to stop. I figured if I turned him into a frog that would scare him big time, and he'd leave me alone. Okay, stop laughing, Posso. You think being turned into a frog is silly small magic, but I had to start somewhere. Besides no one in my town believes in magic. So if I could suddenly turn Gary into a frog, he'd be so shocked, so scared, I knew he'd leave me and my lunches alone. 

Ally:  It sounds in the story like your mom works hard, where is your dad?

PANSY:  Dad's gone. I don't really like to talk about him. Mom and I have been on our own for a few years. We may be poor now, but  no one hurts anyone in our house anymore. 

Ally:  Do you have brothers and sisters? Would you like to?

PANSY:  I don't. Well, not human brothers or sisters. I don't know.  

Ally:  Have you ever had a crush on a boy?

"Pansy loves Jeremiah." 

PANSY: Stop that, Posso. Don't listen to him. I'm too young for boyfriend stuff. Jeremiah is my friend. Besides he's a ghost. And he doesn't... what's the next question?" 

Ally:  What's your favorite subject in school? Least favorite?

PANSY:  I love science. It's a lot like magic. I mean how cool is it that you can hang a string in a glass of sugar water, wait a few days and the water evaporates and crystals of sugar appear  on the string. Or they would if a certain dragon would leave the sugar water alone, and a certain minor demon didn't steal the string out of the glass. 
I don't really like P.E. I'm not good at games and sports. I'd be a lot better if I could fly like Chester or use big magic like Posso. But, as I said, no one in Devil's Millhopper believes in magic, so they'd probably say I was cheating. 

Ally:  Devil's Millhopper, how did your town get that name?

PANSY:  Sounds pretty scary, huh? It's named for the sinkhole in the middle of the town. The sink is so deep,  I think you go through  three different climate zones as you walk down. There's even a waterfall. Long way down. 

Ally:  Is that how Posso, your minor demon friend, got into town? Is it the entrance to Hell?

PANSY:  I don't think so. Anyway, that's not how Posso found me. If anyone wants to know where we first met,  they have to read my book, Pansy Pants & the Search for Magic. Right now they can read sample chapters on  CBAY Books Home page.  If they vote for my book on the contest page and my book wins, it could get published,and they'd find out all about ME, Jeremiah, Posso, Chester the dragon, and High Demon Abdon Mallack. And lots bigger really scary magic than turning a bully into a frog.
Sorry, Ally, but I have to take Posso and Chester home now. It's dinner time. 

Ally:  I understand. I think I hear both their tummies  growling. Um, they don't eat humans, do they?

PANSY:  They claim they don't. Thank you, Ally. Bye. Come on, guys. Let's stop by the cemetery on our way home. I've heard you can find lots of votes there.

                                                                             Don't forget to vote by the 30th... 




Pansy Pants & the Search for Magic By Kath Boyd Marsh: 

Everyone in Devil’s Millhopper knows that magic isn’t real. Everyone, that is, except Pansy V. Pants. Pansy just knows that if she can learn to do magic, real magic — the ghoul cool kind that lets you turn bullies into frogs and stop time, then she’ll never have to be afraid again.

 Read the entries and Vote May 15-30 at the CBAY website: 

Sample chapters: http://cbaybooks.com/info/?p=247

                     VOTE:  http://cbaybooks.com/info/?p=274




                  
                         If you'd like to visit Kath's blog, click HERE.