Blog Tour: The Long Weekend - Savita Kalhan - A character interview with Lloyd & giveaway.

Today heralds the first character interview I've ever done. I'm happy to bring you this interview with The Long Weekend's Lloyd courtesy of Teen Book Scene. Feel free to follow along with the tour by either clicking the link located here, or the tour banner. The giveaway will be posted below the interview.

Hi Corrine. It’s pretty brave of you to ask me here – most people avoid me!

Thank you so much for being here today, Lloyd. I'm happy to have you here today! Feel free to disregard any questions that you don't feel comfortable answering!

What drew you to become friends with Sam?

He was the new kid and I guessed from the way that he hung around the edge of our football game that he wanted in on it. We could always do with a few extra players, so it started from there, I suppose. He was in my class, he didn’t know anyone, and he was a good laugh.

What did you and Sam have planned for the weekend before you were abducted?

Nothing life-shattering! We were going to hang out and play on the Xbox – it was the new thing in those days, wasn’t it, so Dad had already got one for me. But Sam thought we were going to his house. It was a massive blunder really.

What is your favourite pastime? Do you play any sports?

Yeah, I’m into every sport going except maybe hockey and snooker. Cricket’s my game though.

What did you think of the mansion and the games room?

Pretty sick, except three years I would have said sick and meant cool or totally legend by it. Can you imagine walking into a room like that? It had everything you could possibly want in it, you name it and it was all there in that room. You could spend a week in there and not get bored. When I first saw it, I thought yes! I’m gonna ask my dad for a room like this, and I know he’d have got it for me. Maybe not all of it, but definitely some of it. We’ve got a big house and there’s tons of spare rooms. Yeah, I was spoilt a bit, all right – a lot.
Now it just means sick, as in psycho-sick. I’ve never played any of those games ever again. I never go into a games arcade, or a snooker hall. I never even played on the Xbox again, and I didn’t bother getting a Play Station, although the new one is supposed to be totally cool. I just can’t play games like that. I go out and play a sport instead – half the time it doesn’t even matter what sport it is. It could be football, or cricket, a run, biking, or even golf with my dad. As long as it’s outdoors and in a wide open spaces.

You see, I know what that room was all about. Not why that band, XX, had it put in, but what that sicko was using it for...to soften up his prey... I found out about the other kids later. You know, the ones that didn’t make it? Talk about deterrence therapy.

When did you realize you were being abducted?

I guess it was in the car when Sam asked me that question. But then later, it all seemed to be okay and I thought my Dad had organised it all. It made sense. I wanted it to make sense, so I completely deluded myself into believing it. I did such a good job of tricking myself that the guy really didn’t have to do much at all. It was only after I got shown to my room that it really truly hit me. I was too shocked to do anything then, and I wasn’t strong enough to-

What was going through your head when you and Sam were first separated?

I’m not sure I was really thinking straight. I know I wasn’t. I’d got carried away with the band story, which I’d fallen for hook, line, and sinker like a complete idiot. Sam hadn’t, and if I’d realised that maybe things would have come out differently.

How did you cope with what happened?

Cope? I’m not sure I did. At the time, I couldn’t handle it, not one bit. Lucky Sam was there, or else I think I... Hey, Sam, if you’re reading this then, well, cheers. I never could thank you properly then, but I’m glad I asked you to join our football game in the first week of school! And you weren’t a bad player either.
Afterwards, well, much later, I took all that anger and pain out on to that assault course I had my dad build for me. It was a killer. I was so shattered at night that I could finally manage a few hours of sleep. I hadn’t slept for months.
It helps to get help, if you know what I mean. It doesn’t feel like it at the time, and so many times I wanted to give up on it and refused to go, but my mum and dad forced me to go. They literally bundled me into the car. Once I locked myself in my room so I wouldn’t have to go, but it didn’t work. You can’t keep your door locked forever. It took me a while, but I kind of dealt with it. You never want them, those monsters out there, to beat you, so you think that’ll be enough to move on from it, but it’s not quite enough. I guess in the end you either deal with it or you don’t, and sometimes you just can’t do it alone.

If you could have said anything to your parents during the ordeal, what would you have said?

Get me the hell out of here! Please, please get me out of here.

How did that weekend affect your friendship with Sam?

The funny thing is that I haven’t seen Sam since then, which was three years ago. Oh, apart from once. He came over, but it wasn’t like old times. There was too much of the wrong type of history between us and not enough of the right type. Not enough good memories to cancel out the bad.

When he came over he brought something with him, something I didn’t know he had, didn’t even realise existed, and that was bad. He thought he’d been looking out for me by taking it, and he was, but it brought it all back. I couldn’t see him again after that. Yeah, so in terms of friendship there isn’t one now, but I still see him as my best mate. If I picked up the phone now, oh by the way I make sure it’s always charged these days, I know he’d come over right away. We’ve got this bond that ties us to this thing in our past. It’ll always be there no matter how hard we try to shake it off. Sam missed the worst of it, and maybe I might have as well if I’d listened to him. It doesn’t matter now. He knows what went on better than anyone else. He was there, which is why I might never see him again and why he’ll always be my friend.

I don't think I can put into words how horrible this ordeal must have been for you Lloyd, and I hope this interview hasn't stirred up any unwanted feelings. Thank you so much for being here today.

Giveaway

Savita Kalhan has graciously provided a copy of her book The Long Weekend for giveaway to one lucky winner.

Thank you, Savita!

The giveaway is international and will end February 24, 2011.
Giveaway has ENDED. Thank you to all who participated!

Please fill out this form to enter. Comments, while appreciated, will not be counted as entries.

Thank you!