Thursday, October 6, 2011

Blog Tour: Unwelcome - Michael Griffo - Multi-character Interview

Michael Griffo is here today with a multi-character interview courtesy of the Teen Book Scene blog tour for his new releast, Unwelcome. Thank you for being here today, Michael! You can follow along with the tour here. Enjoy!

-------

If you could live in any time period in history, which would you prefer and why?

BRANIA: The future. I’ve lived for over three hundred years, I have absolutely no desire to relive the hell I’ve already been through. And when I say ‘the future’ I mean a future where women rule and men are our subjects.

RONAN: I’d love to go back to Victorian England and live during Oscar Wilde’s time. I’m just fascinated with that time period and would love to experience it firsthand. I know it would be difficult being a gay man during that time, but hell, I’m a vampire so I can take care of myself.

EDWIGE: I’d want to go back to the 1960s in England. I’d be a mad success and all those Carnaby Street clothes would look absolutely gorgeous on me!

MICHAEL: That’s a tough one. Without sounding like a broken record, you know that wherever I go, Ronan would have to go with me. Part of me would love to live during medieval times. I know it was barbaric and bloody and there was no indoor plumbing, so I might hate it after a while, but it was also majestic and bold and as a vampire I think I could hold my own in a battle. Plus, living in a castle with Ronan would be amazing!

SOAIRSE: I would love to go back to the 1970s and live in New York. I’ve always wanted to go to the old Studio 54 disco and dance the night away. That would be gobs of fun!

CIARAN: I’d like to live in late 1800s and be part of the scientific revolution. I’d love to know if I could match wits with Einstein and Edison and all the other great inventors. It would be an exciting challenge.

PHAEDRA: If I could live right now as a teenage girl that would be perfect. But it’s just not in the cards for me.

What one song defines the world as you see it?

MICHAEL and RONAN: “Here Comes The Sun”

MICHAEL: Or maybe “Born This Way!”

FRITZ: “I’m The Greatest Star” - Some old bird who my mum loves sings it. I don’t like the song that much, but the title speaks for itself!

SOAIRSE: ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!”

NAKANO: Can I pick the same one as Saoirse?

BRANIA: “Misunderstood” by Pink

CIARAN: “She Blinded Me With Science”

EDWIGE: “Leave me Alone” by some human named Helen Reddy

PHAEDRA: “Misty”

What is your favourite memory at the Academy?

MICHAEL: The day I arrived and walked through the front gate. It changed my life forever. That and seeing Ronan in the rain, thinking about it still takes my breath away.

RONAN: Right you are love, that was the most perfect moment in my life.

FRITZ: Will you two stuff it! The best day ever was the relaunch of Tales of the Double A! People are still talking about it.

PHAEDRA: The first time Fritz and I kissed.

MICHAEL GRIFFO: The Archangel Festival was one of my favorite memories and one of my favorite scenes to write. All the characters were involved so it was a challenge to incorporate them all and make it move seamlessly from one group to the next.

There are two doors before you. One opens to Narnia, the other to Hogwarts. Which do you go through?

FRITZ: Narnia! Why would I want to go to another bloody school? I don’t care if Hogwarts is magical, Double A is brill!

MICHAEL: I have to agree with Fritz and go with Narnia too. From what I’ve read it sounds like not only a magical place, but beautiful too.

SAOIRSE: I’m going with Hogwarts people! That Ron Weasley is a cutie! And he’s straight so I’d actually stand a chance with him.

MICHAEL: But isn’t he in love with Hermoine?

SAOIRSE: He hasn’t met me yet boyo!

If Murphy's Law applied to you, what law would you most likely encounter?

MICHAEL GRIFFO: I wouldn’t be able to meet any of my writing deadlines! Luckily, I’m super organized and love what I do so that will never happen ;-)

RONAN: There would be a fire in our dorm room and nothing would be harmed except my entire book collection!

MICHAEL: My UK birth certificate would be lost and I would be kicked out of the country and have to go back to Weeping Water! Oh my God I can’t even think about that, that would be beyond horrible.

CIARAN: Some jealous bloke would trash my lab and destroy all my research.

SOAIRSE: My hair would fall out. Face it people I have beautiful hair!

BRANIA: There would be a cave-in and Imogene and I would be forced to live with my father. On second thought, I’d rather live in the bowels of The Forest before doing that.

FRITZ: I would meet the love of my life and then she would up and disappear. Oh wait, that bloody happened already!

If you could do one thing without repercussions, what would it be, and why?

MICHAEL GRIFFO: After writing this series I would love to be a vampire for a few days and see if I captured all the feelings and changes that you go through once you find out that you are immortal and have to drink blood to survive. When you think about it, when you think about actually doing what Michael, Ronan, and all the other vampires have to do and how their lives are changed for all eternity, it plays with your mind. I’d love to spend a day in their shoes so to speak to see if my writing came close to the actual experiences.

NAKANO: I’d like to go far away from Double A and walk in the sun. Having the freedom to open my eyes in America or Egypt or anywhere except here and feel the sun on my face would be amazing!

FRITZ: Without repercussions? That’s easy, I’d turn into a zombie and kill the entire student body! Or better yet, become a vampire and start feeding on all my professors. But you know, vampires aren’t bloody real, so that’s never going to happen.

PHAEDRA: Stay on earth forever!

MICHAEL HOWARD: I’d like to go back to Two W and show everybody at that school that I’m stronger than I’ve ever been in my entire life. After all those years of being bullied and ridiculed, I’d like to show them that they didn’t win! And just like the slogan says, my life’s gotten MUCH better!

RONAN: There’s nothing I can’t already do.

Thank you for being here today, everyone! I loved all of your answers! =)

Michael Griffo can be found on his website and on twitter.

-------

Archangel Academy is more than a school to Michael Howard. Within its majestic buildings and serene English grounds, he's found friends, new love, and a place that feels more like home than Nebraska ever did. But the most important gift of Archangel Academy is immortality. . .

Life as a just-made vampire is challenging for Michael, even with Ronan, an experienced vamp, to guide him. Michael's abilities are still raw and unpredictable. To add to the turmoil, the ancient feud between rival vampire species is sending ripples of discord through the school. And beneath the new headmaster's charismatic front lies a powerful and very personal agenda.

Yet the mysteries lurking around the Academy pale in comparison to the secrets emerging from Michael's past. And choosing the wrong person to trust—or to love—could lead to an eternity of regret. . .

Michael Griffo is an award-winning writer and one of six playwrights whose career will be tracked by WritersInsight.com until 2010. He is a graduate of New York University, has studied at Playwrights Horizons and Gotham Writers Workshop, and has written several screenplays.
Synopsis taken from goodreads.

1 comment:

LoriStrongin said...

Well, I'm hooked. I LOVED Michael and Ronan's voices in this, and rock on for having TWO leading men as the love story in this book. Definitely picking this one up. Thanks so much for the rec!


Smiles!
Lori