Courtney Vail is here with one of her main characters, Derek, for a character interview courtesy of the Teen Book Scene blog tour for her book, Kings & Queens. Thank you for being here, Courtney and Derek! You can follow along with the tour here, or by clicking through the banner. Enjoy!
What's your friendship with Majesty like? When/how did you first meet?
Most people annoy the snot outta me like a tooth ache, but Majesty’s at least bearable. She makes me laugh sometimes, so that does count for something. I knew OF her long before we were actual friends, since we grew up in the same crap town, Cedar Creek. But we didn’t start hanging out until we had a baby together in Junior High. No, not a REAL baby, don’t go spreadin’ that around. We shared one of those lame eggs in Sex Ed. Without even asking my opinion, she named our brat Eckersley. You know who Eck is? Dennis Eckersley? He’s a former Sox player and current NESN announcer. He’s one of only 2 pitchers in MLB history to have a 20-win season and 50-save season. I didn’t know that. She told ME. Any chick who’s well beyond a pink-hat fan gets my attention. That’s when she first intrigued me. And she hasn’t really stopped.
What was going through your mind when you realized Majesty wasn't coming back with the flowers? Did you think anything had happened to her?
Um, maybe you don’t know, and please don’t tell her I said this, ’cause I’d prefer to do it myself and don’t want you stealing my thunder, but she’s a spaz. Not always, no, but if you put her pic in the dictionary beside the definition, she’s had enough ditzy moments, that more than one person would nod profusely about the association being dead-on right. So, I just chalked it up to Majesty being Majesty. A ditch or a flakeout. Of course, given what actually happened, that she suffered so much because of me and my raging hormones, I feel like the world’s biggest heel and will carry that regret forever.
Your friendship with both Alex and Majesty growing up was pretty tight. If you could confide in someone about your secret fears, would you have confided in them?
Fears? I probably have a lot of ’em but I don’t even acknowledge them for the most part. I’ve always believed fear makes you weak, so I’m in this habit of suppression. As soon as I even consider blabbing on myself, or start looking too closely in the mirror, all these alarm bells go off and I close up shop.
What would your ideal date be, and who would it be with?
Oh, come on … No sir. I’m not normal, so she’d have to be as whacked out as me. Not as damaged, but as gutsy and guarded for sure. The whole teddy bear, please-hold-my-purse, where-the-hell-are-you, wanna-watch-the-rose-ceremony-with-me thing? Yeah. I can’t do that. I’m not boyfriend material. I’ve had plenty of action, but not even one girl I’d dare say was mine. And honestly, I’m not hoping to find her either. Too much drama.
Each man is the architect of his own fate. Do you believe this is true? What are your thoughts?
I’ve always believed that to a degree, like, if you walk around pissy all the time, looking for demons and disaster under every rock, it’ll not only find you, it’ll rush you, again and again. You know how they say ‘he was just looking for trouble’ or ‘she made herself sick’? Based on how you handle things, you can control a lot of your fate. But really, if you happen to have the misfortune of being targeted by the Kings and Queens, your fate is pretty much up to them.
Now for some quick questions. What is your favorite:
Song? - Breath by Breaking Benjamin, Pain by Three Days Grace.
Band? - I’m not particular. Anything loud but meaningful and deep works.
Colour? - Green, like lawn green, NOT forest, not anymore, not since the girl vanished before my eyes. A simple tip in the balance makes all the difference between exhilaration and horror.
Food? - Yesterday’s bacon burgers. Man, they marinate the meat in this secret sauce or something. It’s so juicy and flavorful and worth fighting to the death for. I swear there’s some addictive ingredient because I truly can’t go more than a few days with inhaling one.
Hold the onions, eh?
Subject? - English. I was blessed by the gods with this talent to BS in lyrical form. It thoroughly delights me to get so much undeserved praise. I make fools of gushing teachers every single day without them even knowing it.
Pastime? - Um, really? Need you ask?
Hey, what's wrong with paintball? =)
Book? - Lord of the Flies
Baseball team? - Red Sox. And ONLY the Red Sox. If they’re not in the post season, I skip it altogether, just don’t care.
Thank you for being here and answering these questions, Derek. Thank you Courtney for stopping by with him too! =)
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Seventeen-year-old Majesty Alistair wants police to look further into her father’s fatal car wreck, hopes the baseball team she manages can reclaim the state crown, aches for Derek…or, no…maybe Alec…maybe. And she mostly wishes to retract the hateful words she said to her dad right before slamming the door in his face, only to never see him again.
All her desires get sidelined, though, when she overhears two fellow students planning a church massacre. She doubts cops will follow up on her tip since they’re sick of her coming around with notions of possible crimes-in-the-works. And it’s not like she cries wolf. Not really. They’d be freaked too, but they’re not the ones suffering from bloody dreams that hint at disaster like some crazy, street guy forecasting the Apocalypse.
So, she does what any habitual winner with zero cred would do…try to I.D. the nutjobs before they act. But, when their agenda turns out to be far bigger than she ever assumed, and even friends start looking suspect, the truth and her actions threaten to haunt her forever, especially since she’s left with blood on her hands, the blood of someone she loves.
Synopsis taken from goodreads.
