Shang and Tori talk

Since I can’t figure out how to download pictures from my camera. (Yes, I really am that technologically impaired) I’m putting up an interview between Shang and Tori until someone more savvy than me comes home.

Interview between Shang and Tori for Slayers: Friends and Traitors blog tour

Shang: Mindy at Magical Urban Fantasy Reads suggested a blog post where a minor character interviews one of the main characters, so I’m here interviewing Tori Hampton. (Shuffles his papers filled with questions in irritation) Although, I should say, I hadn’t realized I was a minor character until Slayers: Friends and Traitors was written and I barely showed up in the book.

Tori: Don’t stress, Shang. We’re all important when it comes to fighting dragons. It takes teamwork.

Shang: That’s right. It definitely takes teamwork to take down a dragon. I especially know this since I’m the one character in Slayers who can actually claim that he killed a dragon.

Tori: You’re an awesome fighter.

Shang: Yeah, let’s do the interview. (gestures to Tori)  You’re awfully busy in Slayers: Friends and Traitors.  You fly around DC, discover a traitor, talk to the president, fight a dragon, and have a romance or two.

Tori: (laughing) You make it sound more glamorous than it really is. A lot of embarrassing moments happen during those times. For example, I was wearing a Supergirl costume when I flew around DC. There’s just no good way to explain that to people on the ground.

Shang: You still haven’t killed a dragon, though.

Tori: What?

Shang: I’m just saying that some of us have actually killed a dragon. And we were hardly mentioned in Slayers: Friends and Traitors.

Tori: Um . . .

Shang: This is what I get for being a nice guy. The prima donnas—they all got big parts in Slayers: Friends and Traitors.

Tori: That’s not true. A lot of characters were left out of the second book.

Shang: Such as?

Tori: The horses . . . and Bess’s mom . . . Is Theo in Slayers: Friends and Traitors? I don’t really remember seeing him . . .

Shang: Great. Now I have the same billing as the computer geek, comedy-relief guy. Am I even going to be in book three?

Tori: (leaning toward Shang conspiratorially) Look, I spent a lot of time with the author while she was writing Slayers: Friends and Traitors—and trust me, you should be glad you missed the late nighters where she rewrote our fight scenes, like, six times. She did a lot of moaning and eating chocolate while we all stood around twirling our weapons waiting for her to decide how many bad guys should attack Ryker’s house.

Anyway, a few of us mentioned your absence to her. She said she left you in New York to add suspense to the storyline. This way no one is sure whether the dragon lord got you or not. We have to wait until book three to find out.

Shang: So I might be a vital plot element—or on the other hand, I might be dead.

Tori: Either way, you’re important. I mean, readers always cry when one of the good guys get knocked off.

Shang: (straightening) That might be okay then.

Tori: (smiles with relief) It’s all about teamwork.

Shang: So who exactly mentioned my absence to the author?

Tori: Oh, um, Lily of course. She went on and on about you. Jesse wanted you around because Team Magnus needs your help. And Rosa—you know her, she worries about everyone.

Shang: You didn’t mention me, though?

Tori: (putting her hand to her chest) I would have, but as you said, I was really busy during the book. I was jumping out of planes and saving lives and everything.

Shang: (puts down his interview questions with a sigh) All right. That concludes my interview. I’ll see you in book three. Maybe. If I’m still alive.