Character Interview: Ellis

Happy Tuesday, readers! Today I have the pleasure of introducing to you Ellis, from C.B. Cook’s Teen Warriors Series. 

Ellis has always felt ordinary. In fact, he is ordinary. Everyone sees him that way, including himself. Well, everyone… except for one. King Winsloe, the King of the country of Arbia, sees something more in Ellis – a great leader. So he picks Ellis to lead a group of teens in the search for one of the most famous pieces of Leralian history – the Portal through which the first humans came from Earth to the world of Lerali. The other teens aren’t quite pleased with the King’s choice. How will stammering Ellis be able lead the unruly – and sometimes violent – group? And how in the world will they find the Portal?

Hello, Ellis, and welcome to Red Lettering! It’s a pleasure to have you here today. To start with, could you tell us a bit about yourself?

Ellis: Well, um… I-I’m not good with people. Uh, that is to say, I’m mostly an introvert. I prefer books and my workshop to socializing, and, honestly, I wish I could just live in my workshop. Other than that, I’m a single child, technically, an amateur inventor, and I’m a Messenger – basically, I can send telepathic messages and use mind control, that sort of thing, plus a bonus photographic memory. Basically, the most useless Gift of all. 

Wow. That sounds like an interesting gift for a solid introvert. Someone who doesn’t like people has to be the one to deliver messages. You mention that you’re an only child… What is your family like?

Ellis: My family consists of me and my dad. *pauses* Uh, my mom and younger brother, Herbert, died several years ago. My dad and I are really close. I get my inventing skills and my Gift from him.

I’m sorry about your mom and brother. That must have been tough. Have you ever wished you could live in a different time—another world, perhaps? Would you choose to remain where you are now or go to another place or time if given the chance?

Ellis: From your perspective, I do live in another world. But I’ve always wished I could go to your world, where my inventing and nerdiness wouldn’t be looked down on quite as much. At least, I would hope not. If given the chance… well, I like Lerali and all, but maybe just visit Earth. Maybe on my sky saddle…

If you ever do decide to visit Earth, you may not find it entirely to your liking. But if you find yourself in the area, feel free to stop by and visit me! Who do you look up to?

Ellis: My dad, really. King Winsloe is pretty awesome, too. And he believes in me, unlike most other people, including myself.

Your King sounds like a good man; maybe you should believe him when he talks about you. Do you have a favorite color? And—I’ve heard that you’re scientifically minded, so I hope this won’t be a difficult question to answer—what would you say that shows about your personality?

Ellis: Um… I tend not to do favorites very often. But I guess I’d have to say that it’s gray, or silver. Like my tools, or my sky saddle… Hm, what does it show about me? I guess it reinforces my dullness. Gray is just so boring and bland, like me.

Silver and gray are some of the most beautiful colors in the world; they’re the color of the clouds, the color of tools as you mentioned, and the color of duct tape. What’s the first thing you remember?

Ellis: *clears throat* Well, that’s a bit of a… touchy subject. You see, my first memory is of the fire that killed my mom and brother. That was pretty traumatizing. A pretty wonderful first memory. I’d rather not talk about it.

Ah, I understand. Where did you grow up?

Ellis: I grew up in our humble cottage, after the fire happened. Dad doesn’t talk about Mom’s and Herbert’s deaths much, so I really don’t know much about that time, although I have a few mental pictures of my mobile thing above my crib, and my high chair, and all that thanks to my photographic memory, but that’s it. As far as I know, I had a fairly normal childhood up until the fire.

Is there one location that you hate—or one that you dislike very much? What would be the worst place you could imagine going?

Ellis: Voslelo, anywhere there, especially the capital, Croydon. See, they’re very against the country I live in, Arbia. Tensions are getting higher, and since my work with the government started, they wouldn’t be very kind to me. *shudders*

That’s very practical of you. Definitely not somewhere you would want to go vacationing, eh? If you had to describe yourself in one word, what would the word be?

Ellis: Just one? Ugh, let me find my thesaurus. *flips pages* Well, I’m so boring I’m soporific. Sleep-inducing, ha. It fits perfectly, in my opinion.

I can’t say I would describe you as that… You interest me greatly. I should probably let you go now… Thank you so much for coming, Ellis! It was wonderful to get to know you. Have fun adventuring!

C.B. Cook is a home school student who loves to write, and gets half of her inspiration from her surroundings, which is one of the reasons for some of her random stories. The rest of her inspiration comes from her extremely overactive imagination, which provides her with the stories that seem completely unrealistic. Check out her, um, interesting blogs at www.proverbs31teen.wordpress.com and www.theworldofthewriter.wordpress.com, and her FaithWriters.com account at http://www.faithwriters.com/member-profile.php?id=66436.