December Character Interview
Patricia Parrington ~ December 16, 2024
Hello my lovely readers and fellow book-lovers! For those of you who are new here, I, your currently sleepy host, Patricia Parrington, have the pleasure of interviewing characters from books all over the world.
Today we have here with us Charlie Newberg from the book Fiancé Finale by Angela Ruth Strong. Thanks to making a book into a movie a couple years ago, Angela is now learning to write screenplays. She currently has one up for the Crown Award. Besides writing, Angela works as a flight attendant, teaches yoga, and rides on the back of her husband’s motorcycle.
Meet Charlie
Welcome to Fable Features!
[Patricia yawns and takes a sip of her coffee.]
Sorry about the yawning. My pseudodragon, Scribblemore, kept me up late last night. I had some interesting dreams, though! What’s the last dream you remember?
I dreamed I’m supposed to marry my former fiancée, Nicole, and now I believe it’s God’s will. So I’m going to hire her to promote the very documentaries I left her to film. That should be the reminder she needs of how well we work together, right?
Hmm, that could be a good way to remind her! Sounds like there’s a lot of history. How’d you guys originally meet?
We attended college together. She was a pastor’s kid whose dad cheated on her mom, so she felt like everything was a show, and thus appreciated my blunt honesty. I never met her dad, though. He wasn’t even invited to our wedding. Now I’m wondering if I can help her with that too.
Man, that’s hard. It’s a good thing you were someone she knew wasn’t going to put on a show—that can be a breath of fresh air amidst hurt in a situation like that.
[Patricia rubs the back of her neck and sighs.]
Clearly people can impact us quite a bit, like Nicole’s father, which brings us to our next question: If you had to pinpoint one person or event who contributed to a major part of forming who you are today, who or what would that be?
My dad died when my mom was pregnant with me, so I never met him, but that probably affected me more than anything. I was always the man of our house, which gave me this need to take care of my mom and sister, and now . . . the world.
Ahh yes, missing a parent in your life would definitely affect things. That’s great that you deeply care about taking care of your mom and sister!
Is there anyone you absolutely can’t stand?
I don’t worry about feelings as much as facts, so if you do something I don’t like, I’ll let you know then let it go. Unfortunately, there are a few people who can’t stand this about me—namely Nicole.
[Patricia stifles a yawn then grins.]
Nicole sounds like a strong-willed lady.
Our next question is an interesting one! Which body part do you wish you could detach?
Rather than detach a body part, I’d like to clone myself. That way I could have gone to film a once in a lifetime opportunity at the exact same time I walked down the aisle to get married. I mistakenly assumed Nicole would want to go with me to Peru, but instead she just considered herself a jilted bride. Pfft . . .
A clone would certainly come in handy in a situation like that! What was this once-in-a-lifetime thing you got to film?
I was smuggled into slave quarters at an illegal gold mine in Peru. Not only did the documentary win an Emmy, but the mine was shut down and the slaves freed.
[Patricia’s green eyes widen.]
That sounds so dangerous. You must be very brave! And that’s super inspiring to hear that your work resulted in the slaves being freed.
What would be your choice of weapon?
The camera. I use it to tell stories about the world’s injustices and evoke change.
What an interesting choice! And I love the idea of bringing about change by telling stories with pictures. Is there a particular thing you’d want to change now if you could?
I just found out how many pregnant women and babies are dying in the Philippines due to inadequate maternity healthcare. I’m setting up an agreement with a ministry over there to shed light on their plight.
That is very noble of you. I hope you’re able to bring about change just like you did with the mines in Peru.
[Patricia taps her chin, thinking.]
Where do you go when you’re angry?
Again, I find feelings confusing. If something bothers me, I act. If I can’t figure out what my actions should be, I go hiking to clear my head. However, I recently got the chance to visit Nicole’s favorite thinking spot. It’s a giant statue of a Native American called The Keeper of the Plains located on an island in Wichita, Kansas, and it brought unexpected peace.
[Patricia leans forward as she listens to the description.]
Oh wow. That sounds very peaceful. I like to go on walks as well—it’s a great way to clear the mind!
[Patricia settles back against the couch and adjusts a pillow.]
What are you most proud of?
Most people might expect it to be the Emmy Award. However, the best part of accolades are how they garner more interest in my work. And now I’ll have Nicole as marketing director for my upcoming documentary, which can potentially save a village in Ecuador from the illegal mining being done underneath their town, causing sinkholes.
Congratulations! And that’s amazing it’s helping end illegal mining and sinkholes. Sounds like it’ll save a lot of people.
[Patricia glances at her wrist.]
We have time for one more question, so let me hit you with a deeper one: What do you feel like is your life’s purpose?
I tell sad stories that inspire viewers to work together to redeem them. I’d also like my sad story with Nicole to be redeemed, but if I have to choose between staying with her and saving the lives of millions of women and babies in the Philippines with a documentary, I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do.
[A sympathetic frown creases Patricia’s forehead.]
That is a hard place to be in. And it’s very noble of you to want to help all those lives.
[She stands.]
It was very nice getting to know you, Charlie. I hope your own story with Nicole is redeemed! She sounds like a great lady.
End of interview.
Want to Read More?
Charlie’s author, Angela Ruth Strong, can be found on Instagram, Facebook, and at her website, www.angelaruthstrong.com. Her book Fiancé Finale can be bought here.
author Angela Ruth Strong
See Ya Next Time
Aaand that's all the time we have today. Thank you, readers, for coming. And thank you, Charlie, for letting us get to know you! See y'all next time.
If you would like to submit a character to be interviewed for a future issue of Fable Features, please send an email to linnae.writer@gmail.com with the subject line: Fable Features.
Please note that erotica and content with excessive vulgar language will not be accepted.
If you have questions you'd like Patricia Parrington to ask in a future interview, please submit them to linnae.writer@gmail.com with the subject line: Interview Questions.
Comments