Car here. This is a series of interviews I’m doing for my author, Rebekah Webb, for the participants of the 2016 Brain to Books Cyber Convention. (https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/154267-brain-to-books-cyber-convention-2016) Since I only interview inanimate objects, I have used the power of booze and lack of sleep to transform my interviewees into assorted objects of their choice.
Today I am going to interview a very magical gauntlet that works if one has faith in a higher power, named Lenita Sheridan. When she isn’t turning princesses invisible, being pulled along on quests or being a model for armor polish, she’s a fantasy author.
Guardian of the Gauntlet is a children’s book about a princess who is turned invisible by a special gauntlet. This gauntlet only works if one has faith in a higher power. After Prince Denir turns Princess Camari invisible with the gauntlet, she must find her own way back to visibility when the prince is called off to war. She must also outwit two wicked characters who connive to steal the gauntlet.
Bio:
I have been writing since first grade when I wrote and illustrated a picture book. I decided to become a writer in fifth grade. My fifth grade teacher inspired me. She had us do a lot of writing. I wanted to be a science fiction writer at the time, like my grandfather Maxwell Sheridan who worked with Ray Bradbury and was published in the pulp science fiction magazines of his time.
I turned to fantasy in my twenties after reading Stephen Donaldson’s A Mirror of Her Dreams. Guardian of the Gauntlet was started during a snowstorm when school was closed (I was working as a substitute teacher). The book became my thesis as I was accepted into graduate school. I graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing.
I now live on Whidbey Island in Washington State and am completing the third book in the Guardian of the Gauntlet trilogy.
What made you start writing? As a magical gauntlet, I bet your writing was influenced by the many people who have worn you.
Not only have I been influenced by the people who have worn me, I have been influenced by my higher power who is the source of my “magic.”
How does a magical gauntlet write? Do you roll in a pool of ink and then slide yourself across a parchment? Fall onto a keyboard? Or is there another way to be able to put words to paper/screen?
The gauntlet is meant to fit a hand. With that hand I can perform many sorts of writing. It is a bit more difficult typing it into a computer, but I manage.
Do you hang out with other magical objects and if so, what are they like?
I like to hang out with the sword from Tyrean Martinson”s book Champion. The sword is much like me, powered by faith, though in that book it is specifically powered by faith in God, not a higher power, like me.
Tell us about your inspiration for Guardian of the Gauntlet. Did it involve staring into the sun until the afterimages turned into an interesting story? That’s how I come up with interview questions.
I look to my higher power for inspiration. I am often sent that inspiration in the form of dreams.
What made you choose to write children’s fiction? I always imagined magical items writing how-to books for adventurers, as those on quests always seem to get themselves into trouble.
Actually the books I’m in are not just children’s fantasy, they are adventures with quests in them. The characters that join me on these quests do get themselves into trouble. As far as being for children, youngsters are often delighted to read a book about a special or “magical” gauntlet.
Is it true that magical gauntlets are able to fit into any situation like a glove and armor themselves for anything that happens?
I really have to depend on my wearer. He or she needs to have faith to make things happen with me. If my wearer has faith I can fit into any situation.
Is there a special gauntlet in your life? Or are you currently unattached?
I’m currently unattached, but would love to meet the gauntlet of my dreams.
What else have your wrote and how many times have people been kind enough to give you a good polish?
I have written three books total in the Guardian of the Gauntlet trilogy. The third book is in completion, but is not published yet. Many people have helped to give me a good polish: the professors at the University of Washington (for the first book) and the writers’ group on Whidbey Island (for the second two books). It makes me feel so shiny.
What hobbies do you have? Do you double as a prop for fantasy movies?
I like to ride horses and quinas (a cross between a mountain goat and a horse). I enjoy hiking and love to cook and bake. I’ve never doubled as a prop for fantasy movies, but would love to try.
Do you have any advice for young magical gauntlets out there who might want to try their hand at writing?
Don’t be too stuck on your “magical” powers. Remember who created you. Look to your creator for inspiration. Above all, enjoy yourself. Life is too short to ruin it with worries. Rely on your higher power to get you through the messes in life.
Cartopia 