Q: Who is your favorite character to write about, and why?
A: They’re all my favorites, and I love writing about all of them! Some are just more difficult to write about than others. But if I must pick a favorite…well, I always enjoy writing Jesse’s lines. He’s just a fun kid, very boisterous, very energetic, but also very grounded at the same time. I might just be biased because I love the person he’s based on (my Little Brother, Chaz) so much.

Q: How did you come up with the world of PIRATES! ?
A: I sort of had this picture in my head of what kind of places would be in the world, and what kind of countries and people would populate it. It’s funny but I draw a lot of inspiration from the worlds of Final Fantasy—I don’t copy them exactly, but they give me many ideas about how the world should work, the interesting aspects about it, the history it should have. I wanted a world that was believable and yet would not be confused with the world we live in now. So I sat down and I started by drawing out a map and plotting cities, which helped me think about what those cities would look like and the atmosphere they would have. Traveling a lot also helped me when it came to inventing the world in which this story takes place.

Q: Do the actions of the characters correlate to the actual people they represent, in any way?
A: I spend a lot of time doing what I call “wearing a character’s shoes.” For example, when it came time for Lee to leave Arholt to answer the summons from the King & Queen (Chapter 9), I seriously sat there forever and thought about what Ben would do, how Ben would react. So, yes, the actions of the characters do correlate to the actual people they represent, because I do my best to steer the characters in the directions that I think the actual people would take. Sometimes it takes a lot of deliberation, because you can never really predict what a person will do or say in any given scenario, but I use what I know of that person and the relationship I have with that person to help me write their characters.

Q: Were there any people that you wanted to write into the story, but could not for some reason or another?
A: Hmmmm. I wanted to write my family into the story, but I thought it would be too difficult for me. I was considering using my own dad as the model for the Pirate King, but then I felt that it would be too emotional on my part if I had to write something tragic or excessively cruel for the Pirate King. In some ways, that extra emotion might have been helpful in creating a realistic reaction, but in too many other ways it would have disturbed my train of thought and prevented me from sticking to my plot! There are people who, when I think of them, I can also pinpoint right away how they would fit into the story and what role I would want them to play. But there are also people who kind of float around in a gray area. Eventually I find a place for them, though! I think the most frequent thing I run into is a character with no real person assigned to him or her!

Q: When you made up the characters, how did you decide what things about the real person to include?
A: The example I will use is Anna. Anna, as everyone knows, is based on myself. But in writing her character, I chose not to put myself completely into her personality; I wanted her to have parts of her personality that were all her own. So, I gave Anna courage where I have fears, strengths where I have frailties, hope where I have despair. Her reactions are my reactions, but her character is a mix. In some situations where I would falter, I wanted Anna to prevail. It was the same when I was writing for the other characters; I always consider first the role that they play, the position they have in the world, their history, and the kinds of things they will have to react to. I take the real person and put them in that role, in that position, in that history, and then I think about what parts of their personality will best compliment those factors. For Princess Dawn, I took Crystal’s sense of responsibility, but also her sassiness(!), because those are things a Princess needs. For Luke, I took Corey’s laziness and his kindness, because these traits intensify the conflict within Luke’s character. For Lee, I took Ben’s impulsive behavior, his reckless bravery. I take the parts of the personality that will give that character life.

Q: About how many characters do you expect to have written into the story by the time it ends?
A: Hahaha Jason, are you worried there will be so many that you won’t be able to keep up anymore??? I don’t plan out the characters, really. They emerge as I map out the plot. The only one I was really sure of in the beginning was Anna, and the rest of the characters simply came up as they were needed. Right now I have about four or five characters waiting in the wings, but I wouldn’t have known that at all if I hadn’t been doodling again last night about where this story is going. Basically, the number of characters is a mystery to me too.

Q: How long do you intend the story to be? Or is it just until you feel like it should end?
A: Right now I would say I’m almost halfway through it, so I estimate somewhere around 30-40 chapters. Although it might not seem like it, I have this story under control!!!! Hahahahaha.