Darby Speaks...with Meg

And we celebrate together! Today is the launch day for THE RUNAWAY DRAGON, the second in a rocking funky-fairy tale series of stories by Kate Coombs. I was lucky enough to be able to pin main character Princess Meg down for a moment on her busy day, and get her to answer a few questions.

That's Meg in the picture to the left, riding her magic carpet beside the ferocious Laddy the Dragon!

Here's our interview:




Darby C: Hey Meg -- You are some rocking princess! With your busy life, have you ever considered taking up skateboarding?

Princess Meg: We don't skateboard much because the castle has too many stairs, plus the stone floors are kind of bumpy. And the cobblestones in Crown are bumpy. So are the dirt roads in the countryside, and then in the enchanted forest, you have to watch out for tree roots. I think maybe a dirt bike would work better. I'll have to ask my friend Lex if he can make up a spell for a dirt bike!

DC: Hey, a dirt bike would be really cool! Now, my story [A WALK THROUGH A WINDOW] is all about how different people came to live in Canada. Tell me a little about where you grew up and where you live now.

Meg: I'm the only daughter of the king and queen of Greeve. I was born in the castle, and I've lived there ever since. But it's not as boring as it sounds because there's a forest nearby with a witch living in it. Her name is Gorba and she's very good at turning princes into frogs. Then on my quest to get Laddy back, I came across an even better forest. It's enchanted, and it's full of surprises. You have to be careful about drinking from the streams, though, or you might end up craving acorns and living in a tree.

DC: What is your family like? Besides Laddy, do you have any pets or siblings?

My parents worry too much about me getting into trouble, just because of the bandits and that one prince last year. I think my mother is a little smarter than my father, but he's in charge of everything. I sort of have a pet. Well, not anymore. I had a pet dragon named Laddy, but he grew up a little and got mad at me, so he flew off. First he scared everybody in the castle, which upset my father. (I secretly thought it was kind of funny!) I just got back from a quest to find Laddy.

DC: Cool -- a quest! Now, I've read your story THE RUNAWAY PRINCESS, and you certainly have a lot going on in your life. What has been the scariest thing you have ever faced so far?

Meg: It was scary when I thought Prince Evilness was going to hurt my parents, but that was last year. This year, I went looking for Laddy and ran into a real giant, also a teenage sorceress with black fingernail polish and a vile castle where she kept a lot of people prisoner. The giant wasn't as scary as Malison. There was this time when everything was really, really bad. But it turned out okay. No thanks to Bain!

DC: Grrr. I remember that Bain! So can you tell me what has been your most favourite, greatest adventure?

Meg: I finally got to go on a quest! The boring part is that my parents sent all these guardsmen with me to keep me safe. But they drank the water in the enchanted forest, and then Lex and I got lost, so that changed things. I LOVED going on a quest! Even if Malison kept trying to conquer everybody.

DC: Okay, so apart from questing, do you have a special skill or talent you’d like to share? Especially if it's secret -- spill the beans!

Meg: Ha! Ask my friends if I'm any good at magic! Well, what I'm best at is statesmanship, but it doesn't work every single time. I'm really kind of bad at magic, but sometimes bad is good, you know? Secretly? Oh. I can do that thing where you make armpit farts. Cam taught me how.

DC: Hey, I can do those, too! Aside from Cam, who would you say is YOUR favourite fictional character?

Meg: My mom used to tell me stories, and there was this one about a prince who was trying to kill a humongous dragon so he could rescue a girl, the kind who flutters her eyelashes a lot. But I liked the dragon best. I have a soft spot for dragons, even though everyone I meet tells me their favorite food is princesses.

DC: I've heard that THE RUNAWAY DRAGON is the second in a series of novels written by Kate Coombs. Can you tell me something about her?

Meg: Kate Coombs? She writes stories and poems, and sometimes she writes book reviews in a notebook she calls Blog. Kate likes fairy tales, so she keeps making them into books. When she's not writing, she goes off and teaches sick kids. But the classes she teaches aren't like mine. No swordplay, not even dancing and statesmanship! (Let's not talk about etiquette lessons. Blech.)

DC: She sounds pretty interesting, actually. After THE RUNAWAY DRAGON ...can you tell me a bit about what's next?

Meg: I wouldn't mind going on another quest. I could go east instead of south! But I'd find a way to go without taking any guards. Just my friends this time, definitely. Only first I have to wait for Kate to finish the new book she's writing. It has a witch, too, but the witch is young, not like Gorba. And she's not nice. (Gorba is very nice, unless you're a prince.)

DC: Okay, so now I really want to read the new witch book! If I want to learn more about you (or Kate Coombs) on-line, where can I look?

Meg: Kate's always talking about a magical place called the Internet, is that what you mean? She says her address is www.katecoombs.com, but personally, I think that just sounds like her name. Maybe it's a spell for opening the magic Internet door. Kate says tell you to read a story called "Half the Kingdom," it's really funny. She put it in her Internet house.

DC: Awesome. I'll go look for it right away. Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with me on your busy launch day, Meg!

And to celebrate Meg's new novel, I think it's time for a contest. If you'd like to win a signed copy of her latest novel, THE RUNAWAY DRAGON, leave your name in the comment section. This time -- how 'bout telling me which you'd rather be -- a Funky Princess like Meg or a Wild Dragon like Laddy...or maybe you like one of the other characters best. Tell me why and you'll be in the draw to win a prize!

As usual, if you tweet or blog about our contest, your name will go in an extra time. Because this interview went up on a Tuesday instead of the usual Monday, Maurice and I will give you an extra day to enter. So deadline will be this Saturday night. We'll draw the prize winner and announce it on Sunday. Until then...keep reading!

~Darby

Sunday Morning Mystery...Author

This most excellent disguise masks the face of today's guest author. She is the author of two beautiful books, (THE SECRET KEEPER and THE RUNAWAY PRINCESS) and has several more ready for publication.

And she, very sweetly, agreed to join the celebration for MY new book A WALK THROUGH A WINDOW by chatting with me today.



First, of course -- the great unmasking!






Darby Christopher: Here she is -- Kate Coombs! Thanks so much for coming today, Kate. Now, my story, A WALK THROUGH A WINDOW, is all about how different people came to live in Canada. You are American, I believe. Where were you born?

Kate Coombs: I was born in Spokane, Washington. My ancestors came to the United States from England, Scotland and Wales.

Darby: Where do you live now?

Kate: Burbank, California, but not everyone knows where that is, so I usually tell them Los Angeles.

Darby: Do you remember any special stories about your family that you heard when you were a kid?

Kate: Most people think it's pretty interesting that my six brothers and sisters and I are all adopted, and we're of different ethnicities. I have two Korean sisters, two part-Filipino sisters and a Samoan brother. My other brother and I are Caucasian. I remember one weekend when I was ten, my parents left us with a baby sitter and went on a trip. when they came back, they brought a ten-month baby boy -- our new little brother. We were so surprised! (The other times we knew in advance.)

Still, when I'm asked if it was different growing up in my family, I say "no"; we were just a bunch of kids. It didn't seem particularly unique to us.

Darby: That is so cool. So with all those brothers and sisters, you must have learned how to ride a skateboard, right?

Kate: Not in the least!

Darby: Okay, then, besides writing books, do you have a secret skill or talent you’d like to share?

Kate: I'm a world-class doodler. If the meeting I'm in is long and boring enough, I'll cover half a page or so with elaborate, interlocking designs.

Darby: I've done that myself, usually in Math class. But I'm bored, I get hungry. I’m personally pretty fond of red licorice. What’s your favourite treat?

Kate: Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate! I'm especially fond of peanut M&Ms and those Ferraro Roche Hazelnut thingies.

Darby: Hmmm. I'm beginning to detect a bit of a chocolate theme here, with all these writers I've been talking to. Now, Kate, in my story I have a special way to find a route into history. If you had a chance to walk through a window into the past, where would you go?

Kate: Most eras of the past were pretty unpleasant for women, but if I could just visit one, I guess I'd like to go to Shakespearian England.

Darby: That's a cool choice! Anyone special you’d like to meet?

Kate: As my answer indicates, I'd like to meet Shakespeare. He created so much amazing work that I'd love to talk to him about his writing -- his inpirations, his ideas, things like that.

Darby: No question he wrote a LOT of stories. What about you, Kate? Can you tell me a bit about your latest project?

Kate: I have four books in teh pipeline right now -- the next one to come out will be THE RUNAWAY DRAGON in September. That's the sequel to THE RUNAWAY PRINCESS. But the book I'm working on these days is about a high school girl witha unique power, and what happens when her ability gets her into a war with another girl who is a witch.

Darby: Oooo. I can't wait to read that! If I want to learn more about you or your books on-line, where can I go check you out?

Kate: Check out WWW.KATECOOMBS.COM Thanks, Darby!

Darby: Thank YOU, Kate! It's been great to chat with you today.

Now, if you'd like to win a signed copy of Kate Coombs' latest book THE RUNAWAY PRINCESS, put your name in the comments -- and you'll be entered to win! The draw takes place this Friday, March 13th -- so make it your lucky day and enter to win.

I'll be back tomorrow with another writer to share a chat with...and more chances to win books!

~Darby