An Authors, Angels and A**holes Interview
With the launch of White Dawn, the fourth book in The Vistaria Affair series, in just two days’ time, it seemed appropriate to launch this new series by grilling Nick Escobedo.
If you’ve ever watched an “Inside the Actors Studio” interview, then you will have an understanding of how the interviews go. Each set of questions is tailored to match the interviewee and their history.
The “Authors, Angels and A**holes in the subtitle refers to the authors who write the stories we love, the heroes and heroines that populate those stories (the “angels”), and the bad guys we love to hate…and the bad boys, too! All are potential interview subjects!
Let’s get started.
Who ARE You, Really?
~ Nick Escobedo ~
Nicolás Escobedo is the hero of Red Leopard, the first book in The Vistaria Affair series.
He is a native-born Vistarian, the bastard half-brother of the former President of Vistaria, Jose Escobedo. Nick’s mother was Irish.
He attended Eton school in England from an early age, and graduated from Cambridge with a degree in Political Science. He speaks four languages fluently, including Spanish, his native tongue, and English.
After Cambridge Nick returned to Vistaria to help his brother and the military junta that controlled the country at that time. Although he was never formally a member of Vistaria’s military, Nick worked in conjunction with military personal for a number of years. His efforts earned him the name el leopardo rojo (the red leopard) among Army personnel.
TLC: Welcome, Nicholas Escobedo.
NICK: Gracias. It’s good to be here.
TLC: Time is short, you have a country to win back. Tell us about that country. You feel strongly about Vistaria, don’t you? In fact, a New York Times article quoted you as saying “a man without a country is not a man at all.” Is that how you feel about yourself now that you are essentially without a country?
NICK: I don’t think of myself as a man without a country. Vistaria is not within our control right now, but that is a purely temporary state.
TLC: You sound very certain about that.
NICK: I am. It helps, of course, that getting back that control is almost entirely up to me.
TLC: As you are currently the President Pro Tem of the absent Vistarian government. You don’t find that power uncomfortable or the task you’ve set yourself daunting? For many years you prefered to move behind the scenes, so to speak. That was how you earned your name as el leopardo rojo.
NICK: You’ve done your research. It is true, I did feel I was more effective out of the spot light, but war has a way of shifting your priorities and values.
TLC: War has changed more in your life than just your priorities, hasn’t it? You have a new wife, an American. Callida Munro, now Callida Escobedo. A media release from several weeks ago announced that she is your Chief of Staff. Is it a challenge working with your wife in that capacity?
NICK: <laughs> Only when she says ‘no’. Calli was the best person for the job and like many others in our temporary Vistaria, she is filling many roles at the same time.
TLC: The temporary Vistaria you refer to is the house and grounds just north of Acapulco, yes? Do you find that restrictive, with so many survivors in such a small area?
NICK: Absolutely, but that gives everyone motivation to work hard to win the war. We all look forward to living in Vistaria proper once more.
TLC. Nicolas Escobedo, thank you for your time.
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Is there a favourite author, hero, heroine or bad guy you would like to see put under the microscope? What questions would you ask (and they can be as direct and pointed as you like)?
Email me with your interview request and any questions you have…and watch this space.