Character Interview: Nigel Tephna

Nigel Tephna is not the kind of person who I’d necessarily want to be friends with. He’s entirely too opinionated and he brings trouble wherever he goes. Which makes him the perfect friend for the main character of my book, and all the more devastating when he was kidnapped at the end of the first book.

He was supposed to be pretty well out of Book 2 entirely, as a kind of general motivating factor for the main quest, but instead he weaseled his way into having multiple POV segments, simply because he was too entertaining. Which I suppose means I should get to know him a little better.

For those who don’t know Nigel (which is most people), here’s a brief backstory. He’s a traveling mage, who’s trying very hard to escape the specter of his family, which includes an overbearing father and a sister who’s always getting into trouble and somehow passing it back to Nigel. Her reputation keeps getting him thrown out of places. One day he runs into Ben Conroy and promptly decides that here is someone who needs the expertise of a knowledgeable traveler. It would help if Ben actually listened to him, but Nigel’s not one to quibble. (He is. He totally is.)

I’ve used this questionnaire and picked out a few of the questions I think Nigel would like. Here goes!

What did you eat for breakfast?

Depends. If I’m traveling, some jerky while I walked. No time to stop when being chased, after all. If I’m in a town and no one’s tossing me out on my ear, I’ll favor eggs.

Are you an only child?

No, unfortunately.

How many siblings do you have?

Just the one.

Are you close or are you estranged?

Estranged, for sure. Entirely her fault, and has nothing to do with some of my own personal life choices.

Do you iron your clothes?

No.

Who does your laundry? Do you do it yourself or do you send it out?

Send out, of course. I amassed some fair survival skills once I struck out on my own, but the ability to do laundry is not one of them. Why would I, when there’s always someone unsuspecting I can pawn the task onto?

Do you pick your nose?

Officially, no.

What is your earliest memory?

My sister assigning me blame for a jar of cookies raided, and my father believing her.

Do you hold the door open for the person behind you or do you let it go and slam in their face?

Is my sister behind me? Or is it some person who’s chasing me? Hmm. It seems in general my choice would be to let the door go. It certainly seems like the safer option.

Do you take chicken soup to your elderly neighbor when they are sick?

No, I’ll get someone else to notice and do it. I’m no chef.

You can cure one disease. Which one would you cure?

Whatever the infection is you get by having to wade through a swamp to avoid law enforcement.

Do you exercise or are you a couch potato?

Exercise, but only by choice. If life were ideal, I could spend a lifetime on a couch doing nothing but reading and getting fat until I die a happy man.

Have you ever served in the military?

No, I avoided that fate. Not that people haven’t tried to forcibly conscript me, including everyone in my family except my dear departed mother. Who probably would have tried it herself except she’s not around to try.

What is your greatest fear?

Ending up like my father. Or having someone compare me favorably to my sister. Either scenario is nightmarish.

(Thanks for answering, Nigel. Hope you manage to get away again!)