Character Interview Tear Sheet
Character: Angel
Book: The Angel and The Captain
Inspired By A Real Person: Yes, someone Kaitlyn K knows
Q: In the book, you are referred to as both Angel, the name the Captain has for you, and Biscuit, a childhood nickname first used in the book by your father, whom you meet for the first time in your late 20’s. What’s your real name?
A: I’m not telling! It was never really important to the story, so it was never mentioned so there is no reason for me to blab it here. As I recall, it was used once in an early draft, but it didn’t make the cut. The name, though, was the real name of the girl who inspired my character.
Q: What did you think of the name Biscuit?
A: Shrugging. I dunno. I suppose it’s adorable for a toddler. I don’t really remember being called Biscuit regularly. Sometimes when I was a girl, but that was mainly aunties and that tapered off after Dad left.
Q: You let your father call you Biscuit at your first meeting. Why?
A: Well, he had to call me something and my real name is, apparently, top secret. Besides, it was familiar for him and we both needed familiar at the first meeting.
Q: You talk about meeting your dad for the first time at length, of course, in the book. Looking back, are you glad you met him? Are you glad your husband and mother told you about the letter he had sent to your mother?
A: Oh yeah. Of course, I am. The Captain said it best: years from now I would probably prefer to be looking back at meeting him than looking back at not meeting him and, as usual, he was right. Yeah, Dad had a lot to answer for but, it turned out, Mom did, too. I will never forget being in his arms that first time. It took so long to get there. Most girls grow up in their father’s arms. I didn’t. I’m glad I met him for that reason. If there had been no other meeting, I could say I knew my father’s arms.
Q: Knowing your dad didn’t hurt your relationship with the Captain? He’s old enough to be your father, after all.
A: Not at all. He’s my husband, not my father…
Q: But…
A: Hush, I’m not done yet. Sure, there’s some daddy in our marriage, but our love is not based on our age. We both had what the other needed when we needed it. That’s what love is: a compendium of needs being met.
Q: What were the Captain’s needs?
A: Angel puts her hand to her mouth, laughing. Besides a twenty-something piece of ass?
Q: Yes, besides a 20-something piece of ass…
A: He needed a wife, just like I needed a husband. He was ready for a companion. He told me once he had enjoyed his time alone, but but that time had passed. He was ready for couplehood.
Q: When you meet the Captain he was twice your age. While specific ages aren’t given in the book, it’s reasonable to conclude you were in your early 20’s, meaning he was middle aged and you’re still a young woman. Did his age scare you at first?
A: Oh, no, it was the exact opposite. I wanted to dive in and see if I had what it took to interest a gentleman. It was a complete turn on. I had grown weary of dating boys. I got excited when he turned up at the bank and nervous when he came to my window. He was always in complete command, always gave the impression he knew exactly what he was about. Plus he’s cute: handsome and fit. If it had turned out that he only wanted some a young piece of ass, I would have given it to him. I’d been curious about men that age for years.
Q: The Captain was your first older man opportunity?
A: Oh, God no. Old men hit on me constantly at the bank. And some of them were cute. But it never seemed right until the Captain.
Q: Talk about Angel’s Editing Service.
A: You have to make it a question. This is a Q&A. You have to produce a question so I can answer it.
Q: Smiling. Very well. How satisfying has Angel’s Editing Service been?
A: Supremely satisfying. What more can you say about doing with your life what you are meant to do with it?
Q: Why did it take you so long to admit this was what you were meant to do with your life?
A: Look, life isn’t easy. You spend a lot of time being bombarded with people who are thin and rich and glamorous and you start to think one, this is success and, two, success is for others and I’m just supposed to mark time until I die. So you fight your heart telling you what to do. It’s too tough. I’ll probably fail. Why bother, who will care? I had all the usual excuses for a long time.
The Captain taught me life’s great lesson: find what you were meant to do and do it. He provided this lesson every day, but it took me a while to learn it.
Q: You were certain your mom and the Captain would get along, weren’t you?
A: Oh, there was no doubt. I knew, knew, knew. Knewski city. The Captain is such a kind and gentle man and they both treated each other with tremendous, touching tenderness. The Captain always referred to his relationship with my mother as a blessing and Mom always said our Sunday dinners together made up for an awful lot of hardness in her life.
Q: At the end of the book you and the Captain own three homes. The one you live in, your mother’s and his family’s home in the small town he grew up in. Do you still have them?
A: Yes. The Captain refuses to sell real estate. I was ready to sell Mom’s house, believe it or not, but we lease it out and we’re up in the small town often enough that we keep that one empty for our use.
Character Q&A’s appear regularly.