GREAT Interview

I got the responses to a series of questions I wrote to BETrumble, a blogger who has a circus background. He's been blogging with Carson and Barnes Circus this season. Knowing that no one is on a circus just to do one thing, I kept pressing him for an interview, even if by email, and for his real position with the circus.

Turns out he's a patch. A patch is the guy who makes nice with the public. This can be through smoothing over hurt feelings with townspeople, promoters, or neighbors, or it can be more extensive, like the guy who has to do the difficult interviews with PETA zealots. It's a difficult job, and requires an immense amount of patience.

Now that I know what he does, I can understand why he was rather obtuse in his original discussions with me. He had to be, to protect his circus, and to protect himself.

So having a pretty extensive email interview with him is a pretty cool thing. He did take exception with the premise of my book, in one small way. I had said that my FMC goes to the circus and is "healed." And he felt I was wrong abou that. He was right. "Healed" isn't the right word for what happens to my FMC. What is really happening is she finally finds her place after not being in the right place her entire life. The circus and her "fit" together well. So not healing, per se, but more a finding of herself, and her place. If that makes sense.

So, BETrumble, if you're reading this, THANK YOU for the interview. I am very grateful.