The Dog Dish (and a giveaway) with Leslie Soule and Indy

Today we're excited -- we have an entirely NEW type of pet here at the dog dish. It's Indy, gopher snake of Leslie D. Soule. She's on tour with Goddess Fish Promotions promoting her fantasy novel, Fallenwood and I invited her here today, because I love snakes! Dakota is intrigued by them, too (she frequently flushes garter snakes in the gardens), so welcomed Indy to the dog dish.

Before we start the interview, though, I should tell you that Leslie will be giving away a $25 Barnes and Noble GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour as well as to the host with the most comments (excluding Leslie's and their own). So leave a comment, and tell your friends to swing by, check out Indy (and the book) and then follow the rest of Leslie's tour (sadly, I believe this is Indy's only stop) by clicking on her tour banner, below. The more times you visit and comment, the more chances to win the GC!



Now ... we give the floor over to Dakota and Indy!

So, your human writes books. Does this mean she is home all day and easy to access? Elaborate if necessary.

Absolutely not – actually, it seems like she’s never around. She does keep me well-fed though, so I suppose I can’t complain.

What are your techniques for distracting your human during crucial writing moments, just because it's fun?

I generally stare at her from inside my tank because I know she’ll look over and think it’s cute and forget what she was going to write. That’s my main technique.

What indignities and neglect have you suffered because of your human's writing career?

Well, I’ve suffered a lot of neglect, really, but being a snake, I wish my human would leave me alone more often, really. All I want is peace and quiet and to go in my cave and curl up and make the world disappear – but my human insists on holding me and showing me her outlandishly decorated room. She teases me. There are so many places to hide, but she won’t let me explore any of them. She takes me out of my cage and just when I begin to get interested in the outside world, back into my tank I go!

Tell me about the animals in your human's fiction. How often do they appear and how big a part do they play?

They seem to play a big part. My human loves animals, like me – I just wish she loved them less, really. Bugging me at all hours of the night, just so she can feel like she’s helping me out or something by acting like a giant heat rock. It’s an addiction, really, with that one. Oh, I’m sorry, what was the question?

On the off-chance your human has yet to incorporate animals into a story, what are your plans for making sure she rectifies this egregious error and demonstration of poor writing skills?

Should she not include animals – which I don’t see happening because of her unhealthy addiction, I intend to bite her. That’ll get her attention.

What movies involving animals does your human enjoy sharing with you? Books with animals?

My human doesn’t share movies or books with me, and if she knows what’s good for her, she’ll keep up the good behavior!

If you could make one change to your human, what would it be?

I would make her susceptible to mind control. That’s all I want. I’m not asking for much.

Are you happy with your human? If you could tell your human one thing, what would it be?

She’s okay, as far as humans go. If I could tell her one thing, it would be: Leave me alone! For the love of all that is good and holy! Don’t you know that I am an animal and not a mood ring? If you warm me up, I will NOT do tricks!

What things does your human do that would mortify her it if known? What does your human do that most annoys?

My human looks at herself entirely too much in the mirror, and she thinks she’s good-looking too, because she does this eyebrow lift thing when she looks at herself. *shakes head* She’s crazy. And…as for most annoying…she put cage clips on my tank, so there’s no way on earth that I can possibly escape and ever see the outside world unless she lets me out for a while.

Has your human named a character for you? Are you pleased? If not, why?

No, it was rather the other way around, really.

And did your human name you for a fictional character? Hate it or love it? If you could rename yourself, what would your name be?

My name was Hank when my human adopted me, and she changed it to the name of that horribly muscular archaeologist Indiana Jones, only she shortened it to Indy, because Indiana Jones doesn’t like snakes and my human has a very sick sense of humor. I am most definitely NOT pleased!

If I could rename myself, it would be something regal-sounding, but something that conveyed my thoughts as well. I would name myself Leavemealoneicus the Third,…Esquire.

Thanks for stopping by today, Indy! I know you don't like dog treats or bones ... can I offer you a cricket?

And now, how about sharing a little about "Fallenwood"? My human LOVES a good fantasy story (she cut her teeth on The Prydain Chronicles and the Dragonriders of Pern, as well as the Narnia books and more).

Fallenwood—a land where magic is the life force, dragons are sages, and wizards good and evil battle for supremacy. When 23-year-old Ash is thrust into the middle of Fallenwood’s power struggles, she is also forced to face her own inner battles. Life on Earth was hard enough on Ash, who is locked in grief for her stepfather. Now, the fate of Fallenwood rests on her shoulders. She must destroy the Great Crystal—the catalyst for all the land’s magic. As the kingdoms prepare for war, Ash must look inside to find the power to save the world, and herself.

Hey! Leslie hails from my hometown ... what else would you like to know about her?

About Leslie: Leslie Soule lives in Sacramento, California. Fallenwood is her first fantasy novel. She has received her B.A. in English from Sacramento State University and is currently working on her Master’s degree in English at National University.

Website: www.lesliesoule.com
"Fallenwood"
A 194 page fantasy novel available now from Decadent Publishing
buy links: http://www.decadentpublishing.com/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=26&products_id=226