[Day Three of 31 Days] Character Interview: Alice from Thin Air by Lynn Seresin

The Fairytale Nerd is the second stop for the Thin Air Blog Tour!

Alice didn't want to do an interview at first... she's shy. But thanks to my powers of persuation (and a little bit of flattery) I was able to persuade her! Everyone, please welcome Alice!

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Hi Alice! So how are you today?
I’m well. Thanks so much for inviting me to visit.

How's Daniel?
Daniel’s doing well. He’s in his last year at NYU.

Now that you are human, do you miss the mountains?
In all honesty, there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think of my old home. I love New York City, but my heart will always be in the Adirondacks, close to the clouds.

Tell me your favorite thing about being an air spirit?
Without a doubt, my wings. It’s hard to express how magical is it to be able to fly. I definitely miss that ability most of all. Oh, and being invisible to human eyes. That would be useful, at times!

Is Daniel worth giving up all those things?
Definitely. He’s the most wonderful being I’ve ever known. No sylph, however handsome or charming, could compare with him. I’m certain I made the right choice—even though it’s had some less-than-desirable consequences.

After you have transformed to a human, is there a thing or event that made you want to be an air
spirit again?
When I discovered that Paralda, king of the air, had sent assassins into the human world to destroy me, I definitely found myself wishing I was made of ether instead of flesh and bone! Air spirits cannot be physically destroyed. The human body is definitely much more fragile and vulnerable to harm.

And if you have been given the chance to change into a air spirit again, would you?
No, I’d definitely choose to remain human. The life of a sylphid is somewhat boring by comparison—making clouds all day, sculpting snowflakes. Now that I’ve experienced the sensations and excitement of human life, I’d never wish to go back to my former existence. Besides, I’ve found my true love on the human plane—and made some wonderful friends here as well.

So now that you are human, tell me what you like least about the human world? What you like
most?
I dislike bad odors—rotting garbage, foul-smelling chemicals, and such. Air spirits are not sensitive to these things, having no sense of smell. I suppose it’s no surprise that I dislike physical pain and discomfort, too. Again, elementals don’t suffer any afflictions of the body. The first time I got a headache, I thought my brain was about to explode!

I think the thing I most like about the human world is physical sensation. You probably take this for granted, having known it all your life. Even now, after a year of being human, I find myself touching things—coarse brick, soft fur, silky fabrics—and marveling at the sensation. Of course, the touch of another human…well, that’s the most wonderful sensation of all.

What is your favorite human food? TV show? Clothing store?
I absolutely love Italian food—pasta, pizza, tortellini in Alfredo sauce. My mouth is watering just talking about it!

As for television, Daniel and I don’t watch a lot of TV, but I guess I’d have to say I most enjoy shows that make me laugh and celebrate human life and relationships, like “Modern Family”.

Thanks to Dante, I’ve developed a real passion for fashion. H & M is one of my favorite stores— and it’s so affordable, too!

You are really a Fast learner. Would you ever consider going to school? If so, what course would
you take in college?
I’ve definitely thought about going to school, now that I’ve learned how to read and write (thanks to Shane’s patient instruction). If I did go to college, I would like to study anthropology, which would include learning about the mythologies of the world. I was fascinated to discover that elementals play a part in the folklore of many cultures. Of course, most modern people don’t believe in sylphs, undines, salamanders, and gnomes, just as they don’t believe in fairies. It’s surprising to think that ancient societies might have had a more accurate picture of the world than our modern one.

Let's go back to the tent scene. Did you and Daniel ever talk about this? What did he think of
this?
We had to discuss it after Delilah brought it up when she revealed my true identity to Daniel. I think he was a little shocked—and embarrassed. It isn’t often that you discover someone has been spying on you when you were making love. Of course, I was a little embarrassed by the whole thing, too. I know I had no right “involving” myself the way I did, but I couldn’t help it. At the time, I thought that was the closest I’d ever get to making love to Daniel myself.

In the book, it was said that you are "44 cycles of the moon." How old is that in human years?
Air spirits live on average one thousand years. Each cycle is the approximate equivalent of ten human years, so I’m about 440 years old, give or take a few decades. I was considered a young sylphid, but by no means immature. Many sylphids younger than I were already mate and had children of their own.

How many pigs are there in Daniel's piggy collection?
That’s a good question! I don’t even think Daniel knows the correct answer, but I’d guess he probably has at least seventy-five or eighty. And he’s always adding new ones. I just bought him a beautiful, hand-painted piggy bank for his birthday. He keeps that one on his desk and uses it as a paperweight. He’s so sentimental. That’s one of the things I love most about him.

Thank you Alice!

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JOIN THE THIN AIR SCAVENGER HUNT

You might have noticed the RED LETTER F above. Collect all the red letters from the blog tour stops for a chance to win the tour grand prize! The grand prize for this blog tour is a signed paperback copy, and an earring much like the kind Alice would wear. After collecting all the red letter from the stops, fill out the GRAND PRIZE ENTRY FORM. Note that you can only enter once.

GOODREADS, BARNES AND NOBLE, AMAZON.

Thin Air 

by Lynn Seresin

Alice Ayre is no ordinary teenager. She took her first name from a statue in Central Park, pulled her last name out of the air (literally), and she’s actually almost a thousand years old. In fact, the only “ordinary” thing about Alice is that she’s in love.
Alice was a sylphid—a winged air spirit—when she spotted Daniel Field camping in the Adirondacks and lost her heart to the handsome NYU student. Intangible to the human senses, her only hope of winning his heart resides in becoming mortal, even though transmutation is forbidden by Paralda, ruler of the air. Risking punishment, however, seems a small price to pay for a chance at true happiness.
Tracking down Daniel in New York City ends up being surprisingly easy. Getting noticed by him for all the right reasons is another story, especially when the human world keeps tossing challenges in Alice’s path. Just when she’s mastered zippers and buttons, she catches herself dropping a sugar packet into her coffee and mistaking a photo of John Lennon for one of Daniel’s relatives. Her eccentricities raise the occasional eyebrow with Daniel and his friends, but her quirky charm, sweetness, and sincerity win out. Before long, she lands a job, begins a relationship with Daniel, and starts settling into her new life—until her past comes after her.
Enraged over Alice’s departure, Paralda has sent transmuted assassins to pursue her into the human world. A near-fatal fire on a camping trip and the murder of a look-alike employee at the club where Alice works convince her they are closing in fast. Alone with her secret–who would believe her?—Alice must elude a nameless, faceless enemy sworn to destroy the happy, new life she’s risked so much to achieve.

Now Head over to 

Inklings Read 

for the next stop on the Thin Air Blog Tour!