Authors Interviewing Characters: Mary Pascual

WALK THE WEB LIGHTLY

Fourteen-year-old Naya’s family is all about heritage: their art, their traditions, their secret ability to see time. Naya loves to walk the timelines, seeing people’s past and all of their potential futures, watching the world around her. There is one person she has noticed who always seems to be on the edges, but with so much to see, she hardly pays attention to him. Not when she has a contest to win from her grandmother.  

Mr. Lindy is a charismatic man, seeming to be at the center of activity but not directly involved at all. With no known address and little background, his frequent but short-lived online viral appearances have piqued the curiosity of reporters. This interview, happening before the events of Walk the Web Lightly, offers a rare glimpse into his work.  

Interview with Mr. Lindy

[MP fidgets on a park bench, waiting. Mr. Lindy approaches, eating a vanilla ice cream cone. He sits down next to her.]

MP: Thank you for meeting with me.

Mr. Lindy: [smiles] Not at all, not at all! I always like to make myself available to interested parties. 

MP: Actually, it took quite a bit of digging to find you. 

Mr. Lindy: [chuckles] Did it now? 

MP: Hmm. Well, let’s get to it. As I explained on the phone, I’d like to publish an exclusive interview. Try to capture the man behind the mystery.

Mr. Lindy: Mystery! [He looks pleased and licks his ice cream.] 

MP: Yes. There seems to be ongoing commotion, some might even call it controversy, swirling around you online. And yet, whenever I or other journalists have gone to fact check the controversy, all posts and allegations seem to have disappeared. In fact, your presence online is rather… fuzzy. What can you tell me about that?

Mr. Lindy: There’s nothing to tell! I’m barely online at all. I’m much too busy with business ventures. I prefer to deal with people one on one, in person, as it were. Like our pleasant chat here! 

MP: What type of business are you in, Mr. Lindy?

Mr. Lindy: I am of an entrepreneurial bent. I consult, provide research services—I specialize in aggregating information—but [smiles widely as the ice cream cone drips down his hand] most of all, I maximize opportunities. 

MP: Would you like to elaborate? What industry are you in exactly?

Mr. Lindy: [chuckles] I’m not going to give away all my secrets! But I assure you, what I do is quite lucrative.

MP: All there a lot of “opportunities” to maximize? 

Mr. Lindy: The opportunities are endless! Believe me, this world doesn’t hand you anything and only a few are born to the right circumstances, but there is the potential for greatness if you know where to look and when to act. If you don’t strike when the iron is hot, someone else will beat you to it. In my line of work, that can’t be allowed to happen. 

MP: [Shivers suddenly.] That sounds… cutthroat.

Mr. Lindy: It’s a cutthroat world. Everyone wants to be on top, but only a handful reach it. And how do you think they got there? Perception, tenacity, and extraordinary action. It took me years to fully develop my skill set. If others had what I have, they’d trample anyone in their path. I utilize a subtler approach but no less effective. I won’t squander my talents and I intend to reach the top.

MP: And what is “the top” for you?

Mr. Lindy: [smiles wolfishly] High net worth acquisitions. A financial portfolio beyond scrutiny. 

MP: I see. But not everyone is interested in…  

Mr. Lindy: [interrupting] Of course they are! I’ve seen it time and again, all around the world. People like to hide their baser instincts, but underneath they’re all the same: predictable. With predictable urges and predictable patterns. They all want money, influence, power, and most will do just about anything to get it. Anything. The 1% are no better than anyone, they were just born to the right circumstances. And trust me, they’re ruthless. The only recourse is to join them. 

MP: You mentioned “circumstances”. Tell me about the young…? [waits for him to supply a first name] 

Mr. Lindy: Mr. Lindy.

MP: Uh, okay. Tell me about the young Mr. Lindy. Where are you from?

Mr. Lindy: Unfortunately, I had rather difficult beginnings—orphaned, foster care, state run facilities—terrible places. No family history to speak of and not a penny to my name. Tragic really. [Waves hands gleefully and chucks the dripping ice cream cone at a nearby garbage can. It misses, splattering across the park path.]

MP: That does sound hard. Yet, you don’t seem very upset by the memories. 

Mr. Lindy: [shrugs, wiping his hands on a napkin that he tosses on the grass] I left early. Sixteen, I think? I prefer to make my own way and I was already developing my… entrepreneurial skills. It worked out for the best. Since then, I’ve made countless contacts, I’ve traveled everywhere, I’ve achieved things you wouldn’t believe. [He takes in a deep breath, about to go on.]

MP: [interrupting] Let’s go back to the rumors online…

Mr. Lindy: Oh, we don’t need to talk about that. [He leans forward and stares intently.] I think any gossip you might have seen was misconstrued. Like a game of telephone. Someone hears something, passes it along to someone else, all the little birdies chirping, the message changes, morphs, and in the end, you can’t trust anything you read. Can you?

MP: No. No, I guess not. [looks blank then shakes her head] But wait, it wasn’t just a few people. The controversies seem to pop up and then disappear, over and over again. Always vague, confusing, sometimes angry, and then consistently gone. 

Mr. Lindy: Well, I’m not above reaching out. I always like to clear up misunderstandings. [stares again] Don’t you want to clear up misunderstandings? Isn’t that part of your writing duty?

MP: [blinks rapidly] Of course! 

Mr. Lindy: Wonderful! Then we agree! There really isn’t anything to fuss over whatsoever. [Mr. Lindy stands.] That’s all the time I have, I’m afraid. It was a pleasure speaking with you. I trust you’ll write a splendid article about me, won’t you?

MP: [nods] Yes, yes, it’s been a pleasure. I’ll write about our lovely time.   

Mr. Lindy: Good. [He starts walking away then pauses.] Or…perhaps you don’t bother writing about me at all.

MP: Of course [stares into space as Mr. Lindy leaves] 

 

BUY WALKING THE WEB LIGHTLY HERE
—

Mary Pascual is a writer and artist who believes finding magic is only a matter of perspective. She loves stories about characters with heart and fantastical settings that are more than meets the eye. She grew up in California and enjoys reading, art, traveling, exploring outside, and building elaborate stage sets for Halloween. Writing has taken her on a number of unexpected adventures, including working in high tech, meeting psychics, interviewing rock bands, and even once attending a press conference for Bigfoot. She got hooked on reading adult science fiction and fantasy in the fifth grade—so in retrospect, much of her reading material was completely inappropriate (which probably explains a few things). She lives with her husband, son, and assorted demanding cats in San Jose, CA.

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: On Writing