Good afternoon, Arrowheads! Welcome back for the third character interview for my upcoming middle grade novel, Speak Your Mind! Today, I have a very special guest joining us: Joey Troup, aka Zeebot. Before we begin, there are some things you need to know about Zeebot. First thing’s first, he’s a regular child who thinks he’s an alien from outer space, and therefore has renamed himself Zeebot (Pronounced Zee-bot). For spoilers sake, I won’t mention why. Second, he always refers to himself in third person, so be prepared. XD I’ve been waiting years to introduce Zeebot (or Zeeb as I call him) to the world, and here he comes! Give it up for Zeebot!

*Applause*

Zeeb: *Zooms out from behind a curtain and over to the guest chair* The spaceship has landed!

Me: *Hand flies to my heart* Goodness, Zeeb, you scared me! Anyway, welcome to Authoring Arrowheads! I’m beyond excited to have you on today!

Zeeb: Zeebot thanks you kind earthling for the opportunity. Zeebot hopes to become a shining star in the blogosphere!

Me: I hope that happens for you, Zeeb! Okay, so how would you describe yourself?

Zeeb: *Brings his hands together in front of him, the picture of seriousness* Zeebot is an alien child trapped on Earth. He last saw his kind at a young age and has since tried to contact the Captain to aid him in is quest home, with no luck. Zeebot is fluent in his alien language, Zeebeedoten. Zeebot’s Earth family consists of a fatherling and a grandmotherling. He is also madly in love with Meredith, the sun of Zeebot’s galaxy.

Me: That’s quite a unique backstory! By the way, Victoria mentioned Meredith in her interview, though she referred to her as the meanest girl in school. What do you think about that?

Zeeb: He thinks Victoria needs to tend to her earthgirl problems and stop analyzing the behavior of Zeebot’s sun.

Me: …Okay then. Let’s move on to question two: do you have any nicknames?

Zeeb: *Blows out a frustrated breath* Adult earthlings often call him “Joey”, his earth name. In reality, he has not been, nor will ever be Joey! Some earthlings at school call him Zeeb, which in Zeebeedoten means “the most handsome guy in the galaxy”.

Me: You sure it’s not just short for Zeebot?

Zeeb: Opinions vary. 

Me: *Rolls my eyes* Next question. If you were stranded on an uninhabited island, what one item–besides food, shelter, and a boat–would you like to have with you?

Zeeb: Zeebot would bring his communicator to ask the Captain to bring him back to his home planet.

Me: I thought you said you’ve had no luck contacting the Captain?

Zeeb: Ah, silly earthing. That’s because Zeebot has always been around other people. If Zeebot was trapped on an uninhabited island, the Captain may rescue him, for there would be no witnesses.

Me: *Mumbles* Makes perfect sense. *Smiles back at Zeeb* Alright, so out of all the influences in your life, who do you look up to the most?

Zeeb: *Blurts* E.T.!

Me: *Cautiously* Why’s that?

Zeeb: *Eyes mist over with budding tears* For E.T. is an inspiration to all aliens trapped on Earth, like Zeebot. *Fans tears away*

Me: *Looks out into the audience, shaking my head*

Zeeb: *Narrows his eyes* An earthling wouldn’t understand.

Me: *Takes a deep breath* So Zeeb, I’ve heard through the grapevine that your PE teacher is addicted to doughnuts from Good Eats Bakery. What’s your favorite flavor?

Zeeb: Zeebot’s fatherling forbids him from eating anything sugary, but between you and Zeebot, whenever an earthling sneaks him into the bakery, he prefers powdered sugar.

Me: Did you sneak one off the desserts table backstage?

Zeeb: *Grins maniacally, revealing the lime green rubber bands on his braces*

Me: Thought so. That explains the spaceship landing. Okay, last question: where do you see yourself in ten years?

Zeeb: Hopefully by then Zeebot will have married the sun of his galaxy, converted her from earthgirl to alien, and be taken back to his home planet. Then Zeebot will work for NASA remotely from his planet.

Me: *Snickering* Those are some stellar dreams, Zeeb. Well, that’s all the questions I have for today. Thanks for coming, Zeeb!

Zeeb: *Shoots up the Vulcan Salute and runs back to the desserts table*

Okay, Arrowheads, now it’s up to you! Who would you like to meet next week for the fourth and final character interview?

Ms. Markovich: The kids’ language arts teacher and one of the reasons Victoria hates school

Meredith Waters: The meanest girl in school according to Victoria *Zeeb pushes me out of the way* And the sun of Zeebot’s galaxy!

Jessica Mayweather: A bubbly classmate of the kids, or

Brandon–aka Bran Muffin: Aiden’s awkward turtle older brother

Be sure to comment with your choice below!

To view the Character Inspiration for Zeeb and the remaining cast of Speak Your Mind, you can view my Pinterest board here!

Interested in finding out more about Zeeb in Speak Your Mind? Add it to your Goodreads To-Read list by clicking the button below!

Speak Your Mind will debut on Saturday, November 24th 2018 (Lord willing).

Aim high, stay strong, and always hit your mark.

-Allyson 😀