An Interview with Riwa Aretheni

So- I'm participating in the March blog chain hosted by Teens Can Write Too!  Read about it here.

Today I'm doing an interview with a character from (one of) my current works-in-progress, Noisemaker.   This is Riwa Aretheni, the Hero and POV Character; a 12-year-old redhead who never went to school and grew up without parents but does have a whole lot of passion and is intent on pursuing freedom and Truth.

Me: Riwa, welcome to the blog. I seem to be bad at describing you sometimes.  So, instead of that, I'll let you lead off.  What kind of person would you describe yourself as?

Riwa: Loaded question!  Do I have to answer?

Me: It's an interview, not a duck and evade training class.

Riwa:  Okay, I'll jump right in.  Young girl.  Young Noisemaker.  Silence is intent on squelching Noisemakers.  Girl is intent on NOT getting squelched and starts a revolution. Girl fights, girl fails, girl learns.  Me in a nutshell *grinning*

Me:  So what's a Noisemaker?

Riwa: We're the socially unacceptable minority.  Y'know, in one of those character sheet thingamabobs, they asked what my 'political leaning' was. You were filling out the forms and half the stuff you got wrong about me, but that much you got right.  REVOLUTION.  We don't like what the Silence is doing to the world. We don't like not being able to tell people what we believe and we don't like Truth getting shoved in prison.

Me:  Okay, so what does that look like, exactly?  What kind of revolution are you trying to start?

Riwa: It's a revolution of ideas, mostly.  Y'know, we're trying to bring free speech back into the public.  Nobody says anything anymore about what they actually think.  Everything's spoon fed and we're sick of it.  We do things to get peoples' attention.

Me: Yeah, like that stunt you pulled when you sabotaged the radio systems and jammed them from regular programming so you could speal your stuff?

Riwa: That was a fail. We learned from it.  why do you have to bring it up in public places?

Me: Because I'm trying to give these readers a glimpse of who you are.  Your choices define who you are, so I'm--

Riwa:  --you're showing them my choices.  I know your lingo.  Sometimes I make really stupid choices.
Me: Like me letting you on the blog?

Riwa: *a disinterested, unimpressed look*

Me: Moving on- do you have family?

Riwa: Yes.

Me:  Please humor me, Ri.  Who's your family?

Riwa:  No parents. One sister, two brothers, both older than me.  Will's a Noisemaker and the Silence wants to catch him, bad.  Ben's messed up.

Me: Messed up...?

Riwa: He's in training to be a Silence soldier.

Me: What about your sister?

Riwa:  Keriana? She's a lot older than me and she's in prison for telling Silence that she wouldn't change her style of journalism to suit them.  Now, tell me, does she get out eventually?  I haven't lived the end of the book yet.

Me:  Spoilers!

Riwa: *rolling eyes*  I can't stand it when you play that card. By the way, you really ought to hurry up on the whole writing thing.   I'm waiting...

Me: You should hear from some of my other characters.  Anyhow,  Let's not talk about the future right now, but the past. What's the worst failing you've had?

Riwa: Well, have I had it yet?

Me: *shaking head*

Riwa: O boy. Yeah, I guess saying it's like picking a scab and it gets better after, so yeah *deep breath*.  I backed down once. I didn't want to look bad in front of someone, so I gave up my freedom and got myself into a mess that cost everyone a lot of suffering.

Me: One last question.  To move the conversation fowards, what is one thing that gives you hope?

Riwa:  Truth. I know that there is such a thing as Truth. And nothing can stop it.  We fight for freedom so we can enjoy Truth.  That's hopeful.  And when it rains.  Nothing smells like hope more than rain.

Me:  Well, with that I'll end this interview. Riwa, thanks for being in this interview and in my story.

Riwa: Can I duck and evade now?