Jakob Faircrow, one of the main characters in Wintermoon Ice, the first book of The Sons of the Mariner series by Suzanne Francis.

Bertram: Who are you?

Jakob: Jakob Tomas Faircrow

Bertram: Where do you live?

Jakob: On Earth, in a place called Cloudy Bay.  But I’ve lived a lot of other places too.  Suzanne liked me so much she decided to use me in Sons of the Mariner, but I started out in Song of the Arkafina, in a book called Ketha’s Daughter.

Bertram: What is your story?

Jakob: I came to Earth to protect Tessa Kivelson.  We have a connection from before this life that I don’t understand.  I love her very much, and she somehow tolerates me too.

Bertram: Are you the hero of your own story?

Jakob: I’m the screwup of my own story.  If you want hero you should talk to my twin brother Lut.

Bertram: What is your problem in the story?

Jakob: I’m haunted by the memory of my dead wife, who eventually comes back to life in a horribly twisted way.

Bertram: Do you embrace conflict?

Jakob: It embraces me, and I have to fight back.

Bertram: Do you run from conflict?

Jakob: Never.  I’d have to turn my back on it, and that would be a mistake.

Bertram: How does the author see you?

Jakob: She makes me seem a lot more sensitive than I really am.  Suzanne writes for other women, and they like to read mushy stuff.  I don’t mind too much–it pays the bills.

Bertram: Do you have a hero?

Jakob: My father.  He was a God — the Mariner, but he never used his power indiscriminately.  He wanted a simple, quiet life with the people he loved.

Bertram: Do you have any special strengths?

Jakob: I have the physical strength of ten regular guys.

Bertram: Do you have any special weaknesses?

Jakob: See above.  My strength makes me dangerous as hell.  Especially to people I care about.

Bertram: Do you have any skills?

Jakob: I can navigate the worlds between.

Bertram: Do you have money troubles?

Jakob: I don’t care about money or personal possessions.

Bertram: What do you want?

Jakob: To stay out of trouble.

Bertram: What do you need?

Jakob: My girlfriend Tessa.  She is my rock and my harbor.

Bertram: What do you want to be?

Jakob: Calmer and more rational.

Bertram: What do you believe?

Jakob: That the world is a dangerous place.

Bertram: What makes you happy?

Jakob:  Eating fast food.  Watching old movies with Tessa.  Going fishing with my brother.  Staying in one place.  The passage of time.

Bertram: What are you afraid of?

Jakob:  Too many things to mention.  The Gyre is a dangerous place.

Bertram:  What makes you angry?

Jakob:  Stubborn people who won’t do what’s good for them.

Bertram:  What makes you sad?

Jakob:  Thinking about Maia.

Bertram:  What, if anything, haunts you?

Jakob:  That my father left without saying goodbye.

Bertram:  Have you ever failed at anything?

Jakob:  I’ve failed at everything.

Bertram: Has anyone ever failed you?

Jakob:  I don’t give them the chance.

Bertram: Have you ever failed anyone?

Jakob:  Every woman in my life.  My mother died because of my stupidity.  My wife died because I failed to protect her.  It’s only a matter of time before I screw up my relationship with Tessa as well.

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