Tell us about the hero in your book. Okay -- its time to tell us about that hunky hero in your book. What's his name?
Sinbad sh'en Singh
Why did you pick that name?
I'm a fan of the movie the Seventh Voyage of Sinbad and I thought it would be great to write a futuristic Adventures of Sinbad so the first name was obvious. For his surname, I wanted something Far Eastern, slightly Indian-sounding.
Give us a brief description of how he looks.
Sinbad is a Terro-Felidan hybrid. His mother was from the planet of Felida, which was at war with Earth at the time of his birth; his father was a prisoner of war who fell in love with his captor's daughter. The Felidans evolved from felines so Sinbad has the look of a cat about him, especially in the way he moves. Although his appearance is almost human, he has green eyes with elliptical pupils, fangs and claws he can spring when needed, and a mane of wild copper hair. He's 6'8" and when he's totally happy--he purrs!
Is there anything unusual about his appearance?
Other than that he's half-cat? No....
Who does he love? Why?
Being a smuggler, as well as because of his tragic family background, Sinbad displays a Love 'em-Leave 'em attitude, but when he meets Andrea Talltrees, he falls hook, line, and sinker for her. Since she's a Terran and he hates Terrans with a passion, he hides it by being as rude to her as he can. Because she's married and he's sworn he'll never poach another man's property, he sees his feelings as a lost cause from the beginning. Eventually, he tells Andi that he'll never love a woman he can bully and since she's the most headstrong, feisty female he's ever met, he should've known right then what the outcome was going to be! In the fourth book, Sinbad's Pride, he finally confesses to Andi how he felt the first time he saw her: "I'd have crawled across Terra on my hands and knees, if you'd just agreed to let me kiss the inside of one of your thighs! I wanted you so badly I wanted to smash things!"
Does this person love him?
The answer is an unequivocal "yes"! Andi is a very sheltered person, member of a cult which refuses to use modern conveniences and follows the lifestyle of an earlier century. She loves Sinbad but because when she first meets him, she's married, so she ignores the way she feels. His rudeness and their culture-clashes help, but the adventures they go through end up bringing them closer together. When she at last admits she loves him, she berates herself for committing what she considered the ultimate sin, then forces herself to ignore her upbringing and become lost in the passion she feels for him. Her response when he asks her why she loves him? "God knows, Sin--because I sure don't!"
Tell us about his family. Are they important to him?
In spite of what he says to others, secretly, all Sin wants is to have a den and a family of his own. His parents, and all of his relatives (both human and Felidan) with the exception of his grandfather and one cousin, were killed in the Terro-Felidan War or because of it. The one female he thought would become his mate left him because he was too young to settle down, and he's had two love affairs which ended with the women having abortions. Because of this, when he thinks Andi's pregnant, he's almost frantic to keep her from doing the same, begging her to let him take the baby to raise to make up for the waste of his own life. When they flee Earth and have to leave Andi's son behind, he worries about the boy until he learns that Andi's parents will care for him. His relationship to Andi's son Cash is important in the other books, also.
Where is he from?
He was born on Felida, a planet in the Emaurant Galaxy, but when he was three, his father was arrested as a traitor and sentenced to Ft. Joy in the Toxic Zone on Earth, where he died. Used as "evidence" at his father's trial, Sinbad was sent with him, and stayed in the prison until he was fourteen when the prison nurse helped him escape.
Does his hometown affect his behavior, thoughts and attitude?
The home units on Felida are patterned after lion's Prides with a single leader and his wife and concubines, and other clans and dens under him. Felida is a warrior-planet because a male has to be strong to protect his mates and his cubs, and while young males are encouraged to "sow their wild oats," once they're mated, they become faithful husbands and good fathers. The gold earring each one wears in his left earlobe converts into a wedding ring--a mate's ring--so it'll be handy when they find the right female. A Pride Leader is allowed two concubines but Sin states that when he takes a wife, she'll be the only female in his den and he'll have no others. In order to protect Andi when they go into dangerous places, Sin asks her to wear his ring so she'll be thought his mate and be safe.
What does he want out of life?
Until he meets Andi, he thinks he just wants to be the best smuggler in the Galaxy. At that time, he's already wanted by the Federation with a price on his head. He admits that some day he may return to Felida because his grandfather wants him to take over leadership of the Pride but at twenty-nine, he feels he's still too young to settle down to that responsibility. His life is fairly aimless until Andi barges into his life and sets him on a collision course with the Love of his life.
What's his biggest secret? (Only share if it isn't a spoiler in the story.)
Sin's biggest secret is one even he doesn't know he has. He learns about it in a very dramatic way and it changes the way he looks at Andi and his entire life. To tell would definitely give away the end of the story.
Did you write more than one story about him?
So far, there are four novels about Sinbad, tracing him from that first dramatic meeting with Andi on Earth, to his life on Felida when he returns to take over the sh'en Singh Pride, and through another interplanetary war involving Terra. He goes from being a brash young smuggler to a patriarch of his clan with no evidence of slowing down or retiring, loving Andi every step of the way.
How would he describe you?
He say, "Pardon me--don't I know you? You look like my Andi, but you can't be. You've got that same "chip on the shoulder" attitude. Are you a relative?"
Is there anything else about your hero that we need to know? Feel free to share.
When I created Sinbad, I tried to make the "perfect" man. He's exotic, handsome, has a wicked sense of humor, is sensitive, brave, ruthless when he needs to be, has a strong idea of family and honor, and--in spite of being a smuggler--is honest in his dealings with others. He'll do anything he can for those he loves, and what he later becomes in life is mainly due to his wanting to provide for Andi and the children they may someday have. If he were a real person, I'd grab him for myself before Andi could get him!
Please provide your website link.
www.tonivsweeney.com
What is the link to buy your book?
www.lulu.com (for paperback); www.doubledragonbooks.com (for e-books).
It was wonderful to meet him. Thank you for bringing him to meet us. By the way, do you have a picture of him that you'd like to share?
Sorry, Sin's a little camera-shy. The Federation doesn't even have a picture of him on their Wanted posters!
