Five Questions for Sidney Matthews
Do you ever get to the end of a book and wish you could ask the characters some questions? Today I have that unique opportunity, as SAW Publishing presents a character interview with Sidney Matthews of the Fellowship of Light series by Chelsea Burden.
And I’ve got to add a huge “Thank you!” to Chelsea, who not only fit this interview into her schedule with less than a week’s notice, but also far exceeded my expectations by giving me not just a regular interview, but an entire never-before-published scene:
Five Questions for Sidney Matthews
Around the half-opened door of the SAW Publishing board room appears Sidney’s head.
Sidney: Who’s in charge of this interview, anyway?
Courtenay: I am! What do you want?
Sidney: You know that thing Socrates said?
Courtenay: “Know thyself”?
Sidney: No—the other one. “You learn nothing by asking questions. You learn by dialogue.”
Courtenay: I’m not sure that’s exactly what he—never mind. I’ve heard people quote it that way.
Sidney: Right.
Sidney: So…
Sidney: I thought I’d bring a dialogue along, instead of just answers to your questions.
Sidney opens the door to reveal himself, Stanley and sundry other characters as useful.
Sidney: A panel discussion is an upgrade on an interview, right? See, Stan—I told you it would be alright!
Characters enter and arrange themselves in the seats which are mysteriously waiting for them.
Sidney coughs to indicate he is ready to begin.
Courtenay: Alright, I have five questions for you today. Question one: What is the core idea that makes the Fellowship of Light series appealing to you?
Stanley (thoughtfully): That is a good question.
Alex (aside): Nothing like tackling sweeping questions. You might as well ask “What is the core idea that makes your life appealing to you! It would be about as easy to answer.
Sidney: Nonsense! Of course I can answer that! The whole series is about making a difference—changing the world—showing that real life doesn’t have to be all there is; or rather, that real life is more than we think. It’s all about how much it matters, and you know there’s nothing I like so much as heroism!
Alex smiles in amusement, but whether at the last remark or the success of “dialogue” is left in doubt.
Courtenay: Exactly! I definitely see how that appeals to you, Sidney. Alright—question two: If you could change one thing about your past, what would it be?
Sadie (with a pensive smile): I don’t know if that’s—Oh, don’t you think it’s better we can’t change the past? We’d be sure to take away all the hard things, and while I don’t like going through them, I don’t think I’d like to see where we’d be without them!
Stanley: True. It’s a good thing we can’t change the past.
Sidney: But don’t you think there are things you WOULD change, if you could? Even if it wouldn’t be good for you? Now I’d like to have made a bigger difference at our last church—to have “changed the world” there, instead of leaving them alone and going my own way. That couldn’t have made a bad difference on the future.
Stanley: That is a philosophic question. Perhaps we wouldn’t have been so ready to come to Maple Creek if we’d made more of a difference there? It’s so hard sometimes to decide what is our failing in the past, and what is God preparing us.
Sadie: You mean that if we were too comfortable, we wouldn’t want a change? And so sometimes God keeps us from making a visible difference so we’ll be ready to move on? I wonder!
Alex: I predict we don’t get any further and spend the rest of the interview discussing abstract, dangerous-sounding propositions like this one.
Sidney: No, no, we’re going on to the next one now. What is it? Something easy like the colour of my favourite pair of socks?
Stanley: All your socks are black. Except for those orange ones you hate and never wear.
Sidney: Exactly! That’s why it’s an easy question. Well, what is it really then?
Courtenay: Let me see… Question Three: What is the biggest surprise your story has thrown at you so far?
Stanley: Ah!
Alex: Humph!
Sadie: Ohhh!
Sidney: You didn’t want spoilers, right? I’m afraid you can’t have this answer without spoilers. Because that time when—well, I’m not sure I could talk about it even if you did want spoilers, because—oh, let’s pretend just for today that it never happened! My author promises me a happy ending, but just now I can’t feel like it was anything but a mean trick to get all my hopes and dreams up like that and then—but my second biggest surprise… I guess I’d have to say it was how Alex turned the ship around in By This Shall They Know. I never would have believed it possible! Alex, of all people, to come round to the idea that it’s possible to—
Alex: There, that’s quite enough, Sidney! What’s the next question?
Courtenay: Question Four: What personality trait has gotten you into the most trouble in the Fellowship of Light books?
Sidney: Me? In trouble?
Alex (coughing dryly): Oh, of course Sidney never gets in trouble. There’s no one for him to get in trouble with! Absolute monarchs don’t need to worry about getting in trouble.
Sidney: Seriously, though, if I did get in trouble, it would probably be by acting before I think. Stanley’s always sure it’ll happen sooner or later, though nothing very bad has come of it yet!
Mysie: I’m the one who gets in trouble, I’m afraid! But everyone’s always very nice about it!
Stanley: The last question?
Courtenay: Yes, well, there might be TWO more questions…
Stanley (very gravely): I thought you said five.
Sidney: The contract said five!
Alex: You’ve never even seen the contract. You didn’t so much as know about this interview before last Tuesday.
Sidney: My agent—
Alex: I feel very suspicious of that agent. I suspect him of materializing out of nothing for your convenience.
Sidney shrugs and returns to the charge.
Sidney: Well, then, what about the fifth question?
Courtenay: Right. Question Five: If your readers could take away just one lesson from your story, what would you want it to be?
Stanley: Ah!
Alex: Don’t imagine you know everything, if you don’t even know yourself.
Sadie: It all works out for good—you have to believe it, and just go forward doing the right thing no matter what!
Mysie: Oh, there are so many good, kind people in the world, and God does take care that everything comes right in the end!
Sidney: I thought this was my interview, everyone! What I’d like them to take away is that life doesn’t have to be boring and humdrum just because we don’t live in the exciting times of the past. We can all make a difference—every one of us in the world. And not just can—we must. We’re all called—as many of us as are members of the “household of faith” and the true “fellowship of light”—called not just to the glory of heaven, but to the changing of the world, here today, even if we can only change the world for one person. Every life matters—every life can make a difference—every life can be the one to forever change history and eternity in their own God-chosen way! That’s what I want everyone to learn from my story.
Courtenay: I don’t know of a better way to end this interview than that, but I have one more question—I know, I know, it’s not in the contract, but I simply couldn’t resist! Would you rather drink orange juice or milk?
Alex: Ha!
Mysie: Why does it matter?
Stanley: You would have to ask it…
Sidney: Oh, not orange juice! Spare me from orange juice!
Mysie: Why? What’s wrong with orange juice?
Sadie: Have you really spent so long with the twins and not discovered that they can’t stand orange juice? They’ve hated it since they were babies! Why we have a picture of Stanley, on his second birthday, making such a face because—
Stanley: I think that will be quite enough. Thank you for having us, Courtenay, and allowing us all to come even though it wasn’t quite—
Sidney: Nonsense! She got a much better and longer interview because we all came, and I’m not sorry! Thank you for inviting us, and we might even come back another time so you can ask Stanley a bunch of unreasonable questions. But do let me come up with them! Let me see…
Question One: What is it about being you that makes you not want to be me?
Stanley: That is not at all a fair question! I don’t want to be you because—
Margaret (from the doorway): Boys, where are you? We’re about to have a crisis in Chapter Thirteen when Mum and Dad suggest—Oh! Were you doing an interview? Why didn’t you tell me? Next time I want to come too, but now you really must come because I think the entire Experiment is in jeopardy!
All the characters rise hastily and make a speedy exit, voices and footsteps echoing down the hallway as they disappear back into Draft One of In the Eye of the Storm.
Any More Questions?
Those are my questions for Sidney Matthews. What are yours?
I’d love to hear them in the comments section below. And who knows? We just might be able to get Sidney to come back and answer a few more!
Thanks for joining us today. If you’re looking for more Fellowship of Light behind-the-scenes content, see our previous post:
Check out the full Fellowship of Light series:
A tiny church struggling to keep its doors open, a pair of girls only wanting to belong, two determined enthusiasts on a mission to change the world, and a young cynic who doesn’t believe it can be changed—how will Mr. Meadows’s Desperate Experiment affect their hopes and dreams?
When the Hall and Matthews families take on the challenge of the Desperate Experiment, they know that change is inevitable. Yet questions still abound. What makes Maple Creek different? Is it possible to truly belong? And what does brotherly love have to do with changing the world?
When catastrophe threatens to bring their Christmas plans crashing down, the Matthews and Halls are left with a choice. Can they choose to find blessing in the steps of a medieval king, or will the real lesson behind the story of Wenceslas be lost?