Thank you so much for joining us today Ellie!
Can you tell us about yourself?
My name is Ellie Whitmore. Well, El’iadrylline Whitmore, but not even mom uses my full name and she’s the one who saddled me with it. I was born in London, but currently reside in New York, where I attend university.
How old are you?
I’ve just turned twenty-one.
Tell us about your story. What is it about and what role do you play?
Oh boy, my role. I’m only just finding that out. You see, not long ago, I thought my biggest worry was the organic chem final I’d just failed. It’s a required class for environmental engineering and I’d hoped to one day use my degree and social status (my parents are pretty well known celebrities) to make a difference in the world. But apparently, I’m a space alien. Not only that, I’m some sort of “chosen one” and I’m supposed to save a whole planetary system from an evil emperor. I still haven’t quite reconciled that in my mind yet. I mean, really, me?
Can you tell us about one of your most distinguishable features?
My spots. Ugh. I have these marks all over my body, kind of like freckles, but they’re really bright white and they kind of form these geometric patterns that are definitely not random. Mom tried to explain them away as Vitiligo (that’s the skin condition Michael Jackson had), but no, they’re communication diodes and apparently a trait I share with my birth father’s people.
The geometric patterns on your skin, do they do anything?
They do quite a bit, actually. I can transfer information to my ship and I can silently communicate with another Eidyn through touch. Unfortunately, they also broadcast my emotional state to anyone who understands Eidyssic diode speak, which is kind of embarrassing. Especially when I’m supposed to be saving the world and my mind wanders off to how hot a guy is. Supposedly, I’ll eventually learn to control this. Hopefully soon.
What was it like growing up with famous parents?
I guess I’m privileged. I’ve been all over the world and I’ve met all kinds of celebrities, so it’s really cool, but at the same time, it’s super annoying. Mom’s a supermodel, so people always gush about how gorgeous she is. Don’t get me wrong, mom is a beautiful and exotic woman (really exotic since she’s actually a Korghetian), but everyone acts like my spots are some sort of embarrassment. Richard, my stepfather, is a film director, which is pretty neat. I just learned that some of the shots in his artsy sci-fi film actually used live footage of mom’s spaceship. How cool is that?
Would you ever want to hang out with your author? If so, what would you do together?
Maybe. She seems pretty cool and open-minded. In fact, she’s a lot like my friend Bethany (don’t tell her I said this, but I think she wrote Bethany to be like her, but cooler). I know she’d totally hang out at MochaMoka with us because she’s a coffee addict. But I’d probably ask her why she had to go and give me these spots. I know why she made me tall. She’s tall, so she made me taller than her. Kind of rotten to just pile these things on, isn’t it?
If you could have a super power, what would it be, and why?
Well, I kind of have the most powerful relic in the galaxy woven into my genetic makeup, but I’m not sure that’s a super power. Especially since I have yet to figure out if this is truly a good thing or not. So I’ll say invisibility. When you’re weird looking and famous, it’s difficult to stay anonymous.
What is your biggest pet peeve when dealing with others?
When people think they can say anything because I’m “famous.” I have feelings too.
Do you think the author portrayed you accurately?
She did a pretty good job, though I think she spent far too much time talking about my appearance.
What is your idea of a perfect day?
Vegging out and binge watching television with the ringer off on my phone.
What is your greatest fear?
That I’m not going to live up to the absolutely insanely crazy high expectation that I’m somehow going to save the galaxy.
When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
An astronaut, if you must know. Talk about irony.
If you knew you were going to die tomorrow, what would you do today?
I’d run myself ragged trying to have one last moment with everyone I hold dear to my heart so that I can tell them how much they mean to me and thank them for being in my life.
What is the one food you can’t live without?
New York style pizza. Mom would tell you that Italy is the only place to get good pizza, but she’s dead wrong. New York pizza is the only pizza.
For more information on the author and the cover reveal go to Author Christina McMullen’s website