We’re joined today for the second part of our interview with author James Bow (catch-up on part one, here), by two very special guests. Rosemary and Peter the two main characters from James Bow’s ‘The Unwritten Books’ trilogy, agreed to come along and talk to us about their adventures!

Rosemary and Peter, welcome to Bart’s Bookshelf, please make yourself comfortable, and don’t worry, you can be as honest as you like, James has promised not to listen too closely to your answers!

Rosemary: Well, my life has changed a lot since you asked that question, with the biggest change being that Peter and I are married! Yes, the marriage certificate has a bit of a hard-to-believe date on it, but we went before a priest, and that’s what matters, in my opinion. We’ve known each other for, what? Six years? He’s been my best friend that whole time. He’s kind, smart, sweet, encouraging. He… um… he makes me feel special. Is that what you’re looking for? I didn’t expect to be psychoanalysed!

Peter: Well… yeah, I didn’t expect to be psychoanalysed either. Rosemary is… Rosemary. She’s smart, kind, brave… I just like being around her; I like that I can help her. If she lets me.
Rosemary: When have I not let you help me?
Peter: Well, there was that time we first entered the Land of Fiction. You hit me rather than let me follow you in.
Rosemary: I hardly knew you back then, Peter!
Peter: I didn’t say you hadn’t grown since.

Peter: I don’t know. I really liked our first apartment.
Rosemary: Peter! It didn’t have electricity or running water!
Peter: Yeah, but it was _ours_. And it was better than some of the student housing we’ve been able to avoid.
Rosemary (grimaces): Point.

Rosemary: (winces)
Peter: The Zeppelin?
Rosemary: Yeah.
Peter: You know, he _did_ come back after.
Rosemary: I know, but…
Peter: Yeah.
Rosemary: You?
Peter (winces): Arial.
Rosemary: Oh, yeah.

Rosemary: What’s normal? Is the fact that we’ve gone to different worlds or gone back in time abnormal? Maybe. But we’re at University, now. We’re together. How do you separate that from the stuff that happened to us before?

Peter: Look, before I met Rosemary, I’d lost my parents. Would I like to change that? Maybe. Yeah, I would. But then I wouldn’t have come to Clarksbury. I wouldn’t have met Rosemary. I wouldn’t want that taken away from me. You got to take the bad with the good. In the end, we’re happy, and that’s what matters.

So Peter, how’s Rosemary’s dancing getting on these days?

Peter: I assume you’re not talking about our ballroom dancing, are you? We take classes; once a week. We started the spring after we came back, when Rosemary’s parents made us get married a second time.
Rosemary: They wanted a ceremony for the family.
Peter: You mean the stepdancing, don’t you? Well…
Rosemary (growls): Peter…
Peter: She’s still pretty good at it. It’s just not something she does publicly, is all. Only in private among friends, after _much_ cajoling. She should take it up, though. She’s very good.
Rosemary: (slaps the back of Peter’s head)
Peter: Ow!

Rosemary: Oh, camping with Peter is an interesting experience. He’s a real trooper — something he reminds me about on an ongoing basis. (sighs) I shouldn’t tease him. If he stopped going camping with me, who else would lure away the mosquitos and black flies?

(Peter and Rosemary look at each other)
Peter: We’ve got to get jobs first.
Rosemary (nods): Establish our careers.
Peter: Still…
Rosemary (nods): Kids would be nice.
Peter: Yeah. (gulps) Just maybe not now.
Rosemary: No. A while from now.
Peter: Yeah. A while.
Rosemary: A little while.
Peter: Little?

Rosemary: If we could avoid going in, I think we would. I mean, why walk into danger like that?
Peter: Yeah. You’re assuming we had a choice.
Rosemary (to Peter): You had a choice. You didn’t have to enter the Land of Fiction.
Peter: No. I didn’t.
Rosemary: Yes, you did.
Peter: Did you have a choice about not rescuing Theo?
Rosemary: That’s different.
Peter: How, exactly?
(silence for a moment)
Rosemary (to interviewer): Anyway. If we could _see_ the gate, I don’t think we’d walk in.
Peter (nods): Yes. Unless we really had to.

(Peter and Rosemary look)
Rosemary: And who are you again?

Erm… Well you see… I’m erm… Oh, is that my phone, really sorry about this, I’m going to have to take the call, if you stop by the desk on the way out, they’ll give you my card, and thanks once again for stopping by!

Intrigued by what Rosemary and Peter had to say in this interview? Want to know more? Want to meet them properly? Then catch up on their adventures!

Buy: The Unwritten Girl from The Book Depository and get FREE Worldwide Delivery!
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