An Interview with Sanderson Beets from The Moonlight Market

So I recently uncovered an interview with one of the protagonists of my novel THE MOONLIGHT MARKET. I’ll give you a little background on his history before we start. Sanderson Beets is a college junior attending university on a gymnastics scholarship—

Epke Zonderland is my visual model for Sanderson in THE MOONLIGHT MARKET

 

Sanderson: I’m an undeclared major.

Aidee (shuffling index cards): I don’t think you told me that. Anyway, he grew up performing on the road with his family’s act under the name The Leaping Beets. Wait…. really?”

Sanderson (heavy sigh): Yeah. Pretty bad. As soon as my dad and stepmom retired, my siblings and I renamed the act.

Aidee: To what?

Sanderson: Well by then my sister Lila had married Parry, who’s a sword swallower, so we combined our acrobatics with his act and named it Balancing On The Edge.

Aidee (muttering to herself): not much better…So you’ve been performing all your life?

Sanderson: Yeah. I was onstage by three, at the top of the family pyramid. I was a flier for a while until—

Aidee: Excuse me, what’s a flier?

Sanderson: Oh, that’s someone that’s a lot lighter than their partner in adagio, an acrobatic balancing act. As I grew older, though, I got closer to my brother Dmitri’s weight and we became a more balanced hand-to-hand strength act.

Aidee: You must have had an interesting childhood. I assume you were homeschooled?

Sanderson: Yes. My stepmom was a schoolteacher before she married my Dad. And she was a hard teacher. She used to make me calculate the angles of jumps. It is so much easier to just perform them.

Aidee: I wanted to ask about performing. Do you have a memorable moment on stage?

Sanderson: Sure. My family normally played the Midwest in summer, but one year we joined up with a few acts to play a little town in Louisiana. It was so hot I thought I was going to melt. Dmitri and I couldn’t stop sweating in the unair-conditioned performance tent. We were practicing a duo balancing maneuver that morning. It was already over 90 degree by 7:00 am. We were both filthy with chalk but my grip slipped and bam! I fell flat on my face. Busted my nose. I bled everywhere. Needless to say, my makeup was a little edgier that night and we only did juggling and acrobatics at the show. The crowd ate it up. It was then I realized that the audience has no expectations of certain tricks and you can mess up, rearrange things, and as long as you put on a good show, they’ll clap.

Aidee: Wow. Was that the worst injury you’ve ever had?

Sanderson (laughing): Not by a long shot. I’ve had broken bones, strained muscles, a bad tear once, and some insane bruising.

Aidee: Yikes. I can see why you ran away to college. Do you ever plan to return to performing?

Sanderson (scratching his chin): Maybe? I honestly don’t know. I miss my family and the people on the circuit, but I don’t miss the traveling. I like staying in one place. And I’m with Cory now. I’d have to ask him how he feels about it.

Aidee: So you said you’re undeclared. Have you thought about what you want to do once you graduate from college?

Sanderson: I’m not really sure. I’d like to do something that pays well enough to help out my Dad and stepmom. They’re retired and teach the act at a circus school in Florida.

Aidee: I hear a “but” in that reply.

Sanderson: But I also like volunteering at the LGBT Resource Center on campus. I like being able to help people. I’m hoping I can do something in the future that allows me to do both, maybe social work or psychology.

Aidee: I think that’s an excellent plan. I wish you tons of good luck in pursuing that. Is there anything else you’d like to say to everyone before we close this interview?

Sanderson: Yeah. Stick to the lighted path. And don’t make deals with the Weaver of Dreams. She’s dangerous.

Always good advice! Thanks for sitting in on this one of a kind interview. If you have any follow-up questions for Sanderson, make sure you put them in the comments!

 


Check out The Moonlight Market

AideeLadnier_TheMoonlightMarket_coverfr

Blurb:

Sanderson always envied the townies, all smiling faces and holding hands at his performances. He wanted the happy ever after that came with real life, not the pretend one in the twinkling fairy lights of the Moonlight Market. So when the Weaver of Dreams conjured him a normal life, college classes instead of performances, a chance at a boyfriend instead of an audience, he ran for daylight.

Now a year later, he’s learned that connecting with someone physically doesn’t always lead to a lasting relationship. To get closer to the man of his dreams, Sanderson offers to help Cory find his missing sister. This means navigating the twists and turns of the Moonlight Market, the disorienting world of performers and hawkers, bizarre sights, sounds—and dangers. The sinister Weaver of Dreams offers to forgive Sanderson’s obligation in return for a lost soul, for Cory, who is still grieving the death of his parents and the disappearance of his sister. Surrounded by both friends and enemies, Sanderson fights doubts about his budding relationship with Cory while guiding them ever closer to his ultimate dilemma. The debt is valid and the choice is clear–his lover, or his dreams.

The Moonlight Market, a paranormal finalist for the 2017 Southern Magic Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, is a full-length new adult romance brimming with magical realism, fairy tale villains, and quirky characters. If you like your romance to send a shiver down your spine, you’ll love The Moonlight Market! Buy your copy now and enter a world of dark fantasy and magic!

Buy: 

       height=

[adinserter name=”Amazon”]

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Aidee Ladnier

By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. more information

The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.

Close