Character Interview: The Princes Charming

Click to make larger. All pictures illustrated by Todd Harris.

Please Welcome the Princes Charming!

Or is it the Prince Charmings? *ahem* I mean, please welcome Prince Liam, Prince Gustav, Prince Frederick, and Prince Duncan! The stars of The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom were kind enough to stop by today and answer some of my very important questions.

Prince Liam, totally swoony.

Q: Which characters would you most want to kiss?

Liam: This is a bit of a sore subject for me. I’m going to pass.

Frederic: Hmm, this doesn’t sound like a proper type of question to be answering in such a public venue.

Gustav: Stop waffling, Captain Romance! Just answer the question.

Frederic: Well, Ella of course. She’s my fiancée. I did kiss her that night at the ball, but strangely enough, never since then. Hmm.

Duncan: I would choose J.P. McWiggins! He’s a squirrel who lives in my backyard. I think his whiskers would tickle.

Frederic: But, Duncan, what about Snow White? She’s your wife.

Duncan: Yes, and I already know what it’s like to kiss her. I don’t know what it’s like to kiss a squirrel.

Frederic: Well, what about you, Gustav? Whom would you kiss?

Gustav: Nobody. Next!

Prince Gustav, wishing his sword weren't so tiny

Q: Which characters do you most want to slap or give a verbal tongue lashing to?

Gustav: Ah, now we’re getting somewhere! Let’s see… Lady Lipless, Captain Garbage-Hair, Tressie McTressington, Corporal Pipsqueak, Babyface von Vexmonger…

Liam: Are we supposed to know who any of those people are?

Frederic: I think I might say myself. I could probably use a kick in the rear sometimes to get me going. But at least I know I’d be gentle about it.

Duncan: J.P. McWiggins. He steals far too many of my acorns.

Prince Frederic, the hilariously dainty.

Q: Which scene would you most want to reenact? Which scene would you never want to repeat?

Liam: Honestly, I can’t think of any I’d want to repeat.

Frederic: I think I’d have to agree. Although if you forced me to reenact one scene, I guess I’d pick something toward the beginning of the book, since I got progressively dirty as the story went along. And I’d certainly never want a repeat of me getting sat upon by a troll.

Gustav: Any scene with me punching someone is a pretty good one to repeat. As long as we cut it off before the end.

Duncan: I don’t even remember where J.P. McWiggins came into the story, but I think I’ll say that scene.

Liam: For reenacting or for never repeating?

Duncan: Either.

Prince Duncan, odd duck.

Q: Which scene do you think will surprise readers the most?

Liam: I think people will be surprised to hear what the bards got wrong about us in those original “Prince Charming” stories. For instance, I don’t think most readers will know I’ve been saving lives since I was three years old.

Frederic: Yes, and the way my father used to discipline me as a child by feeding me to a tiger.

Gustav: And what a horrible person Rapunzel is.

Frederic: Rapunzel is not a horrible person! She’s perfectly lovely.

Gustav: Eye of the beholder, Beanpole. Eye of the beholder.

Duncan: I think readers will be shocked by the betrayal of Monday Bird.

You should really click to view this one large!

Q: What is one piece of advice you would give the reader?

Liam: Believe in yourself and your own special talent. There’s a hero inside every one of us and—

Gustav: Boring! Here’s my advice: Always attack your enemy head on. They’ll never see it coming.

Frederic: You can get through most problems by asking yourself, “What would Sir Bertram the Dainty do?”

Duncan: Never trust a squirrel to hold onto your wallet for you. I learned this the hard way. Curse you, McWiggins! Oh, who am I kidding? I can’t stay mad at you. Come here, little cutie squirrel. Here’s my wedding ring; put it someplace safe, okay?

Readers should add The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom to their To Be Read list if they like...

Books about:
     Fairy tales, princes, princesses, bandits, trolls, witches, retold or reimagined stories, snarky dialogue, slapstick, wordplay, swordplay, uncovering mysteries, saving kingdoms

Books/movies like:
     The Princess Bride, The Sisters Grimm, Wicked, Shrek, Tangled

About The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom:

Prince Liam. Prince Frederic. Prince Duncan. Prince Gustav. You've never head of them, have you? These are the princes who saved Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel, respectively, and yet, thanks to those lousy bards who wrote the tales, you likely know them only as "Prince Charming." But all of this is about to change...

Rejected by their princesses and cast out of their castles, Liam, Frederic, Duncan, and Gustav stumble upon an evil plot that could endanger each of their kingdoms. Now it's up to them to triumph over their various shortcomings, take on trolls, bandits, dragons, witches, and other associated terrors to become the heroes no one ever thought they could be.


Author bio:

Christopher Healy spent years reviewing children’s books and media online and in print before setting off to write The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, his first children’s book. He lives with his wife and their two children in New Jersey. You can find him online at:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Thank you so much for stopping by, guys!

Are you laughing as hard as I am? I seriously can't get enough of these guys. Last month I reviewed The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, and later on this month I'll have a review for the audio version. So that's three times I've hung out with these guys and I'm still begging for more!

Have you read The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom?

How would you answer these questions?
(Remember, no spoilers please!)

If not, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! 
(Click that to read the first 75 pages!) 

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