Character Q&A: Touch’s Kale on his new favorite foods and how NOT to order them
Please help me welcome Touch author Jus Accardo and her special guest, Kale!
Hey guys! I’m so excited to be hanging out here today with Kale. Kale, until recently, lived his life in the captivity of the Denazen Corporation. He was unable to touch another living thing without destroying it. I’ve convinced him to come along and chat a little about growing up without physical human contact and some of the things he’s experienced since leaving Denazen.
Jus: Hey Kale! Thanks for coming by today. I saw Dez outside. She didn’t want to come in?
Kale: She told me if I came here to talk to you she would get me cheese sticks.
Jus: *looks hurt* She had to bribe you to come talk to me?
Kale: No—but it got me cheese sticks.
Jus: *grins* Very sneaky!
Kale: *Kale smiles* I’m learning.
Jus: So for the people who don’t know you as well as I do, tell us what happens when you touch someone—someone who’s not Dez?
Kale: *Kale shifts in his seat* They die. My skin is lethal to anything living. People, plants…anything organic.
Jus: And with Dez it’s different?
Kale: Yes. I can touch Dez.
Jus: Can you tell me what it was like? Touching another person for the first time?
Kale: *Kale’s lips rise with a smile* It’s hard to describe. It was warm and soft—electric. I didn’t know something like that existed. My world was darkness and violence for so long. To step outside of that and find Dez… Find life… I don’t know that I could ever have the proper words for it. It’s amazing.
Jus: It had to be hard growing up so isolated. Did you ever get sad watching other children play knowing you couldn’t join them?
Kale: Play? Like games? There wasn’t anything like that at Denazen. There were some other children, but they were kept away from me. Everyone was kept away from me. Everyone except Sue.
Jus: Sue. That’s right. She kind of raised you, right?
Kale: Yes. She was like a mother to me. There were times that I was scared—Sue would wrap me in a blanket and put her arms around me. She was the only one who dared get that close without a safe suit.
Jus: So tell me about some of the things you’ve done since leaving Denazen. I hear Dez has been showing you some cool stuff? She took you skateboarding…?
Kale: She did…
Jus: You don’t sound overly enthused. Did you not like it?
Kale: I’m not sure I understand the reasoning behind it. Why try so hard to balance on a piece of wood with wheels attached when you can simply walk or run? Some days I don’t think I’ll ever fully understand the way things work here. So many things seem unnecessary and complicated.
Jus: What about foods? Dez tells me you’d never had spaghetti before?
Kale: *Kale sighs* On the first week of our trip to find the Sixes on the list her cousin gave us, Dez insisted I try one of her favorite foods. I asked her to describe it to me—*Kale leans close and grins*—I love the sound of her voice. She told me about a scene from one of her favorite movies. Lady and the Tramp. She even took me into a store and found a picture. *Kale leans back in his chair* I can’t say it looked that appetizing. The picture was of two dogs eating a large bowl of food. Spaghetti, Dez said. I thought dog food and people food were separate things, but she swore it was amazing so I trusted her. We went into an eating establishment and when it came time to order, to show Dez I was learning the ropes, I asked for dog food. *Kale frowns* The waiter wasn’t happy with me…
Jus: *tries hard not to giggle*
Kale: I still have a lot to learn. But it’s okay. We got the food to go, and I’m not supposed to tell you, but we recreated the scene I saw in the picture. I like spaghetti now. *Kale grins* A lot.
Jus: *sighs* Dez is a lucky, lucky girl. Thanks for hanging with us today, Kale.
Coming soon…
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ToxicDenazen series, book #2 When a Six saved Kale’s life the night of Sumrun, she warned there would be consequences. A trade-off. Something taken for the life they gained. But Dez never imagined she’d lose the one thing she’d give anything to keep… And as if it’s not enough Dez finds her immunity to Kale fading, the Six brought in to help Kale learn to control his killer touch starts drooling on him the moment they meet. Worse than that? Jade can touch Kale. But bimbo Barbie is the least of Dez’s problems. After Dez and Kale got away at Sumrun, her father lost not only his most powerful weapon but an important piece of the Supremacy project. Forced by Denazen to remedy the situation, he poisons Dez and offers her a choice–surrender to Denazen for the cure…or die. Determined to find a solution that doesn’t involve being bagged and tagged–or losing someone she loves–Dez keeps the poison a secret. |
But when a rash of Denazen attacks hit a little too close to home, Dez is convinced there’s a traitor among them. Jade.
Sacrifices, broken promises, and secrets. Dez will have to lay it all on the line if there’s any hope of proving Jade’s guilt before they all end up Residents of Denazen. Or worse, dead… ~~~~~~~~ Touch, the first novel in the Denazen series, has re-released in mass market and can be found in your local bookstore! (Complete with two additional scenes from Kale’s POV!). Toxic (Denazen 2) hits shelves on September 11th 2012. As a thank you to those who pre-order, Jus is giving away a book plate and magnet of choice (Touch, Untouched, or Toxic) Get the details here. |
About the authorJus Accardo is the author of YA paranormal romance and urban fantasy fiction. A native New Yorker, she lives in the middle of nowhere with her husband, three dogs, and sometimes guard bear, Oswald. Her first book, Touch, is available now from Entangled Publishing. She is represented by Kevan Lyon of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. Give Jus a yell on Twitter, or visit her on Facebook, and her website.
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I love character interviews! Kale sounds like he was a great read.
I dont normally like YA and I really enjoyed this story. Kale is so innocent yet so powerful that it’s a striking juxtaposition. And Dez has so many pop culture references up her sleeve (loved the Angry Birds one!) that you never know what’s coming next. Definitely recommended!
Great interview!!! 🙂 What fun! 🙂
That is so funny about the spaghetti. Thank you for the character interview.
I have these books on my wish list.