We continue our interview with author Ben Furman, who is telling us about the main characters of his book, Sam’s Quest for the Crimson Crystal.
Q: In Sam you have created an unusual heroine. Have you received fan mail from young girls who have been inspired by Sam?
A: Yes, a welcome bunch! But the one that made writing the story worth it came from Catherine, age ten. Here’s what she said: “Samantha was afraid but kept going and she didn’t let her asthma stop her. I won’t let my diabetes stop me either.”
Q: Sam suffers from asthma. Being someone who suffers from this ailment, I know how challenging it can be. How has asthma affected Sam’s physical abilities and how does Sam deal with the challenges presented by her asthma?
A: Sam was the soccer ace at her school, but because of debilitating asthma, she was forced to quit the team. She wasn’t one of the “in crowd” and because of her introverted nature, the loss of daily contact with her teammates added to her isolation.
Her quest began in Innerworld, a place blessed with crisp, pristine air. Sam was able to control her symptoms there, but when she experienced the foul green fog that permeated Bottomworld, her asthma returned with a vengeance. During the final battle in the Black Castle with Drogon, the Zog villain, Sam seizes the advantage by spraying her aspirator into his eyes. This gains her the one tick in time that she needs to defeat him—Innerworld is saved.
Q: Tell us about Prince Buznor. Where does he come from? What is his relationship with Sam?
A: Prince Buznor is in line to be the king of Innerworld, the home of the Awokian people. Beneath Mile High Mountain are Innerworld and Bottomworld, the domain of the Zogs. Buzz is a couple of years older in appearance than Sam, but in reality he is much, much older. Awokians age slowly. He’s muscular, taller than Sam, has short cropped blond hair, and blue eyes. Like all Awoks, he says as much with color as with words. As he talks, different auras of colors surround him—such as red when he is angry, blue when he’s blue, etc.
