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Fatropolis by Tracey L. Thompson: Character Interview Tell us about your family. Oh, child, my family is sort of a complicated mess. The only ones left are me and my only son. My father left before he found out that Momma was expectin’ me, due to my old coot of a grandfather. But I won’t go into all that.

What group did you hang out with in high school? Back in my high school days, I guess ya could say that I was one of the more popular girls. I didn’t want for anythin’, except maybe a father, but we always had plenty of money, so I could dress nice and I always got things when they first came out. My grandfather always made sure of that. But the girls sort of envied me, I guess ya could say. And then when I started datin’ Nevan, who was one of the heartiest boys in school, well ya know all the girls were quite jealous of me then.

What was the scariest moment of your life? When I volunteered for this interview, I had no idea the questions would be so difficult. I’d have to say the scariest moment of my life was when I read my son’s note and realized I had pushed him to criss-cross into the other world. I didn’t know where in that world he could’ve gone and I thought I might never see him again!

What do you do to unwind and relax? I like to crochet. I do a little knittin’ too, but I’ve always liked crochetin’ better.

What book are you reading now? Right now…? I’m readin’ 10 Steps to a Bigger Figure by Lolita Pesado. I’ve been feelin’ like I might’ve lost a few pounds of reserves lately, so I want to keep up my appearance. It wouldn’t do to have me lookin’ scrawny and unhealthy when I own the most successful bakery in Fathattan, now, would it?

What are your favorite TV shows? I really love that show “No Pain, No Gain,” where they show the contestants tryin’ to be the one who gains the most weight. It really does bother me to see the poor unfortunate folks they have on there, lookin’ so boney and undernourished. It’s kind of indecent, if you ask me.

What songs are most played on your Ipod? I don’t rightly know what an Ipod is. My boarders were tryin’ to explain your digital music to me, but I just can’t get it. I can understand our Q-cube players or even the old optical chip players, but Ipod? What in the world is that? I’ll have to see if someone can explain that one to me. Sorry.

If you could apologize to someone in your past, who would it be? Oh I thought we were on to the easier questions. I guess I’d apologize to my father, for what my grandfather did to him. I’d ask him to forgive the old coot and at least try to come back, so that I wouldn’t have grown up without a father. I’d also apologize to my Nevan, for runnin’ our boy off, and causin’ Nevan to die of a broken heart. Now you’ve got me cryin’. I don’t want to talk about this anymore.

Who should play you in a film? I would like to see someone hearty like Kathy Bates play me in the movie. She seems to have the class and actin’ ability to pull off a real Irish accent like mine. She might need to gain a few pounds to make her portrayal closer to my actual persona, though.

What makes you happy? Well, seein’ my bakery full of happy customers, and my boarders helpin’ out, that makes me real happy.

What is the next big thing? Well…I would guess that the next big thing would be our presidential election. Oh, there’s lots of talk from everyone. One of the candidates is not the heartiest man around. If you ask me, he is a bit on the scrawny side. Well, just last month, durin’ a campaign speech, a heckler called him a bag of bones. I don’t think that civilized people should resort to name callin’, but that’s all that people can talk about now. That sparked a huge

controversy about his health. Personally, I don’t think he would be hearty enough to make it. People are sayin’ he probably wouldn’t live out his term, if he’s elected.

What one word best describes you? I would say that “successful” describes me quite nicely. I own the most successful bakery in all of Fathattan.

Is there a piece of advice that you have received that has really stuck with you? If so, what was it? Well, one piece of advice that I would like to give to the people of your world, especially the girls and women, is not to be believin’ the brainwashin’ about it bein’ better to be thin and all the confusin’ behavior that belief causes. Just be who ya are, and stop tryin’ to be some impossible representation of yer culture that is so difficult to embody. We’re females, for corn sake! We are supposed to have curves and hips and bellies, that’s natural! The media in your world has absolutely got it all wrong. The pressure put on people to get smaller is absolutely maddenin’. Why would a body want to do that? JENNY CRANDELL (POV) is a young woman living alone in New York. She is fairly successful at work but doesn't understand why she can't meet someone to share her life with. She blames all her troubles on her size, as she is larger than society says she is supposed to be. While trying to find a dress for a corporate function, she accidentally falls through a portal in the wall of a dress shop and finds herself in Fatropolis, another world, where fat people are the beautiful ones. She becomes concerned, considering she only has a few days before she has to be back to work, and wonders who will take care of her cat. She has no choice but to start looking for a way to get back to her world, and in the process meets a host of characters, of all different sizes, who lead her to start questioning everything she has been conditioned to believe; especially about size. Thus begins her heartwarming and often hilarious adventure of exploring the other side of weight discrimination in a world where fat people lead happy, normal, guilt-free lives. In her exploration, she not only finds herself, but she also finds adventure, intrigue, friendship, and love...eventually.
 Tracey L. Thompson was born and raised in Southern California, and now resides in Northern Virginia with her husband Guy, son Hayden, a dog, and two cats. She is a wife, and the mother of five children. After overcoming domestic violence, divorce, single motherhood, and low self-esteem, she went on to earn a master’s degree in Psychology from Chapman University, and now has written a novel that sheds light on the issue of weight discrimination in a fun and fanciful way. In the last twelve years she has made a living at: social work for hospice, working with at-risk youth and their families, training military families about the aspects of resiliency, and now social work at the community level assisting needy families and the homeless. Her interests include spending time with her family, spiritual pursuits, drumming, playing Dungeons & Dragons, reading, writing, knitting, scrapbooking, movies, and music.
website: http://www.traceylthompson.com/

blog: http://www.traceylthompson.com/Blog.html

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/FatropolisTheNovel?ref=hl Posted by Laurie Jenkins at 12:05 AM Jacky Savage said...

I loved the interview with Dotty what a cute idea. Absolutly loved your book Tracey, I can't wait till you write a sequal. I am one hearty fan for sure. Jacky Savage

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