Title: The Accidental King of Achoo
Author: Linda J. Falkner, LMHC
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 978-1532022036
Genre: Satire/humor/politics
Pages: 107
Interviewed by: Barbara Miller
Author Interview with Linda J. Falkner, LMHC
PBR: Today we are with Linda J. Falkner, author of The Accidental King of Achoo, a political satire book creating a fantasy story around the details of the last Presidential election. Linda, thank you for joining us.
LJF: Thank you for inviting me. I’m honored to be here.
PBR: I learned you and many were so overcome with grief from the past election, you chose to vent your frustration by writing this book. Is that the way this came about?
LJF: Yes. I raged for exactly one week after the election, as so many people did. Then I decided to do what I do best when I’m upset or angry, I write. The more I wrote, the more I laughed, and the better I felt. You’ve heard the expression about having lemons.
PBR: Trump’s character, if you will, is named Orgizo. I believe that name in ancient time symbolized anger. How did you come up with all of the names?
LJF: While writing the story, I researched various historical cultures and learned that the Greeks competed in their Olympics naked. I decided that having my characters competing naked would add humor to the story, and carried on the Olympic tradition by choosing Greek names with meanings. You are correct that Orgizo means angry in Greek, and I do see Mr. Trump as a very angry person. Mikro means small. I had a picture of David vs Goliath when I chose her name.
PBR: The analogies are very self-evident; which ones do you take most pride in paralleling?
LJF: That’s a hard question. It’s like asking me which of my children I love most. The answer is the one that I happen to be with at the moment. I laughed most at some of the verbal puns, such as Orgizo’s last name being Abadon (pronounced a bad don), and his boyfriend, Despotis, being nicknamed White Russian for reasons beyond his drinking habits. Having Orgizo refer to Gynaika (they had a love affair – they loved to hate each other) as Hiawatha sent me rolling on the floor I was laughing so hard.
PBR: How does your professional work interplay with the sentiments written into the storyline and theme of your book?
LJF: My knowledge of mental health problems and personality disorders clearly helped me explain some of the thinking and childhood history of my characters, including Orgizo. I have no way of knowing how close my textbook description of a childhood narcissist fits Mr. Trump. For example, I had Orgizo wetting his bed until his teens. I have no history that Trump did this, but it came from my understanding of personality disorders. I also had a counselor in the story who was my voice when I wanted to explain mental health disorders.
PBR: What audience are you most particularly focused on reaching?
LJF: The Accidental King of Achoo is simply meant to provide comic relief to people who need a break from the constant political news. Many people have a great deal of anger and also fear about where Donald Trump is taking this country. I have seen a raise in clients coming in with depression and anxiety. I am hoping that this book will help them get back into a more balanced life.
PBR: The reviewer made mention of the sex scene you explicitly wrote, and how she felt it was unnecessary. What made you bring this in, virtually changing the rating of your book from PG to R or X, if it were a movie, for example?
LJF: Oh, my gosh! Do you really think this has the potential to become a movie? I never imagined that. I wrote it after a lot of back and forth thinking and I finally decided to go with it because for one, sex sells. Second, it only took half a page out of the total book. Third, I had never written a sex scene before, much less between two men, so this was a challenge. Seriously, if it ever got to be a movie, it wouldn’t damage the story to allude to it without showing details.
PBR: Have you been asked to do any other interviews in the media such as radio or TV?
LJF: Not yet, as I’ve been focusing on just getting The Accidental King published. I have however, spoken to groups about several previous books that I wrote.
PBR: One last question, “Who did you vote for in the last election?” Only kidding – we wish you much success with your book and thank you again for your time.
LJF: Thank you very much.