Interview with Marvin D. Wilson, author of Owen Fiddler (featuring Owen Fiddler!)

Diary of an Eccentric is happy to welcome Marvin D. Wilson, author of Owen Fiddler (read my review here), as he kicks off The Owen Fiddler Experience: Christmas Cyber Tour 2008!

I'd like to thank Marvin for taking the time to answer a few questions and for bringing along a very special guest, Owen Fiddler. (Or maybe I should hold off on thanking him for Owen's presence right now. At least until I see what mood Owen is in.)

Well, let's jump right in, shall we?

Anna: Owen, I hope you're still on your best behavior these days. How did you feel about Marvin exposing all the sins of your past to the world?

Owen: You know at first I was like, wow. Man, did you have to tell everything bad about me? Felt like I had my dirty underwear on the outside of my slacks. I was pretty pissed, tell the truth. But you know what? It’s okay. I’ve learned that it is important to be transparent. I don’t have any “secret life of Owen Fiddler” anymore. So I think Marvin did the right thing, telling the truth, telling it like it is, well was.

Anna: Marvin, I hope this isn't too personal of a question, but how are/were you like Owen Fiddler? Why is it so important that his story be told?

(Marvin looks at Owen, they both laugh. Then Marvin looks back at Anna.)

Marvin: It’s okay, everybody asks that one. That’s kind of a personal joke between Owen and me. Yeah. It’s true. Owen is a part of me. He’s a part of everybody. But most people don’t want to admit it. And now that Owen has grown up and taken responsibility for his own life and actions, I’m proud to say I am very much like Owen Fiddler. Neither one of us is very proud of how we used to be. Thank god for salvation. And second chances.

(Marvin and Owen high-five)

Anna: Marvin, when you were writing the scene toward the end of Owen Fiddler with Jesus Christ, aka Kris, and Frenda, did you think it would stir up controversy? I know a line about a kiss "with tongue" made me uncomfortable.

Marvin: Yep. That’s me. I’m controversial kinda guy. I like to stir up feelings, question traditionally accepted ideologies, push the envelope. I really enjoy pressing the emotional sensitive buttons of the religiously thin-skinned. Bit of a rascal that way, I am. You are the second woman whom I respect that asked me that, who was just a touch offended by the depiction of a Christ figure French kissing a woman. I would ask you the same thing I asked her. Find the root cause of the discomfort. Something inherently nasty about French kissing? God invented that, remember. I know, I know, God invented everything, but just because He invented genocide doesn’t mean we should do it. Free will. Choices. But to me, Kris was just being friendly, just loving his Frenda, being his fun-loving humorous self with that kiss. I don’t think Frenda was offended. Maybe a bit shocked. Like you were.

Anna: Owen, is there anything Marvin left out of your story that you think my readers should know?

(Owen leans over to Marvin and whispers something in his ear. Marvin nods okay)

Owen: Ahm, well one thing. He never wrote out my middle name. In fact, all the main human characters in my story have the same middle name. It’s “The.”

Anna: Marvin, the artwork on the cover of Owen Fiddler is very creative. At first I wasn't sure what to make of it, but after completing the book, it makes sense. Can you tell me a bit about the artist and the story behind the cover?

Marvin: Sure. The artwork for the cover was sketched by my son, Blue Moon-sky Wilson. How did he get that name you and everyone always asks? It’s kind of a Native American thing. I’m not Native American, but I always admired their way of naming newborns. My wife and I had a home birthing, with a mid-wife assisting his delivery into this world. It was my turn to get to name the child (we have three children and Blue is the youngest), and I had intentionally not chosen the name yet. I wanted it to be spontaneous and serendipitous and natural. Kind of a God epiphany. So once he was born and the midwife was attending to him and my wife, I walked out into our backyard. It was I think about two in the morning. I looked up toward the heavens. It was a deep blue clear sky with a full moon. Hence his name, Blue Moon-sky.

**The rest of his answer might be considered a spoiler to some, so here's your warning!**

The scene depicted on the cover is where Owen and Frenda meet in the never-world. The eye is the omnipresent universal eye of Christ (named Kris in the book). Kris is observing the two of them as Frenda is exhorting her Daddy to please meet with Kris and get rid of his demons before it is too late. The physical Owen back on earth is lying in a coma, perilously close to death and a horrific afterlife if he does not heed her admonitions.

Anna: Owen, how difficult has it been to break out of those old habits? I want to believe it's possible for someone to dramatically change and stay that way, but you seemed too far gone. Is there any way for you to convince me that the scumbag Owen at the beginning of the book is gone forever? I must give Jewel a lot of credit. I'm not sure I could ever consider forgiving you if you did to me what you did to her. Hmm ... what does that say about me?

Owen: It’s not hard. I really don’t have to fight my old demons anymore. They are gone. You are right, Jewel is, well – a real Jewel. Not many women would accept such a former – as you say – scumbag back into their lives. Forgiveness? That’s the easy part, really. Lots of Christians can forgive. And I’m not just talking Christians. People. People can forgive lots of stuff. But forgetting? That’s the hard part. That’s where most folks stumble spiritually. I treated God, myself, and everyone around me like dirt for most of my life. I was stupid, and selfish, a drunkard, and a sexual and ethical whore. But Frenda forgave me. Forgave me for everything. And God. God forgave me and forgot everything. Forgetting is the key. God’s grace is unconditional, free and eternal. Once you repent of your sins and ask Him into your life, the slate is wiped clean and your are reborn a new person. So Anna, I would just ask you to realize, to know for certain, that Owen Fiddler today is a whole and happy and free man. I am a Free Spirit. And I would also ask you, however difficult it might be, for your own good and spiritual health, to not only forgive me my past, but to also forget the old Owen Fiddler and his sinful ways. That dude is dead.

Thanks, Marvin! Thanks, Owen! What an interesting discussion! **If anyone has any questions of their own for Marvin or Owen, please leave them in the comments. They'll be around to answer them!**

Follow Marvin and Owen as they make the rounds! Click here for the entire list of tour stops and information on how to win a copy of Owen Fiddler.

The next stop on The Owen Fiddler Experience Christmas Cyber Tour 2008 is tomorrow, Dec. 6! Stop by Katrina Wampler's blog, where she will interview the "selfish irresponsible jerk" that was Owen Fiddler at the beginning of the book.