Interview With The Author - Part 3

We’re back and we’re here with Mateo Benali Armstrong! Hello Mateo!

Hi! It’s great to be here! 
It’s great to have you! So, what would you like to know, Mateo?

Well, we know that you follow Leia’s story the most as the oldest – do you wish you had more time to spend on everyone else? 

Oh absolutely! If I had it my way, you’d all live together with your partners and children forever, there would be 100 hours in a day, and my fingers could handle typing up all of your individual stories!
Unfortunately there just isn’t time or space to cover everyone’s stories completely, so I have to try and make the decision of who to cover on what day.
For example, your wedding was a moment we couldn’t miss – but when it’s just a normal day, the only fair way to decide who I’d focus on was simply to look to Leia, as the oldest.

Of course, I understand! I’m glad my important moment are still covered, and my sister is certainly interesting! 

That she is!

So, you mentioned my wedding to Hope. Can you talk a little more about her introduction to the story? 

Yes absolutely! So Hope was one of the characters I had originally created to fill out the worlds – most of the people in the various worlds were related to each other by this point because of the various relationships and marriages, and I wanted to include a few new people and see if they popped up – next thing I knew, I spotted that you and she had gotten together off screen, and I wanted to include that!
I developed your ‘how we met’ story and moved you into your own place, and eventually you got married.
It may have seemed rushed, to the readers of your story, but to me it was the most natural relationship yet – it happened out of my control!

Well, when love happens it happens! I think it’s great that people not focussed on directly can go about their lives, getting married and having children without needing your input. 

Me too, I also like that I can control which families I give that freedom too – haha! Can’t have everyone going off and having lots of babies without letting us know!

Absolutely! So, Hope and I recently welcomed a daughter, Katherine. Why did you decide to let me take that name, instead of Leia or Josette? 

Well that’s a good question. I knew I wanted to memorialise Kate in her grandchildren. When Leia gave birth to the first of the new generation, her son, the only name I could possibly fathom giving him was Armstrong – see, you are the only son, and so you will be the only one to carry on that surname – with Leia’s children taking Muse and Josette’s taking Villareal, if she has any.
When your mother married your father, I didn’t want to get rid of Armstrong completely. She had her own label at that point, so I barrelled it with your fathers, creating the Benali-Armstrong line. So, because of that, I liked that Kate Benali Armstrong Jr. would be born to you, keeping the full name there.
Leia also recently had a daughter and if you hadn’t had one, perhaps she would have been Kate or Katherine. But, I did like the idea of keeping the name with the surname, to give it the true namesake effect it was intended to have.

Thank you for clearing that up for me! I love my daughter and I’m so glad I could name her after my mother. This question has been asked by everyone, but it’s a good one – what is your favourite part of my story? 

I loved writing scenes of you fishing with your father. The day he took you to fish the day before you started high school was such a special moment, and I love that you kept the first fish you ever caught too!
Your story was unique because after you became an adult I lost the ability to follow you as much as I’d have liked – I love that you moved in with the twins, because from the moment your mother and Liberty found out they were both pregnant we all know you’d be best friends, and we were right!

Yeah, those guys are like my brothers! You’ve said you’d like to have followed my story more – what will be next for me and my family? Do you see yourself coming back to us much? 

I will absolutely keep updating people on your lives, but to an extent you have that freedom from my control now. You’ve had your daughter, and I am going to move you to the uncontrolled households. So, what’s next for you? It’s up to you! I’m excited to check in with you, find out if you and Hope decide to have any more children. Of course, I’ll have to move you into a bigger place if you do, and so we will be sure to check in often and make sure you’re living a great life.
I definitely see myself coming back to your story. You are the one carrying on the Benali-Armstrong name, and you are just as important as your sisters! As I said, I wish I could cover you all – but as I can’t, I’m just going to do my best to cover you all as equally as I can, and make sure I’m there for the big moments!

That’s great! I look forward to seeing you for all the big moment! Thanks! 

You’re very welcome, Mateo. Thanks for talking with me!

Coming up – we’ll be talking to Josette about her life and story, and I’ll be answering her questions! Don’t miss it!