Preliminary Transcript of Interview from Sexy Whopping Apples, Part 1.

SWA: Why did you write this book, this Mixed Animal?

RM: I thought the world could use it.

SWA: How?

RM: Well, that's up to the world. I just thought it
would make the world a little more of a better place
to be alive in somehow.

SWA: That's quite an ambition.

RM: Thank you. I didn't really ever think why I
wrote it before just now. But I think I believe myself.
Also, though, I couldn't really help it. It was like
I got a cut somehow and started bleeding happiness.

SWA: All right. Now, I notice it takes place in a village.
Did you do a lot of research on villages?

RM: No.

SWA: How did you know what you were doing?

RM: I never said I did. In fact, I would say I didn't.

SWA: Did you do research on anything in your book?

RM: It depends what you mean by "research".

SWA: What do you mean by it?

RM: I don't mean anything by it. I did look at a bunch
of pictures of different stuff.

SWA: Villages? Animals?

RM: Clouds. Barns. Different types of potato meals. Gals.

SWA: Why would you look at pictures of gals as
research for this book?

RM: Why wouldn't I? There's gals in it.

SWA: Yes, there are. Speaking of which, is this fellow,
this Lemuel, is he and his sister Shane's relationship
supposed to be like a real-life village noir version
of Hansel and Gretel, by any chance?

RM: I never thought of that. I would say no, but
it would had been interesting if I did.

SWA: Well, you even have somebody fiddling with a
Hansel and Gretel doodad in there, figurine.

RM: I have a lot of people fiddling with a lot of
things. I wouldn't draw any conclusions unless I
had to, if I were you.

SWA: You have bread crumbs.

RM: I have a Helms truck, too, but that doesn't
mean somebody is a donut, or a symbolic donut.

SWA: By the way, how did she get the name Shane?
Was she named after the enigmatic cowboy hero?

RM: Yes. I was watching Shane the movie when I
thought it would be a good name for her. I always
like to think of her as an enigmatic cowgirl who
is always causing trouble, fighting for justice for
herself, and riding out of town in a cloud of
mysterious fortune-telling dust.

SWA: What about the animal? Where did that come from?

RM: The Unconscious Forest.

SWA: Where did the Unconscious Forest come from?

RM: Well, it was already there. Somebody just named
it that. There's a discussion in the book about it.

SWA: Yes, I know. What is this about Lemuel always
trying to win every conversation he's in?

RM: He's just that way. I don't believe he's that
unusual in this day in age.

SWA: I think you go to extremes in this case.

RM: I couldn't go to them if they weren't already
there.

SWA: Oh, I think you could.

RM: I wouldn't know how.

SWA: I think you could figure it out.

RM: I doubt that I could.

SWA: Have you tried?

RM: I certainly have. I'm trying right now.

SWA: And how are you doing?

RM: I'm a little hungry. Could we brake for lunch?

(Part 2 later)