WARNER B. BAIR II

An Interview With Charlie

1. As the heroine of the Anonymous Man novels, you seem to lead a pretty
danger filled life. Well, you have to remember that what you read about is just a
part of our lives. We’re not in danger every day. We lead pretty normal lives
when we’re not involved in kidnapings, shoot outs, finding missing persons and
solving murders.

2. You seem to take a very active part in helping your husband in resolving
the adventures you find yourselves in. I love my husband very much and I find
myself getting involved from a sense of wanting to protect him.

3. That’s interesting because it seems that many of the situations involve
protecting various members of your family. Yes, that’s certainly true. In the “Feral
Pistillate”, we were confronted with saving Anon’s daughter Penny from a vicious
gangster. In “Moses Lake” we had to find the real murderer after Anon’s son
became a suspect.

4. Sometimes though, you’ve actually been involved in national security
issues where I’m told the President himself has asked for your help. I’m sorry, I
can’t really comment on that at this time. I believe you’ll need to read “The Big
Open” and some of the other tales for an explanation regarding those issues.

5. What is your relationship with the author of the novels that feature you
and your husband? Warner? Oh, he’s a good guy. Anon and I are very close to
him. We have a very good collaboration going. He gives us a great deal of latitude.
Often, we resolve the situations we find ourselves in and he finds himself along
for the ride.

6. Some authors are concerned about ‘writer’s block.’ Are you concerned
that could happen to Warner, effectively stilling your voice and your husband’s?
Not at all. Anon and I are pretty interesting people, there’s always something
going on in our lives. It’s unlikely our adventures won’t continue. Besides, Anon
and I talk over these adventures with Warner, so by the time he sits down at the
key board to chronicle them, they fly off his computer pretty fast.

7. So, you’re saying he’s kind of like Watson chronicling Holmes? Yes,
that’s a pretty good analogy.

8. You are a very beautiful woman. Thank you but that’s the way I’m
written.

9. How do you deal with all the men who seem to constantly fall in love with
you? I’m comfortable with how I look but it took a long time for me to reach that
point. A lot of my background in becoming a woman is explored in “Charlie’s
Song.” In any event, now I’ve learned to live with how I look and how both men
and women react to it. I don’t encourage other men, I love my husband.

10. Not to be indelicate but you seem to enjoy a very intense physical
relationship with your husband. [Laughter] Oh yeah. It’s unbelievable. You might
say I’m a monogamous nympho and fortunately my man can keep up with me.

11. Your husband seems to be very obsessive in his love for you. Very true.
He has a lot of hang ups and that’s certainly one of them. It’s a recurring theme in
our stories. It would drive a lot of women over the edge. Personally, since I feel
the same way about him, it’s no problem for me. I revel in the attention.

12. Your husband seems rather self-effacing for someone who battles
terrorists, crime lords and murderers. He was hurt when he lost men in war and
he’s never really recovered from that. He feels a lot of guilt because he really cares
about people. He will never be truly happy and that saddens me. It makes him very
unsure of himself sometimes and very vulnerable.

13. And yet he seems pretty competent when it comes to life and death
situations. I trust him completely. His love for me and the children is his greatest
ally when we’re threatened. He turns into a very efficient killing machine. He’ll do
anything, whatever is required to protect us.

14. Would you care to comment on the ‘premonitions’ you sometimes have
which assist you in resolving the conflicts in your stories? Who told you about
those? No, I would not care to comment. Next question.

15. Sorry. As the stories progress, you seem to not only become more
involved in the conflicts but a lot harder person in doing so. It’s just a matter of
survival. When you’re sitting across the room from a murderer holding a gun on
you or a crazed biker is about to shoot your husband at point blank range or you’re
confronting a mercenary with a machine pistol, you better be hard or you’ll be
dead. You adapt or you die, it’s that simple.

16. Does it bother you that you have to resort to such violence? Yes,
obviously. But sometimes you have no choice, so you put it in perspective and you
move on. Or try to.

17. Are you concerned that some people may be offended by your colorful
use of language? You mean when I swear? I probably shouldn’t swear as much as
I do but that’s the way I am. Sometimes, there’s just nothing more satisfying than
saying the ‘f’ word. It’s a great release for me.

18. You seem deeply religious. I am.

19. And yet your husband isn’t. How do you resolve that conflict? By not
making a conflict out of it. Anon may not be religious but he is one of the most
moral persons I’ve ever known. He follows the Golden Rules more than most
other people I’ve known.

20. What does the future hold for you and Anon? I’d like to say we’ll just
live peacefully in the manse and do what other retired baby boomers do but I’m
afraid we’ll continue to be drawn into these ‘adventures’ as you call them.

21. Well I, for one, look forward to reading about them. Oh? If you’re so
enthused, the next time the ‘stuff’ hits the fan, I’ll give you a call and you can join
us.

22. Oh, that’s okay. I think my editor wants me to take an assignment out of
the country. Right away. But I want to thank you for the interview. You’re
welcome. Have a nice day.