– Did you read Tolkien before you came to CoE?
Well no, to be honest I hadn’t heard of Tolkien before the films were made.
– What brought you to CoE?
My journey here to the site was rather unusual, I think. You see, I wasn’t a fan of Tolkien or any of the movie stars, what first got my imagination working was the graphics, I had by chance earlier in the year, or late the previous year seen on Sky a documentary on the work of Weta Workshop. As a treat to its viewers, they showed a preview of the Fellowship of the Ring, all three hours but with no sound and foreign subtitles. I was hooked but not knowing anything about Tolkien I didn’t realise that Peter Jackson’s film was based on a book. All I knew was I wanted to see more of the work Weta was doing. A search on the Internet brought me here in May 2002, and here I am still.
– Favourite parts of the site?
Well now, let’s see, I love my Realm of course, although I don’t often post much, I do look in and see what everyone is up to. It’s quiet at the present but I hope that after Christmas it will pick up again. I also love looking in the gallery and try to spend time reading the Fanfics, which I think are a tribute to both Tolkien and Peter Jackson. After all, however you look at it, they have inspired so many people to write.
– When did you first read the books?
Well, after I watched FotR I was like ohh nooo, what happened, this can’t be the end, where’s the rest? Three hours seemed to go so fast. So the next day I went out and bought the books, at first I was just going to buy TTT and RotK, but something made me buy FotR and so I started reading. I reread regularly now.
– What is your favourite scene from the books?
Gahh, what a question!! A favourite bit? I guess I should choose something that is not in the film, hmmmm, well I think it would have to be the part where the Hobbits get lost on the Barrow Downs and are attacked by the Barrow Wights. I can still feel the chill running down my spine and hear my heart pleading that they all survive the ordeal.
– And from the movies?
Hmm, well now this is a hard question again, especially for someone who was in awe of the graphics in the film, but I think if I had to choose it would be the moment near the end of the film when Frodo is standing at the edge of the mighty Anduin, and remembers Gandalf’s words, my heart went out to him then, and still does.
– If you had one question that you would ask Tolkien, what would it be?
I would ask “What happened to the Entwives?” I have pondered on this a lot. Would Tolkien have written more about this if he had been given more time? I think he may have, for the Ents were, I think, one of his favourite non-human species, which is why I suspect he gave them personalities. In the telling of the LotR, their story is just hinted at; set against the tale of the ‘Ring’ it is minor, but I do believe he put a lot of thought into their creation and it would make sense to do this if you planned a story based on their lives.
– Personal interests outside of CoE?
I love to write, at the moment I have several books part written, two about a dragon, one about a Dwarf, one about a Hobbit and one about a Hobbit/Maiar. I also write poetry and love dabbling in graphic type programmes.
Other interests are Wolves, which I hope one day to see in the wild, travelling, which I will be doing more of now my family has grown up, and food, I love food, I’m not a chef, but I like to try new things, guess that’s the Hobbit in me.
– So you are interested in dragons?
Ahh yes, I have always loved Dragons, tho they are so often portrayed as the villains. I like to think of them as guardians, they look after the elements and the processes of life and death. Well, in my imagination they do.
– What does LotR mean to you?
It has had a profound impact on my life. If I am honest, before I knew anything of LotR I was often sad that I was short and round. Having seen the films, they led me to the books, where I found an inner peace that says I am a Hobbit at heart, I have many of their qualities and as such I am a pretty good person to know. I think there are few books that have impacted on my life so much as Tolkien’s did, I love the idea from the book, that all things, even those seen as bad, have a part to play and no matter how small you may feel you may one day change the world.
– Will you stay at CoE now the movies are over?
Oh yes, I think of CoE as my second home, part of the reason I love being here is there’s still so much I want to do, such as learning Sindarin and building my Realm website. Until I came to CoE I had never written anything, but once I started reading the Fanfic here I decided to give it a try. I still have to finish my books, being here helps to keep me inspired.
