Book Boyfriend: Calvin Miller

We decided that Thursday needed a little pizazz and stumbled on this meme while hanging out at one of our favorite blogs, A Book and a Cupcake. So we took ourselves over to The Unread Reader to see what it was all about and join the fun. The Unread Reader features this meme on Wednesdays, but we figured moving our participation to Thursday wouldn't hurt anything. We'd love it if you'd leave a comment if you participate in this so we can check out your book boyfriends as well. 

My Book Boyfriend of the Week is Calvin Miller from the Spirit Guide Series by E.J. Stevens. I would like to extend a big thank you to E.J. for her help with this post.

Andrea: This is a special book boyfriend because instead of me just telling you all the things I love about Calvin, he is joining me today for a little chat. We decided to meet up at a beautiful little spot located in the Maine woods. I'm not a huge fan of being with all this mud and bugs, but many have assured me that Calvin's dreamy blue eyes will make all that fade away. And.... here comes our boy. Wow, ladies, you are certainly in for a treat today. Cal is wearing a pair of loose, low slung blue jeans with a black t-shirt and a hemp necklace. He's also very tan, tall,  and lean. His blue eyes are truly like pools of water. Hmmm, he's also barefoot - interesting choice for our chat.

Calvin: Hi Andrea. What's up?

Andrea: Hiyas! I am so glad you could make it today. I am looking forward to our chat. Are you ready to get started?

Calvin: Thanks - I am really happy to be here. Ask away.

Andrea:  So, Cal, can you tell us a little bit about yourself for people who haven't had the pleasure of meeting you before?

Calvin: I have always felt close to nature and recently discovered the reason why.  This will probably sound crazy, but I’m a werewolf.

Andrea: What is the best thing about living in Maine?

Calvin: I love the Maine woods.  At Wolf Camp we have hundreds of acres of beautiful, wild forest where pack members can run free.  And, of course, Maine is where Yuki is.

Andrea: What first attracted you to Yuki?

Calvin: Everything.  When I first noticed Yuki, she was so tiny and pale, but she was also courageous and true to herself.  She never followed fads or tried to fit in.  I think the other kids were afraid of her.  She didn’t have any friends, was always last to be picked for teams, and had the most terrible luck of anyone that I had ever met.  Yuki always sat in the broken chair, was given the textbook with missing pages, and if there was a single patch of ice her feet would find it.  I think what amazed me was her ability to brush it off and move on.  Most kids would have cried or blamed someone else for their bad luck, but Yuki would just act like nothing ever happened.  I knew that I had to get to know her.  She was the strongest most incredible person that I had ever met, and she still is.

Andrea: What are your hobbies and interests?

Calvin: I enjoy outdoor activities like hiking and camping, but my deepest interests are philosophy and learning more about what Yuki calls my “New Agey stuff” like shamanism and astrology.  I have always felt that there are forces at work in our universe that most people do not perceive or understand.  I try to be the best person that I can be while striving to comprehend the mysteries of the universe.

Andrea: You are so protective of Yuki and Emma. Where do you think you learned this trait?

Calvin: Though I didn’t realize it until recently, I was raised by werewolves.

My parents, and many of the other influential adults from my childhood, are members of a werewolf pack.  If one member of our pack is in danger, the others rush in to help defend that individual.  I am sure that this has influenced the way I react when my friends are in danger.  Yuki and Emma may be human, but they are also part of my pack in all the ways that matter.  I would lay down my life to defend them.

Andrea: So, getting a tattoo is a huge step and for most relationships it can be the kiss of death to get a tattoo symbolizing the other person. Can you explain the significance behind your tattoo? Do you think it will be the kiss of death for your relationship with Yuki?

Calvin: Yuki and I are soul mates.  I don’t think anything could ever change that.

(rubbing arm)  A tattoo is a big step, but for members of my pack it has an even greater significance.  There is a tradition amongst our pack that when a child reaches the age of change they are marked with the image of their wolf spirit.  We are also marked with the symbol that grounds us. The second symbol usually represents our soul mate and comes to us in a vision.  Most pack members have a tattoo depicting two wolves, their two wolf spirits, chasing each other in a circle around an arm or leg.

My tattoo is different.  The alpha wolf often is attracted to someone outside our pack who is human yet gifted with spirit, someone like Yuki.  So my tattoo is of my wolf spirit chasing a scarab beetle, which chases my wolf in return, around my arm.  Yuki is my soul mate and this tattoo (rolling up sleeve to show tattoo) represents our union to the pack.

Andrea: What does the term, soul mates, mean to you?

Calvin: I like Plato’s definition of soul mates.  In The Symposium his character Aristophanes tells a story of how we were created as a being with four arms, four legs, two heads, and one soul until the gods ripped us in half and cast us to the corners of the earth.  We wander through life looking for our other half, the missing piece of our soul.  This is how I know that Yuki is my soul mate.  When I am with Yuki, I feel complete.

Andrea: How do you put up with sharing your cabin with Simon all the time?

Calvin: Living with Simon is…difficult, but I am actually learning a lot from him about how to control my wolf spirit.  In fact, I think that Simon is the universe’s way of testing me.  If I can maintain control over my wolf spirit while living with Simon, then I am truly ready for the responsibilities of pack alpha.

Andrea: Emma and Yuki often tease you for your carnivorous ways. Do you think you'd ever give the vegetarian way of life a shot?

Calvin: No, it wouldn’t be fair to deny my wolf spirit.  Plus, sometimes it’s fun to make Emma rant.

Andrea: Why do you think Yuki's spirit animal is the sacred scarab?

Calvin: Yuki has always had bad luck.  Even as kids, she was cursed with walking the long and windy path.  I believe that being gifted a sacred scarab is another obstacle for Yuki to overcome.  The amazing thing about Yuki though is that she faces these challenges head on.  It’s one of the many reasons that I love her.  I knew when I met Yuki that being her friend would mean traveling that difficult road and I don’t regret my choice.  No matter how many obstacles the universe throws in our path, I’ll never leave Yuki’s side.

Andrea: Where do you buy dung beetle plushies? I kind of want one now.

Calvin: Etsy.  I found an amazing seamstress on Etsy who makes custom plushies.  I’ve ordered hundreds of dung beetle plushies from her in every size and color.  She probably thinks I’m crazy.  (laughs)

Andrea: So, it's lame, but I have to know: Team Edward or Team Jacob?

Calvin: Oh man, definitely team Jacob.

Andrea: Do you ever get compared to Jacob? If so, what do you think about that?

Calvin: I haven’t been compared to Jacob though he sounds like an okay guy.

I was once compared to the sparkly vampire stalker, which was unsettling until I realized that the reference was only to the stories our elders tell of how our blood sings to our potential mate.  Just for the record, there is no way that I would ever stalk Yuki.  Sometimes I worry about Yuki, but I would never intrude on her personal space.  Plus, she’d never put up with that kind of thing and if our friend Emma found out she would definitely lecture me about boundaries and unhealthy behavior.  I can’t think of any similarities between myself and Edward.  That is a very good thing.

Andrea: What is the most romantic thing you have ever done for Yuki?

Calvin: When we first started dating I found an antique compass at one of our local flea markets.  It was all brass knobs and gears and I thought Yuki might like the steampunk look of it.  I gave it to her with a note that read, “so that you may always find your way back to me.”  I wondered if my note was too sappy, but Yuki has kept it with her ever since.