Atlas Halleck

June Character Interview

Patricia Parrington ~ June 22, 2026

Hello my lovely readers and fellow book-lovers! For those of you new here, I, your nosy host Patricia Parrington, have the pleasure of interviewing characters from books all over the world.

Today, Atlas Halleck is here with us from the young adult romance mystery novel Dear Elena by Grace Personett. Grace has a bachelor's degree in creative writing from Purdue University and loves everything pertaining to poetry and beautiful words. Besides writing, other hobbies of hers include haunting local coffee shops, hanging out with friends, reading, traveling, and dancing.

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Meet Atlas

Welcome to—

[A crash sounds from the studio equipment in the back of the room and Patricia winces.]

Fable Features. Sorry, hold on. Scribblemore!

[A blue weasel-sized dragon scampers over to the couches, shaking debris off his head.]

Sit.

[Patricia sighs and offers a sheepish grin to her guest.]

Sorry about that! Scribblemore has a lot of pent-up energy right now. Do you have any pets or a pet you would like to have?

[Atlas eyes Scribblemore cautiously and shifts a little in his seat before answering.]

Uh, no. No pets at the moment. Maybe I’ll get a dog in a couple years, once I’ve settled down. But until then, my best friend Nathan is plenty to take care of.

[Patricia chuckles.]

Sometimes friends can be a handful, huh? How’d you first meet Nathan?

I first met Nathan when I was six years old. We were on the same soccer team—cute, I know—and  we’ve been friends ever since.

Nice! I love soccer. Sports can be a great place to make new friends.

What do you like to do for fun?

Fun? Well, I read a lot. Does that count? I’ve been told I use books to escape the “real world,” but can you really blame a guy for trying?

[Atlas forces an uncomfortable smile onto his face.]

That definitely counts! I love to read as well. Sometimes it’s nice to escape the real world for a little while.

Speaking of escaping, what makes you feel safe?

What a . . . personal question. I guess I would say being around the people I love and making sure nothing bad happens to them. There’s also something about going to the library in the evening, sitting in a big winged-back chair, and reading a comfort book next to a girl who doesn’t ask too many questions that I quite like.

That does sound very calming and relaxing. And there is that element of feeling safe when you’re with people you care about.

What’s something you really miss?

[Atlas shoves his hand in his pocket.]

My little sister. She’s, uh. She’s been gone for a little over a year now and I miss her so fiercely I think I might drown in the grief. But um—I’m finding my way without her. I’d like to think she’d be proud of me.

[Patricia’s brows pinch together and she places a box of tissues on the coffee table just in case.]

I’m so sorry to hear that. Loss is hard. And grieving is hard. Do you mind if I ask what happened to her?

[Atlas fidgets with the hem of his sleeve and keeps his gaze down.]

Truthfully, I’m not sure if I have it in me to say it out loud. I um—yeah. Let’s just say she was too young and the world is more cruel than I gave it credit for.

[Patricia nods solemnly.]

I’m sorry. This world can be cruel and unfair sometimes. I can tell you really cared about her. Why don’t we move to the next question? Something a little more . . . lighthearted.

[A mischievous grin quirks her lips.]

 If someone handed you a flamingo and walked away, what would you do?

A flamingo? The range of questions you have for me is really . . . expansive,

[Atlas deadpans.]

[Patricia laughs.]

I’ve been told that before. I’ll take it as a compliment!

If someone handed me a flamingo—is it plastic? I’d have to assume it’s plastic. I can’t imagine being handed a live flamingo. If someone handed me a plastic flamingo, then Nathan would be the proud new owner of a plastic flamingo.

I think that’s a good way to handle a surprise flamingo gift. Hopefully your friend would enjoy it or at least find a good use for it!

Ooh, I like this next question. What do you think makes someone a hero?

[Atlas scratches the back of his neck and props his right ankle onto his left knee.]

I have some complicated feelings about heroes. Growing up, my mom always told me that my dad was a hero. But, spoiler alert, he’s just a lawyer. I’m sure he really was helping people, but it’s hard to look up to someone who’s never home.

That is tough. On one hand, he helps lots of people. But on the other hand, the tradeoff is not spending much time with his family. Or son.

[Scribblemore climbs onto Patricia’s lap and she pats his head.]

What’s the biggest problem you’re facing right now?

[Atlas thinks for a moment and hesitates.]

There’s this girl named Lydia.

[He pauses and gives Patricia a knowing look.]

Don’t get carried away with this. She’s just a girl. One that I can’t figure out and it’s driving me crazy. She just sort of appeared at school and no one knows where she came from. No prestige, no fame, no family wealth—or so it seems. People sit on the waitlist for years, just hoping for a spot at Crestwood, so how she managed to make the cut is beyond me. And—

[Atlas catches the small smirk appearing on Patricia’s lips.]

I knew that answering this question was a bad idea.

[Patricia waves her hands.]

No, no. Please continue!

Nope, not happening. Next question.

Alright, we can move on. She does sound like a very mysterious girl!

[Patricia hides another grin.]

How do you want others to perceive you?

Not at all. Not being perceived would be a dream come true.

You don’t want to be perceived, not even by Lydia?

[Patricia prods.]

[Atlas looks away, a small twinge of pink appearing high on his cheeks.]

I wish I hadn’t told you anything.

Oh, don’t worry. I’ll quit being nosy now.

[Scribblemore chirps and Patricia pets him again.]

I would like to wrap up our time with one last question if that’s okay with you? What piece of advice would you give to younger you?

Hmmm. I think I would tell my younger self to live in the moment more and enjoy every second with my little sister. I didn’t know just how precious and fleeting that time would be.

Very wise words. Thank you for sharing.

[Patricia stands.]

And thank you for chatting with me today! It was great getting to know you, Atlas, and I hope things get a little easier and a little more bearable for you.

End of interview.

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Want to Read More?

Atlas Halleck’s author, Grace Personett, can be found on Instagram. Dear Elena can be purchased here!

Cover image by Jenna Sims

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See Ya Next Time

Aaand that's all the time we have today. Thank you, readers, for coming. And thank you, Atlas, for letting us get to know you! See y'all next time.

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If you would like to submit a character to be interviewed for a future issue of Fable Features, please send an email to linnae.writer@gmail.com with the subject line: Fable Features.

Please note that erotica and content with excessive vulgar language will not be accepted.

If you have questions you'd like Patricia Parrington to ask in a future interview, please submit them to linnae.writer@gmail.com with the subject line: Interview Questions.