Many of you have asked about the carvers whose magical fingers make The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze such a satisfying spectacle. To that end, I dug out my trusty reporter's notebook and went behind the scenes to dig up some info on the folks behind the knives. The Blaze Blog's new series, Meet the Carvers, begins today with Blaze Creative Director and head carver Michael Natiello.

BB: What's your day job?
MN: Professional coffee drinker.

BB: What kind of carvings are you working on for Blaze 2007?
MN: Top secret experimental kind.

BB: Are you working on any other Blaze-related items?
MN: I'm currently working with a lighting designer (Jay Woods) and musicians (Jim Keyes and Cosmic Moth) to create new special effects and a new musical score for the event. 

BB: What are your preferred carving tools and methods?
MN: For tools, I prefer a cordless drill, woodworking routers, a utility knife, a "leatherman," and linoleum block cutters. My preferred method? Carefully.

BB: Got any carving tips for a novice?
MN: Carve quickly but carefully

BB: What's your favorite pumpkin-based food?
MN: Pizza.
BB: Ewww...
MN: Sorry.

BB: What's your favorite Halloween movie?
MN: Frank Zappa's Baby Snakes.

BB: Toasted pumpkin seeds: Salt or no salt?
MN: Sea salt, preferably from the Dead Sea.

BB: What makes pumpkins so special?
MN: Their native spirit.

BB: If I were a carved pumpkin, I'd be...
MN: Composted.

BB: Thank you, Michael!