This or That: Getting
to know you….
Favorite Authors
Stephen King, Ken Kesey, John Irving,
Edgar Allan Poe, Hunter S. Thompson
Favorite Books
Sometimes A Great Notion, Hotel New Hampshire, Catcher in the Rye,
Fahrenheit 451, Little Big Man
Favorite Literary Characters
Mac McMurphy,
Things That Inspire You
The little oasis I’ve created, the view
from my front windows, people who conquer obstacles, early morning runs, being
alone in the wilderness.
Books That Made You Want To Become A
Writer
Sometimes a Great Notion, Of Mice and Men, The
Lord of the Rings, Gone with the Wind, To Kill a MockingbirdBookish Pet Peeves
Plot in favor of character, jumping
straight into an action scene on page one, motiveless characters, overabundant
dialect, unsatisfying endings
Pieces of Advice you have for aspiring
writers.
Don’t write to trends. Character in
favor of plot. Don’t write for fame, money, reviews or awards. Write
courageously. Write the stories that keep you awake at night thinking about
them.
Favorite Movies/TV Shows
Game of Thrones, House of Cards, Mad
Men, Modern Family, Vikings
Things you wish you knew before you
published
The value of early platform building;
that publishing one book is rarely life-changing; how hard it is maintaining
balance between career and family; the stress involved with touring/promotion;
never to leave promotion completely up to your publisher.
Places you would consider paradise
The Gold Coast of Australia, Costa Rica,
The Virgin Islands, Greece, Italian Wine Country
Foods you wish you could and never gain
a pound
French fries, Haagen Dazs (almost any
flavor), thick crust pizza, Kettle Chips, lobster mac and cheese
Things that bring a smile to your face
My kids’ accomplishments; my goofball
German shepherd pup, Wyn; the smell of sagebrush after it rains; quarter-sized
snowflakes; my garden in full bloom.
Words you try not to use.
Dude, fabulous, totally, dimwad, f**k
(though you wouldn’t know it to read some of my Facebook posts)
Words you love.
Copacetic, capricious, delectable,
pogonip, emanate
Places you'd like to take your laptop
to and write.
Big Sur, Cape Cod, Yosemite, Lizard
Island (Au), Sequoia National Park
Favorite desserts
Crème brûlée, chocolate mousse, gelato,
éclairs, cherry pie
Cities you want to visit or your
favorite cities?
Sydney, Paris, Glasgow, Amsterdam,
Prague
Words that describe yourself
Outspoken, engaged, funny, compassionate,
strong
Games you like to play
Monopoly, Sudoku, Scrabble, Solitaire,
Yahtzee
Things you have in your
purse/bag/wallet now
iPhone, sunglasses, keys, $20,
heart-shaped piece of agate
Pet peeves
Rude drivers, Fox News, people on their
phones in inappropriate places, airplane seatmates who invade my limited space,
the newly-coined term “religious liberty”
