Mirror, Mirror

What do you hide and what do you reveal about yourself? To whom? From whom? I tend to be fairly reserved in front of people (apart from my snarky comments), so it sometimes takes a while for people to know me. It's not necessarily a conscious decision, although it sometimes is, and I find it funny when people are surprised at something they learn about me, especially when they're people who have known me for a long time. Just last week, a few friends were surprised by my skills at black jack.

In the blogosphere, people seem to want to find out a lot about the blog writers (or maybe it's just the writer bloggers). Every few weeks, I receive another tag requesting that I answer questions about myself. I didn't make them up, but I do have to answer them. So, here goes:

What is the one book you couldn't live without?

Other than my own? That's a surprisingly hard question, because every time I think I know which book, another one pops into my head. Hmm, if I could only have one book, that means I'm going to need something that lets me escape from reality. Therefore, I'll have to pick any of Lynn Kurland's McLeod or DePiaget romances. They're all amazing and I'd be happy with any of them.

What can you see out your window at the moment?

Argh. I'm sitting at my dining room table looking out into my backyard and staring at my neighbor's ugly shed and gravel walkway. Several years ago, he cut down all of the beautiful trees in his yard and separating our property from each other, giving me a great view of his white, black and moss-covered shed. He also somehow convinced me to take down the brush between our yards. While that decision may have been a good one, it resulted in the DEP coming and threatening to fine us for $10,000 for removing trees from wetlands. Luckily, the guy was cute, so I flirted, blamed my neighbor and promised that everything we removed was already dead. Not sure which tactic worked, but we didn't get fined. However, every time I look out my back window, that's what I think of.

What's the weirdest thing you've ever eaten?

I don't know that any of these would qualify as weird. When I lived in France with a French family, they served rabbit. The entire thing on a platter. They had to cover the head and face for me before I'd eat it, because it looked too much like my pet bunny from when I was a kid. Oh, and when I was 3 and 4 years old, I'd go out to dinner with my grandparents and my grandfather would let me pick anything on the menu and we'd eat it together. It was a seafood restaurant, so we ate shark and bluefish and a bunch of other sea monsters not normally chosen by toddlers.

What fictional character would you most like to marry?

Oh come on, a girl's got to keep some fantasies to herself! [image error] But I guess if forced to choose, I'd pick either Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre or one of the McLeod or dePiaget men (see Lynn Kurland answer, above).

If ever a fictional villain was going to win, who would you like it to be?

I'd have to say Severus Snape. I hated him up until he died. Then, I wanted him to be saved.

How many types of cheese can you name off the top of your head?

Gruyere, brie, cheddar, swiss, American (doesn't really count), goat, bleu, provolone, mozzarella, gouda

If you didn't want to be a writer, what would you want to be?

The first thing I ever remember wanting to be was a marine biologist so I could work with dolphins. But I have a perforated ear drum, so water and I don't get along. But I always regretted not being able to do that.

Can you play a musical instrument?

Not well, but I can play the flute and the piano.

Do you own an e-reader or a Kindle?

My parents bought me an iPad when I got my first publishing contract. I have the Nook and the Kindle on it.

If so, how many books do you have on it?

Probably about 15 or so? Not very many, but I'm building my library slowly.

You just got published. In a glowing review, someone calls you the next (insert name). Which author has to watch their back now that you're on the scene?



Seriously, I'm not competitive when it comes to writing and writers. There are so many tastes out there and so many books, I don't feel the need to compete with anyone. I'm happy just with the glowing review part.

So, now that that's done, thank you to Paula Martin for tagging me. And here's to the next round of nominees:

Elizabeth Grace

Jo Heroux

Lori

Stephanie Burkhart

Check them out, they're awesome!