It’s All About YOU
Friday is typically the day I ask you a question and let you talk amongst yourselves until we meet again on Monday. But I’ve been remiss as a hostess (as my southern readers will attest). I mean, here you are, all these strangers showing up in my virtual living room, and I haven’t even helped you get to know one another. So today we’re going to fix that…with fun mixer activities! Woohoo! I’ll go around the room and tape the name of a famous author on your forehead and then you mill around and ask each other yes/no questions until…what’s that? Too cheesy? Okay, then we’ll play “Author In Search of Representation Bingo.” It’ll be loads of fun! Here, pass these sheets around the room…
Why are you all looking at me like that?
Okay. You’re right. Those are lame ideas. Let’s try this. Below are a bunch of “getting to know you” questions. Pick a few and answer them in the comments. Before long, we’ll all be BFFs. Sound good?
Or we could play pin the contract on the author. Nevermind, that’s just silly.
Here are your questions:
→If you’re a writer, what do you write? what do you do when you’re not writing?
→Are you published? Agented? Hopeful? Stalking me?
→What do you love about books? What drives you crazy about books?
→Starbucks, Peets, or Folger’s Crystals?
→The beach, the mountains, or completely lost and without a map?
→Running, walking, working out at the gym, or lying on the couch with a bag of Cheetos?
→Are you excited about the new seasons of “Lost” and “American Idol”? If not, what’s wrong with you?
→If you were a color, what color would you…just kidding.
→Here’s a $25,000 advance. How will you spend it? (This is not a trick question. Don’t try to impress me. I’m off in the mountains right now, not even reading your answers.)
→Twitter: Fun social media tool or harbinger of the literary apocalypse?
→Kindle: Useful reading device or harbinger of the literary apocalypse?
→If a picture paints a thousand words, how many pictures do 80,000 words paint?
→What book do you wish you had written? Why didn’t you?
→What part of the world do you live in? And how bothered are you by sentences that end in a preposition?
→Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego? Waldo? J. D. Salinger?
→Name your favorite author of all time.
→If your writer-life were a reality show, what would it be called?
→Why are you still reading these questions?
Have a terrific weekend…..
Rachelle Gardner is a Christian literary agent with WordServe Literary Group in Colorado.
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>HI, I’m new to this blog. Here are some answers to which there may not even be questions:
When I’m not writing I read.
Published, not agented, and very hopeful. I’m not a stalker or an ax-murderer, though.
Books: I love: engrossing storytelling. I hate: redundancy that assumes readers aren’t intelligent.
Hot chocolate or peppermint tea
Beach/Mountains: Beach and mountains and I’m always lost, hopeless with or without maps, but my new GPS does help. At least she talks to me in a calm, reassuring voice.
I would love to just walk. My ankle was remodeled the day after the election and I’m still on crutches. It has been humbling, especially the 6-week wheelchair phase. And when I’m off crutches I hope I can go back to my classes at the gym.
I am a huge “Lost” fan. I even got my Finnish daughter-in-law hooked on it. With the English subtitles she doesn’t miss a thing. They’re a season behind in Finland, so when she visits we always catch up with a “Lost” marathon and she goes home ahead of the other fans.
My $25,000 advance: I live in the foothills of the Rockies, so I’m not trying to impress you . . . $5K to each of our three sons to assist them in completing their graduate studies (medicine, exercise physiology and electrical engineering), $5K for home improvements, and $5K for the trip of a lifetime for my husband and me. My charitable donations are already specified in my will (cancer research, humane society, services for abused women and children), so this $25K would be conscience-free money.
Kindle: I have just ordered a Kindle and can’t wait. When I travel, just think of it – – one item in the carry-on (with limitless possibilities) in the place of all those books I always pack!
80,000 words? Ideally, a picture in every scene.
I wish I’d written: Last night I thought of an exciting premise with a tie-in to a poem I love. So – – – – I do a Google Search and what do I find? A book with my title, which also uses the poem! But all similarities end there. So I can be creative and still write this, but what a blow, initially!
I live in the Rocky Mountains. Think 2002 Olympics images to visualize how beautiful our mountains are.
Hmm. About prepositions, I’m a bit old school, so some sentences ending in prepositions do bother me (my best/worst example is colloquial: “Where are you at?”) Churchill’s words are always there to accuse me: “This is something up with which I cannot put!”
Authors: Edith Wharton, John Knowles, Ann Patchett, Anne Tyler, Charles Dickens, William Faulkner . . . to name a few.
Reality Show; “I Couldn’t Wait for Success, so I Went Ahead Without It” (quote from Jonathan Winters)
>-I am studying voice and piano and helping out w/the family when I’m not writing.
-Getting ready to stalk you. Beware. 😉
-I love how they take me into another person’s world. It drives me crazy when people break writing rules and managed to get published. I HATE it.
-Starbucks, definately.
-Beach.
-Walking.
-No. Sorry. 😉
-Buy a new laptop, join all those writing things I’m trying to scrape up money for, get my manuscript critiqued, and then spend the rest on a shopping spree. 😉
-Not crazy about Twitter
-Kindle: Sounds neato, but not ready to spend the $$$ on it.
-LOTS of pictures.
-Um, any of Dickens’ books. I didn’t write them because that was way before my time.
-Midwest USA. And I don’t care about prepositions.
-Carmen? Haven’t seen her since I was ten. Waldo? Ditto. J.D? Never heard of him.
-Charles Dickens. Cathy Marie Hake and Beverly Lewis falls in next.
-Uh…something about a writer finding time in a family of twelve. 😉
That was fun! Thanks!
>”God’s my favorite author, because a Character in His Book reached right off the page and saved me for eternity.”
Gwen, you took my breath away.
>So I’m late to the party, but let’s call it fashionably late.
Books – I love red hardcovers, yellowed pages, and happy endings.
Starbucks wishes it could be my village square coffee bar.
Siesta Key.
Lost watchers are a cult. I live with two. I think AI is a giant high school clique. What’s wrong with me is a separate question which we shall not discuss here.
25K? Mortgage, credit card debt, or car loan. You guess.
I’m all atwitter about kindling something in my fireplace.
The right word can paint a thousand different pictures to a thousand different people. So the answer is 80 million?
Skipping Christmas. Grisham beat me to it.
When you visit me on the north coast, bring that book you want me to read out of along up.
My reality show? Take your pick:
*American Idle
*Lost
*Dazed and Confused
*Satuday Night Strive
*Prepositions Gone Wild
Why are you looking for more answers?
>Sorry this is so late. No access to a computer over the weekend ARRRRGH!
I am a writer. I write mysteries, dark thrillers, SF, and anything else that strikes my fancy.
I’m published, but only short stories so far. I have an agent, you all know her, and yes I did stalk her.
One of the things I love about reading a great book is when a sentence or idea is formed so well that it makes me sit back and marvel. I also love the search, the chase, the climax and the wrap up. What drives me crazy is having to wait so long for the next book to come out.
I love the atmosphere of Starbucks (and the smell) as well as the Frappuccinos and lattes.
Mountains, ahh the great Rockies.
Working out in my basement and lying on the couch with my wife and kids watching movies and TV, (popcorn).
AI and the last of BSG
PR, a great family night out, and stupid bills.
Twitter? A good tool.
Kindle? Great for my agent.
Hmm… let me do the math… 80,000,000?
SK’s THE STAND. I’m not worthy… I’m not worthy…
Colorado. Nope, not at all.
I saw Carmen hanging out with Kaiser Sosay at Sears the other day. Waldo and Freddy Krueger are napping. J.D. is eating a Rye sandwich with Yogi Berra.
Favorite author? Can’t do it. Too many great ones. Well, okay… S. King, R. Crais, and Larry McMurtry. Oh, one? Well you have heard the concept of 3 in 1, riiiiiight?
Estate of Panic.
LOL.
>Sorry I’m late to the party, but this looked like fun.
–When I’m not writing, I’m an engineer, husband, father, movie/sports buff and lazy couch potato
–Unpublished, unagented, hopeful when not reading today’s economic news.
–I just love a good story. Period.
–Here on the East Coast, it’s Dunkin’ Donuts!
–I’ll take the beach. But actually, when you live in Delaware, everything seems exotic.
–My philosophy on exercise is: if you can’t score points, it’s not worth doing.
–Sub “24” for American Idol. And Lost is the best show on TV.
–My minivan has 117,000 miles on it. A new minivan costs in the neighborhood of $25,000. You can do the math!
–Twitter: does anyone really need to know how many times I use the toilet?
–Kindle: I just joined the 21st century and got an iPod. Give me a few more years to catch up.
–Depends: are the 80,000 words written by Stephen King, or a guy talking on C-SPAN?
–The Hunt For Red October. That’s the dream, isn’t it? Leaving the cubicle life with a great novel based on a great idea?
–I’m in Delaware. State Motto: So Close To Where You’d Rather Be. And prepositions are great to end sentences with.
–They’re hanging out with Jimmy Hoffa.
–Mark Twain, for not taking himself too seriously.
–A reality show? I have no idea. Reality shows are the furthest thing from reality I’ve ever seen, but then again, I guess no one wants to watch someone sitting in traffic or brushing his teeth. To answer the question, I don’t know what the show would be called, but I know I would suddenly have 5 people standing around me complaining about my personality flaws and trying to stab me in the back.
–Why am I still reading this? My boss just asked me the same thing. Bye!
>Mama J–you asked where I ride. I’m out here in Phoenix, AZ. We get to ride year round, so I like to ride out to Bartlet Lake. It’s about a 70 mile ride. That’s my favorite.
How ’bout you?
>I’m a little late to this game. After putting in a thirty hour workday, I went home, took a nap and then spent much of the weekend finishing a first draft. Here are my answers:
→What do you do when you’re not writing?
My last big project was a stained glass window.
→Are you published? Agented? Hopeful? Stalking me?
Published? Yes. Agented? No. Hopeful? We’ll see.
→What do you love about books? What drives you crazy about books?
A book allows the reader to develop a relationship with the characters. It is almost like they become part of the family. You can’t do that with a ninety minute movie.
→Starbucks, Peets, or Folger’s Crystals?
I’ll drink practically anything, but Folgers would be my first choice. I used to work for Procter and Gamble. They put Folgers in the vending machines. That is the only place where I can say I’ve had vending machine coffee that tasted good.
→The beach, the mountains, or completely lost and without a map?
Anywhere but flatland
→Running, walking, working out at the gym, or lying on the couch with a bag of Cheetos?
Cycling
→Are you excited about the new seasons of “Lost” and “American Idol”? If not, what’s wrong with you?
I’ve never watched “Lost.” My plan is to wait until the whole series is on DVD and then I’ll watch it. “American Idol” I looking forward to.
→Here’s a $25,000 advance. How will you spend it? (This is not a trick question. Don’t try to impress me. I’m off in the mountains right now, not even reading your answers.)
I don’t really like the concept of an advance, the way things operate now, but since we’re dreaming, our church is a little less $70,000 from having our new building paid for. I wouldn’t mind being able to take another nice big chunk out of that.
→Twitter: Fun social media tool or harbinger of the literary apocalypse?
Fad
→Kindle: Useful reading device or harbinger of the literary apocalypse?
Technology will come and go, but storytelling will always be around in some form or another.
→If a picture paints a thousand words, how many pictures do 80,000 words paint?
Let’s see, my WIP has forty chapters (forty-one if you count the prologue) and each of those chapters have between one and five scenes in them. It’s possible there are eighty scenes, but I think it is less than that. However many scenes it is, that’s how many pictures 80,000+ words paint.
→What book do you wish you had written? Why didn’t you?
My next book. I’m not even sure which one that will be. I think I know, but I’ve got four or five story ideas that I’ve looking forward to developing.
→What part of the world do you live in? And how bothered are you by sentences that end in a preposition?
Fort Worth, Texas. Originally from Zalma, Missouri. And I am more bothered by the fact that people still teach that ending a sentence with a preposition is wrong. The English language is an ever changing language. We can add words to it on the fly, but we can’t end our sentences with prepositions, even though most people do. Just what is this world coming to?
→Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego? Waldo? J. D. Salinger?
I don’t know, but I assure you it isn’t in Zalma, Missouri.
→Name your favorite author of all time.
I’ve got to go with Mark Twain on that one. (I assume you mean other than God.)
→If your writer-life were a reality show, what would it be called?
I don’t know what it would be called, but it is an interesting idea. I would imagine my life would be significantly different. Reality shows are largely about telling a story that looks something like reality, but it has to work on camera. Instead of an author sitting in a chair typing or creating an outline, I think what we would have is multiple authors who get together to discuss the story idea. They would draw it out on a big board, so it shows up on camera. Yes, they would sit in a chair and type, but never all of them at one time, so that the one typing can look up and talk about what the other is doing at the board. The search for an agent wouldn’t be sending off their work and then waiting for a response. It has to be bigger than that. I would think that the show’s producers would want have the authors visit with the agent, so the agent could tell them why she is not offering to represent their work. Once the book makes it into print, there wouldn’t be a book signing in which four or five people rather grudgingly agree to buy the book. Instead, the producers would spend money to get a long line of people to show up. They would probably hand pick the people who look good on camera and people who have a bone to pick with the authors.
>I resemble that remark, Rachel. :-p
When I’m not writing I teach high school math and parent two special needs kids. I am neither published nor agented. I’m not stalking you; I followed a link here once and found the advice helpful, so I stick around for the freebies. 😉
I’ve never heard of Peets. Starbucks or Café Cubano I make myself.
Completely lost and without a map. Sounds awesome. 🙂
Lying on the couch with a laptop.
I’ve never seen an episode of either Lost or American Idol. When would I write?
I’ve always been told you should spend your very first advance on self-promotion. [small voice]. . . but i have a mountain of debt i’d love to whittle down, and 25 grand is such a large advance . . . [/small voice]
I wish I had written Ender’s Game and its sequel Speaker for the Dead. My favorite author is still Orson Scott Card.
>So funny that you got 60 responses to this, Rachelle. It’s clear what all of our favorite topic is–OURSELVES! hahahaha
>Okay, all you bloggers and Lost fans, guess where I was this afternoon? Good guess! I was on the set of the filming of Lost on the North Shore of O’ahu. No, I’m not bragging. After all, I never mentioned that I actually live on the North Shore.
→what do you do when you’re not writing?
**reading, jewelry making, homeschooling**
→Are you published?
**not yet**
→Agented?
**not yet**
→Hopeful?
**always**
→Stalking me?
**not always**
→What do you love about books?
**being in my own private world**
→What drives you crazy about books?
**being interrupted when I’m in my own private world**
→Starbucks, Peets, or Folger’s Crystals?
**not much preference there, but tea…now that’s another story**
→The beach, the mountains, or completely lost and without a map?
**mountains and beach, because, you know, in Hawaii…**
→Running, walking, working out at the gym, or lying on the couch with a bag of Cheetos?
**the fifth**
→Are you excited about the new seasons of “Lost” and “American Idol”?
**I’m excited when I’m on the set of Lost**
→If not, what’s wrong with you?
**ok, here’s the deal: I don’t have cable…as in, no tv reception…it’s a choice…and, I’d rather be on the SET anyway!**
→Twitter: Fun social media tool or harbinger of the literary
**Lost…**
→Here’s a $25,000 advance. How will you spend it?
**I’ll do the responsible thing: Our family will take a trip!**
→Kindle: Useful reading device or harbinger of the literary apocalypse?
**I’m open**
→If a picture paints a thousand words, how many pictures do 80,000 words paint?
**um, I can paint 80,000 words…**
→What book do you wish you had written?
**The Good Earth**
→Why didn’t you?
**Pearl did it first**
→What part of the world do you live in?
**The Good Earth…Hawaii**
→And how bothered are you by sentences that end in a preposition?
**is it something I should be bothered by?**
→Name your favorite author of all time.
**Pearl S. Buck, William Saroyan, J.R,R. Tolkien…you didn’t expect just one, right?**
>I’m published (1 novel), contracted (1 novel), non-agented, and not stalking you… although we did have a very nice non-bathroom meeting at the last ACFW conference.
→Are you excited about the new seasons of “Lost” and “American Idol”? YES and YES! I’m also excited about the new season of 24.
→Here’s a $25,000 advance. How will you spend it? – It would go toward buying a house. No kidding.
→If your writer-life were a reality show, what would it be called? – “Around the World in 80 Buffets” because I live in Vegas (and no, it really doesn’t have to do with my writer life, but I liked it.) For my writer life, how about “The Big DisASSter – How One Woman’s Bottom Spread and Legs Grew Numb From So Many Hours in Her Desk Chair.”
→Why are you still reading these questions? – What questions? There are no more…
>I drive around with friends, and I shop.
Not yet. Hopefully.
There is just something about books that I love. I could spend days in a bookstore, or a library.
If I had 25,000 dollars I would buy a car, and move somewhere warm.
Kindle: There is nothing like having an actual book in your hands.
Favorite author of all time is Louise Fitzhugh because she is the author of my favorite book of all time: Harriet the Spy.
>→Not writing? Usually reading.
→Are you published? only in non-fiction..
Agented? Nope
Hopeful? Yep
Stalking me? I like to refer to it as getting to know you 🙂
→I love it that books take me away and sometimes they smell good.
→Starbucks, Peets, or Folger’s Crystals? Diet coke
→The beach – actually under the sea, the warm tropical sea..and no more getting lost cuz i have a gps.
→Exercise?? Wii Fit!!!!
→Are you excited about the new seasons of “Lost” and “American Idol”? If not, what’s wrong with you? hahahhahahahahah
→Here’s a $25,000 advance. How will you spend it? Bills, bills and then more bills.
→Twitter: Fun social media tool or harbinger of the literary apocalypse? I don’t really understand why complete strangers want to follow me..but hey, that’s okay…
>So I’m very late but thought I would post my answers (see last answer as to why…)
-I’m a payroll manager by day, mom of 3 by evening (writer by night).
Hopeful, not stalking you but if it will help… (and my first book has a stalker in it!)
-I love getting away from real life, books with bad ending’s drive me BATTY.
-I’m a hot chocolate lover.
-The beach.
-The couch with cheetoes, but I’m trying to lose weight so I guess walking *groan*.
-No, and No. The biggest Loser and the Bachelor are more my taste (don’t roll your eyes!!!!)
-Purple.
-I’d check my Dave Ramsey baby steps to spend my $25K.
-Lovin’ the twitter.
-Kindle = apocalypse.
-80K words create 1 picture: It’s called, in an author’s dream, a movie contract!
-Francine River’s Mark of the Lion series. I didn’t because I’m just not that smart.
-I live in Nashville y’all. And love a good prep.
-I know where Carmen is but I’d have to kill you if I told you. It’s top secret.
-Francine River’s hands down.
-The next big reality show: Krista’s Midnight Adventures (just realized that sounds not very CBA…)
-Because I’m procrastinating… I have something else I should be doing, darnit!
>What book do I wish I had written?
Gone with the Wind. Not just because it’s the Great American novel, but because I love the characters, the background and the unpredictable and yet inevitable nature of the plot, like a Greek tragedy.
Why didn’t I write it?
Because I couldn’t do that to a character I loved. I couldn’t kill their child, break their hearts and drive them into alcoholism. I should be willing to do that, for the sake of the story (and GWTW would not be so powerful without that ruthless realism), but I’m not able to. Yet.
>Just picking two out of there…
Um, Beach all the way. Although I live in the mountains.
The Kindle. I thought I hated it, and then I actually saw and used one. I want one now. A lot. I think it’s amazing and useful, and shows off some pretty cool technology that will catch on with other tools.
>- When I’m not writing, I’m teaching my pre-k class and directing the academy. My hubby and I are also children’s pastors, so we keep pretty busy hanging with those guys.
– I’m hopeful.
– Starbucks
– I’m a native Floridian, so the beach will always be my favorite place on earth. (Doesn’t have to be in Florida, though.)
– I’m a “24” fan. But, I do confess that my family and I LOVE to watch “AI” together.
– I’m a Facebook junkie. Tried Twitter, but couldn’t really get into it as much. (Most of my friends are on FB.)
– I’m procrastinating. (I’m nothing if not honest. Tee! Hee!)
>→Goof off on the internet, or read. Anything to avoid writing.
→Hopeful of publishing more. Not stalking you, just find your blog interesting.
→That there are so many of them out there and that there are so many of them out there.
→Umm pass?
→Generally the beach, but usually completely lost and without a map, too.
→Toss up between walking and lying on the couch with cheetos
→NO. I am Australian
→Purple…maybe
→Traveling to promote my book and visit my friends.
→Twitter can be fun, but way too distracting at times–unless I am trying to avoid writing, and then it it wonderful!
→Not sure about Kindle per se. eReaders are going to be a force to reckon with in the future, though.
→Probably more than 80.
→I don’t know. I am happy with my books and my voice. I can’t be Lewis Carrol, C.S. Lewis or anyone else. Just me.
→Australia. Not bothered as long as the writer of said sentences knows why he/she is breaking the rule.
→Under my bed, in my closet and trimming my hedges.
→No particular favorite, or maybe Charles Dickens.
→Australia’s Next Top Selling Author. (I wish)
→I’m not! I’m writing…honest!
>Rachelle, I bet you knew this post would get close to 100 responses. 😉
I’m going to answer a few questions.
Love: American Idol. Love even more when Randy dogs out snotty music majors, because I graduated with a music major and I think we’re too snotty by far, telling everyone else what is good music and what is not. My favorite part of that whole scenario is when the snotty music majors argue, “But my vocal coach, who went to Bigshot University, said…” and Randy laughs. LOL. So many parallels there to the world of writing in my humble opinion. Not going there.
God’s my favorite author, because a Character in His Book reached right off the page and saved me for eternity.
Second fave book: Pride and Prejudice, of COURSE. Why I wish I’d written it: dreaming up Mr. Darcy. Of COURSE. Now, however, I have a Mr. Stewart who is every bit as compelling as Mr. Darcy without the pride, because he would have never said that I was “not handsome enough to tempt ME.” He would have patched Lydia’s marriage together for me though, probably after giving Wickham a few good jostles. He’s a man’s man, Mr. Stewart, and doesn’t wear knee socks like Mr. Darcy.
Thanks for the mixer, Rachelle!
>When I’m not writing, I’m homeschooling my kids, helping run a business, and taking college courses.
I’m hopeful, not confident enough to stalk anyone, yet.
I love it when books take you to another world, it’s better than any movie.
$25,000 is enough to pay off my house, but hubs needs a work van for our business, and someone important to me needs a laptop so he can write as God leads him, and my toddler niece is in dire circumstances, I’d love to change her situation. (No trick answer. Straight and honest.)
Why can’t I have the beach and the mountains?
All Quiet On The Western Front (My parents weren’t even conceived yet.)
I live in the Midwest, where you never know what kind of weather will occur outside.
The last time I saw Carmen Sandiego was on PBS.
>Your posts are always so much fun to read! Have a wonderful weekend!
>I love reading more than writing too!
When not writing I chase my little boys around and blow kisses on their soft little tummies. Then they laugh and I chase them.
Okay, sometimes I have to stop the one year old from playing in the toilet, but that’s yuck, so moving on…
I don’t remember anymore questions. 😉
Hope you all have a great weekend.
Oh, I am stalking you and every other agent who has a blog. 🙂 Almost. Haven’t stalked Chip MacGregor, but I’m thinking about it. LOL
>Hi everybody.
– Assistant to a VP of Investor and Corporate Communications in corp. America.
– Hopeful
– Love: unlimited possibility; drives me crazy: when bad writing + questionable plot = publication
– Folgers. Because they serve Maxwell House at the office. Everything’s relative.
– Lost without a map.
– gym. kickboxing.
– American Idol. I’ve never seen Lost (please don’t exile me)
– $25,000…I’d do something boring like stick it in a CD. But I’d buy a killer pair of jeans first. Stupid recession.
– Twitter: I’ve never Twittered.
– Kindle: apocalypse for sure.
– Where’s my calculator?
– A novel based on my grandmother’s life. I’m not sure. I’d still like to write it.
– Great Lakes. Medium
– OK. Here’s where I stop reading the questions.
>Hey, Rachelle et al… Had fun reading your answers. Thanks for sharing.
→What do you do when you’re not writing? I teach English, and just got over a sick spell, so I’m kinda just getting back into writing again with my new blog.
→Are you published? Agented? Hopeful? Stalking me? Does publishing my own poem at poetry.com so I’d have a cool birthday present for my mom count? (I didn’t think so.)
→What do you love about books? Yes.
→Starbucks, Peets, or Folger’s Crystals? Yes.
→The beach, the mountains, or completely lost and without a map? Yes.
→Running, walking, working out at the gym, or lying on the couch with a bag of Cheetos? Yes.
(I’m starting to sense a trend here….)
→Are you excited about the new seasons of “Lost” and “American Idol”? If not, what’s wrong with you? Yes and no. If we all liked the same thing, then lovely people like Rachelle would be out of a job. 🙂
→Here’s a $25,000 advance. How will you spend it? (This is not a trick question. Don’t try to impress me. I’m off in the mountains right now, not even reading your answers.) I’d put a questionnaire on my blog and take a trip to the mountains.
→If a picture paints a thousand words, how many pictures do 80,000 words paint? Yellow.
→What book do you wish you had written? Why didn’t you? The one I still can’t talk about or let out of my head because it hurts to be that open with the ENTIRE world.
→What part of the world do you live in? The lower atmosphere. And how bothered are you by sentences that end in a preposition? If the English language was doomed to never develop and change, we’d still sound Swedish when we talked… on the bright side we could all read Beowulf with no translator.
→Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego? Waldo? J. D. Salinger? I ate them. With ketchup.
→Name your favorite author of all time. I won’t pick one. You can’t make me.
→Why are you still reading these questions? …no one took ME on a trip to the mountains.
Happy weekend, everybody!
>Not writing: Guitar, water ski, hanging with my beautiful bride and two teenage boys
Published: January 2010
Agented: Yes
Drives me crazy about books: Too many great ones out there/haven't finished Evelyn Wood's sped reding class. (Or her spelling class.)
Starbucks- I live in Seattle
Both beach & mountains
“Lost": salivating
"American Idol": same
Twitter: Fun & ridiculous
Kindle: Useful harbinger of the literary apocalypse
What book do you wish you had written? The Chronicles of Narnia.
Why didn’t you? Lewis got to it first. And he's brilliant.
How bothered are you by sentences that end in a preposition? Not.
Name your favorite author of all time. See "What book do you wish you'd written?"
>I’m a cozy mystery writer. I’m raising children and volunteering as room mom and Brownie leader when not writing.
I’m published…Midnight Ink, Aug. 2009. I’m agented, but interested in the industry from all aspects.
→Starbucks, Peets, or Folger’s Crystals?
Aldi’s Jamaican
I like walking with the corgi. Sometimes.
→If a picture paints a thousand words, how many pictures do 80,000 words paint?
I was an English major–this sounds suspiciously like the questions I skipped on the SAT!
I live in NC. I come from a long line of English teachers, but I’ve squashed the live-or-die-by-the-rules instinct as much as possible.
http://www.elizabethspanncraig.com
http://www.mysterywritingismurder.blogspot.com/
>My husband says I am not a writer so I scribble alot.
Not published yet.
No coffee just too much Dr Pepper!
I belong to the Farm Gym.
$25,000? The first fruits go to God–then not sure.
I wish I could paint, then maybe I could write.
>I’m a writer, when I’m not writing, I’m either working the paying job, keeping house, or reading. I sleep on occasion.
A short story of mine was just published in a local magazine this month. I don’t think I can count it, but I’ll take it just the same. My goal is to become agented this year. The only thing I’m stalking is my inbox.
Starbucks.
Completely lost even with a map.
Lost – No. AI – yeah, baby.
And I love me some sentences ending with prepositions. Along with sentences that start with ‘and’ and ‘but’.
>When I’m not writing, I’m mostly doing the “mom” thing. (Scheduled to have baby #2 on Monday! Will probably not be writing that day…)
I’ve published one book so far,(www.emilyeryan.com), unagented, and very hopeful about publishing more in the future.
I love books for the sheer potential inside of each one, but it drives me crazy that, as hard as it is to get published, I still see subpar books on the shelves all the time.
With 25K, I would definitely hire a maid so my days off would not get buried in piles of laundry and dirty dishes.
Live in League City, TX – outside of Houston. More bothered by intentionally misspelled words than misplaced prepositions (ie. kwik kopy, etc.)
Love the blog. Very interesting to get an insider’s take on the life of an agent. Thanks!
>I've been paid to write twice and published for free once. I am a wife & mom of 2 daughters who is addicted to Starbucks, but really any coffee will do if it's 7 a.m. Yes, even the Folger's flakes.
My favorite secular author is Stuart Woods. My favorite bible study writer is Jen Hatmaker.
I live in VA.
In real life I am funny and much more interesting than this boring comment.
For a good time, visit my blog. LOL!
>What do I do when I’m not writing? As my friends will attest, I get despressed. Other than that: Starbucks, mountians, black (color). Not an idol or lost fan…what’s wrong with me, you don’t have the time for me to tell. Favorite author: God; His book is the #1 best seller of all time. How would I spend a 25,000 dollar advance? Well, if I were out of debt, it’d be a very small portion of the downpayemnt I need to buy my castle.
>When I’m not writing, I go to zoos. 52 in 52 weeks, to be precise. And read blogs. And love on my hubby and three little girlies.
Published. 4 books. #4 released Tuesday. If you’re pregnant, you need it. It’s fun. http://www.taviano.com/marla
Agented.
I love books, but it’s taking more to keep my attention these days.
I don’t watch TV. I don’t want to get addicted. Same reason I don’t drink.
I’d get out of debt with $25,000.
Twitter’s okay. I’d get a Kindle if I could read library books on it. Hypocritical, I know.
I live in Ohio.
And I end about 25% of my sentences with prepositions. I write how people talk in real life. That’s what people like about my writing.
I love, love, love, love, love to write. Good-bye.
>→write:suspense, not writing time:hanging out with my wife, exploring…
→published:no, agented:no, hopeful:most of the time, stalking you:thanks for the idea
→I love fiction because it creates portals in and out of the creative character of God. Books that take no risk drive me crazy.
→Don’t do coffee, mainly water, but occasionally an herbal tea, nice glass of wine, or a cold beer
→The beach
→Swimming and hiking
→Not that excited about “Lost” or “American Idol”. There’s plenty wrong with me – short list or long?
→If you were a color, what color would you be? I like this one. I think I’m like a mood ring – different color for different days and times…and sometimes stuck in the 70s.
→Here’s a $25,000 advance. How will you spend it? Pay some bills, buy something nice for my wife, help my kids out, help friends/neighbors going through a tough time, spend some on marketing, put some in savings.
→Twitter: probably a little of both.
→Kindle: depends on your job title – great for agents, maybe not so much for a lot of other people.
→If a picture paints a thousand words, how many pictures do 80,000 words paint? 80
→What book do you wish you had written? Don’t want to be anybody else or write what they wrote. I believe strongly in God making each of us unique and putting in us something wonderful and beautiful to bring to the world.
→What part of the world do you live in? Northern California. And how bothered are you by sentences that end in a preposition? Not bothered.
→Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego? Waldo? J. D. Salinger? hmmm, let me google them.
→Favorite author of all time: Inklings.
→If your writer-life were a reality show, what would it be called? Driving Mark Crazy or Mark My Word.
>grrr…
I mean: “used to find humor…”
>Oh! How fun to see everyone’s answers!
When not writing I’m reading, chasing my three children, drinking chai tea or Diet Coke (Diet Coke = addiction. Can I get a witness?), at the Y making a fool of myself in Zumba or Hip Hop class or on the elliptical, dreaming of how to spend my $25,000 advance, wishing I had a Kindle, reading this blog, singing, painting something in my house to match Cranberry Red, reading my Bible (God: favorite Author/Inspirer of all time), or remembering how my grandmother used find humor in ending her sentences with prepositional phrases just to see if I’d correct her. I usually did. 😉 I miss that woman!
And– yeah for American Idol!
Blessings, all!
>When I’m not writing I love being with my family laughing, talking and enjoying good food.
I have over 60 articles published and am a contributing writer to 2 devotionals; I’m currently working on a nonfiction book proposal.
I don’t do coffee or caffeine (though it smells divine); I adore hot tea with cream and sugar. Yum.
The mountains.
Walking with a bag of Cheetos.
My 13 year-old daughter and I are totally pumped for this season’s American Idol. Cannot wait!
$25,000 would go toward the downpayment of a 2nd home near my army-dude son and his wife and 4 little ones in Tennessee.
I don’t Twitter. My FaceBook status is challenging enough.
I live in Florida, land of no autumn, zero snowfall and entirely too far from any of my family. Sigh.
Favorite Author? Jan Karon – her dialogue is amazing.
>What do I do when I’m not writing? Writing music…oh wait, that’s still writing.
The beach, the mountains or completely lost and without map? The Sandhills and the loess plains of home.
Running, walking, working out… Eliptical.
Twitter? Still trying to figure out why people would want to know when I’ve burned my toast.
What part of the world do you live in? How bothered are you by sentences that end in a preposition? Nebraska. Yes — only in writing, but not when it’s a question.
If your writer-life were a reality show, what would it be called? American Midol
Why are you still reading these questions? Because it makes me angry when people comment on my work blog without reading the whole thing.
>→If you’re a writer, what do you write? what do you do when you’re not writing? I unfortunately have a job. (Stupid work, with it's stupid ability to pay the bills.) I'm a tech writer. I also blog on the side – I have a decently popular mom/humor blog. And sometimes I throw scraps of food at my children, when I remember.
→Are you published? Agented? Hopeful? Stalking me? I've been published in a literary journal and I'm currently shopping my manuscript around – was just asked to submit partials to a few agents and am crossing my fingers so hard I've almost cut off the circulation
→What do you love about books? I'm thinking the reading part
→Starbucks, Peets, or Folger’s Crystals? Hot cocoa
→Running, walking, working out at the gym, or lying on the couch with a bag of Cheetos? A bag of DORITOS. (CHEETOS? What is WRONG with you?!)
→Are you excited about the new seasons of “Lost” and “American Idol”? HECK YEAH
→Here’s a $25,000 advance. How will you spend it? SPEND IT? I'd hoard it in prep for the coming economic apocolypse ;>
→Twitter: Fun social media tool or harbinger of the literary apocalypse? You know, I've tried and tried to wrap my brain around Twitter, but I just don't get it.
→Favorite author of all time: Jane Austen (I'm such a girl)
>agented
don’t drink coffee
I’d use the $ to buy a van before child #3 comes.
Shannon Hale
>* I write science fiction and fantasty. If I’m not writing, I’m proscrastinating, working, or doing something with horses.
* Hopeful. I stalk/lurk on all the agent blogs I’ve found in hopes on learning as much about ppublishing as I can.
*I love books that introduce me to characters I can revisit over and over again. What drives me crazy? the lack of time and money for more reading.
*tea
*beach or mountains
*walking, or sitting at the computer with chocolates
*Lost
*blue?
*put the money towards daughters’ college tuition. and a new toy or two.
*Twitter: fun time-waster
*Kindle: too expensive for me. My neck prefers reading e-books on the computer screen, but the rest of me wants paper to hold in my hands.
*Pacific NW. Nope, not bothered but I try to avoid writing them.
*see procrastinating, above.
Thanks for the questions! I’ll answer them on my blog as well (since I tend to post there once every month or so).
>*I write YA fantasy, so I can’t stalk Rachelle, either. When I’m not writing, I’m doing laundry or playing with my granddaughter or quilting or browsing in the Dollar Store.
*I’ve published picture books.
*Am hoping for an agent.
*I love to settle down with a good book and lose myself in its world.
*Dunkin Donuts coffee.
*The beach – especially the Jersey shore.
*Walking by the Delaware River.
*My hubby watches LOST. We both watch HEROES.
*$25,000 … hmmmm … I suppose I’d pay some bills and put some away for my younger daughter’s college education. After I buy some new clothes and to out to dinner. 🙂
* I don’t Twitter. I Facebook.
* The Kindle sounds cool, but I don’t have one. I think text books should be on Kindle, though. Much easier to take to classes.
* I wish I had written Hinds Feet on High Places because it’s a life-changing book. Why didn’t I? That’s a very good question.
* It’s a tie between Frank Peretti and Tess Gerritsen – but only because I’ve read all their books. I do enjoy several other authors.
It was fun getting to “know” everyone!
>- I write YA fiction for the most part. And articles for teen girls for the other part. When I’m not writing I’m staring at my fish swim around their tank like drunken sailors…
– Published, yes, in the teen mag world anyways. Agented, not quite yet.
– I love books that make me feel something. And I hate books I feel obligated to read…and then get to the end of only to find out it never had a point.
– Starbucks…tea.
– Beach, cause living here in Colorado just doesn’t cut it for me. I’m a sunshine kind of girl.
– Cheetos. Let’s not kid ourselves.
– I’m so frugal (read: cheap) right now that I don’t have a TV.
– I’d buy a TV. Actually, probably not. I’d probably buy something wildly impractical…like a horse.
– Twitter is cool…as long as you don’t feel the need to update me every seven seconds on the progress of your peanut butter and jelly sandwich through your digestive tract.
– I think I’m going to have to use Kindle before I can go one way or the other.
– Don’t know. I’m a words person myself.
– To Kill a Mockingbird. And I hadn’t been born at the time of its publication…which would explain why I didn’t write it.
– Colorado…at least for a little while longer.
– When I was little I think I found her in San Francisco while playing a computer game.
– Kristin Billerbeck…or Philip Yancey. Don’t make me choose.
– The Economy Ate My Chances
– Because I was laid off and have nothing better to do with my last day at work than to read blogs and answer questions. And spin around in my chair.
>I answered them all on my blog today:
http://peevishpen.blogspot.com
Thanks for the inspiration.
>I am addicted to surveys *shoves real work to the side*
-When I’m not writing I’m probably walking around in a record store or book store, watching The Food Network, dragging myself to a treadmill, taking pictures of sunsets, or drinking wine and watching brilliant documentaries (like The Hills) with my best friend. Wine is the only way to watch that show, friends. Trust.
– I love books. Publishing is weirder. I know I’ll always be writing, but I may not always try to write for publication – which is ay to the okay with me.
– I live in the mountains so it’s fun to get away to the beach. I stay lost, which means I embrace all three kinds of journeys.
– Walking on a treadmill at a 5K pace (darn hard when you have short legs! 🙂 and lifting weights. I hate it until I do it and then I love it. I heart my Y 🙂
– If I got a 25,000 book advance I would 1. Cry and 2. Pay off my student loans.
– I don’t like twitter or facebook. I’m 27 so I’m supposed to be obsessed with those entities but both creep me out.
– I don’t like or dislike Kindle. I don’t think it will ever totally replace a book, but it seems like a nifty tool for some people. So cool.
Yay for fun quizzes! I love reading these. In the immortal closing words of my favorite game show of all time … do it, Rockapella! 😉
>For those of you who don’t know Peets, you likely never lived in or had coffee with anyone from the Bay Area. Little cult gone commerical indie coffee company…my husband used to be hooked before he quit coffee.
I don’t drink coffee either. Starbuck’s for the occasional green tea latte. Dark chocolate and Hammer Gel when I’m cycling.
Lynn Rush, where do you ride? I’m in the Colorado Rockies foothills, also pounding out the miles.
I love where books take me. I love what I learn about history, life, or the craft of writing. The only thing that drives me crazy is how hard it is to get a much-needed topic (stepparenting a grieving child) published.
When I’m not writing I’m raising kids and furthering the education of international high school students. Peace, one student at a time.
>Hi Rachelle and "the gang",
When I'm not writing, I'm taking down Christmas decorations, like I did yesterday or checking my email or blogging or cleaning the toilets . . . did someone say procrastination???
Not me, I'm on major deadline, thanks to my lovely agent, Rachelle, who sold my first three books to Zondervan. 😉
What I love most about books is that I get to write them, and I LOVE the smell of those pages (who doesn't), which means, I'll probably never own a Kindle. Doesn't that have something to do fire? Who thought up that name, anyway?
I live in Kansas and write about the Kansas Flint Hills (hey, who said Kansas was flat!!!)Waving to Ralene & Mary and anyone else within waving distance.
I'm counting the days to American Idol. Never watched Lost, and I don't Twitter . . . yet.
And if you get a $25,000 advance for me on my next book (LOL) my husband and I will come to your house and take you out to dinner. And then we'll build a house!!!
Love the questions, but now I absolutely must get back to Diamond Falls (the home of my WIP).
>This is fun 🙂 For the record, I don’t like coffee (gasp!), but I indulge in hot chocolate almost every evening during the winter. I love the mountains, but it ‘s been several years since I’ve managed to make it to any. And yes, I admit it — I can’t wait for the next season of American Idol 🙂
>–When I’m not writing, I like to knit, read, take pictures, play guitar, make jewelry, sing and cook.
–I am neither published or agented. I’m trying to get my nano novel all fixed up pretty for publication. I do have three poetry books on lulu, but I don’t count those.
–I love getting lost in books, being a silent character in them.
–I don’t drink coffee. I love Mountain Dew though.
–I live in the desert, but also love the beach and the mountains…I’m not that picky.
–Well, of course…the couch and cheetos. But I’m trying to lose weight so I’ve been using the exercise ball a lot lately.
–I’ve never watched “Lost” but I love American Idol…can’t watch it this year though, because I only have two T.V. Channels, and that isn’t one of them.
–Hmmm, with a 25,000 dollar advance I think I’d give a lot of it to my mom, then I’d buy a lot of yarn…then maybe bills.
–Twitter: Don’t really know what it is.
–Kindle: Don’t really know what it is.
–I wish I’d written “Swan Song” by Robert McCammon. Not sure why, it’s not the kind of thing I normally write, but it’s one of my absolute favorites.
–I live in Southern Idaho, and I don’t mind them.
–Favorite author? That’s a hard one. Probably Stephen King, then maybe Danielle Steel.
–Hmmm, “Lost” is already taken…
>I write mostly historical fiction–at least that’s 90% of my short stories and all of my unfinished novels. I only have one little short story published in a Christian anthology collection from the website FaithWriters, but hoping to get my book finished and published.
I love books that can take me to another place and make me leave the “real” world. I cannot stand books that have way too much description or take 100 pages to get to the real meat of the story. Nor do I like really graphic scenes–violent or sexual. That just throws me out of the story.
My favorite author…I have too many. I’m a big fan of Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters. But I also like Francine Rivers and Liz Curtis Higgs.
I doubt you’ll read past this so I’ll stop my answers here for fear of looking like a loser 😛
>Published! For 8-12 yr. old kids–or yourself–go get the entire five-book LANDON SNOW series now! (Search “Landon Snow”). I’m not kidding. Kids love ’em.
What were the other questions? Oh yeah. I’ve also never heard of Peet’s. I love Caribou Coffee and Starbucks both. Mmm. Latte’….
I can’t wait to get a Kindle. If it brings on the apocalypse, so be it. Jesus rules.
I am disqualified from stalking because I write (gasp) fantasy.
Why am I still answering these questions? Why am I here?
>Um, what’s silly about pin the contract on the author?
Ahem. Okay.
Dem dares a lotta qustions.
When I’m not writing I’m doing a myriad of other things which more than likely involve two border collies or house plans.
Agented yes, thanks to Rachelle! Not pubbed yet, hopeful definitely. Stalking? Never!
Starbucks, what else is there? Usually lost on the beach, walking with the dogs, don’t watch too much tv except for Heroes. What’s wrong with me? How much time do you have? Any money I get now will go toward furniture. Twitter yes.Kindle no, I’m still figuring out my Ipod. I’m in Bermuda. Writer life a reality show? You mean it’s not? Well since, Lost is already taken…
k, I’m tired. Can I count this as my word count for today?
>→If you’re a writer, what do you write? what do you do when you’re not writing?
Well, I write gay historical fiction.. When I’m not writing, I’m researching, I’m self-employed now, which helps enormously. I also do a lot of procrastinating.
→Are you published? Agented? Hopeful? Stalking me?
Published yes, but not agented yet. Not stalking, because you wouldn’t handle my genre, but I do haunt your blog as it’s one of the most sensible, down to earth and helpful agent blogs around. No snark just damned good advice. I’m hopeful, because now I’ve landed a mainstream publishing deal, surely SOMEONE will want to help?
→What do you love about books? What drives you crazy about books?
I love book books. paper books, the smell, the feel. I’m not ready to go electronic for millions of reasons. What drives me mad about books? That I can’t afford all the books I want. In hardback. In hand tooled bindings.
→Starbucks, Peets, or Folger’s Crystals?
Never heard of Peets or Folgers, and I’ve never been in a Starbucks.
→Here’s a $25,000 advance. How will you spend it? (This is not a trick question. Don’t try to impress me. I’m off in the mountains right now, not even reading your answers.)
I’d be really boring, buy a new and small car, save the rest.
→Twitter: Fun social media tool or harbinger of the literary apocalypse?
Invented by someone with cloven hooves.
→Kindle: Useful reading device or harbinger of the literary apocalypse?
Useful, but you won’t get me buying one. I destroy electronics too easily.
>I’m not biting, I talk about myself more than enough as it is. But based on these questions, I think I know little bit more about Rachelle. You had fun coming up with those, didn’t you? 🙂
Just for the record: I’m counting down the next 11 days with Rachel and Rachelle.
>My name is Mary, and I love lists, so here are my answers:
I’m more of a reader for now than a writer. But when I’m not doing either of those things, I scrapbook. And watch TV. And oh yeah, spend time with my husband and baby girl!!
I’m hoping to be an editor someday.
I love the way books take me away from normal/boring/stressful life. I hate the way they have to end sometime.
Don’t like coffee, but love hot chocolate.
Definitely the mountains!
It’s been the couch for a long time, but I need to move more this year (not that that’s a resolution or anything…).
AI – yes. Lost – no.
With a $25,000 advance, I’d pay off debt. And probably buy a printer and Photoshop.
Twitter: I don’t quite get it yet, but I don’t necessarily think it’s bad.
Kindle: Definitely useful.
I live in Kansas City, and preposition-ending sentences bug me a little.
My favorite author isn’t necessarily the one whose books I love the most, so bear with me. My favorite author is Sue Grafton, because once I began reading her mysteries (in middle school!), my reading habit became a reading addiction. And that’s been a big part of my life so far…and I imagine it will become an even bigger part of my life in the future!
>ROFL! Such a great and fun post. 🙂
When I’m not writing, I love antiquing and home decor, and watching as many awesome Disney Pixar (etc.) movies with my girls as I can.
Starbucks! I dig their mocha frappuccinos in a bottle, but poured over ice. And I also really like McDonald’s iced mochas. Mmm…
For me, it’s that I’ll see a movie and wish I’d written the book (if there was one) behind it. The Notebook, Dan In Real Life, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and Last Chance Harvey are some I can think of right off.
It so neat to read everyone’s answers. 🙂
>Hey…let’s go back to playing pin the contract on the author! Does the author get to keep the contract? hehehe…
On the rare occasions when I am not writing, revising, reading about writing, or stalking agentsq, I am a mother of two toddlers who should have been twins (they are less than a year apart).
I am not published or agented, but I am stalking Rachelle. I’ve even started stocking chocolate and wine for that “something extra” agents are always looking for. 🙂
The coffee obsession has been lost on me! I’m all about my Diet Coke. Man, I probably just lost all my credibility with Rachelle with that admission.
The mountains are gorgeous! Unfortunately, I live in KS. There aren’t any mountains in KS, just lots of flat plains. Grrr…
I love “AI” and am counting the days! I did like “Lost”, but missed like half a season and was incredibly lost (ha ha), so gave it up.
I have not tried Twitter yet and don’t really have the desire to.
Prepositions? Prepositions. Hmm… No, actually, it doesn’t really bother me.
It’s nice getting to know you all!
>Great idea on this post.
1. I am road biking/running/watching movies when I’m not writing.
2. Don’t watch Lost or Idol….I know, can we say FREAK?
3. Twitter I like it, but I like FaceBook better.
4. I LOVE LOVE cheetos, but, I’m a runner/road biker–many stories are developed pounding out 60 or 70 miles on the bike.
Have a great weekend everyone. I’m hoping to come back to this post later to read more of your answers.
**smile**
>Agented, and awaiting word from several amazing editors who are not only brilliant but also startlingly beautiful.
How many pictures do 80,000 words paint?
Just one, and sometimes it’s Elvis on black velvet.
What book do I wish I had written, and why didn’t I write it?
Oliver Twist. Born a little late for that one.
Kindle: Useful, especially for those who have bad arthritis in the hands. Will be great for my parents.
Twitter: Unconvinced. Somewhat fearful that they may have ruined a good verb forever.
>I’m not published.
I AM stalking Rachelle, and you are,too, so wipe the virtuous look off.
When not writing, I play violin professionally and homeschool my three kids.
I am obsessed with Lost, but have only watched two seasons of Idol. I played a benefit concert with one of the runners up, though. I can’t remember his name. For shame!
Deep down, I will always love reading more than writing. But I love writing, too.
I’ll take Starbucks, Folgers, or caffeinated tar, if there is nothing else.
I run. Far. Like, 18 miles at a time. And then my toenails fall off.
Okay, done.
>When I'm not writing, I'm mom to four kids–I write while the laundry runs four mornings a week–& a part-time oncology nurse. I am hopeful that I'll be published one day, so I can justify all the time I spend writing instead of cleaning the house. I live in the Upstate of South Carolina. Cumbersome sentences bother me way more than sentences that end in prepositions.
I love the way books transport me into other people's lives. Books that have an obvious agenda drive me nuts, because it gets in the way of enjoying the story. My favorite author is Rosamunde Pilcher, for her incredible ability to transport the reader into the story world, her rich narrative, and the multi-layered plots of her long fiction.
$25,000? Probably a vacation at the beach, with plenty of time/atmosphere for my brain to rest, some things for the house, and (honest-to-Pete) writing courses/conferences with mentoring opportunities.
This was a great idea Rachelle. I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone!
>I’ve picked a few to answer….
→Are you published? Agented? Hopeful? Stalking me?
My humor column ran for a couple of years in a local magazine until it had to shut down the presses. My humor as appeared in a few other newspapers and magazines as well. I do have an agent for my middle grade fantasy novel (Jan Dennis), but am starting to look for representation for my women’s fiction. I don’t think I’m stalking you…but do stalkers ever think they’re stalking?
→Starbucks, Peets, or Folger’s Crystals?
Starbucks, definitely (never heard of Peets). I’m a confirmed coffee snob.
→The beach, the mountains, or completely lost and without a map?
Mountains!
→Twitter: Fun social media tool or harbinger of the literary apocalypse?
Neither. I tried out Twitter for several months, but it didn’t do much for me. I like Facebook, though.
→What part of the world do you live in? And how bothered are you by sentences that end in a preposition?
Maryland. Am I bothered by a sentence that ends in a preposition? Sort of. 🙂 No, but really, I tend to avoid ending my own sentences with prepositions, but usually don’t notice when others do.
→Name your favorite author of all time.
C.S. Lewis (yeah, me and half the world). He was so incredibly versatile and a wonderful story-teller.
>I’m one of those people who has a hard time calling myself a “writer”. I wrote a manuscript out of life events, but not yet inspired to keep writing. So yes, I’m seeking that “one book wonder” success story (only if it will reach and inspire others) and then I’ll “go on living”. I’m a systems engineer and still love to ice skate on my 1972 hockey skates. Don’t believe me? Check out the bottom of my website–I’d hate to break in a new pair of skates at this late date!
God Bless!
Jim
>Hi, I’m Harvey Schmidlap from Snook, Texas, and isn’t this the web site for getting a hunting license?
No? Well, since I’m here already, I’ll play–
Starbucks, for a nonfat, decaf caramel latte.
When not writing, I’m generally making a tee time for my next golf game or feeling guilty because I should be writing.
End a sentence with a preposition? I agree with Winston Churchill–it’s something “up with which I will not put.”
My favorite authors (I’m unable to stop at one) include Robert B. Parker, John Grisham, Lawrence Block, and Dr. Michael Palmer.
My favorite agent is Rachelle Gardner. Isn’t that what you told me to say?
>Here goes:
When not writing I’m grandparenting.
Published, presently unagented, stalking to get to know you so I can send something you will absolutely LOVE.
Dunkin’ Donuts coffee!
I’m a travel addict. I like it all.
Walking–knees won’t allow running.
“Lost” yes. “AI” no.
Love fellowship of Twitter.
My Sony reader is great-especially for travel.
I live on the North Coast that everyone speaks of.
While I don’t search for Waldo, “Where in the world?” is the question most asked by my kids in reference to us, their parents.
No one time favorite author–just enjoy a good read.
Keyboard Keystone. Huh???
No more!
>I work when I’m not writing. One of these days when I’m a world renowned best selling author I’ll tell you what I do for a living and we’ll all get a big laugh out of it.
Not published. Hoping one day. Not stalking.
Before I go to sleep, I read and I love how a good book transports you to some far corner of the world and takes your mind off things.
Starbucks definitely.
The beach. Destin, Florida.
Lying on the couch without the bag of cheetos.
Love Lost and American Idol.
With $25,000 advance I would pay off all the bills I could first. By new furniture, a bigger TV with awesome surround sound. Any leftover, I’d give it to my wife.
There are lots of books I wish I’d written, particularly the best selling ones.
I live in North Alabama.
Prepositional phrase? Lets stick to nouns, verbs, adverbs and adjectives. I’m not that advanced.
Clive Cussler is my favorite author of all time.
I hate most reality shows, except for American Idol.
Unfortunately, I am still reading these questions.
>Ah, c’mon, can’t I be a color?
I’d be red. The color of my Savior’s blood, of a fiery Colorado sunset, of Latino passion and temper.
It’s also the color you’d get if you mixed an orange T-I-doubleG-ER (bouncy, try-anything-once, foggy-on-names Tigger!) with a brown Owl (still-hasn’t-got-his-own-spotlight, wannabe sage who’s either quietly observant or won’t shut up)——both of them oblivious-to-danger do-gooders. My kids swear I’m a cross between the two.
Whew! I’ve exhausted my hyphens for the week. Just as well, I’m finally taking a break from blogs and writing to go on Christmas vacation, but I will certainly catch up with this chat when I get back.
Oh, and my favorite Author is the one who wrote the all time bestseller Holy Bible.
>When not writing, I study. (Though it’s more like when I’m not studying, I write. Sigh.)
I don’t really get Twitter or Kindle, but I don’t think they spell the end of the literary world.
Beach and mountains = Cape Town where I grew up so I’ve never had to choose. And never will.
I live in the UK at the moment, but only temporarily. I’m South African. And prepositions at the end of sentences do bother me but not as much as they did.
>When not officially writing, I’m parenting – but actually I write all the time in my head
I’m a fantasy genre poet, so I don’t think you’re the agent for me 😉
The mountains, always (although the beach lately, from necessity, it being midsummer and my child loving the sand and sea)
If a picture paints a thousand words, 80,000 words paints one picture, just possibly less well than a thousand
My favourite author of all time is Robert Frost (do poets count?) because of his intriguing mix of vulnerability and mastery. My second favourite author is Theodora Goss, because her writing is perfect, pure, and ravishing
PS, your weblog looks lovely 🙂
>Not writing…huh???
Starbucks
Wogging in the mountains or on the beach
Green
On tuition
ADHD blogging
80 (not so bad at arithmaticking 🙂
Stephen King and L. Frank Baum