Let's Play 20 Questions....
As a voracious reader, I find myself always curious about authors. What is he/she like in their ‘real’ life? What are his/her likes, dislikes, and quirks that make up the person I only see transmitted through a writer’s voice?
Sure...if you follow your favorite authors online, you may get an idea of what they're like in 'real' life. But you never know...is that just an image they are trying to portray?
With that in mind, I thought I’d piggy-back onto a previous blog post I wrote entitled, “My Not So Interesting, Extraordinary Life” and try to give my readers one more peek inside what makes this gal tick.
So here you go:
Favorite food? Hmm…that one I will ponder. It’s more about what I don’t like (liver, scallops, beets). I’ll eat most everything. But if I had to say one thing I prefer above all other, I’d say my Mom’s Swiss steak. Yummo!
Favorite drink? Those who follow me on Twitter are probably shouting “Wine!”. I do love that beverage (white in the summertime, red in winter), but I would have to say coffee. Can’t function without it.
Bucket list destination abroad? Italy. My grandparents were from a tiny town in Italy that I’d love to visit one day. I’d love to see where my ancestors came from.
Bucket list destination stateside? The East coast. Preferably the Outer Banks. And New York. And Pittsburgh. Because of the Steelers.
Favorite sports team? Duh…THE STEELERS!!
Favorite exercise? Ugg. There’s nothing ‘favorite’ about exercise. It’s just…yuck. I do walk on my treadmill, but prefer walking outside. Love to hike, which actually doesn’t feel like exercise. Haven’t done much of it lately though. *sigh*
How did I come up with my character’s names in “Saving Cruz”? One of those baby name sites. I was looking for Spanish men’s names and had all three brother’s names picked out before I’d even searched for the girls. The girl’s names were more about what I felt went well with the male characters, although in book 2 (the not yet released “Taming Marco”), the female character is of Middle Eastern descent so her name needed to reflect that. Amita is what I finally chose.
How do I come up with ideas for characters? Sometimes it’s about someone I see on TV – their mannerisms, look, voice – that will inspire me to use them as a muse. For example, talking about Amita again, she is exactly the actress Priyanka Chopra, who stars in “Quantico”. I’m obsessed with her. She is such an exquisite beauty.
Favorite hobbies? Reading, of course. Hiking, and camping. We bought a new trailer this year and sadly have only used it once so far due to all things adult getting in the way. Hopefully that will be rectified next year. We want to visit Yellowstone National Park. See my previous blog “The Best Way to Travel” to see all the fun and magical places I’ve been so far.
Favorite Color? Purple. Purple everything. Can’t get enough of it.
Favorite skin care product? Philosophy…anything of theirs is good. Purity is the best cleanser. So gentle, non-drying. Love it!
First car? A baby blue Toyota Corona. It had one owner, low mileage, and the reverse went out in it a few months after I bought it. I drove around with it like that for about a year, until I wrecked it (a really dumb story that I'll share another time). Its name was Eddie (after Eddie Van Halen). Because…well, you know….I was in high school.
Favorite book? Hmm…this is a tough one. But I’d have to go with “It Ends With Us”, by Colleen Hoover. It’s haunting and I cried for a long time when I finished reading it. She is so damn brilliant.
Newest reading passion? male/male love stories. I’m currently obsessed with Christina Lee. I love how she gives her men such heart. I can just feel the angst in my chest. Love when that happens!
What I don’t read? Non-fiction, historical, most science-fiction. I read a bit of fantasy, though the past few years it’s been all about romance. I’m not super-excited about books that feature threesomes (or more) or a lot of BDSM, but I have read them. Love a good thriller with a bit of romance thrown in. Best of both worlds!
What did I do on release day? “Saving Cruz” was released on Tuesday, October 4th. I worked all day (I work from home) and spent the entire day battling the influx of emotions (both highs – a few – and lows, many). Can’t explain it. Must be an empty nest kinda thing, only in a writer’s world. Probably didn’t help that I only had 2 hours sleep the night before because I was SO darn nervous.
Marriage advice? Laugh. Laugh loud and laugh often. Sure, love and trust and all that stuff is important and vital to a good marriage, but if you can’t laugh with your partner after 27 years (yeah, me and the hub have been together that long), then you have some work to do.
Why do I write? Simple…I have to. It’s a calling, an inner voice, something that whispers (loudly at times) to me and has for years. We writers do hear voices - those of our characters, and sometimes our own as we talk back to them. It’s crazy, I know.
Favorite music? I’ll listen to anything. Truly. My IPod (yeah, I’m old school like that because I refuse to transfer it all to my phone) has rap, classical, folk, metal, R & B, country, and pop. I listen to whatever strikes my mood (at this moment I’m obsessing about country, but I’ve got a story brewing in my head and it is the perfect muse). I do not listen to music when I write. I listen to classical when I edit or when I’m outlining and researching.
Favorite job? Without a doubt, being a mom. My kids are my whole world, my every joy. They make me laugh, make me cry, make me question my choices and decisions. They are beautiful, smart, caring, and very loving….and I’m so blessed to be their mom.
There you have it.
Happy reading!
AJ
image courtesy of www.freeimages.com
