Q and A

I’ve seen this interview popping up on other blogs and hoped I’d get my chance to be the interviewee. It came sooner than I expected, when the charming Coachdad caved to my begging. Get comfortable – if you’ve been here for more than 30 seconds, you may have noticed that I often use 17 words when 3 will do…

1. When reading other blogs, what qualities do you look for to make you come back?
Humor, sarcasm, sincerity, openness, compassion, passion, wit, warmth, intelligence, likes pina coladas and getting caught in the rain…

2. Notting Hill is one of my favorite romantic comedies of all time... how many times would you have let Julia Roberts come and go before you gave up for good if you were Hugh Grant?
Julia Roberts? As many times as she wants! It’s common knowledge that I would go gay for Julia or Sandra Bullock.

Given my current circumstances, it’s probably clear that she would have plenty of chances! I really identify with Hugh Grant’s character, William. He loves Anna for who she is, and that means accepting her quirks and faults and insecurities. She is very human and, like the rest of us, her actions are sometimes motivated by fear or misunderstanding. I sure understand the pain in William’s rejection of Anna near the end, but I doubt I would have the strength to turn her down when she says, “I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.” It doesn’t get more honest than that.

Anna: So who left who?
William: She left me.
Anna: Why?
William: She saw through me.
Anna: Uh-oh. That’s not good.

The thing is, I think that’s why William keeps taking her back – he sees through the mask and he loves her anyway.

Anna: Can I stay for a while?
William: You can stay forever.

Swoon.

3. The Mayfair Witch series is often overlooked by readers of Anne Rice. Why do you like it more than her vampire books?
Well, the vampire books have so many words!! The Mayfair Witches books (The Witching Hour, Lasher, and Taltos) are easier to read than, say, Interview with the Vampire but that’s not really why I enjoy them. Well, ok, that’s part of it – reading should not be work and reading the vampire books is work for me. I am fascinated by New Orleans, especially the French Quarter, and the city is a full-fledged character in the books. (Bit o’ trivia: the Mayfair house is Anne Rice’s own house.) I like how the books span centuries and yet we get to know many characters quite well. There is mystery, romance, suspense, tragedy, the occult – a little bit of everything. Lasher, the “ghost” around which the stories revolve, is scary, creepy, seductive, sympathetic, oddly human, and completely fascinating. Rice’s language is real and vivid, drawing pictures that have stayed in my head for years. Somehow Lasher’s and the Talamasca’s love of the Mayfair family tempers all of the weirdness and makes it very appealing.

4. What do you like best about having your own blog?
First and foremost, I like having a forum where I can say anything I want. Anything. It’s very liberating.

Throughout my life, I have tried writing short stories, poetry, and journaling but I have always been frustrated with the results. OK, my picture was in the paper when I won a creative writing contest in 7th grade but that was a fluke. Somehow blogging is proving easier and more satisfying for me, maybe because I feel like I have an audience (hello, all two of you!), maybe because here I write like I talk (makes you feel for Mary Alice, doesn’t it??) instead of trying to adopt a different voice. I am not a writer, just a chick attempting to share her thoughts, imperfections, and triumphs, but I enjoy the process of working from idea to draft to satisfyingly (more or less) finished essay. I hope my words connect with readers, make them think, reminisce, consider, laugh, scoff, whatever…but if they don’t, I get enjoyment and fulfillment from developing my thoughts into solid statements.

I have been so pleasantly surprised by the sense of community I have found among bloggers. I love those little moments of connection when I read something that expresses precisely how I feel (usually much more eloquently, yet succinctly, than I would) or when a comment lets me know that I reached someone with my words. This week especially, I am honored and overwhelmed by the kindness and support of people who are little more than strangers.

My least favorite thing is editing for length. I am not given to brevity but I don’t want to drive people away with the blah-blah-blah of my posts. I would not make a good newspaper reporter!

5. Do you write when you have nothing to write about, or do you wait for another day?
I wait for another day. I am shooting for quality (grade school level, not grad school, mmm-k?) rather than quantity. There are things I want to say but because writing does not come naturally to me I sometimes struggle to convey what I really mean. When that happens, I’d rather scrap it or let the thoughts sit in my head until the right words come along.

I am amazed by the number of bloggers who write brilliant posts every day. I admire their ability to consistently produce witty, engaging, intelligent compositions but I am happy to stay in the shallow end of the pool.

I am, however, looking forward to the challenge of NaBloPoMo ’09.


Thank you, Coach!

Now it's your turn. If you would like me to interview you just leave a comment and I will email you the questions! Here are the directions:
1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. (I get to pick the questions).
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.