Eleven - no, Twenty-two - Interesting Questions and ROW80

ag! I'm it!

Thanks to Kaylie for posing these interesting questions:

1) What is your most embarrassing moment?

Aha, you think I'm going to reveal that here? I'll think of another one though... there might be something book related... ah yes. I'm a rather bad (read: terrified) public speaker. My brain pulls a Homer Simpson, and disappears. So one day, in eighth grade, I had to do a book review, in front of the class. I'd been warned that we'd lose marks for reading, so I tried not to look down at my notes and instead, out of sheer nervousness, went off on a rant about the author. Caught sight of my teacher's open-mouthed expression and promptly shut up. Afterwards, one of my classmates said, "I could see your knees shaking." Yes, thank you. I was aware.

2) If you had to play a sport as a career, which one would it be?

Good question! Something historical, like archery or swordfighting. I think I could do darts and archery rather well, but I'm not coordinated for games involving others.

3) Who is your favorite music artist, and why?

Just one? That's impossible! But I managed to narrow it all down once, for the 30 Day Song Challenge.

4) What is your favorite movie, and why?

Still hard to choose one, but I recently watched Waking Ned Devine for about the tenth time. So wonderful and sweet. And, of course, there's Ioan Gruffudd in Solomon and Gaenor.

5) Would you rather live in a fantasy/paranormal world or a sci-fi one?

Fantasy, hands down. But a real place, like Middle Earth.

6) Can you list all seven dwarfs?

Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Fili, Kili, Thorin Oakenshield... Oh wait, that's not what you meant, is it?

7) If you were tossed into a fairytale, would you be a helpless princess/prince, a kick-butt heroine/hero, or the bad guy?

Helpless, at least until I figured out what was going on. Then I'd look out for myself, but probably not be the greatest at saving others. Unless I was part of a kick-ass team! Who's coming?

8) Aside from writing, what is your dream job, and are you living it?

Yes and no. I do get to copy edit a lot at work, but that doesn't see me copy editing for Neil Gaiman (or Diana Gabaldon or the Tolkien Estate or...) or doing the dream copy editing job:

I sit at home, in pyjamas, with a latte, and the doorbell rings. It's the mailman, delivering the latest book from the big publishing house. I get to scribble all my copy edits on the manuscript, and send it back - and someone else has to type them up! Every once in a while, when I crave human interaction, there are meetings downtown, with endless free lattes.

So, anyone hiring?

9) What is the best cheese you've ever tasted?

Ooh, a yummy question. I love very old cheddar, and goat cheese, and Turkish white cheese, but the best is kaşar cheese, melted on a poppyseed Montreal bagel.

(not exactly a bagel, but image from Balbadem)

10) Wolverine or Cyclops? (Either to be, for men, or to have, for ladies.)

Er. Neither? If forced, I'd go with Wolverine. My vision is bad enough for two!

11) Coffee or tea?

c.f. Question 9. Latte, latte, latte. Nothing against tea, though. I usually have one a day, a lovely English Breakfast from Harrods that I received as a gift. Or Lord John Grey tea!

I'll tag... All eleven folks who commented on my post last Friday!

And now, here are the other eleven questions, which Melissa asked:

1. If you were given a yacht, what would you name it?

Something out of Tolkien, definitely.

2. If you could be invisible for a day, what would you do?

I'm not sure... Maybe have some fun scaring/confusing people by moving things in front of them.

3. Where's your favorite place to write?

My favourite place - at home, with coffee, cats and music - isn't conducive to writing. Better if I get out of the house.

4. Give us a sample of a conversation you might have with one of your characters.

I did an entire interview with Devran!

5. What punctuation mark best describes your personality? Why?

The question mark. And then what happened? But why?

6. Just like "Everybody Wang Chung tonight!", what action would your name be if it were a verb?

Well, actually... It all ready is a verb. My boss calls editing "Denizing."

7. What's one thing you'd like others to know about you?

I won't say no to a night out at a pub.

8. What's one misconception people tend to have about you?

That I'm ruthless about grammar. I try to refrain from correcting others.

9. Who cares if the glass is half empty or half full. What's in the glass?

Milk. Coffee. Tea. Hand-squeezed grapefruit juice...

10. Name one of your strengths when it comes to writing?

Er, besides copy editing? Ahem... Bedroom scenes, if I do say so myself.

11. What's the most unusual or outrageous thing you've ever done to understand and perfect a character's POV?

I know what I'd like to do - make the same journey my characters make, back and from from Cadiz and Barcelona, all the way across the Mediterranean in a caravel, to Istanbul.

I'll tag... everyone who commented on my last post!

ROW80 is on track - I've only got a few filler scenes left to write. A bit daunting, actually, because this means I have to start opening up the MS on the computer, and spend my evenings entering all those missing scenes, and deciphering all the messy edits. Maybe I should set up a latte fundraising drive...

How's everyone else doing?