Quirky Questions with Barbara White

I asked some quirky questions of Barbara White! But first, the book: Shadows of Night

And some social media links:

https://www.facebook.com/barbara.rottman

https://www.amazon.com/author/whitebar

Twitter: @Barbara02158979

On to the interview!

Welcome, Barbara! Tell us, what is the hardest part of being an author?

The hardest part of being an author for me wasn’t the amount of time writing, editing, proofreading or even the time publishing and promoting. The hardest part was actually letting my family and friends read my books and hearing their opinions. My mother was my first and most difficult critic and supporter.

Oh, yes! It’s like letting people see into your head and that can be scary! But thank you for sharing your world with us! Next question: What is your most bizarre talent?

My most bizarre talent, according to my family, is using my feet to pick things up off of the floor and “walking” across the floor on my rear end.

I can see that this is going to become one of my favorite questions to ask! Now, would you rather fly on a dragon or meet a mermaid?

I would rather fly on a dragon than meet a mermaid. Soaring through the air on a mythical creature sounds much more thrilling and magical.

Who wouldn’t want to fly? If you had to live without one of your senses, which sense would you give up?

If I had to live without one of my senses then I would choose my hearing. My husband is hearing impaired and I already know sign language and I would still be able to do the things I really love to do, including writing, quilting, painting and traveling.

I think sign language is such a beautiful language! What’s the most marvelous thing you have ever seen with your own eyes?

Three of the most marvelous things I have seen with my own eyes, which all rate equally to me, would be the view from the top of a snowy mountain near Vail, Colorado, a hundred foot waterfall inside a cave in Tennessee, and my husband in a tuxedo when we got married this past fall.

How marvelous! If you were reincarnated as an animal, what would it be?

If I were reincarnated as an animal it would be a grizzly bear. I like to hibernate in the winter, peaceful unless provoked and a loving but protective mom.

Don’t poke the bear! Lastly, are you on the dance floor or a wallflower?

I would have to say a bit of both. I’m a bit shy in social settings and will sit back and watch for a while but with the right person beside me I will get out on the dance floor willingly. A good dance partner is essential in life.

That is the truth! Thank you so much, Barbara, for answering my quirky questions! Please support Barbara by reading and following, and step on the dance floor with us next Friday for another round of questioning!

Happy reading! 🙂

 

 

 

 

Quirky Questions with M. Ocampo McIvor

    Ebook sale! 99 cents from 8/24 thru 8/31!!

I asked quirky questions of M. Ocampo McIvor! But first, check out the book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074YGZ24J

And follow this author on Twitter: @mocampomcivor

Now to some questions!

Welcome, M.! What is the weirdest scar you have and how did you get it? 

Forehead, above my left eyebrow. My little brother threw a fork at my face, then a butter knife, slicing my forehead open. I was five years old, he was three. (But I tell people I was in a gang fight as a teen, and not to mess with me 😉

Ouch! Your little brother must have some arm! Shark diving, bungee jumping, or sky diving?

Skydiving! Closest thing to flying J

Good answer! What’s your favorite sound?

Rustling leaves in the summer breeze; I like to think the trees are singing.

I often think they sound like the ocean. What was the last movie or TV show that made you cry or tear up?

Moonlight (thoughtful & gut wrenching), and Sacha Baron Cohen’s Who is America (tears of insane laughter, a must-watch!)

Tears of laughter are great! What was the last thing you ate?

Wild salmon, rice, spinach & kale, plus ice cream for dessert.

I’m very interested about the ice cream—I need more details on that. Are you on the dance floor or a wallflower?

On the dance floor… ALL NIGHT.

Stayin’ alive! And finally, unicorn or Pegasus?

Pegasus – the Superman of horses! I like unicorns too, but I’d rather not chase elusive magic.

And with Pegasus, you’re flying again! Thank you, M., for joining our quirky tour! Support M. by buying the book and following on Twitter. We’ll be sampling ice cream and answering more quirky questions right here, next Friday!

Happy reading! 🙂

 

 

Quirky Questions with Leonora Meriel

I asked quirky questions of Leonora Meriel! But first, the book: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072DWZBYC

And the links:

Twitter: @leonora_meriel

www.facebook.com/leonoramerielwriter

www.leonorameriel.com

Now some questions!

Welcome, Leonora! What’s the meaning of life?

The meaning of life is expressing love in myriad different ways. This could be through novels, for writers; through relationships of all kinds; through art; through living kindly; through being happy in ourselves and sharing that happiness. That’s what it’s all about for me.

What a beautiful answer! Favorite age you’ve been so far?

I turned 40 this year and it’s the best age by far. I have knowledge and experience of life; I have full energy to pour into my career; I know myself well enough to do only the things I love all day every day. I’ve got enough money to balance working at jobs I love with hobbies and travel that I love. I’m fairly sure it’s going to keep getting better but it’s really great now.

A good age! What is your favorite smell?

Scotland. In particular Caol Ila malt whiskey; the sea on the Isle of Skye; Edinburgh on a bright morning. They are smells that contain deep joy and brimming sadness; eternity and immediacy; physical pleasure and cerebral peace.

Oh, I want to smell Scotland, too! Do you know what your name means? Or who were you named after?

I was named Leonora after the heroine of a Beethoven opera. It was an apt choice as Leonora is a fearless and passionate lover who dresses up as a prison guard to rescue her husband from a death sentence. I don’t like opera but I’ve always been pleased with my namesake.

A courageous name! Do you prefer the movie or the book?

The book! The book! The book! To date I have never allowed myself to watch a film before reading the book. Once you have seen a representation of the characters, it is impossible to forget them and come to the words with an open mind. In my opinion, there should be a box you have to tick before watching such a movie that confirms you have read the original text. 

That might get more people reading! Are you high or low maintenance?

I’m extremely high maintenance. I’m a very passionate person and I’m clear about the things I love and don’t love and the life I want to live. However, I’m also someone who gives an enormous amount, so a lot may be demanded, but even more given.

Give and receive! One last questions: Hunter or gatherer?

Hunter. I’m passionate, ambitious, determined and impatient, so that means going out and catching whatever I set my heart or mind on. I have some very big projects though, so the hunt can take many years, for example in achieving success as a writer or publishing several books.

Get out there and make your success! Thank you, Leonora, for answering my quirky questions! Support Leonora by buying, reading, and reviewing! We’ll be on the hunt for more quirky answers next Friday, right here!

 

Happy reading! 🙂

 

Quirky Questions with Carly Kade

  

I asked some quirky questions of Carly Kade! But first, check her out on Amazon: amazon.com/author/carlykade

And support her on these sites:

goodreads.com/carlykadecreative
bookbub.com/profile/carly-kade
facebook.com/carlykadecreative
twitter.com/CarlyKadeAuthor
Instagram.com/carlykadecreative
pinterest.com/carlykadeauthor
Watch Carly Kade Creative Videos on YouTube

Now for some fun!

Howdy, Carly! Let’s start with what is the hardest part of being an author?

Being an author isn’t always easy! There’s a lot of heavy lifting involved in getting a dream underway. I am responsible for running my own business, Carly Kade Creative, and that includes so many different facets from time management (like actually finding the time to write!) to deadlines to running promotions to generating publicity to website development to creating marketing materials to attending events to running social media channels to writing a blog to publishing my books and so much more. 

Sometimes I think my head might spin. LOL.

In addition, I have a “real” job, a patient spouse, two dogs, and a horse waiting to spend time with me. Being at the barn fuels my creativity and helps me refresh from my life as a corporate cowgirl. I do what it takes to fit in my much needed barn time (although it feels as if it is never for as long as I’d like). Somehow though, I always make everything work and feel so fortunate to be able to have the life that I do. 

I’m a busy cowgirl, and it can be difficult to fit in time for my creative writing, so I designed a plan for my writing life. I get up every morning at 5:30 am and start my day by writing before I go to my corporate job. At the end of the week, my husband reads back to me the chapters I’ve written. The routine works. I finished two books this way, and I’m already almost finished with the third book in my In the Reins horse book series.

I am really proud of the creative life I’m inventing for myself!  

You should be proud! How did you meet your best friend? (Animals count here!)

Sissy is my horse and my very best friend. She’s the type of horse I always dreamed of owning.  She is a registered Paint mare, and I am happily spending time with her in Arizona.  If you’ve taken a tour of my website or followed me on my Carly Kade Creative Facebook page, you’ll notice Sissy also stands in as the horse character Faith in my promotional videos for In the Reins.  I do all the marketing for the books myself so it helps to have my own horse to work with as I film the footage! 

There is nothing more peaceful to me than the quiet bond between a woman and her horse.  I am happiest when I am in the saddle and riding my best friend.  

Forget diamonds; horses are a gal’s best friend! What is your most bizarre talent?

I can perform the walk, trot and canter on all fours. Ever since I was a child, I pretended that I was a horse. As an adult, I still sometimes gallop around the house on my hands and knees with my dogs or to entertain my husband. Super weird … I know!

No one is weird on Quirky Questions! Besides, I did the same! Though my wings got in the way. Moving on! What is your favorite smell?

This one is easy. The smells of the barn! Horses, hay, shavings. 

With a dash of leather and summer! I agree! What superpower would you like to have for a day?

I’d love to have a super power that produced a sense of calm in humans. The closest thing I’ve witnessed to this kind of super power is meditation (and horseback riding). The greatest suffering I think all humans have to endure on some level are the conversations we have in our minds. The stories we tell ourselves about not being good enough or lovable or liked are the thoughts that kill our dreams and stop us from being the change we want to see in the world! I’d love to have a magical wand of calmness that I could wave over humanity. In my imagination, it would heal our world and quiet the nasty, negative internal dialogue that we create for ourselves.  

Now that’s a superpower we could use! What is one of your favorite quotes?

The journey I’ve been on with my book reminds me of the Rumi quote, “Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.” That quote really sums up the pull of my love for horses and creative writing has on me. That love, that pull has not led me astray. I’m glad I had the courage to follow the pull. I am one lucky author cowgirl. I feel so blessed by those who have supported me, the readers who have enjoyed In the Reins and the equestrian community that has embraced me as an author of equestrian fiction. 

You truly are blessed! Now, as we head back to the barn, let me ask: what is your favorite pizza topping?

I am a pizza connoisseur. My husband and I love trying different pizza joints. Right now, we are stuck on finding the best artichoke and cheese pizzas in Arizona. Pizza makes my spurs jingle!

Pizza is the staff of life! Thank you, Carly, for answering my quirky questions! Gallop over to Amazon to buy Carly’s books and throw her a loud Yee-haw! by reading, reviewing, and sharing! We’ll be here again next Friday with more quirky authors!

Happy reading! 🙂

 

Quirky Questions with Donald Firesmith

I asked some quirky questions of Donald Firesmith! But first, check out the works:https://www.amazon.com/Hell-Holes-What-Lurks-Below-ebook/dp/B012IUE14U/

And support Donald Firesmith by following here: http://donaldfiresmith.com

Now to the questions!

So, Donald, do you have a sweet tooth or savory tooth?

Sadly, I’ve always loved meat and have been known to happily consume meals consisting of nothing but meat, meat, and more meat. I am totally aware of the many negative environmental consequences of meat production and the associated cruelty to sentient creatures, so I feel guilty when I think about it. I hope that lab-produced meat becomes practical in the reasonably near future so that I can enjoy my meat without the associated guilt.

Could I have that steak with a side of…steak? Yum! What is something you’ve always wanted to try but have been too scared to?

Skydiving. I think it would be amazingly exciting. Still, the thought of jumping out of a perfectly good airplane and depending on a parachute packed by a stranger strikes me as taking an unnecessary risk, especially given the consequence of failure.

I agree with that! What do you think is the closest thing to real magic?

The existence of consciousness (the so-called “hard problem” of philosophy/neuroscience) might as well be magic, given how little we understand how a brain can produce subjective awareness. Even when we eventually identify all of the neural correlates of consciousness, that still won’t explain why subjective experience exists. Having worked my entire life engineering software, I am well aware of AI and robotics. When will AIs become conscious?  How can we know for sure given that we can’t even explain why humans and other animals are conscious?

Hmm…something to think about! Do you believe in love at first sight?

Not sure about first sight, but certainly it need not take long.  I began to fall in love in college the first time I heard her sing, though I was too shy and immature to ever act on my feelings.  And my current wife (of 30 years) and I decided we were going to marry after only knowing each other for ten days.

When it’s right you know it! Movie or book?

I hope both.  I have two Hollywood producers who want to make a movie out of my first Hell Holes book. I granted them one year’s shopping rights, and they hired a screenwriter to produce a script (which I now own).  I updated that script, which you can now obtain from Amazon in the form of an ebook.

How neat is that! Congrats on your success! Would you go out in space if given the opportunity?

Absolutely. I hope that space tourism eventually becomes reasonably priced before I’m too old to withstand the acceleration of take-off and re-entry.  If I was younger and unattached, I would definitely be up for joining a Mars colony or working on the moon.

You’re an adventurous person! So on that note, do you believe in aliens?

Of course! The universe is so large and contains so many planets (and moons) with liquid water that life has likely evolved on millions (and maybe even billions) of worlds.  Still, the number of aliens who have evolved intelligence and created technologies will be far less than the total number of alien species. Whether we will ever have contact given the great distances and timescales is another issue altogether.

Well-said! Thank you, Donald, for answering my quirky questions! Support Donald by following his links and reading his works and watching for his movies, and don’t miss a new round of Quirky Questions next Friday!

Happy reading! 🙂