Questions from a Rockstar Blogger

Recently, Aubrey Leaman, from If Mermaids Wore Suspenders, nominated me for a blog award. While I don’t do blog awards (they remind me a little of the 90s email forwarding craze), I was psyched that she thought of me. I felt like the fangirl who catches a rockstar’s guitar pick when he flicks it into the audience!

Aubrey is one of the most creative bloggers I know.

She uses her background in classical music and her love of literature to serve up soundtracks for novels like Peter Pan  and Jane Eyre. She also creates some fantastic mash-ups using just literature, like “Pride and Prejudice Characters Sorted into Hogwarts Houses” and “Who Would Win Prom Queen: Anna Karenina or Daisy Buchanan?” Her posts are both insightful and laugh-out-loud funny. I can’t get enough of them!

The award that she nominated me for included a segment of questions that she wrote herself, so I asked if I could just answer her questions in lieu of the whole award. She gave the thumbs up!

Questions from Aubrey…

1) If you could have a conversation with any fictional character, who would it be, and why?

My first instinct is Mo from Inkspell because he has the magical ability to read other characters and creatures out of books (or read you into them). However, I have a sneaking suspicion that this might be cheating, like “wishing for more wishes.”

My next choice is Dumbledore. Nerdy and probably unoriginal, I know, but I can’t get enough of the Potter world. I want to know more! Plus, I really want to see magic in action.

2) If you were to be a famous musician or singer, what kind of music would you be famous for?

I’m assuming this comes with talent I don’t have. In that case, I would play very gentle folk music (think “From the Morning” Nick Drake or “Tree Green” John Martyn). But I would play harp instead of acoustic guitar.

I also have a real soft spot for doowop music because I did a lot of swing dancing in college. If I ever get good at illustrating (unlikely), I want to produce a children’s book about swing dancing with the aesthetics of Disney’s “Paperman” short.

3) If you were to become a famous author, what kind of book would you be famous for?

In my writing, I try to channel books like Peter Pan, The Tale of Desperaux, and The Little Prince.

The elements that these books have in common are 1) they are ostensibly written for children but resonate just as deeply (if not more so) with adults 2) they are sprinkled with philosophy/life instruction and 3) something I call the “storyteller narrator,” which means the narrator addresses the reader directly using first or second person.

What does this all add up to? I can’t put my finger on a genre, but I know that it would slay me to have my writing described as “lyrical” or “poignant.”

4) Would you rather have someone constantly narrating your life, like a voice-over, or be followed around by theme music?

I love this question!

I would go for the voice-over, 100%. This ties in neatly with the “storyteller narrator” that I mentioned above. Plus, my favorite movies (Annie Hall, A Christmas Story) have voice-overs.

On a different note (<-hehe), I think the theme music could be disastrous for me. Although I am more involved in writing, I have to admit that nothing can sway my emotions like music. I can’t imagine feeling heartbroken AND having to listen to heartbreaking music at the same time. I would go into a downward spiral.

5) If it became an option for people to move to another planet, would you move there? Why or why not?

This question really touches a nerve. Environmental destruction and overpopulation are probably the two “big picture” problems that I fret over the most.

Yesterday, I found out that tiger sharks are endangered, and I cried. (I am not normally a cry-er).

On one hand, I would sort of feel duty-bound to move to the new planet, just to relieve part of the burden on this poor earth. (What about the burden on the new planet, you ask? I’m not sure. Maybe I’m subject to “not in my backyard” mentality.)

On the other hand, could I live without trees and fireflies and foxes and dolphins? I have serious doubts about that. I probably wouldn’t move unless the new planet was blue, green, and loaded with life.

Aubrey, thank you again for thinking of me and coming up with these fun questions!

And another thanks to everyone who has nominated me for an award or engaged with me through my blog. Being heard is one of the most wonderful feelings available to humans–and you make me feel heard.