We're always open to topic suggestions, so please don't hesitate to share those in the comments. We'd also love to know if you can relate to anything we've said or hear your own thoughts on the topic. So don't be shy. :) We look forward to getting to know you as much as we're letting you get to know us. You can find our previous columns here, in case you missed them.
Which book first got you into reading chick lit?
I used to sneak my stepmother’s historical romance novels when I was ten years old. I have always been an avid reader and I remember feeling like the ultra thick, hundreds of pages long books would be a huge challenge for me. When she discovered that I’d dug into her stash of bodice rippers, my stepmother shocked me by sharing them with me. I guess she figured most of the steamy scenes would go over my head, anyway. Or maybe she felt it was a way for us to bond over a similar interest. The romance in the stories paved the way for other genres for me, like chick lit. I appreciated that chick lit focused on a heroine-centered narrative and I’ve yet to pick up a historical romance novel since my teen years.
Which household chore do you like the most and which do you dread the most?
I don’t know if I can say I like any household chore, but if I had to pick one that I tolerate, it would be the laundry responsibilities in my household. I don’t mind washing laundry, folding it, or putting it away. What I dread, though, is having to clean toilets. Can there be any worse chore, particularly when your children are boys?
If you could time travel back to any point in your life, which would you pick and why?
I’m a forty-two year old college student. I’d attempted to get into the college game when most people do, shortly after high school, yet I wasn’t ready for that sort of commitment. I spent several years of my life thinking I wasn’t meant for higher learning. When my youngest started kindergarten, I decided to take one single college course, just to see how I’d feel about it. One class turned into two, which turned into several more. Once I made the decision to go for it, I signed up with my community college to enroll in a program that allowed me to earn my associates degree, then transfer on to a four year university. I now have my associates, and my bachelor’s degree journey begins next month. If I could go back in time, I’d try to better understand the value of an education. Maybe I’d put more effort in, not downplay my intelligence or feel as though “that world” wasn’t meant for me. I had a lot of preconceived notions back in those days, and who knows what could have been had I tried harder. Yet, I don’t think I would have ever had the commitment or motivation to do as well as I have now, in my more mature years.
Since July is our birth month, share a favorite birthday memory or two. :)
The first thing that popped into my head was my fortieth birthday. I had such a great time. I spent it with my husband, my kids, and good friends, with food catered in. It was a nice, relaxing, yet fun experience. A perfect way to ring in a milestone birthday.
Which celebrity would you like to switch with for a day (like in a Freaky Friday way)?
Can I swap with a celebrity’s spouse? As in, Mark Wahlberg’s wife? Ha! No but, in all seriousness, I’ve wondered what it would be like to trade places with Jennifer Lopez. She’s amazing.
What is your go-to comfort food? What do you consider your comfort movie and comfort TV show?
Ooh, comfort food. I’m pretty basic when it comes to comfort food. A bowl of macaroni and cheese with hot dogs always does the trick for me. Or, a big slice of cake, preferably tuxedo cake. As for a comfort movie, something funny, like a Mel Brooks film or something from the 80s, like a John Hughes film. As for TV, anything from this list that Melissa and I had posted for last month’s CLC TV show topic works for me!
You're a whiz at offering movie casting suggestions for the chick lit novels you read. Are there any particular characters and the potential actors or actresses you've movie cast that stand out the most for you?
Here's my secret: I usually comb through IMDb to find the right casting fits. Honestly, I do get some ideas into my head while watching movies or shows, but the majority of the time it's like doing an IMDb scavenger hunt! Some picks I did come up with that I really liked:
Meghann Fahy as Kyra in In the Swim of Things by Tracie Banister
Haley Lu Richardson and Annie Murphy as sisters Bree and Natasha in She's Faking It by Kristin Rockaway
Oscar Isaac as Dom in How to Save a Life by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke
Jane Levy as Annie in Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey
Sarah Levy as Grace in A Little Bit of Grace by Phoebe Fox
(Can you tell I watch too much Schitt's Creek with some of my casting choices?)
I love when authors tell me that I nailed a casting choice for them. That makes my day!
Where do you see yourself in five years?
With a child in college. Gasp! Honestly, I don't know. Probably still at my same job. Maybe with an established side gig in the publishing industry. You never know.
I'd love to hear your favorite birthday memory or two, as well, considering we share a birth month. What are some of your favorite birthday memories?
The sort-of surprise 30th birthday party my husband threw for me. I knew it was happening and handled the invitation list, but I didn't know the theme or where it would be held. I also didn't know what he had planned for the cake decoration. It was a picture of me looking like I was doing a hula dance. (The theme was Hawaii.)
My 33rd birthday, when my friend and I took my older son to see an Ice Age movie (the dinosaur one) and then went bowling and out to dinner (our husbands joined us for the latter two activities). It was just a nice day, enhanced by the embarrassing question my son asked when we were in the bathroom.
My 22nd birthday, which was celebrated at the Neo-Futurarium (this theater that I was obsessed with at the time) to see Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind.
What are some of the most meaningful bits of advice you've received over the years?
I usually give advice more often than I receive it. I give advice to new moms to tell them not to listen to anyone except for themselves and their pediatrician. I hated getting too many opinions over how to do things when I was a new mom and like giving permission to others to not have to put up with that. Who cares how we feed our babies, as long as they are getting nutrition and the doctor is okay with it?!?
I also give advice to other bloggers about how blogging is not a competition and that we are all in this together. Just make your blog something personal to you and that's all you need. When I was first starting out as a book blogger, I did actually receive some advice from a publicist and that's what helped make this blog as successful as it is! At the time, I was embarrassed about how I had gone about things the wrong way with trying to reach authors to feature at the blog, but after she told me to hang back and let them come to me, things flowed smoothly from there.
What is your biggest fear?
Death. That's all I really need to say.
What book has impacted you the most?
She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb. I think because I could relate to Dolores in terms of being bullied a lot and then eventually how she came into her own and didn't put up with that anymore. The book actually motivated me to get my first apartment in college. It's been 22 years since I last read it, but I still think about it and always recommend it.
Can you relate to any of our answers? We'd love to learn more about you too!
fun reading and learning about each of you
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