I came home with a STACK of index cards filled with questions for me, submitted at the September events that I did not have time to answer on the spot! Therefore, as promised, I’m going to begin answering a few here and there on my blog. I hope you all find it somewhat interesting…but Yikes! I’m not very exciting! But, here goes!

I pulled 4 cards off the top of the deck and here is a photo of them, in case you find it fun to recognize your own handwriting! (Just click on the picture to make it larger so you can read it more clearly if you like!) There are no names on these cards so I have no way of thanking you guys individually, other than to say, THANKS! Ha ha!

Top Card Questions:

Question #1: Can you release a recipe book with all the recipes from your books?

My Answer: I would LOVE to do that! I’ve actually shared recipes with close friends in the past by just printing each recipe off and slipping them into page protectors and slapping them into small three-ring binders. But I’ve had so many requests for just what you mentioned that I think I need to seriously thing about doing that! Ha ha! It probably wouldn’t be very big, but since you asked, I’ll nest on the idea seriously…though probably after Christmas.

Question #2: If you could wake up tomorrow in the body of someone else, who would you pick and what would you do?

My Answer: I’m going to answer this one with complete honesty, so I hope that doesn’t disappoint you…no one! I would never want to be anyone else! I like me, my life, my own challenges, stresses, etc. and can’t even begin to imagine guessing at this. One reason might be because I have the blessing of writing and putting myself into my characters so entirely that I do get to think and feel like myself and someone else simultaneously a lot of the time. But in the end, I’m glad I’m me with my own problems, family, life, etc. Does that make sense?

Second Card Question:

Question: What is the last picture you took on your phone?

My Answer: Ha ha! This one is fun! I actually went back into my phone and chose the last picture I took just after the September events, because I figured that was more accurate in answering your question. Sooo…here it is! Just a cute one of Kevin’s sister Kim, her husband Alan, with me and Kevin, too!

Third Card Question:

Question: What question do you hate to answer?

My Answer: Ha ha ha ha! How funny! Um…let me think…you mean other than, “How much do you weigh?”… and in regard to writing and/or being an author? Let’s see…it would have to be, “Can you tell me how to make money and/or be successful as an author?” That’s something that I cannot ever answer with any kind of certainty and it makes me soooo nervous because I know that whatever I say is a disappointment or discouraging to someone else. I’ve never been able to help anyone achieve the success they’ve hoped for…even using my own career template…so it’s like the only question where my answer affects (or is that effects) them on a monetary or “dream of being a famous author someday” level. Yikes! That one sends me into anxiety overload!

Fourth Card Questions:

Question #1: Are there just a million things that you get inspiration from? Or always from the same things?

My Answer: The answer to that is…a million!!!! AND sometimes from the most unexpected places! The bulk of my inspiration…probably 90% of it, comes from personal experience, stuff I dream, family history, Kevin’s great one-liners, etc. But I also draw from things other people say or do to inspire me! For instance, during and activity night wherein I coordinate activities for girls ages 10 and 11…three of the girls revealed to me their shared, and very terrifying, experience of being crammed into, and trapped together in a dumbwaiter for an hour and a half as it dangled between floors! Sooo terrifying, right? Well, you’ll find a reference to that story in one of my upcoming new titles! So, yes…inspiration comes to me from a million different venues!

Question #2: How do you feel about emojis?

My Answer: Honestly…I love them! I really only use a few…but I love to put like the eyeball one, a heart one and the sheep one to mean, “I love ewe”…get it? Ha ha! My favorites are the laughing with tears, the hearts for eyes, the lips smooch, the Christmas tree, the Jack o’Lantern and the pile of poo one!

Question #3: Where would you travel (anywhere in the world)?

My Answer: This might be another one wherein my answer might disappoint you a bit. The truth is, I really don’t like to travel! I love my home and being in it and I love New Mexico! Having said that, however, when the mood does hit me to travel there are soooo many places in the U.S. I’d LOVE to see that I’d truly do those first! I DO want to travel to Sleepy Hollow, NY, Salem, MA and Vermont in the fall, for sure! And abroad I’d definitely hit Austria, Ireland, Scottland…and I’d have to hit England, simply for the history there! *As a side note: I do love 6-10 hour road trips…especially scenic ones. It makes me feel relaxed, free and like I can leave my stress behind! So those I do love!

Question #4: What is something strange about yourself?

My Answer: Seriously? Only one thing? Hmmm…that’s hard to narrow down. Let’s see…one thing would be that I never arrive at the simplest scenario first. For instance (and I actually said this out loud), the last time Kevin and I were buying a car, the salesman opened the trunk to show us how big it was and I said, “Wow! You could fit at least two dead bodies in there! Maybe three!” Or, about a week or so ago, I was using Super Glue and got a little on the tips of my fingers on my left hand. Yet, yesterday I said to Kevin, “Do you think I have a flesh-eating disease? Or do you think this is from the Super Glue, maybe?” I’m also weird in that (and I know I’m not alone in this at all) I do like to watch Dr. Pimple Popper videos, scraping psoriasis videos, and Jim Nduruchi digging Jiggers videos on YouTube before I go to bed. Although the Jim Nduruchi videos I watch because I like to listen to his philosophies as well as I feel so badly for the victims it puts my own life in perspective. With everything weighing on me or stressing me, I always remember, “At least I don’t have Jiggers!” P.S. Horsehair worms coming out of Praying Mantis freak me out! But I still watch them! Oh, and I do listen to Christmas music beginning the end of March through December 24th. Then I take a little break between the end of December through most of March.

Question #5: Would you consider yourself an introvert or extrovert?

My Answer: I may be one of those fence-sitters…meaning a bit of both. But I think I lean more toward Introvert because I’m emphatic and take on the energy of everyone around me in any given situation. I feel drained after socializing…even though I enjoy it! Extroverts tend to feel pumped up and “fed” after socializing, drawing energy from the situation instead of worrying over those in the room who don’t seem happy or are worried, or struggling. So even though I think I’m a bit of both, I really lean toward saying I’m an introvert. Does that make sense? Like for instance, a funeral may make a lot of people sad or melancholy for a day, but it can wipe me out for weeks! You know? Even if I don’t know the person well!

Question #6: Is there a man’s name that just makes you all hot and bothered? That you love? (For me, it’s Jake. )

My Answer: Is this YOUR question Meghan E. C.? Yes there is! And I’m not lying when I tell you this…it’s Kevin! Seriously! Kevin from Heaven, my husband’s name! It may sound cliche and corny and like I’m just saying that! But I LOVE the name, Kevin! It’s why I named Brevan in The Heavenly Surrender, Brevan…because it rhymes with Kevin!

Sorry I only had time for four cards today! You know I’m under the gun and way behind on everything right now! Yikes! BUT I do want to have a little blog prize for this week so…answer Card #4 Question #4, “What is something strange about yourself?”…leave your comment here, and I’ll plop your name in my hat and draw a winner before I blog with more answers to more questions. Winner will receive something I wish I had time to do…color in this gorgeous, made-for-adults Halloween coloring book, and a 24 set of Sergeant colored pencils! LOVE this! SOMEDAY I WILL have time to do this myself! Meanwhile, I want you to enjoy it! So leave a comment and see who wins!

P.S. It’s been sooo long since I blogged! I feel I need to apologize to the two winners of hardcover editions of The Fragrance of her Name from my July 11th, Jimmy Palmer Doppelganger blog, Suasan T. and Sara V.! E-mail me at [email protected] and I’ll get those books in the mail to you asap!