Ten Authors, Twenty Questions!

Today I'm happy to run another Ten Authors, Twenty Questions feature. The first one ran in April, and you can read it here. I have some great authors for this second go-round, and I think you'll enjoy their answers...

1. Christoph Fischer

Christoph is the author of The Luck of the Weissensteiners and Sebastian.
He was here on April 25 and here on May 23.

1.    Love or money?
Love, always

2.    Plain or peanut?
Plain, how boring ;-)

3.    Beef or chicken?
I am vegetarian, but probably chicken.

4.    Coffee or tea? Coffee.

5.    Oxford comma: yes or no?
No.

6.    Hardback or Kindle?
Hardback.

7.    Salty or sweet?
Salty.

8.    City or country?
Country.

9.    Dog or cat?
Dog.

10.    Fame or fortune?
Fortune.

11.    Laptop or desktop?
Desktop.

12.    Health food or junk food?
Health Food.

13.    Mountains or beach?
Tough one, Mountains (near a beach please if possible) Oh! That's cheating!!

14.    Gourmet or diner?
Gourmet.

15.    Sweet or unsweet? (Tea of course)
Unsweet.

16.    Humor or drama? 
I like a laugh and should enjoy humor more often, but I tend to go for the big dramas.

17.    Dr. Seuss or Mr. Spock?
Mr. Spock, I love Star Trek – don’t know why...

18.    Halloween or Christmas?
Halloween.

19.    Spring or fall?
So tough, probably fall for the colours.

20.    Morning or night?
Morning.



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2. Cindy Blackburn

Cindy is the author of the Cue Ball mystery series.
She brought Wilson Rye here on May 28.

1.    Love or money?
Oh, what the heck. Love.

2.    Plain or peanut?
Plain, definitely. Unless we’re talking M&M’s. We're definitely talking M&Ms.

3.    Beef or chicken?
Beef. A gal needs her red meat.

4.    Coffee or tea?
Coffee, with lots of 2% milk, please.

5.    Oxford comma: yes or no?
Yes! I’ve become addicted to the Oxford comma ever since I read “Eats, Shoots, and Leaves.”

6.    Hardback or Kindle?
Kindle.

7.    Salty or sweet?
Now THIS takes some careful consideration, Amy! Okay, salty. As long as this includes an occasional salted chocolate treat?  Hmm...that could be cheating...

8.    City or country?
Country. More and more so all the time.

9.    Dog or cat?
Cat for myself. Dogs are fun to visit, though.

10.    Fame or fortune?
Fame. Is this somehow tied to question number one?

11.    Laptop or desktop?
Laptop. We are on the go, here at the Cue Ball Mysteries headquarters!

12.    Health food or junk food? 
Health food. But this might be a tad bit hard to swallow (no pun intended) looking at my other answers. LOL!

13.    Mountains or beach?
Mountains. The Green Mountains of Vermont, preferably.

14.    Gourmet or diner?
Diner, unless hubby’s the cook. Bless his heart, he’s into gourmet.

15.    Sweet or unsweet? (Tea of course)
Unsweet. I may live in SC most of the time, but I am a Vermont Yankee, born and bred. Bless your heart.

16.    Humor or drama?
Humor, humor, and humor. (Please note the correct usage of the Oxford comma) YES!

17.    Dr. Seuss or Mr. Spock?
Dr. Suess, especially since you can get the pointy ears from just about all of his

characters.

18.    Halloween or Christmas?
Christmas, as long as you don’t want to exchange blog gifts or some such. No Secret Santa Blog Edition here!

19.    Spring or fall?
Spring!

20.    Morning or night?
Morning. Why I chose coffee over tea. Ahhhh!

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3. Andy Nieman

Andy is the author of Free Man Walking. He was here on May 13.


1.    Love or money?   
Love

2.    Plain or peanut?
Peanut

3.    Beef or chicken?
Chicken

4.    Coffee or tea? Coffee

5.    Oxford comma: yes or no?
No

6.    Hardback or Kindle?
Hardback

7.    Salty or sweet?
Salty

8.    City or country?
Country

9.    Dog or cat?
Dog

10.    Fame or fortune?
Fortune

11.    Laptop or desktop?
Laptop

12.    Health food or junk food?
Health Food

13.    Mountains or beach?
Mountains

14.    Gourmet or diner?
Gourmet   

15.    Sweet or unsweet? (Tea of course)
Sweet

16.    Humor or drama?
Drama

17.    Dr. Seuss or Mr. Spock?
Dr Seuss

18.    Halloween or Christmas?
Christmas

19.    Spring or fall?
Fall

20.    Morning or night?
Morning

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4. Chrissy Anderson

Chrissy is the author of The List Trilogy.
She was here on November 3 and May 1.

1.    Love or money? 
Love peppered with some cash on top. You are such a cheater!

2.    Plain or peanut? 
Peanut...Extra crunchy.

3.    Beef or chicken? 
Beef.

4.    Coffee or tea? 
Port. Ahem.

5.    Oxford comma: yes or no? 
I am ALL about the Oxford comma. I taught you well. :)
 
6.    Hardback or Kindle? 
HARDback.

7.    Salty or sweet? 
Salty.

8.    City or country? 
Who cares? Just get me outta both of mine for a week!

9.    Dog or cat? 

Dogger-Doo.

10.    Fame or fortune?
Fame.

11.    Laptop or desktop?
Laptop.

12.    Health food or junk food? 
Hell-Ju.  Cheater!!

13.    Mountains or beach? 
Beach.

14.    Gourmet or diner? 
Gourmet.

15.    Sweet or unsweet? (Tea of course) 
Unsweet.  I’m sweet enough.

16.    Humor or drama? 
Humor...all day, every day.

17.    Dr. Seuss or Mr. Spock? 
Neither.

18.    Halloween or Christmas? 
I’m an elf on Halloween.

19.    Spring or fall? 
FALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

20.    Morning or night? 
Night, after everyone has fallen asleep.  The best.

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5. Elizabeth Delisi

Elizabeth is the author of The Midnight Zone and twelve other books! She was here on May 4.

1.    Love or money?
Since I married for love, now I’d like the money! Who said you can't have it all, right?

2.    Plain or peanut?
Peanut, so I can fool myself that it’s healthy.

3.    Beef or chicken?
“Chick-N” as I’m a vegetarian.

4.    Coffee or tea?
Tea is first choice, coffee second.

5.    Oxford comma: yes or no?
Yes. I’m “comma-tose.” Good one!

6.    Hardback or Kindle?
I’m leaning toward Kindle as it’s lighter and easier to hold.

7.    Salty or sweet?
Definitely sweet, for my sweet tooth!

8.    City or country?
Country, where I can hear the wild animals and birds, not humans.

9.    Dog or cat?
Ooh. Both! Cats are cuddly and independent, dogs are great friends.

10.    Fame or fortune?
Fortune, definitely. Fame is more trouble than it’s worth.

11.    Laptop or desktop?
Laptop, for portability.

12.    Health food or junk food?
Junk food, I’m ashamed to say.

13.    Mountains or beach?
Mountains, definitely.

14.    Gourmet or diner?
Depends on my mood...I like both. No fair!

15.    Sweet or unsweet? (Tea of course)
Sweet.

16.    Humor or drama?
I like both, but I watch and read more dramas.

17.    Dr. Seuss or Mr. Spock?
Mr. Spock...I’m a Star Trek fan through and through.

18.    Halloween or Christmas?
Christmas, definitely. Love the decorations and carols.

19.    Spring or fall?
Fall, with the gorgeous New Hampshire fall leaves.

20.    Morning or night?
Night...getting up any earlier than 8 is torture. We would get along very well!

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6. Peter Ochs

Peter is the author of Eyes of the Sage. He was here on May 5.

1.    Love or money? 
I’ve had plenty of love so let’s try money for a change.

2.    Plain or peanut? 
No preference.  It’s all good.

3.    Beef or chicken? 
Ditto.

4.    Coffee or tea? 
Coffee.  And not that I’m a Starbucks snob. I only went there a few years ago for the first time.

5.    Oxford comma: yes or no? 
If I said no, would you tell my parents, Bob and Fred? Yes, I certainly will.

6.    Hardback or Kindle? 
Nook!!!

7.    Salty or sweet? 
Salty.  Too much salt is overrated.

8.    City or country? 
Country.  But not as country as John Denver.

9.    Dog or cat? 
Dog. I’m getting my first dog in a couple of weeks. I can’t wait. (My parents wouldn’t allow us to have pets when I was growing up.)

10.    Fame or fortune? 
Fortune...and obscurity.

11.    Laptop or desktop? 
Still gotta have my tower right beside me.

12.    Health food or junk food? 
Junk food of course. I’ve got so much preservatives in me I’m almost eternal.

13.    Mountains or beach? 
Mountains. I grew up on a beach. Need a change of scenery.

14.    Gourmet or diner? 
I’ll eat anything, anywhere, anytime.

15.    Sweet or unsweet? (Tea of course.)
Not a tea drinker. La la la la la la...I didn't hear that...

16.    Humor or drama? 
Comedy is tragedy that happens to someone else. Think about it, then go watch Laurel and hardy.

17.    Dr. Seuss or Mr. Spock? 
Leaning towards Spock, but I am not a trekkie!

18.    Halloween or Christmas? 
Presents are better than candy.

19.    Spring or fall? 
Nothing better than fall in New England.

20.    Morning or night? 
Night. That’s when Jon Stewart comes on.

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7. Price McNaughton

Price is the author of A Vision of Murder. She was here on April 15.

1.    Love or money?
Love.

2.    Plain or peanut?
Peanut.

3.    Beef or chicken?
Chicken.

4.    Coffee or tea?
Tea.

5.    Oxford comma: yes or no?
Yes.

6.    Hardback or Kindle?
Hardback.

7.    Salty or sweet?
Sweet.

8.    City or country?
Country.

9.    Dog or cat?
Dog.

10.    Fame or fortune?
Fame?

11.    Laptop or desktop?
Laptop.

12.    Health food or junk food?
Health food.

13.    Mountains or beach?
Mountains.

14.    Gourmet or diner?
Diner.

15.    Sweet or unsweet? (Tea of course.)
Sweet!

16.    Humor or drama?
Humor.

17.    Dr. Seuss or Mr. Spock?
Dr. Seuss.

18.    Halloween or Christmas?
Christmas.

19.    Spring or fall?
Fall.

20.    Morning or night?
Night.

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8. RH (Rhonda) Ramsey

Rhonda is the author of Just Beneath The Surface. She saw the first "Ten Authors Twenty Questions," and wanted to take part in the second one. Yes, I'm that easy. Just ask!

1.    Love or money?
Love – always love

2.    Plain or peanut?
Can I actually pick macadamia? If not, I will go with plain...

3.    Beef or chicken?
It used to be beef, then it was chicken, now it’s back to beef.  Unless it’s shredded beef – if it’s shredded beef, I will choose chicken.

4.    Coffee or tea?
Definitely tea, unless there’s some sort of caramel cappuccino option.

5.    Oxford comma: yes or no?
Umm .. I think not. It was for some reason difficult for me to remember. Now that it’s ingrained, there’s no turning back.

6.    Hardback or Kindle?
Kindle, please!

7.    Salty or sweet?
Salty!!! (It’s really not even normal, anymore)

8.    City or country?
I’d have to say: City with a country feel or country town with a city feel. Hmmm...that might be cheating...

9.    Dog or cat?
Euw! That’s tough – definitely love puppies; I’ve always had dogs growing up. But I will go with cat, because they are so independent, moody and fun to watch.

10.    Fame or fortune?
Fortune (and favor from above) would be just fine by me without fame.

11.    Laptop or desktop?
Laptop! I am all about convenience.

12.    Health food or junk food?
I’ve been known to find ways to combine the two. Not in a way that they would cancel each other out, but just enough to spice things up. That's a good compromise.

13.    Mountains or beach?
Mountains...

14.    Gourmet or diner?
Diner.

15.    Sweet or unsweet? (Tea of course.)
Definitely sweet. The expression on my face when I order sweet and end up sipping unsweet is probably priceless. Sort-of happens often for some reason come to think of it. Oh yeah...I hate when that happens!

16.    Humor or drama?
Drama – that’s the genre I’m drawn to with music, reading, movies and writing. But then, again, there’s nothing like a good stand-up comic.

17.    Dr. Seuss or Mr. Spock?
Dr Seuss. “Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”
“Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope.”

18.    Halloween or Christmas?
Definitely Christmas. Halloween costumes are cute. But for me, there’s nothing like the reason for the season, the music, the smiles on the faces of children – I would have to say Christmas.

19.    Spring or fall?
That’s a difficult one for me. I’m a December baby and I love winter. I’m not a fan of summer. I enjoy spring rain showers. But I really love the fall foliage – it does something to the senses.

20.    Morning or night?
Sadly, I find that I’m a lot like Smeagol when I first wake up. No matter how much caffeine I get my hands on, I really don’t feel as if the “day” has started until around 11 p.m. I’ve always been a night owl, and now that I am an adult, I find that the wee hours are the best time for me to brainstorm and create.

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9. Tracy Sweeney

Tracy is the author of Living Backwards. She was here on April 11.

1.    Love or money?   
Love. Always.

2.    Plain or peanut?
Peanut. But I’d never turn down plain.

3.    Beef or chicken?  
Beef.

4.    Coffee or tea?   
Tea.

5.    Oxford comma: yes or no?
Never.

6.    Hardback or Kindle? 
Kindle, but I miss my bookshelf.

7.    Salty or sweet?   
Chocolate covered pretzels. Perfection.

8.    City or country?   
City mouse.

9.    Dog or cat?   
Dog.

10.    Fame or fortune?     
Fame. Also a great movie.

11.    Laptop or desktop? 
Laptop.

12.    Health food or junk food? 
Junk food. Sadly.

13.    Mountains or beach? 
Beach.

14.    Gourmet or diner?  
Diner.

15.    Sweet or unsweet? (Tea of course.) 
Sweet.

16.    Humor or drama?
Hah. Humor.

17.    Dr. Seuss or Mr. Spock? 
Dr. Seuss.

18.    Halloween or Christmas? 
Christmas.

19.    Spring or fall? 
Fall.

20.    Morning or night?  
Night.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon

10. Danielle Stewart

Danielle is the author of Chasing Justice. Danielle will be here on June 12.

1.    Love or money?
Love.

2.    Plain or peanut?
Plain.

3.    Beef or chicken?
Chicken.

4.    Coffee or tea?
Tea.

5.    Oxford comma: yes or no?
Yes.

6.    Hardback or Kindle?
Kindle.

7.    Salty or sweet?
Sweet.

8.    City or country?
Country.

9.    Dog or cat?
Cat.

10.    Fame or fortune?
Fame

11.    Laptop or desktop?
Laptop.

12.    Health food or junk food?
Junk food

13.    Mountains or beach?
Beach.

14.    Gourmet or diner?
Diner.

15.    Sweet or unsweet? (Tea of course.)
Sweet.

16.    Humor or drama?
Humor.

17.    Dr. Seuss or Mr. Spock?
Dr. Seuss.

18.    Halloween or Christmas?
Christmas.

19.    Spring or fall?
Spring.

20.    Morning or night?
Morning.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon

Featured Author: Tracy Sweeney

I'm pleased to have author Tracy Sweeney as my guest today. Tracy's here to talk about her highly-rated chick lit novel, Living Backwards. One reviewer called it "a bit of chick lit with a little bit of time travel and a whole lot of drama." A book about a twenty-nine-year-old who suddenly finds herself back in high school? Mmm hmm, I'd say that would entail some drama.

About the book:

Twenty-nine-year-old Jillian Cross refuses to believe that a pair of skinny jeans has led to her untimely demise. Life just isn't that cruel. But when an overly-enthusiastic attempt at squeezing herself into them leads her to fall and lose consciousness, she is faced with just that possibility. When she awakens with both a bruised ego and a bump on her head, she's not in her tiny apartment but her childhood bedroom circa 1999-the spring of her senior year in high school. Jillian knows that time travel isn't logical. But then again, neither was her decision to wear skinny jeans. As she attempts to navigate her way through the halls of Reynolds High, walking the same path and making the same choices she made years before, she knows that any change she makes can have a catastrophic effect on her future. But when she strikes up an unexpected friendship with motorcycle-riding, cigarette-smoking Luke Chambers, can she pretend to be the same shy girl she once was? At least she has her pink sparkly flask to take the edge off. One little change won't hurt, right?

Interview with Tracy:

How did you come up with the title of your book?

The concept of “living backwards” comes from Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass.  The White Queen isn’t one of the more well known Wonderland residents because clearly Walt Disney just wasn’t into her, but she’s fascinating.  She knows what will happen before it comes to pass:

'For instance, now,' she went on, sticking a large piece of plaster on her finger as she spoke, 'there's the King's Messenger. He's in prison now, being punished: and the trial doesn't even begin till next Wednesday: and of course the crime comes last of all.'

'Suppose he never commits the crime?' said Alice.

'That would be all the better, wouldn't it?' the Queen said.

I thought that it fit the story so perfectly.  What if you’re able to go back and stop the crime from being committed?  What if in the process, you committed an even bigger one?

How did you create the plot for this book?

I love time travel movies. Peggy Sue, Back to the Future, The Butterfly Effect. I eat them up. And maybe I spent too much time thinking about their nuances, but if you were to really end up back in high school years later, could you effectively pretend you belonged there? Do you remember where your locker was or your locker combination? What you were studying in chem class? Where you sat? Could you be the person you were when you were seventeen? Could you make it through all of that trauma and teenage angst without a cocktail? I certainly couldn’t.

Okay. The pink sparkly flask. Tell us about it.

Everyone should have one! I’m kidding. I don’t want to be the downfall of a generation.

When Jillian turned twenty-one, her best friend gave her the flask as a gift. It was pink and sparkly and nothing she ever would have owned in high school. They named it Joan.  When Jillian had a little too much to drink, it was Joan’s voice in her head egging her on to do things that may not have been the best idea. Dance on a table. Do another shot. Make out with the random guy in the corner. Breaking out of her shell is an understatement.  

OK, maybe not everyone should have one. Haha

Do you outline, write by the seat of your pants, or let your characters tell you what to write?

I don’t know how to write by the seat of my pants. There are so many scary things going on in my brain. I start with a broad outline. When I’m about to tackle a chapter, I’ll flesh it out before I begin. As I go along, I make notes about plot points that I need to hit in certain chapters. I always have characters chattering in my head. Yes, I know. Crazy girl. But it’s true. I have to write it down somewhere. I’ve been known to record dialogue on my iPhone as I’m driving. I’m like Michael Keaton in Night Shift. Without Henry Winkler and the prostitution ring. Or Shelley Long. Gotta love Shelley Long.

Did you have any say in your cover art? What do you think of it?

My friend, Liz Jaeger, did an absolutely amazing job on the cover. I swear she made me a hundred different versions of the flask – each one prettier than the next. It was miserable picking just one. I’m thrilled with the final product. She rocks.

What’s your favorite line from a book?

"And they all lived happily ever after." Is there a better one?

That's a pretty good one. Do you have imaginary friends? When do they talk to you? Do they tell you what to write or do you poke them with a Q-tip?

Does a talking flask count? I would never poke her with a Q-tip. Only with a straw.

Ha! good one! Which character did you most enjoy writing?

I actually wrote an outtake from Joan the flask’s point of view. She’s a little Elle Woods from Legally Blonde, a little Rachel Berry from Glee and a lot drunk. It was so much fun.

Are you like any of your characters? How so?

I share a lot of similarities with Jillian. I was shy and awkward when I was in high school and now...well, I’m not exactly shy. I may never shake the awkward, though. You should see me in Zumba class. There’s also a lot of me in Megan, too. I can totally kick your ass in Tekken.

With which of your characters would you most like to be stuck on a deserted island?

Um, Luke, duh. He’s perfect.

Well now I've got to know more about this dude. Can you tell us a little bit about him?

At first sight, Luke is the typical bad boy, but he has good reason for the chip on his shoulder. Life has dealt him some unfortunate blows. So he’s guarded, and he’s biding his time until he can strike out on his own. When he meets Jillian, everything changes. I think he’s probably more shocked than anyone that they form a connection.

Present Day Luke is another story. Different chip, different set of problems. But man, he makes me weak in the knees.  The number one comment from my pre-readers was “Luuuukkeeeeeee”. That made me happy. Like my work here is done.

Tell us about your favorite scene in the book.

I could see Jillian racing across the city in the rain to confront Luke so clearly. I was dying to get it out of my head and onto the page. She’s so much braver than I could ever be in that scene.

Who are your favorite authors?

I’ll read anything Gillian Flynn writes. She’s amazing and evil. I gravitate toward new YA so I’m a big fan of Laini Taylor and Stephanie Perkins. Suzanne Collins and Veronica Roth are geniuses.

What book are you currently reading and in what format (e-book/paperback/hardcover)?
I’ll admit that I miss seeing a bookshelf filled with books, but I just love the Kindle app on my iPad. You can’t beat the instance gratification of downloading a book whenever you want it. And I read a lot.

I just finished The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater, which is just so lovely. I just started The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, and I’m dying to jump on Days of Blood and Starlight, Laini Taylor’s sequel to Daughter of Smoke and Bone.

How do you handle criticism of your work?

Poorly. Kidding. I’ve workshopped my writing, and I’ve written fan fiction. Neither are very forgiving venues, but they’re incredibly helpful. If there’s a plot hole, it will be found. If there’s a nuance to the story that doesn’t make sense, you’ll hear about it.  Concrit makes us better writers. It forces us to stop and ask “Does this make sense” before we proceed with what we’re writing. Criticism needs to be constructive, though.  Behave yourselves. 

Where’s home for you?

Where everybody knows my name. Bad joke. I’m a Boston girl.

What are you working on now?

I’ve had a very short piece – almost flash fiction – in my head for awhile now. I’m putting the finishing touches on that. I’m outlining my second novel and letting a new set of voices chatter in my head.

About the author:

Tracy Sweeney graduated with a degree in Management and Finance but prefers writing ridiculous things to crunching ridiculous numbers. She lives north of Boston, Massachusetts with her two young boys. Her short stories have appeared in Literary Juice, Solecisms and Slice of Life Magazines. She is currently working on her second novel which will be equally as ridiculous.



Connect with Tracy:
Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads / Amazon