I can’t eat real ice cream, but I love Ben & Jerry’s cherry Garcia frozen yogurt. My store hasn’t had it lately, so I’ve been eating Kroger’s caramel praline. I like it best with raspberries, Hershey’s chocolate syrup, and Cool Whip. Yum!
What does your desk look like?
It’s pictured here. The photo is a bit dated, as you can see by the Windows 7 book on the shelf, but it hasn’t changed much. The chair is hard enough to be good for my back, and it’s also a family heirloom, as it originally belonged to my grandmother.
Where is your favorite place you've visited (or wish to visit)?
It’s hard to choose just one. I loved both Alaska with its calving glaciers and Hawaii with its beautiful flowers and beaches. One place that was very meaningful to me was Helen Keller’s home in Alabama. The place I’d most like to visit and haven’t yet is the Netherlands. Samuel Pepys visited in the 17th century and John Adams in the 18th and both noted how clean and friendly it was. It still has that reputation, plus art museums, canals, tulips, and windmills!
If you could meet one famous person, living or dead, who would it be?
Another tough choice with lots of answers, but today I’ll say Sidney Godolphin. I fell in love with him (as played by John Standing) when the First Churchills first aired and read a great deal of background with the idea of writing a historical novel about him and his wife. I’d love to interview him.
Favorite childhood book?
Lots of answers here too! My mother subscribed to the Readers Digest Condensed Books, and a favorite I found there was Karen by Marie Killilea, about her daughter who had cerebral palsy. I was so young when I first read it that I didn’t know what the word “decade” meant. Karen was my childhood hero, triumphing over all her challenges, and my sister and I would “play Karen” by using sticks as crutches, until the neighbors complained that we were mocking the disabled. That puzzled me, because when we pretended our bicycles were horses nobody thought we were mocking cowboys. Karen may be the reason two of my heroines have disabled children.
An excerpt…
It’s a good thing you’re not attracted to me.”
“What?”
She peered at him, sniffling, and dabbed at her eyes. “You’re not, are you?”
“Which answer will get me in the least trouble?” he asked.
She laughed shakily. She felt a lot better. “If you were before, you wouldn’t be now.” He gave her another tissue, and she managed to get most of the mascara off. He rubbed away a stray smudge with his thumb, and his fingers brushed her cheek. The soft touch was even more comforting than being held in his arms. She closed her eyes.
He kissed her. It was the briefest pressure of his lips against hers, gentle and sweet, but she felt it deep inside. She opened her eyes. His were wide with surprise. “I think we just went off the clock,” she said.
