Interrogatives

You asked. I'm answering.

Where did you grow up (what part of the country)?
Mid-Atlantic. It’s a bit complicated because I grew up in PA, but the very, very southern part (my parents live 1 mile from the Maryland line). I went to elementary school in MD, but had all my afterschool stuff (ballet, scouts, etc.) in PA. Baltimore was the closest major city, so I identify more closely with there than with any cities in PA.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a writer, although the type of writer varied through the years. In elementary school, I specialized in tall tales, bald-faced lies, and other assorted fictions. I was a master storyteller. Just ask my mother! I once told her such a convincing tale about a schoolyard fight that she actually called one of the other mothers to ask if her son was okay. Except that there hadn't actually been a fight, so the other mother was very confused. Hee!

In junior high, I went through the required overwrought poetry phase before settling into journalism. In high school, I was all about journalism and wanted to be a war correspondent for the New York Times.

What are your hobbies?
Knitting, cross-stitch, collecting assorted craft goodies for projects I’m going to get to someday, reading, watching movies and television shows on DVD, daydreaming.

What is your favorite childhood memory?
A tough question! My most vivid childhood memory is of being in my room (which at various times was painted yellow, blue, and a rather neonish melon), sprawled on the bed with a Nancy Drew mystery and a glass of milk. Also probably memories of our two trips to Pipestem Park in West Virginia and going to see “A Chorus Line” when I was in third or fourth grade. It was the first musical I saw and started a lifelong love of the theater.

Who is your role model?
I don’t really have one role model. I pull different things from different people. Probably the closest I have to a role model is Madeleine L’Engle.

If you could magically fix just one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Just one thing?! I guess I would want to be less lazy, because that would help fix a lot of other things!

If you were able to ask Rowen one question, and she would be able to understand you and give a reply, what would you ask her?
I would ask if she’s happy with the life I’m providing her.

What is your middle name?
Jane

What was your favorite year in elementary school?
First grade. I was still going to the local public school, so I was with the same kids I knew from kindergarten and from the neighborhood. And I liked my teacher, Mrs. Schmidt.

What is your favorite dessert?
Don’t make me play favorites with my desserts! How about a peanut-butter-filled brownie sundae.

Anything else anyone wants to know?