Sunday: Author Unknown Q&A

Sunday Stealing: The Unknown Author Questions


1. If someone wanted to really understand you, what would they read, watch, and listen to?

A. They could read this blog and learn a lot. They could watch Lord of the Rings. They could listen to music from the 1970s.

2. Have you ever found a blogger who thinks just like you? if so, who?

A. Many of the Saturday 9, Sunday Stealing, and Thursday 13 folks think like I do about various things.

3. List your fandoms and one character from each that you identify with.

A. Lord of the Rings -  Frodo
     Xena: Warrior Princess - Gabrielle
     Supergirl - her sister Alex (although I also identify with Kara aka Supergirl)
     Harry Potter - Hermione
     Game of Thrones - Arya Stark
     Masters of Sex - Virginia Johnson
     Big Bang Theory - Amy Farrah Fowler
     Cagney & Lacey  - Cagney (yes, I am old)
    
4. Do you like your name? Is there another name you think would fit you better?

A. My name is fine. For a time I tried to go by my initials, A.J., but it never caught on.

5. Do you think of yourself as a human being or a human doing? Do you identify yourself by the things you do?

A. I tend to be "doing" more than "being." I am afraid it is ingrained in Americans courtesy of the Puritan Work Ethic (a theological and sociological concept emphasizing diligence and hard work), passed down by our forefathers. I have spent time working on the "being" part, though, with some success.

6. Are you religious/spiritual?

A. I am spiritual. I don't consider myself particularly religious. Tried it and found it too structured and let's face it, the Bible reverses itself on many issues. If I'm going to cherry-pick on my religious constructs, as today's religions do, I would just as soon do it myself and take it from whatever source I want.

7. Do you care about your ethnicity?

A. No. But then, I am white, and I have no need to. I suspect it would be different if my skin tones were another color.

8. What musical artists have you most felt connected to over your lifetime?

A. Stevie Nicks, Melissa Etheridge, Sheryl Crow.

9. Are you an artist?

A. If you consider writers to be artists, I am an artist.

10. Do you have a creed?

A. Be kind, be smart, be good. I think that's more of a motto than a creed, though.

11. Describe your ideal day.

A. I wake and stretch, with the sunlight coming in because I have slept to my normal waking hour, not the one the alarm clock brings. My handsome young dude brings me breakfast in bed, which would consist of fruit, toast, and chocolate. Then he goes on his merry way, leaving me to shower and dress. Then I would spend the rest of the day with the best book ever written.

12. Dog person or cat person?

A. Dog.

13. Inside or outdoors?

A. Inside. I wish I could be outside but I am allergic to all but two plants in the world, and they are in Eastern Asia.

14. Are you a musician?

A. Yes. I play the guitar.

15. Five most influential books over your lifetime.

A.  If You Want to Write, by Brenda Ueland
      Any Nancy Drew book
      Lao Tzu Tao Te Ching, translated by Ursula K. Le Guin
      The Children's Bible (1972 version)
      Our Bodies, Our Selves

16. If you’d grown up in a different environment, do you think you’d have turned out the same?

A. Nope. I would be different.

17. Would you say your tumblr is a fair representation of the “real you”?

A. I don't have a tumblr. I'm not even sure what that is.

18. What’s your patronus?

A. I took the Patronus Test and got 'My Patronus is a Rabbit'!  - Your patronus takes the form of a Rabbit. A rabbit is known for being somewhat shy. Similarly, you tend to be quiet around others, especially new people. However, you are very bright and alert. You are good at reading people and know who to trust. You are also nurturing and kind. You may have trouble conjuring your patronus because your mind tends to race in the heat of a battle. (I am not sure what good a rabbit would be in battle, though I suppose they bite.)

19. Which Harry Potter house would you be in? Or are you a muggle?

A. You got: Ravenclaw. You're clever and wise. Your friends often come to you to get advice because you always know what to say. Your creativity allows you to look at things in an out-of-the-box way. And your wit makes you a pleasure to be around. (That's according to this quiz.)

20. Would you rather be in Middle Earth, Narnia, Hogwarts, or somewhere else?

A. Middle Earth, in The Shire or Rivendale.

21. Do you love easily?

A. No.

22. List the top five things you spend the most time doing, in order.

A. Taking care of house and husband
     Wasting time on the computer (includes FB, video games & blogging)
     Cooking
     Reading
     Driving (because you can't get anywhere from where I live without a 20-minute drive)

23. How often would you want to see your family every year?

A. Um.

24. Have you ever felt like you had a “mind-meld” with someone?

A. Not exactly, but I have met people and known immediately that we would become friends.

25. Could you live as a hermit?

A. Yes.

26. How would you describe your gender/sexuality?

A. I am Woman, hear me Roar.

27. Do you feel like your outside appearance is a fair representation of the “real you”?

A. I don't think so, but it probably is.

28. On a scale from 1 to 10, how hard is it for someone to get under your skin?

A. About a 4.

29. Three songs that you connect with right now.

A. Unwritten, by Natasha Beddingfield
     Bohemian Rhapsody (Pentatonix version, watch if you haven't seen it)
     Nowhere to Go, by Melissa Etheridge (beautiful song and video)

30. Pick one of your favorite quotes.

A. Not exactly a quote, but a scene:

Xena: See how calm the surface of the water is. That was me once. And then . . .
[Xena throws a stone in the water]
Xena:  . . . the water ripples and churns. That’s what I became.
Gabrielle: But if we sit here long enough it will go back to being still again; go back to being calm.
Xena: But the stone is still under there. It’s now part of the lake. It might look as it did before, but it’s forever changed.
__________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.