10 Questions for Grace Wen

Welcome to a new feature on Marguerite Says. Mondays are now "Musaling Mondays." I will open up my blog to fellow Musa authors. Here's how it will work. Each month will feature a list of 10 questions.  The victims, I mean, my guests all get the questions at the same time--so no one knows what is coming. These probably won't be your normal interview questions. This month I'm all about the zombies. The first brave Musaling is my good friend Grace Wen. Grace writes fantastic women's fiction and has been a long time crit partner and beta reader.

1.      First the easy one. Can you tell us a little about yourself?

This is actually the hardest question! Don't you hate it when you get this question in a job interview? Ah heck, I'll just crib from my author bio: I write women's fiction and romance because I find people fascinating. I love toask my characters nosy questions to avoid being a real-life busybody. My stories have appeared in TrueConfessions, True Love, and True Romance magazines. My debutwomen's fiction novella, AN IMPERFECT WIFE, snagged the runner-up spot for Love Romances Cafe's 2011 BestContemporary Book. I live insoutheastern Michigan with two neurotic but cute cats. When I'm not writing, I'm usually reading, playing drums (rarely these days, unfortunately), cooking, or training for my next halfmarathon.

2.      We all know the Zombie Apocalypse is coming. What five personal skills will help you survive?

- Running. I don't have to be the fastest runner. I just have to be faster than someone else.

- Biking. See above, with more speed.

- Pyromaniac tendencies. I love making fires and playing with them. It's a very handy skill, especially when paired with Molotov cocktails to hurl at the zombies.

- Cooking. If we're all going to be hunkered down in a shelter, someone has to cook.

- Easy to get along with. There's safety in numbers, and I'm the perfect human army member. I follow instructions, keep things neat, smile a lot, don't argue, and don't snore.

3.      What sort of cake are you? Why? Do you have the recipe? Yes, question three is three questions. It’s a paradox. Just answer. Don’t judge.

Banana nut cake with cream cheese frosting because I'm bananas, nutty, and cheesy. ;) I know, bad joke. Here's a link to a recipe (I haven't made them yet because I don't bake as much as I used to). Bad news: the recipe includes the nutritional information, but if you close your right eye, you should be able to avoid it.

4.      Pimp it if you’ve got it! What is new and what is next for you as a writer?

My latest release, NEVER LET GO, came out April 13. It's about a woman who has trouble letting go of her ex-boyfriend and resorts to stalking to try to win him back. If you enjoy angsty women's fiction, this novella would make a nice, quick summer read. You'll likely say, "Oh no she didn't!" at least once. (interviewer's note: I think I said it twice!)

5      Can I borrow five bucks?

Sure!

6.      If I gave you five bucks, what ridiculous thing would you spend it on?

A jumbo bag of dark chocolate peanut M&Ms.

7.      What is one book you never get tired of reading?

Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates. Relationship train wreck plus subtle snark? Sign me up! I read this book every year and love it each time.

8.      Okay, imagine you are trapped in your house during the Zombie Apocalypse. Pushing this button will save you and everyone on your street.

Do you live or die?

Sorry, folks, we're dead. True story -- when I was a kid, my parents got me a children's encyclopedia set. The "I" volume was pristine because I avoided the insect pictures. I know, spiders are arachnids and not insects, but they're all creepy, crawly, ugly creatures with exoskeletons and lots of legs. :shudders:

9.      What are some of the things on your bucket list?

To be honest, I've never kept a bucket list even though I'm very goal-oriented. My current big goal (which will take quite some time): become famous enough to either play Not My Job on NPR's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me or play drums for Rock Bottom Remainders. I'll take either one. Or both. Both would be sweet.

10.      Truth or dare?

Truth. I'm too old to feel shame anymore.

Okay. Truth: What's the worst rejection you ever received.

Most memorable rejection: on a cookbook proposal I co-authored with a chef, the editor said, "We like the concept, we like the proposal, we like the writing, but we don't like the author. She's an unknown. Get someone else." I know everyone says rejection isn't personal, but guess what? This one was! I switched to fiction writing soon after that.

Whoa! Harsh one, Grace. Let's give her a big hand for being such a good sport. You can find out more about Grace at her blog, That's All She Wrote. You can buy Grace's books everywhere fine ebooks are sold, including the Musa Publishing store, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance ebooks, and Smashwords.