1. Bookmarks or dog ears?
Dog ears! I love the feel of books!
2. Dust jacket on or off when reading a hard back?
They usually come off when I'm reading...although I know they shouldn't (my bad!)
3. Favorite author?
Edith Wharton...and Margaret Mitchell....and Jane Austen....Oh, I am SO TOSSED!!!!!!!!! Don't do this to me!!!!!!!
4. Favorite genre?
Historical fiction. Albeit, good contemporary fiction is historic eventually, isn't it? It may be "the way we live now" but will be considered "the way we lived then" if it lasts through the ages.
5. What is the best book you have read in the last year?
John LeCarre's THE NIGHT MANAGER. A spy thriller and a love story: a fabulous combination in great hands, of which his are the best.
6. What book would you most like to see made into a movie?
My own! Fingers crossed, as it's making the rounds.
7. If you could only take one book with you to a desert island, which would you bring?
I think GONE WITH THE WIND.
8. What book have you read that you think is overrated?
Hmmmm......I know how subjective reading is, so I can only speak for myself...and pissin' on another book is bad karma, LOL!
9. What are you reading right now?
SUNNYSIDE by Glen David Gold. He's a fabulous historical fiction writer (CARTER BEATS THE DEVIL is one of my all-time favorite books) and in this, his latest, he covers something near and dear to my heart: the infancy of Hollywood, a subject I've researched well.
10. What is the last book you bought just for the cover?
Hmmm. great question. I guess it would be Don Delillo's UNDERWORLD. The cover was very mysterious looking...but it wasn't something that resonated with me as much as I'd hoped. I've enjoyed other books of his more.
To me, this is a VERY interesting question. Does a cover sell a book? Most certainly. That is why most books are "impluse buys", as opposed to something we come into the store, looking for specifically -- like a bestseller.
Concurrently, does a cover keep other wonderful books from being picked up? I'm guessing that's an emphatic "You betcha!" I'd like to ask your readers to comment as to whether my cover jacket would be arresting enough for them to pick it up, if they saw it in a store.
Now, keep in mind, most US bookstores do not give a lot of real estate to book covers, placing most of them only spine out, which doesn't allow them to buy a book on impulse. So sad. The British booksellers, however, are onto this, and place as many books as possible face out. Target does this, too.
Alas there is only so much shelf space. So, do you put more books face out in the hope of selling them, or do you just purchase more books to sell? Aye,for booksellers, that's the rub...
11. What is the last book you received in the mail?
A BAD DAY FOR PRETTY, by Sophie LIttlefield. It's on my To-Be-Read stack now!
12. What is the number of books you own?
Several hundred. NO JOKE. They are in EVERY ROOM IN THE HOUSE. My dream is to have a beautiful library in which to house them all. They include whole hardcover collections from my favorite authors (Martin Cruz Smith, John Le Carre, Edith Wharton, Jane Austen, Anthony Trollope, F. Scott Fitzgerald, etc., etc.) as well as many out-of-print non-fiction on topics, written in the eras in which I research for my own historical fiction works-in-progress (early Hollywood, World War II, Great Depression)
13. What is the first book you remember reading by yourself as a child?
GO DOG, GO! And ONE FISH, BLUE FISH, RED FISH BLUE FISH! Love my Seuss!
14. Do you have a favorite place to read?
Under any tree, in any park. Or to take my book with me to the beach. We are only 20 minutes away -- but don't do it often enough!
15. What is next for you, publishing-wise?
I have a book coming out in April. I can't divulge the title right now, but it is contemporary novel about a woman whose career dictates that she work with other women who are pregnant, but for personal reasons, she can't make the emotional leap to get pregnant herself. LOTS of twists and turns
16. Do you have a favorite place to write?
I move from room to room with my laptop! On a sunny warm day, I love writing outside, and can do so now, with my wonderful new ASUS netbook. YEA!
17. Do you have any pets ?
Alas, all of our critters have gone to heaven. But I look at their photos every day.
18. How does your garden grow?
It doesn't. Except for one little basil plant, which is my best friend in the kitchen.
19. The last thing you Googled?
ROFLMAO! Myself! (BAD ME. But it's part and parcel of knowing where I -- and my book -- stands in the zeitgeist....SO, READERS, buy my wonderful book!)
20. What makes you cringe?
LOL! How I answered Question 19. And the amount of oil we use in this world. And people eating junk food that only gives them empty calories ....Oh, don't get my cringe-o-meter going!
xxx Josie
Visit Josie Brown on her websites
http://www.josiebrown.com/
http://www.authorprovocateur.com/
http://www.facebook.com/josiebrownauthor
Another great twenty questions! I'm going to check out that Sunnyside book, it sounds interesting.
ReplyDeletewow! This was so much fun! You know, I've never before met anyone who prefers dog ears - how interesting.
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