Thomas A. Knight

This week's interview is with Thomas A. Knight who is celebrating the release of his debut novel: The Time Weaver.

You can find out more about Thomas and his efforts Here

And you can buy The Time Weaver for Kindle Here

TAS: Let's get the plug out of the way.  Tell us a little bit about the project you are currently promoting - who will be interested and why?

TAK: The Time Weaver is about an unlikely hero, an ordinary guy working an ordinary job in a small town in Iowa. When he gets in a car accident one day on his way home, that's when things get weird. The accident should have killed him, but instead, time stops, and he is left scared and confused, wandering through his frozen town. But he's not the only one who's noticed the anomaly in the flow of time, and two sides of a conflict in a parallel world send somebody to retrieve Seth and take him back to their world, believing that he is the last of a race that can control time. That's where Seth's adventures really begin, when he enters the world of Galadir and discovers that it was he that stopped time and he must learn to control his powers and fight in order to save a kingdom from annihilation. The story is action packed, and should appeal to gamers, role-players and all types of sci-fi and fantasy fans everywhere.

TAS: What aspects of being an author do you most enjoy?

TAK: Being able to enter my world, to live and breath the sights and sounds, to create new and interesting races, people and places. You can sit down and read a book, and get into the story, and even experience it to an extent. But until you've created it for yourself, you can never truly understand what it's like. There's a certain divinity to it, to the creation of all things in my worlds, but at the same time, some of it takes on a life of its own, and its really interesting to see how it grows and flourishes, or withers and dies.

TAS: What aspects of being an author do you least enjoy?

TAK: Losing a much loved character. It takes a lot of time and effort to bring a character to life, and sometimes those characters have accidents, or they do silly things, or sacrifice themselves in truly selfless acts for the greater good. But whatever the reason, it hurts each time I have to say goodbye to one of them. They may only be words on paper, but each one represents an act of imagination, of creation, a personality and almost a living breathing thing. It's tough to let go of them.

TAS: What moment as an author have you experienced that you are likely to remember 20 years from now (good or bad)?

TAK: The moment I wrote the last words in the first draft of my first book. It was a moment of triumph for me, representing hundreds of hours of time and effort, of struggle to get through the hard parts, and breezing through the easy parts. There was a certain finality to it, to suddenly realize that I'd written 108,200 words and completed a book.

TAS: What bad habits do you have when it comes to writing/promoting your books and/or what do you wish you could do better?

TAK: I don't think I've developed what I would call habits yet. I have a tendency when I'm writing to repeat the same words or phrases numerous times. This is something I work on cleaning up during editing, and something that my wonderful test readers are very enthusiastic to point out when I do it.

TAS: Do you have any authors that you try to emulate? Why or why not?

TAK: J. Robert King is one of my favourite authors, with his action driven books. I would very much like to be able to write like him.

TAS: Do you have clear 'heroes' and 'villains' in your stories or are the lines more blurred?  Why do you choose that route?

TAK: In The Time Weaver, the sides were clearly defined, which made it a pretty easy book to write. But this is not a set-in-stone style of mine, just how it came out for that book. In the sequel (which I'm currently working on) the lines get a little more blurred as to who is doing the right and wrong. I don't think it will be who you expect it to be.

TAS: Do you have any pet peeves related to writing? Are there any things that other authors do that drive you crazy?

TAK: I don't think I could define it exactly, but things that jar me out of the story really bug me. Like, I'm reading along, totally engrossed with visuals in my head, and then something happens, or the way the author wrote something totally disrupts the scene. It's the kind of thing that makes me want to put the book down.

TAS: What's the greatest thing you can realistically imagine happening as a result of your writing? How likely do you think that is to actually happen?

TAK: The greatest thing? The sky's the limit? Being able to do my writing as a full-time job. Not that I don't enjoy my day-job, but everyone's gotta dream right? Being able to write full-time and get paid for it, that would be pretty cool.

TAS: Tell us about the most interesting thing you’ve ever eaten.

TAK: Wow, I've eaten some interesting stuff. Snails? Sautéd in a garlic butter sauce, and served on crackers. If you can get past the “biting down on an eyeball” feeling, they are actually quite good. :)

TAS: If you knew you would be trapped in an elevator for a couple hours and you could choose any living person to be trapped in there with you, who would it be and why?

TAK: Stephen King. The man is a genius, and I'm sure the last thing he wants to do is talk writing with a no-namer like me for a couple hours in an elevator, but it would be the chance of a lifetime to just sit and chat with a legend.

TAS: If you could have any super-power, what would you choose and why?

TAK: The ability to control time would be very cool to have. But I'm biased, because I just wrote a book about a guy that can do just that. So often I find myself stressed because I don't have the time to get everything done that I'd like to get done. Having the ability to slow time down and give myself some extra time to do that kind of stuff would be great.

TAS: Would you cut off your right leg for $500,000?

TAK: Well, considering that my day-job is software development, and I write on the side of that, I don't use my right leg that much. $500,000 would pretty much secure my future, so I would have to say yes.

Johanna Garth

This week's interview is with up-and-coming author Johana Garth.  Johanna's great debut novel, Losing Beauty is just out in paperback and available at Amazon .  You can also get if for  Kindle or buy a signed copy from  Fantasy Island Book Publishing .  Please also check out her blog here .

Losing Beauty is the first book in the Persephone Campbell series and has been getting some great press.  You can read reviews:  here, here, and here.

TAS: Let's get the plug out of the way.  Tell us a little bit about Losing Beauty - who will be interested and why? 

JG: Losing Beauty is a modern retelling of the Greek myth of Persephone and Hades.  The people who are the most gaga over it seem to be smart women, thirty and over.   I think part of the book’s appeal for this demographic is that it’s a fun, quick read that still feels substantive.

TAS: What aspects of being an author do you most enjoy? 

JG: Uhh, the writing!  Just kidding!  On second thought…I’m serious.  I really do love the writing the best.

TAS: What aspects of being an author do you least enjoy?

JG: The writing.  Oops, that was my answer to the last question.  There’s only a thin line between love and hate and that’s precisely how I feel about writing.  On any given day I can be on either side of the fence. 

TAS: What moment as an author have you experienced that you are likely to remember 20 years from now (good or bad)?

JG: The first time I saw the cover.  All of a sudden Losing Beauty went from a bunch of sentences that I’d written down, to a real live book.  The cover kind of took my breath away, and I want to give props to the extremely talented cover designer and writer, Ceri Clark, who designed it.

TAS: What bad habits do you have when it comes to writing/promoting your books and/or what do you wish you could do better?

JG: Really, Gary?  You want me to share my bad habits??  Okay, they’re numerous but here goes.  Easily distracted/snacks while writing/spends too much time on Twitter/quits writing when I’ve hit my word goal instead of when I’ve followed an idea to its logical conclusion/spends too much time on Facebook and Google+/answers the phone when my friends call.

If I could pick just one thing to change, it would be the first one.  Sometimes I feel like a kitten chasing any piece of string that happens to pass in my line of vision.

TAS: Do you have any authors that you try to emulate?  Why or why not?

JG: When I first started writing I wanted to be a modern-day Colette (without the husband locking me in the attic until I finished my book business).  That goal hasn’t changed.  She was, and is, an accessible writer who explores the human condition in a way that entertains and amuses.  She’s totally my heroine and the Claudine Stories are some of my favorite books of all time.

TAS: How important do you think a cover is to a book?

JG: Ridiculously important!  I tell my kids they should always try to look clean and neat but a book cover has to do even more.  It has to make you want to pick it up.  Once a potential reader picks it up or clicks on it to read the book blurb you’ve already achieved a certain measure of success.

TAS: Would you paint your web-site on your chest and streak the Superbowl if you KNEW it would make your book a smash hit?

JG: Oh my goodness!  You’re asking me a Superbowl question?  I have trouble differentiating between basketball and baseball and you give me a sports question? J   I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t streak but I might be open to a preconceived ‘wardrobe malfunction’.

TAS: Have you ever changed the way you worded something you were writing because you weren't sure the grammatically correct way to say it as originally imagined?

JG: All the time.  I think that’s what people mean when they say one of the biggest challenges of writing is technical.

TAS: Tell us about the most interesting person you’ve ever met.

JG: My French ex-boyfriend’s mother, she taught me about subtlety and how to make a kick-ass vinaigrette. 

TAS: What city that you've visited has the most interesting food?  Tell us more. 

JG: I lived in New York City for a long time and it’s hard to beat for interesting food.  You can go to Queens and get amazing Greek, Chinese or Italian.  In Manhattan you have everything from world class restaurants to little holes in wall where the cooking and serving are done by someone’s Russian grandmother.   My favorite thing about eating in NYC is there’s always that great feeling of conquest when you find a place that is undiscovered.

TAS: Tell us about a guilty pleasure.

JG: Cheetos.  I hadn’t had them in fifteen years.  I tried one the other day and now they’re all I can think about.

TAS: If you were, literally, the last person on earth, what would you do?  Would you go on?

JG: That’s such a sad question and it makes me think of Cormac McCarthy’s book, The Road.   That book ruined my life for at least three weeks.  Hopefully, my last person on earth situation would be more like a Disney film, and I would find a bunch of happy bunnies and tweeting birds to keep me company.

Ceri Clark

This Week's author is Ceri Clark.  Ceri has written 3 books:  Two in her A Simpler Guide instructional series on Gmail and Android Apps and her first fiction book:  Children of the Elementi.  I've read COTE, and I thought it was great!  It's an epic fantasy adventure with interesting characters, fascinating other worlds, mysterious powers, events etc.  It has a little bit of everything and is very well-written.

You can check out Ceri's website and find links to buy and learn more about her books here:  http://cericlark.com/

And you can find out more about her and link up with her on Facebook, Twitter etc. here:  http://about.me/cericlark

TAS: Let's get the plug out of the way. Tell us a little bit about the project you are currently promoting - who will be interested and why?


CC: I’m promoting Children of the Elementi at the moment. It is a fantasy novel with a smidgeon of science-fiction. The prologue starts off with an Empire defeated and five children sent through time and space to grow up in safety but the real story begins on present day Earth.


Jake has just turned 14 and has already discovered that he can do a few party ‘tricks’ but when he finds an ancient crystal heirloom his powers are magnified and he learns he is the next High-King in another dimension. The story then follows Jake as he searches for the other heirs before the people who killed his parents finds them first.


TAS: What aspects of being an author do you most enjoy?


CC: I've always been a daydreamer but being an author means I get to share the weird ideas and worlds I think of with other people.


TAS: What aspects of being an author do you least enjoy?


CC: I really hate promotion. I am a bit shy and if I could spend my days hiding behind a keyboard tapping away I would.


TAS: What moment as an author have you experienced that you are likely to remember 20 years from now (good or bad)?


CC: I sent Elementi to a critique agency after I first finished it. Before this I was going through a bit of a crisis in confidence. I can’t tell you how great I felt when the critiquer said it was a page turner in the best possible sense! I nearly cried. oh, ok I did cry - but just a little.


TAS: What bad habits do you have when it comes to writing/promoting your books and/or what do you wish you could do better?


CC: I do procrastinate a lot. I am a messy soul but when I come to a particularly difficult part of the book, or any promotion my study sparkles, and the bathroom, and the kitchen...


TAS: What is your favorite book and why?


CC: I don’t really have a favourite book. I do love the Darkover series by Marion Zimmer Bradley. I think she was an amazing writer and I could read her books time and time again.


TAS: Do you prefer to write when the room is quiet . . . or do you like to have some background noise?


CC: I couldn’t write without a bit of Bon Jovi or Bryan Adams blaring in the background.


TAS: Do you have any pet peeves related to writing?


CC: Not really. I wish there were more hours in the day but everyone probably thinks that!


TAS: Do you think bestsellers are typically better books than books that don't sell as well? Why or why not?


CC: I think bestsellers are lucky. If you were traditionally published in the past then you have a name (and your lucky to have written books in the past!) but I think otherwise you have to strike a chord with people. it has to be enough that they want to share the book with their friends and they want to share with their friends etc.

TAS: Is there anything that you look forward to that gets you through a tough day?


CC: Chocolate!


TAS: Is the World a better or worse place in 2011 than it was in 1970 and why do you answer the way you do?


CC: The world was a worse place, because I wasn’t in it yet - just kidding. I think it was worse because of the technology we have now. I can’t imaging living in a world where I can’t look at the internet while waiting for a bus, get my frozen shopping delivered to me ice-cold after ordering it online the night before or having less than four channels on the TV!


TAS: If an aging friend with painful, terminal cancer asked you to kill them, and you knew there wouldn't be any legal problems, would you do it?


CC: I don't think I could. Only because I can't bear the idea of hurting anyone. I know the cancer would be hurting them but it wouldn't be me physically doing it. I can't even scratch my husbands back when he asks me to! Maybe I shouldn't have said that...

Rachel Tsoumbakos

This week's interview is with Rachel Tsoumbakos whose first published book is:  Emeline and the Mutants.  I'm currently reading that book enjoying it very much.  It combines elements such as zombies, vampires and even mermaids, but with a very fresh perspective.  Her next project is a vampire series that is currently being edited, and she writes for a True Blood fansite - True Blood Net - http://truebloodnet.com

She lives in Australia and has published articles with Australian magazine Living Now and its sister publication, Dare to Dream.




You can buy Emeline and the Mutants at Amazon or Barnes & Noble

Please also check out Rachel's Blog and stop by and 'like' her Facebook Page

TAS: Let's get the plug out of the way.  Tell us a little bit about the project you are currently promoting - who will be interested and why?

RT: At the moment I am promoting Emeline and the Mutants. It's about what would happen to the world if an AIDS cure went horribly wrong and turned a large majority of the population into different types of creatures. Emeline Hart is the heroine of the story and is one of the lucky few that do not change. It's her job to rid the world of all the trolls, zombies, vampires, mermaids and other mutants that now exist. In the midst of all this chaos her brother, Warwick, goes missing and she befriends a dwarf who was secretly dating him.

TAS: What aspects of being an author do you most enjoy?

RT: Being able to write.

And being able to steal my friends identities and turn them into crazy hermits or brothel owners at my own whim and fancy.

TAS: What aspects of being an author do you least enjoy?

RT: Having a constantly messy house. I personally flunked out of the University of Domestic Duties (except for Floordrobe 101 and Organised Clutter for Beginners), but even I find the dust too much to bear sometimes. I am very lucky to have children who think our house is normal and a husband who prefers being able to brag about having an author as a wife over a sterile environment.

TAS: What moment as an author have you experienced that you are likely to remember 20 years from now (good or bad)?

RT: The first time I completed a manuscript. Up until three years ago, I had written plenty of stories, but never completed one. I forced myself to do NaNoWriMo in a last ditch attempt to be able to put an end to a story. It worked.

TAS: What bad habits do you have when it comes to writing/promoting your books and/or what do you wish you could do better?

RT: When writing, I do not take enough time to step away from the computer. I find by the end of the day I have claws for hands and eyes that feel like they have been laser gunned. With promotion, I just wish I was better at selling my product.

TAS: What’s the worst book you’ve ever read? Why does it get that honor?

RT: I just finished reading 'The Painted Caves' by Jean M Auel. It is the final book in a series that has taken the author over thirty years to write. I loved this series so much that I named my daughter after the main character. After reading the last book in the series, I am now trying to work out how to reclaim three decades worth of anticipation. Basically, the author has rewritten the third book in the series and not answered ANY of the questions raised with the first book.

TAS: What is your least favorite genre?  Do you feel you could write something that was at least average or better in that genre for the right price?

RT: Probably westerns or war stories. It's not that I think they are generally badly written, I just don't find either topics favorites of mine. And no, I would never, ever attempt to write either styles. Personally, I feel that you can only write well in a genre that you also love to read yourself.

TAS: Were you smarter than your writing/literature teachers in high-school and why do you answer the way you do?

RT: Of course I was ;-P

Seriously though, they are the teachers that taught me all that I know about the English language today. Besides them, I list my mother and her push to make reading fun that have lead me down this path.

TAS: If you could ask one question of one author (living or dead) and you would get a detailed, honest answer, who would it be and what would you ask?

RT: Jean M Auel: Why?

TAS: Tell us about the most interesting person you’ve ever met.

RT: I am a writer, every single person that crosses my path are interesting in some shape or form. Every character I have ever created has been based (however large or small) on interesting people around me. In Emeline and the Mutants, one of my characters, Nore Berry is based on a close friend of mine. So far, though, I still haven't found a place in one of my books for the lady who only does her grocery shopping while wearing leopard print. Over the last ten years, I don't think I've seen her wear the same outfit twice - that's a lot of leopard going on! I find it fascinating that she could be so obsessed with such a gaudy print.

TAS: Tell us a little bit about your home town and what makes it special.

RT: I live in a suburb called Greensborough (not Greensboro). I have lived here since I was very young. It's special to me because it is home and there is a wonderful sense of community. I'm sure it has other redeeming and important features, I am just unaware of them. We have a really cool abandoned cemetery, does that count?

TAS: If space aliens landed and said you could come with them to their planet to see wonders beyond wonders . . . but you would never see earth or your friends and family again, would you go?

RT: Hell no! I once went to a psychic who told me that I had learned all there was to learn on this planet, and that with my next life, I would be born on another planet. Needless to say, I did not go back to her again. I am a homebody, I cherish my humble piece of earth. Needless to say, my family and friends are everything to me.

Shaun Allan

For today's interview, please welcome Shaun Allan.  Shaun has a very diverse writing background including poems, short stories and an online magazine that he used to run.  As a result of his work on that magazine, he was invited to appear on Sky TV where he debated the virtues of electronic publishing with a prominent agent from Curtis Brown.  While I don't know the exact outcome of that debate, I think I can speak for many independent authors when I say I hope and expect Shaun kicked serious butt. ;)

His writing challenges the imagination with unique and very creative themes.  I have not yet had time to read his novel - Sin, but I have read the opening and it is powerfully written with a unique and skilled voice.

As of this writing, Shaun was anxiously anticipating the arrival of an over-due baby, so let's all wish Shaun and his family the best!

You can view Shaun's main website HERE where you can find links to buy Sin or other books by Shaun.

You can also go directly to Sin's blog HERE (he's the crazy one . . . not Shaun).

Please also stop by Shaun's Facebook Page when you have some time.

And as a special offer to visitors of this Blog, Shaun is offering 50% off Sin.  Just use coupon code LS52L  HERE

TAS: Let's get the plug out of the way.  Tell us a little bit about the project you are currently promoting - who will be interested and why?

SA: Although I’m promoting three stories at the moment, Sin, Zits’n’Bits (a collection of offbeat poems for children) and Tooth (the mastodon story – 5 star reviewed!), Sin is my main focus as it’s taken me 10 years from the original story to write.  There were times, due to life getting in the way, where I didn’t write for almost a year.  Then, on holiday in Egypt last year, I managed 15,000 words!  Sin has a lot of me in him – his thoughts can be random, his experiences not always good.  He had a poor childhood and just wanted to be a normal guy.  The fact that people die around him doesn’t make him a bad person, does it?

TAS: What aspects of being an author do you most enjoy?

SA: Finding out what is going to happen.  I, normally, have no idea where a story is going to go.  I just start writing.  When I had neared the end of Sin and had an idea of what was going to happen, I was so excited because, up until that point, I didn’t know.  I read about his dead sister taking him to the Seven Hills (an area of urban legend when I was a child) when it happened, for example.  For his blog, I have a one sentence starter, with no inkling of who he will meet or what he will say.  I just let it flow.  The discovery is a great feeling.

TAS: What aspects of being an author do you least enjoy?

SA: The year where I didn’t get to write.  The feeling just wasn’t there.  Nowadays, I have the constant urge to write, but can’t because of work etc.

TAS: What moment as an author have you experienced that you are likely to remember 20 years from now (good or bad)?

SA: Appearing on Sky was a highlight for me, definitely.  Finishing Sin was too.  I’ve got about three other novels partially finished so completing one – especially when it was so much a part of me – was wonderful.

TAS: What bad habits do you have when it comes to writing/promoting your books and/or what do you wish you could do better?

SA: I don’t make notes or plan the story.  Luckily I tend to remember things that happen so I know if I’m contradicting myself, but I really should make notes as I go along.  The closest I come to doing so is typing a few words at the bottom of the document to remind me of things.  As for promoting, I have all the best intentions, but none of the time.  I wish I could invest time to figure out the best ways and follow them up.

TAS: How important do you think a cover is to a book?

SA: Very important.  It’s your first impression.  Many people are limited, unless they pay for bespoke covers, on what they can produce, so I do take that into consideration with indie authors, but in a bookstore, it’s usually the cover (unless it’s an author I follow) that grabs me.

SA: How many hours a week do you spend writing?

TAS: Not enough.  But then would it ever be?

TAS: What's the greatest thing you can realistically imagine happening as a result of your writing?   How likely do you think that is to actually happen?

SA: Seeing it on the shelf in a shop.  I think it’s a fairly reasonable intent, although I need to get to the pushing for it stage!

TAS: Have you ever changed the way you worded something you were writing because you weren't sure the grammatically correct way to say it as originally imagined?

SA: I have indeed.  Saying that, though, in Sin’s case it’s a narrative so it’s written as he would say or think it, grammatically correct or not.  That’s a great feeling of freedom!

TAS: Tell us about the most interesting thing you’ve ever eaten.

SA: Hmmm...  I was brought up in a house where, if it went with chips (fries) it was ok so I grew up with very bland tastes.  I’m only now getting into curry, chilli and other things.  I ate my first kiwi fruit only the other day!  Go me!

TAS: If you could go back in time and spend a 24 hour period observing one full day at the time of your choosing, what year or event would you choose and why?

SA: I’d like to watch Neanderthal Man discover the Monolith.  Well, really I’d like to watch the moon landing.  I was only 3 when it happened so can’t remember it, but that would be SUCH an experience.  The whole world was entranced.  Seeing it featured on Doctor Who only the other night only served to remind me of this.

TAS: If you could have any super-power, what would you choose and why?

SA: Well, Sin can kill people without a thought and teleport (though he can’t control either).  I’m not sure what I’d want for myself.  My favourite X-man was Storm.  That was impressive power – to control the elements.  Cool!

Alison DeLuca

Hello and welcome to The Author's Studio!  This site will be devoted to Author interviews and ONLY author interviews.  You won't have to read my thoughts on proper use of the semicolon between interviews . . . which will not only be good for you, but it will be good for me as well.  (Just between you and me, I don't really have any thoughts on the proper use of the semicolon)


I'd like to make this a fun place to get to know authors, so some questions will be a little quirky and designed to get the author and readers thinking outside the bounds of typical interview questions.  I won't spend much time on details that will be available in bios and from other sources but rather include links so readers can look into those details on their own ( and I'd encourage them to do so ).


Our first guest is Alison DeLuca - author of  The Night Watchman Express, an excellent book which I have had the privilege of reading.





You can buy The Night Watchman Express at:


Amazon 


and


Barnes & Noble


And check out Alison's Blog: Fresh Pot of Tea


TAS: Let's get the plug out of the way.  Tell us a little bit about your book - who will be interested and why?


AD: The Night Watchman Express is steampunk Fantasy for 12 – 15 year olds, although a lot of adults are reading it and telling me they love the book. Anyone who love loads of adventure and a little bit of romance and magic will enjoy it.

TAS: What aspects of being an author do you most enjoy?

AD: I love the actual writing. When I am in the zone, it’s as though I’m watching a movie and merely transcribing it as quickly as possible. I also love the camaraderie with other authors.

TAS: What aspects of being an author do you least enjoy?

AD: I really enjoy every part. I suppose, though, that the “shameless promotion” part is a bit foreign to my nature. Authors don’t make very good sales people, but as Indie authors we have to be that way.
  
TAS: What moment as an author have you experienced that you are likely to remember 20 years from now (good or bad)?

AD: Definitely it was the moment J Darroll Hall put my book up on Amazon. I suddenly realized that people all over the world could get and read words I had written. It was a terrifying, exhilarating moment.

TAS: What bad habits do you have when it comes to writing/promoting your books and/or what do you wish you could do better?

AD: I get distracted by social media. I love to see what’s going on in Twitter and Facebook – it’s my biggest downfall.

TAS: What is your favorite book and why?

AD:  Jane Eyre. I have read it at least thirty times – probably more – and I honestly find something new in it every time I read it.

TAS: Do you have any moments or anecdotes that led you to want to be an author?

AD: As a child I spent long summers in Ireland without a TV. My sister and cousins and I got very proficient at amusing ourselves by creating stories and adventures. It became second nature to imagine a new world or an exciting adventure.

TAS: Do you have any pet-peeves related to writing?  Are there any things that other authors do that drive you crazy?

AD: Ah, no. It’s difficult enough to be a writer – I believe we all have to stick together.

TAS: Would you paint your web-site on your back and streak the Superbowl if you KNEW it would make your book a smash hit?

AD:  Damn straight I would, although the front row might want to be careful. As a fifty year old I need “support” if you know what I mean.

TAS: Tell us about the most interesting place you’ve ever been.

AD: The Alhambra in Spain is amazing. It’s like being in a fantasy novel when you’re there. The Moorish kings created the palace and a system of water irrigation and fountains fed by the melting snow from the mountains.

TAS: Is there anything that you look forward to that gets you through a tough day?

AD: Seeing my daughter’s face!

TAS: If you could have any super-power, what would you choose and why?

AD: The ability to create a fresh cup of tea at will, I think. Plus, if I can cheat and have another, the ability to go without sleep. Then I wouldn’t need the tea, so it all works out!

TAS: Have you ever stolen anything?  Can you elaborate?

AD: My daughter did once nick a packet of seeds from a grocery store. She was three at the time, and having a meltdown. I had just dragged her out of the store, yelling her head off, so I was too cowardly to go back with a screaming child. Result: nice fresh daisies by my house.