Entertainment Weekly magazine runs an occasional feature where they ask famous people about books or pop culture in their lives, so I’ve decided to tackle a sampling of their fun questions!
Book I Loved As A Child: Can’t possibly stick to just one! As a little kid I loved Golden Books. You can see a certain theme in the ones I’ve photographed (yes, I have a handful of books from my childhood, more than I can get into the picture). I also loved Heidi and Swiss Family Robinson. There was also a very old 1901 book saved from my grandmother’s childhood, Galopoff the Talking Pony by Tudor Jenks, which I LOVED. Not only did the pony talk (but just to the two girls), the illustrations were gorgeous AND at the end the main character meets the Russian Prince that Galapoff used to belong to, and love ensues. Sigh.When I got older, Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw became a great favorite, also all the ‘series’ books but especially Trixie Belden…and then of course I discovered science fiction.
What I read in secret as a kid: Nothing really. I was highly encouraged to read everything 
and anything. My mother didn’t approve of comic books so I always felt a bit defiant when I was reading them, but didn’t have to do it in secret.
Book I read to my children: Since we read books together all the time when they were little, it’s hard to narrow it down to just one. We loved anything to do with cats, anything by Jan Brett, with her beautiful illustrations, especially The Wild Christmas Reindeer. Berenstein Bears. Angelina Ballerina. One sort of off the wall choice was this odd book we got at a yard sale, The Giant Jam Sandwich by John Vernon Lord.My late husband especially loved reading this one out loud to the girls, as fast as he could go. The whole thing is one long rhyming poem and at one point in time my entire family (including me) had the entire thing memorized and would shout it out in unison. It starts “One hot summer in Itching Down, Four million wasps flew into town…”
Book I hated as a student: Anything by Charles Dickens. Ugh. Too long and too dreary for me. Also Moby Dick.
Classic book I tried to read: War and Peace. I always felt that somehow one was required to read that before leaving the planet but I could NOT get through it. Again, long and dreary.
Movie adaptation I loved: The Three Musketeers, pretty much any version, except maybe the one starring Gene Kelly (?!). My favorite is the 1973 version by Richard Lester. Perfection IMHO.
Imaginary place I dream of moving to: (but only on my own terms): Anne McCaffrey’s Pern or Andre Norton’s Witch World.
Genre I’d read if limited to one: Romance obviously!
Fictional friends I’d love to have: I CRAVED to be a member of Trixie Belden’s family and friends. Bob Whites forever! Nowadays, probably Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changelings.
Last novel that made me laugh and last one that made me cry: I’m tough on the laughing bit but Georgette Heyer’s Cotillion and Talisman Ring both crack me up. I cried over one death in Anne McCaffrey’s world of Pern but no spoilers.
My literary crush: Nalini Singh
Character I’d want on my side in the zombie apocalypse: Daryl Dixon of ‘The Walking Dead’, obviously. Hey the show started as a comic book even if Daryl as he is today is really the TV creation and Norman Reedus’s wonderful acting!
Book people might be surprised I read: Burn Down the Night by M. O’Keefe. I’m not usually into motorcycle gang romance at all, but her main characters really got to me.
Book I’m currently reading: Actually I just went on a little binge of rereading Lisa Marie Rice’s Midnight Man and her other SEAL romances. Before that I read the ARC of Ilona Andrews’ Magic Binds. But waiting on my kindle is Finn, by Anna Hackett and I’m always hot to read the next Lindsay Buroker Fallen Empire novel. Don’t get me started on scifi romance LOL!
Book I’m eagerly awaiting: Archangel’s Heart by Nalini Singh
Next book from me: Trapped on Talonque, at the formatter now, out in early September! Can’t wait to share…it’s a scifi romance twist on Sleeping Beauty, with a lot of action and adventure of course. Cover reveal and details SOON!
Book I’m currently writing: the long awaited sequel to Wreck of the Nebula Dream, picking up the story for Khevan the D’nvannae Brother, and Twilka, the Socialite. Thank you to everyone who’s been asking for this book since Wreck was released in 2012 and I just hope readers will enjoy the way the story plays out. Nick and Mara do make an appearance. Hoping to get it written and released before the end of 2016, but we’ll see.
Wow. What a comprehensive self-interview. As a kid, I liked Nancy Drew, but I loved, loved, LOVED Trixie Belden. Nancy was 18, drove a sportster, had a college boyfriend. I was 9 years old. I identified much more with Trixie who was 12 or 13, fought with her brother Mark, got into trouble with her parents, and formed a secret club with her best friend Honey.
Oh yes, definitely Trixie! And I had a crush on Jim, her ‘boyfriend.’ I like doing these magazine quizzes, when I feel a really good connection to the questions so I can deliver fun answers :). Thanks!