I haven’t taken a quiz in a while so here goes! US Weekly Magazine has a back of the book article where they ask different celebrities for 25 things the readers don’t know about them. It’s not a quiz exactly, but I thought I’d give my answers to some of the items that come up fairly often.

What I could eat everyday:  chocolate layer cake with THICK icing. Now I didn’t say it’d be healthy or a good idea…also, needs milk.

Describe myself in 3 words: stubborn, impatient, creative

My personal mantra: Never give up. (It was mine before ‘Galaxy Quest,’ thank you very much.)

My mother’s words of wisdom: “In a hundred years it won’t matter.”

I’d love to narrate:  a children’s board book. Hey, actually I do this all the time, complete with funny sounds, for my toddler grandson! He’s a great audience.

My first time on stage: I was a dancing snowflake who constantly got reprimanded for placing myself at the front of the stage and blocking the Snow Fairy. I saw no reason why she needed to be in front. (This was maybe 2^nd grade?)

Craziest thing I’ve ever done: Leave home at 19, fly across the continent to California and marry my high school sweetheart. It worked out fine though.

One of my favorite places in the world: Disneyland

Favorite ride at Disneyland: the carousel, the Buzz Lightyear ride or Star Tours, depending on the line and my mood.

Last time I belly laughed: watching ‘The Good Place’

My family thinks I make the best: turkey stuffing.

My first car: a Chevy Malibu with a V8 engine that got 8 miles per gallon

Fastest I ever drove said car: 130 mph

Thing I must do every morning: eat breakfast (Or feed Jake the Cat before I eat breakfast)

I always like to try new: Authors! And then devour their entire backlist, if I like the way they write. Nothing better than finding a new-to-me author I love with a huge backlist.

It would be magical to: waltz with a Duke. Right? Am I right?

The most rewarding part about being a Mom: Seeing them set their own paths as strong adults

The most rewarding part about being a Gramma: HUGS!

The most rewarding part about being an author: Readers enjoying my books!

Hardest lesson I had to learn: There isn’t always a Happy Ever After ending in real life. BUT, there will always be new opportunities.

People think I’m: an extrovert but I’m really a total introvert who can fake it. For a while.

If I had to live in one of my own novels I’d pick: Any Star Cruise. I’m good at customer relations so I’d be good with the passengers and then of course a hunky handsome ex-Special Forces guy on the crew would fall in love with me and we’d have an alien pet and…oops, plotting a novel here!

I had posters of these people on my bedroom wall as a teen: Star Trek actors as their characters

Person I’d like to have dinner with: Michelle Lovretta, the creator of ‘Killjoys’. I would so pick her brain on plotting complex stories and world building. Could we invite John Scalzi and Nalini Singh over too???

If I have free time I like to: read. Is there any other answer???

Favorite country song: “Suds in the Bucket” by Sara Evans or “Nothing But The Taillights” by Clint Black, which actually inspired the character of Mitch in Escape From Zulaire. I said that once in an interview for USA Today and CLINT BLACK tweeted me about it!!! (I’m sure he’s forgotten LOL.) Talk about thrilled…that was me.

Hmmm, Mitch is still waiting for his own novel…

Oops, that’s 26 so I’d better stop. More next time I find a fun quiz!

Graphics from DepositPhoto; book covers by Fiona Jayde