Pat Henshaw spins the wheel today!
Interview Roulette questions:
- What is your favorite appliance?
I can’t decide between the refrigerator and the microwave, but since I love iced tea so much, I’ll have to go with the fridge. Besides the fridge has the extra benefit of the freezer, and I’ve been on a kick of having a cup of ice cream after dinner lately. So, yes, definitely, the answer would be the fridge.
- What’s your perfect day, time-wise?
I’d get up late by most people’s standards, around 10-ish, stumble around for an hour or so eating a cereal and milk breakfast while thinking about my current writing project, and finally make my way into my office. I’d work there until 1-ish when I’d take a break and go out to lunch for a couple of hours. Returning home, I’d take a nap of an hour or so. Then I’d work on the writing project for a few hours and then have dinner around 7 or 7:30. After dinner, I’d go back to the writing room and finish my day around 11. That’s my perfect day. Oddly, that’s most days for me now that I’ve retired. Sigh.
- You’ve just met an alien from a planet where there’s no such thing as fiction writing. Explain to him/her/it/them why humans read made-up stories.
Earthlings are curious beings. We want to know not only about our own lives and the lives of those around us but also about the lives of others whom we will never meet in person. We want to know what core qualities make us human and why we act the way we do, all the while knowing that we are all very, very different. While through non-fiction we can learn about others, fiction—made up stories about others—explores our interpretations of the core qualities and helps us make sense of ourselves and others around us. We read fiction in order to understand ourselves.
- What’s one event in your life or on your travels that you wish you’d caught on film?
My husband and I visited Egypt with a wonderful guide, and I wish I’d been able to catch that tour on film. We toured Cairo, visiting museums, a mosque, a synagogue, and other amazing places. We had dinner with an extended Egyptian family and got to get to know them. We toured down the Nile, stopping at ancient cities and ruins along the way. And we flew to the incredible Abu Simbel where a temple carved into a mountain was moved before the Aswan Dam was built. I took photos, lots of photos, but on film I would be able to remember what the guide said about each place and be able to relive the history overload until I could absorb it properly.
- In your opinion, what should be the Seven Deadly Sins?
The classic list is Gula (gluttony), Luxuria/Fornicatio (lust, fornication), Avaritia (avarice/greed), Superbia (pride, hubris), Tristitia (sorrow/despair/despondency), Ira (wrath), Vanagloria (vainglory), and Acedia (sloth). I’d keep avarice/greed, pride, wrath, and sloth but also add hypocricy, malevolent hatred, and disloyalty. I’d have to come up with names for them that are as interesting as the classic ones. But that is a chore for another day. (Hmmm, is that sloth in action?)
- One of your characters has just been arrested and calls you to bail him out. Who is it and what did he get busted for?
Guy Stone and Jimmy Patterson (from What’s in a Name?) were picked up for wildly careening around mountain roads in the Sierra Nevada foothills on their motorcycles. Guy says that they were just letting off a little steam as Jimmy had purchased a building in a nearby resort town to establish his third coffee shop. I’d call my daughter, Becca, who’s an attorney, to advise them on preparing their case. If nothing else, she and I would have a great time hanging out with Guy and Jimmy and trying to get them out of jail.
- What is your theme song?
“Don’t Talk about Me When I’m Gone” by Arlo Guthrie. It kind of says it all in my case. I’m hoping it and “Closing Time” by Leonard Cohen are played at my memorial service.
Book blurb:
When recent horticulture graduate Dr. Fenton Miller arrives in Stone Acres, California, he thinks his only concern is which job offer to accept after spending the holidays working at his cousin’s plant nursery. But after he rents a room from another shorter-than-average man, sous-chef John Barton, Fen falls in lust.
While he’s attracted to Fen, John’s got bigger concerns when two men from his past arrive in town and pressure him to return to San Francisco. Although John tries to stop Fen from getting involved, Fen realizes his lover is in trouble and is determined to protect him.
As the holidays get closer and Fen makes his own enemy, the joy of the season gets lost in the ill will around them. To ensure love triumphs, Fen and John must stand tall to show that short, dark, and handsome is a recipe for love.
Book buy links:
Dreamspinner Press: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/short-order-by-pat-henshaw-9143-b
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36603793-short-order?ac=1&from_search=true
Amazon Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/Short-Order-Foothills-Pride-Book-ebook/dp/B077SHHRGG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1512002963&sr=8-1&keywords=short+order+by+pat+henshaw
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/short-order
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/short-order-pat-henshaw/1127548169?ean=2940158833687
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Pat_Henshaw_Short_Order?id=d-E8DwAAQBAJ
Author bio:
Pat Henshaw, author of the Foothills Pride Stories, has spent her life surrounded by words: Teaching English composition at the junior college level; writing book reviews for newspapers, magazines, and websites; helping students find information as a librarian; and promoting PBS television programs.
Pat was born and raised in Nebraska where she promptly left the cold and snow after college, living at various times in Texas, Colorado, Northern Virginia, and Northern California. Pat enjoys travel, having visited Mexico, Canada, Europe, Nicaragua, Thailand, and Egypt, and Europe, including a cruise down the Danube.
Her triumphs are raising two incredible daughters who daily amaze her with their power and compassion. Fortunately, her incredibly supportive husband keeps her grounded in reality when she threatens to drift away while writing fiction.
Author contacts:
Website: http://patbooked.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pat.henshaw.10
Twitter: https://twitter.com/phenshaw
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Pat-Henshaw/e/B00BPDEDEA/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1436131610&sr=8-1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6998437.Pat_Henshaw
Google+: https://plus.google.com/+PatHenshaw
Email: patoisca@yahoo.com
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