What is your idea of perfect happiness?

I don’t think anything is perfect. I think there are things that are close to it. So I would say knowing that my kids are happy. 

What is your greatest fear? 

Alligators.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

My outspokenness.

Which living person do you most admire?

Too many …  my husband 

What is your greatest extravagance?

Pedicures.

What is your current state of mind?

Contentedness.

What do you consider to be the most overrated virtue?

Kindness. I think everybody should just be it, I think that, when you say, “what’s the greatest thing somebody could be?” It’s kind. But I think “shouldn’t we all be kind?”

On what occasion do you lie?

To save somebody else’s feelings? Which is funny, because I also said I didn’t like liars.

What is the quality you most like in a man? 

Humor.

What’s the quality you most like in a woman?

Humor.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse? 

I don’t know, you’d have to ask somebody else, because I’m not listening to myself talking. I just spew it out.

Who or what is the greatest love of your life?

My husband.

When and where were you happiest?

Anytime that I was with friends and family up north at the lake. We have a house up there, so when our friends come, it’s my happy place.

Which talent would you most like to have? 

Oh gosh, so many. I wish that I could play a musical instrument really well. I think the piano. It’s just a cool instrument, followed by guitar, because you can port that around.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? 

My outspokenness. 

What do you consider your greatest achievement? 

My kids.

If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what would it be?

One of my dogs. It sounds funny, but we treat our animals really well. 

Where would you most like to live? 

Up north.

What is your most treasured possession? 

I don’t have one, because a possession is just a thing, so, I mean, if it all went away, it would be okay. I like my things, but if they went away, I wouldn’t be so devastated as long as I still had my life. But I will say that my memories are my most prized possession, but I’m not sure that qualifies as a possession. 

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? 

I would say losing a child would be the lowest you could go.

What is your favorite occupation?

When I had my ice cream store. I liked Boston Cream Pie or Haagen Dazs Vanilla Swiss Almond. 

What is your most marked characteristic?

Maybe my humor. 

What do you most value in your friends?

Non-judging.

Who are your favorite writers?

It’s too long, too long of a list. They’re all swimming around in my head right now. All I can say is anybody that writes historical fiction or historical non-fiction. I just love that genre.

Which historical figure do you most identify with?

Again, I don’t know, it’s a hard question because how do you compare yourself to somebody else, especially in a different era. You know, again, I would go back to historical things, people that live through, like wars and The Holocaust. It’s like, I haven’t lived through that. And I think that’s pretty amazing that people did and wrote about it.

Who are your heroes in real life?

I think just you know, friends and family that have lived through some horrific things.

What are your favorite names? 

I love my dad’s name. He was Kent. That’s my brother’s name. I think it’s a really strong English name. I love my kids’ names too because I named them.

What is it that you most dislike?

Olives. I hate them. With every fiber of my being. Green and black. 

How would you like to die?

In my sleep. Or doing something super fabulous and stupid, one of the two. 

What is your motto?

It’s only illegal if you get caught.