Last week I just finished a fun and slightly twisted story about a young woman's journey through life challenges and falling in love. This story is called 32 Candles, the first novel by Ernessa T. Carter. Although Ernessa has a cool resume with a wide range of work experience (she worked as an ESL teacher in Japan, a music journalist, and L.A. Derby Doll, among many other fun jobs) I'm excited that she is now pursuing a career as a novelist. I enjoy her writing style, and it's wonderful to have a story featuring a contemporary character rocking a fierce 'fro. (Learn more about 32 Candles here and check out Ernessa's blog Fierce and Nerdy here).
1. What was your favorite book as a child?
If it were up to me, the Anne of Green Gables series would be required reading. I just adored that character growing up.
2. What was the funniest, craziest, or most inspiring response to 32 Candles?
A woman who'd actually been abused by her mother wrote me. That touched me to my very core.
3. What author would you love to have dinner with and what would you serve/or where would you go?
I don't make folks food unless they ask me too specifically, which they never do — for whatever reason I don't come off as the kind of chyck that people outside of my husband feel they can trust with their dinner or their children (I've never been asked to babysit, I mean not even once). But I would love to take fellow Missourian Mark Twain out for Korean Barbecue. I think he'd really like it and I have quite a few questions about The Mysterious Stranger.
4. You have a diverse resume of job experiences, if you weren't writing right now what would you be doing?
There is no parallel life where I'm not writing. I'm either writing or I'm doing time in a looney bin. But if I could do anything else, I would love to work in marketing. [read on]
