Wednesday, February 16, 2011

You don't know Lisa M. Potts? Read this now!


[lips.jpg] Besides this awesome picture, aLisa's blog, you'll find this...

Born, raised, and still living in the Midwest with my kids and various shelter animals. I write YA, covet all things chocolate, and I'm very glad to meet you. By the way, you look fantastic!

Uh, I think she was talking to all of you, not me.  Unless being sick on a couch for endless days with nothing but a head of unkempt hair and a box of tissues is fantastic.  Some people make it look better than others, but sadly, I'm not one of them.  But maybe I can live up to the compliment again soon :)

And since Lisa loves chocolate, let's pass around a little of this before we get into the interview!

Sweet!  Let's get started.

Lisa, how long have you been writing? 

The writing bug sunk his teeth into me during grade school after I saw a poem I'd written about Spring printed in the school newspaper. I knew I was hooked for life.

(That's awesome!  Nothing like a successful beginning to get you going.)

So, what mad you want to write?

My family moved around the Midwest quite a bit when I was younger because of my dad's job, and writing was my only constant best friend. During those awkward (understatement) fitting-in periods at new schools, I could pour all my feelings into journals and stories. Writing helped give me a stable foundation no matter where I lived.

Do you have any pet peeves while writing?

I know a lot of writers who listen to music while they write but I've never been able to do it. I don't need total silence, but nothing above normal background noise.

If you could sit down and reread any book, which would it be?

To Kill A Mockingbird or Jane Eyre. I reread them both at least once a year  But don't ask me to choose between them, because I love them both for totally different reasons.

Let's say you only had enough time to visit a couple of writing blogs a day, which would they be?

That's tough because I try to visit at least fifty sites each and every day, but I guess Elana's blog for nuts and bolts and Lisa and Laura's blog for my daily dose of humor. Both blogs post every day M-F so I always know there will be something new, and they both have books releasing this year so I always learn from their experience. 

(Fifty sites a day!  That's awesome.  Those are great ones to visit and I like the way you described your reasons...nuts and bolts.  Yay for debut authors!)

If you could meet any author, dead or alive, who would you choose?

I would LOVE to take a walk with Stephen King, or maybe just sit and stare at him while he writes (not creepy in the least). Yes, I'm a bit of a fangirl. But have you read On Writing

(Confession:  I have not.  *Please don't throw anything at me* What I mean is that I haven't...yet!  But Stephen King would definitely be one of those that would be worth watching in a non-creepy, kind of awe-struck way!)

What book are you reading right now and which one do you have lined up to read next?

I'm currently reading Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. I have Beautiful Darkness by the same authors andThe Duff by Kody Keplinger on deck.

And last, but not least, even though you've kind of covered this topic anyway, do you prefer fruity candy or chocolate?

Easiest question yet. In my opinion, chocolate should be its own food group. I don't judge people who claim to not like chocolate, but I just can't wrap my head around it.

(I can see both sides.  It's creamy and yummy and absolutely delicious, but sometimes even a small piece can be a little much.  It depends on my mood. :))

Lisa has also been kind enough to leave us with an awesome Random Lisa Fact:

I'm a giveaway junkie. As a single mom of two I don't have a lot of spending money for books (thank God for libraries), so if I want to read new releases before they reach our local library branch, I have to win them. To my blogging buddies who keep lists of current giveaways on their sites, I would like to say thank you!

And I want to thank Lisa for answering these questions today!  

Be sure to go follow Lisa on her blog.  You can never have too many writing friends!   

25 comments:

  1. What a fun interview! I love To Kill A Mockingbird too :) Off to explore Lisa's blog!

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  2. Great interview! Fifty sites a day is pretty amazing.

    Of course, both Stephen King and chocolate are awesome. And while I will not throw anything at you, you must read On Writing!!! ;)

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  3. Hi, Lisa, Hi, Michelle,

    Michelle,

    I hope you feel better soon! And, what a great interview.

    Lisa,

    You are not the only one with insane love of chocolate. I almost put my hand through my laptop screen to grab a piece of that cake.

    I know I try to visit as many blogs as I can each day. It's so nice checking in with blogger friends.

    I live in the Midwest, too. Chicago... Can you believe we're headed for a heat record today? 60 degrees in FEBRUARY! Last week we hovered around 0.

    It was fun getting to know you better Lisa....

    Have a great day ladies.


    Michael

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  4. Great interview. I've already been by to say hi from the Crusade, but discovered we are in the same YA Paranormal group. Yeah. :)
    I stopped over at Lisa's blog. It's fantastic. Thanks for the rec.

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  5. Fun interview (and thanks for the chocolate)! Stephen King would be a great one to sit and talk to. Wow! Fifty sites a day?!? That's impressive :D

    Cheers!
    Jen

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  6. Fifty sites a day? No way I could ever handle that.

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  7. Hello Michelle Merril and thanks for hosting lovely Lisa Potts! I'm one of her very new followers so it's great to learn more about her here!!! To Kill a Mockingbird and Jane Eyre are among two of my fave books!! Yay!!! And yes, thank goodness for libraries!!! Take care
    x

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  8. Great interview. Thanks for introducing her to us. I'll be sure to follow her blog.

    And that cake made me instantly hungry. Looks too good.

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  9. I am stunned. 50 sites a day! Work and writing take so much of my limited free time, I am hard-pressed to visit ten. You asked great, fun questions, Roland

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  10. Excellent interview, ladies! I love finding out more about my bloggery friends!

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  11. Great interview!

    50 sites a day? Wow. I try to visit as many blogs as I can, but even so there are still times when I can't get around to many people at all.

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  12. Gasp! Another chocolate lover!

    I am heading to her blog as soon as this comment is posted. :-)

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  13. Thanks everyone for coming to learn more about Lisa.

    jys-it's now in my TBR pile. I warn you though, it is a tall pile, but I'll stick it somewhere near the top :)

    Michael-Thanks for remembering the cold. It's slowly getting better.

    Ciara-Yay for our Crusade group!

    I agree with everyone about the 50 sites a day. Isn't Lisa amazing? I don't count how many I visit, but I don't think I ever have enough time to get around to 50!

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  14. Feel better, Michelle!
    Lisa, I enjoyed Beautiful Creatures and loved The DUFF. Hope you like them, too.
    I flip-flop between chocolate addiction and red licorice addiction. And sometimes I just need something salty, greasy and crunchy.

    -Vicki

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  15. Michelle, thanks so much for the interview! And thanks to everyone for all of the great comments.

    Michael, we made it up to 68 here today! Of course, Mother Nature is such a tease. I guarantee we'll have snow again before the permanent thaw sets in.

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  16. Great interview. I love Stephen King too!

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  17. Thanks for a great interview! I love that writing was her constant best friend through her many childhood moves. I only moved once as a child, but it was a very difficult time and I can totally relate.

    I'm a fellow group 10 crusader - I'm looking forward to many more visits to your blog!

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  18. Well, that was super fun! And now I'm hungry for chocolate...

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  19. Thanks again for all the comments. It was a fun interview Lisa :)

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  20. What a fun interview. Thank you. As for visiting 50 sites a day... Superwoman!

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  21. Super fun interview. And now I have a sudden craving for chocolate. :)

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  22. Awwww Stephen King is Hot...I'd look at him creepy or not! Lol My friends used to say EWWWWWWWW! (sure he must be an ax murderer in hiding) But he has such a twisted playful mind and for me it just animates his face to darky handsome.

    Watching him write would be nuts, in that being watched would probably creep him out - lol.

    I popped over to comment and am a new follower. I don't visit 50 a day....my old computer would expire! Great interview!

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  23. Great interview!

    I'm rereading To Kill a Mockingbird. Since I hadn't read it since high school, I wanted to see if I loved it just as much. So far, so good.

    If I'm home alone, I listen to music when I write. But with kids at home, I find I can write under any conditions - including video game gunfire and death grunts.

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  24. I've read Jane Eyre a billion times too. Love it. Great interview!

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