Heroine Interview from Souvenirs by Barbara Phinney

» Posted on Dec 22, 2011 in Blog | Comments Off on Heroine Interview from Souvenirs by Barbara Phinney

This week I’m hosting Susan Sleeman with The Christmas Witness and Barbara Phinney with Souvenirs. If you want to enter the drawings for the books, please leave a comment on one of the post during the week with your email address. I will not enter you without an email address (my way to contact you if you win). If you don’t want to leave an email address, another way you can enter is to email me at margaretdaley@gmail.com. The drawings end Sunday (December 25th) evening.

Heroine in Souvenirs by Barbara Phinney:

1. Anna LaBonte, tell me the most interesting thing about you.

Well, I don’t think there is anything interesting about me. I was raised in Halifax and my family was dirt poor. We needed social assistance, and it wasn’t until my brother found me a job at a cafe, that I decided to turn my life around. Of course things really changed when I was accused of murder. I guess that was the most interesting thing about me, if you like that sort of thing.

2.  What do you do for fun?

I love to cook. I love creating interesting, fussy little dishes. I love to bake, too. Bread, squares, anything. It’s fun, playing around in the kitchen.

3.  What do you put off doing because you dread it?

I hate to say it, but I was putting off asking my husband for a divorce. You see, as a Christian, I wanted my marriage to work. I really did. But he was abusive and I was weak. Until I finally knew I had to do it. But that’s really the start of my story.

4.  What are you afraid of most in life?

That’s easy. It’s being weak. It wasn’t until I met Brent Stirling, and took to heart all he showed me, that I truly believed I wasn’t weak at all.

5.  What do you want out of life?

To be strong. To have peace. The peace of God, of my inner soul, of peace in general. I couldn’t find it.

6.  What is the most important thing to you?

My freedom. I don’t mean being free from my marriage, or out on bail or anything, just the freedom to think for myself, to be myself. Brent pushed me onto that. It’s not easy to describe. Being abused is hard, and the crazy part is you almost hang onto that abuse. You can’t know what I mean until you’ve been abused yourself. It’s insane, but true, and yet, as much as you crave freedom, you hang on to something you dread.

But thankfully, Brent showed me so much that I didn’t know about myself.

7.  Do you read? If so, what is your favorite type of book to read?

I love classics. I love anything by the Bronte sisters, Dickens, Hugo. I even love MacBeth.

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

I’d love to be taller. I’m such a shorty. I need a stool or chair just to reach into cupboards. I hate it.

9.  Do you have a pet? If so, what is it and why that pet?

Once I met this big mutt mixed breed dog. He had the softest eyes and the sweetest, most loving manner. I wanted him, but I couldn’t have him. But now…well, I think Brent would like a dog, too.

10. If you could travel back in time, where would you go and why?

I would go back to the day I first met Brent. You see, I went out onto the back deck of the rented cottage in my nightie, and I saw him there. I had no idea that the cottage decks were so close! I dove back inside.

But in retrospect, that embarrassing moment was so pivotal in my story. God works in mysterious ways, and if I hadn’t walked out there that day, (and shocked both of us, I’m sure) things wouldn’t have turned out the way they did. And Brent wouldn’t have known I was innocent of murder. And maybe I wouldn’t have met him in the first place.

Still, it was terribly embarrassing!