Heroine Interview from Skip Rock Shallows by Jan Watson

» Posted on Jul 12, 2012 in Blog | Comments Off on Heroine Interview from Skip Rock Shallows by Jan Watson

This week I’m hosting Kit Wilkinson with Plain Secrets, Beth Goddard with Oregon Outback, Jan Watson with Skip Rock Shallows, and Katie Cushman with Almost Amish. 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 (July  15th) evening.

Interview with the heroine from Skip Rock Shallows by Jan Watson:

1. Lilly Still, tell me the most interesting thing about you.

I suppose many would think I’m most interesting because I’m a physician in a coal camp. This is not common even though it is 1908, for goodness sake. I’ve had some problems with superstition and fear from the miners. They are sure that a woman in the mine will cause bad luck. The men are coming around a little, however, since I helped save Darrell Tippen from a roof fall.          

2.  What do you do for fun?

Fun? I’m not sure what you mean. I’ve recently graduated from medical school. Now, since I am the only doctor in this area, I hardly have time to breathe. I suppose I should think about that. Hmmm, I enjoy fashion; I have a dress maker in the city, but here in the coal camp, I dress conservatively in shirtwaists, linen or light woolen skirts and black shoes—my shoes are always polished. And, I wear pearls—always pearls.

I like writing to and receiving letters from my fiancé Paul. We met while we were students. I enjoyed picnics in the park and long walks with him whenever we could steal the time. We plan to work in the same hospital in Boston when I finish my residency here in Skip Rock. He’s there in Boston now.

I probably shouldn’t admit to this, but the other night at a get-together, I danced with one of the local miners. There’s something about him. . . Oh, this is silly. I have work to do.

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

Well, of course, one can not “put off” the weather, but I do dread a call in the middle of the night when the weather makes the roads nearly impassable. The worst is when a woman is in labor. Babies simply will not wait until I get there. 

4.  What are you afraid of most in life?

What a personal question. I try not to think about this, but I’m most afraid of being confined. As a girl I was abducted and kept in a shack away from my family for several days. I wasn’t harmed really, not physically anyway. It’s best not to dwell on it.

5.  What do you want out of life?

I don’t think of getting something out of life. It’s more about what I can give. I suppose I want the same thing other women want, to raise a family, to live a life pleasing to the Lord.

6.  What is the most important thing to you?

The most important thing to me is to live a life of integrity. I once read that there is no such thing as a small loss of integrity. I believe that. I’m an all or nothing type of person. To keep myself on the proper path, I keep my Bible close at hand and have a time of devotion every day.

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

I read my Bible. And, I do a fair amount of medical research. I like to keep up with the latest in order to offer my patients the best care possible. I have a subscription to the Woman’s Home Companion so that I can at least read about the fashion trends of the day—although there is no fashion here in Skip Rock, Kentucky. Maybe in Boston???

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

I have a tendency towards vanity. I strive to be more like my mother who is the most beautiful woman I know, yet she rarely looks in a mirror.

9.  Do you have a pet? If so, what is it and why that pet? I once had a beagle dog named Steady. She and I were best of companions. When I am more settled, I would like another dog, perhaps a terrier of some sort, and a cat, and a yellow canary. I do love animals. I’m not sure how Paul will feel about that, but a house is not a home without a pet.

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

I’m in no way interested in traveling back in time. This is the place and time God created for me. I surely wouldn’t want to miss a moment of what He has planned for me.