This week I’m hosting Kathleen Y’Barbo with Flora’s Wish, Jessica Keller with Home for Good, Deanna Klingel with Cracks in the Ice, and Joyce Magnin with Cake, Love, Chickens and a Taste of Peculiar. 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 (Feb. 17th) evening.
Interview with the heroine from Cake, Love, Chickens and a Taste of Peculiar by Joyce Magnin:
1. Wilma Sue, tell me the most interesting thing about you.
Well, I suppose the most interesting thing about me is that I’m an orphan. My mother left me at the Daylily Home for Children (I call it the Home for Unwanted and Misunderstood Children) when I was just a baby and I am now living in my fifth foster home with Ruth and Naomi Beedlemeyer. Imagine that, five homes and I’m only twelve. Oh, and I like to write poetry and name things, like trees and chickens.
2. What do you do for fun?
It wasn’t at first, when I first got to the Beedlemeyer house the sisters charged me, that’s what Mrs. Agabeedies would say, with taking care of the chickens. I was worried at first. But now I really like and it is kind of fun, especially when Slowpoke and Dottie have a tug of war with a spaghetti strand. Oh, oh, and I like going to the creek and throwing rocks into the water and visiting Old Woman Willow. She’s the most beautiful tree I’ve ever seen.
3. What do you put off doing because you dread it?
I know it’s not right but talking to Mrs. Agabeedies. She’s the church secretary. We live in the parsonage, by the way. She doesn’t like orphans. Ruth says she’s a bigot. So, yeah, I put off having to talk to her. And she’s so nosey. A real butinsky.
4. What are you afraid of most in life?
Two things. Going back to the Daylily Home and sometimes I worry that my mother, my biological mother will come looking for me. Yeah, that kind of scares me.
5. What do you want out of life?
I’m only twelve so I think what I want out of life right now is to stay in one place for a good, long time. I’d like to stay with Naomi and Ruth forever. But an orphan can never count on things.
6. What is the most important thing to you?
Oh, that’s easy. Love.
7. Do you read? If so, what is your favorite type of book to read?
A lot! I love to read. My most favorite book is Emily of New Moon by that Lucy Montgomery lady. I love it because Emily is a writer too and she understand about Flashes. Flashes of inspiration when you just have to sit down and write because if you don’t the flash will disappear.
8. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I have big feet. Big, huge Pipi Longstocking feet.
9. Do you have a pet? If so, what is it and why that pet?
The chickens are my pets. And they were here when I got here. Oh, and Sonny Liston. He’s the rooster.
10. If you could travel back in time, where would you go and why?
I would go back to the day I was born and try really hard not to cry too loud or do whatever it was I did to make my mother not want me. Naomi told me it’s not my fault but still, an orphan has to wonder.