This week I’m hosting Arlene James with The Doctor’s Perfect Match (world wide) and Beth K. Vogt with Crazy Little Thing Called Love (US only). If you want to enter the drawings for the books, please leave a comment on your post 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 5th) evening.
Interview with the heroine from The Doctor’s Perfect Match by Arlene James
1. Eva Belle Russell, tell me the most interesting thing about you.
Oh, there’s nothing much interesting about me––if you discount brain disease, almost dying repeatedly, laughing when I ought to cry, crying when I ought to laugh, losing my mom and my twin sister, making my living as an artist… I really shouldn’t say that. For one thing, I’m not much of an artist, and I didn’t make much of a living. Oh! Oh! I’m an organizational genius! Really.
2. What do you do for fun?
Everything I do is fun, sugar. I can’t help it. (Well, not the dying part.) Just ask my son, Ricky, er, Rich. Honestly, my idea of a good time is rearranging the furniture and creating new flow charts, but I gather that is not an opinion embraced by everyone so my theory is bring cookies and a silly sense of humor.
3. What do you put off doing because you dread it?
Are you kidding? No, that would be me. Doctors. You can’t watch your twin sis and your mom die agonizing deaths and still see any reason to go to the doctor, especially if you know something’s wrong and your own days are numbered. I mean, why put yourself through that? Okay, so maybe you can’t avoid it entirely, but you can try. Right? Of course, if they were all like Doc Gorgeous… I mean, have you seen him?
4. What are you afraid of most in life?
Well, you are one Gloomy Gus, aren’t you? If I dwelled on my fears I couldn’t get through the day. I doubt I could get through the next hour! If you must know, though, I suppose what I really can’t stand is the idea of my son going through what I have. I just don’t want him to watch me suffer and die.
5. What do you want out of life?
How about more of it? And for my son to be happy.
6. What is the most important thing to you?
Nothing matters more than my son. He doesn’t get that, you know. How could he? The way he sees it, I abandoned him.
7. Do you read? If so, what is your favorite type of book to read?
Oh, sure I read. Happy endings! Happy endings! Always give me happy endings. So naturally I love fairytales and romance novels. What else lifts up a girl when she needs lifting up?
8. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Seriously? I’d get this junk out of my brain. Or maybe not. I don’t know. I’m starting to think maybe God’s got a reason for this.
9. Do you have a pet? If so, what is it and why that pet?
No pet, sadly. You can’t run away to die with a pet in tow. Wouldn’t be fair. My son would love to have a dog, though. His crumb of a father probably won’t get him one, but maybe someday… You don’t suppose I could, like, send him one from Heaven, do you? I’m still figuring out that stuff.
10. If you could travel back in time, where would you go and why?
I’d go back to the day my son was born. He was such a beautiful baby. I was healthy. We were happy then. My husband hadn’t cheated on me with that bimbo, so I didn’t know yet that my marriage was doomed. You know what they say about ignorance being bliss. I’d live in that moment if I could. It’s hard to think there might be anything better than that. These Chatam sisters, they tell me that God’s got something else planned for me, something that’ll blow my mind, but I don’t know. Then again, like I said, have you seen Doc Gorgeous? If a girl’s got to go, she could do worse than to land here with these folks, let me tell you.
