Today is day 8 and I have the pleasure of hosting a Question and Answer Session with Carolyn Mackler author of "TANGLED", which I loved and was even reviewed right here on Park-Avenue Princess! When you are done reading the Questions and Answers, don't forget to go over and answer the poll! You may win that day's signed book! Also, Harper Teen is offering up a bigger prize of an Ipod, but which day is not known, so it's important to check back every single day and answer each poll for a chance at the big prize! Thank you Harper Teen!
Please make Carolyn Mackler feel welcome!
1. Jena collects “other people’s musings” about love and heartbreak. What’s your favorite quotation about love?
“ ‘Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” —Alfred Lord Tennyson
I like that quote because it’s about taking risks and really letting yourself live, even if it can hurt sometimes. I just Googled the quote and found this rant on a blog where someone wrote, “It is better to have loved and lost than to have spent the rest of my life with that psycho!” I have to admit, that’s a pretty perfect quote, too.
2. If you were a character in Tangled, who would you be most likely to offer advice to: Jena, Skye, Dakota, or Owen?
Hmmm. . . good question. I think Jena, despite her dark moments, has a decent amount of emotional grounding. Skye, by the end, has a therapist. Owen has his sense of humor to get him through. So I suppose I would give advice to Dakota. He seems so stranded in the world. That’s why I was relieved when he encountered Shasta. I’m hoping this is just the beginning of their story together.
3. Who are three people that you’re inextricably tangled with, and how have they affected your life?
My immediate reaction is my husband, my five-year-old son, and my infant son. We’re tangled together in that wonderful, messy, loving way where one person is brushing their teeth while the other is in the shower and the other is knocking on the door shouting that they need the bathroom and the other is grumbling because his pacifier fell out. But then I think about what tangled with people means to me. It’s those people who keep circling around in my life, who keep showing up—physically or even in memories—and affecting the course of things. By that definition, I’d say my best friend from childhood, my best friend from college, and the first guy I fell in love with. Even though all three of them aren’t in my day-to-day life, they are so much a part of who I am today.
4. Ever had a chance encounter that led to something special?
Yes, definitely. I did a lot of travelling when I was in college—biking around Europe with a friend, driving cross-country by myself—and I had some seriously amazing chance encounters. Subtext: met extremely cute, smart, interesting guys. There’s nothing like travel, being in a new place and feeling a bit liberated from who you are back home. When I was a teenager, I always felt like even my hair looked better when I traveled. Or maybe it was just the moisture of a more humid climate.
5. Where is paradise for you?
Someplace warm, like the Caribbean, with good swimming. And I have to be able to walk barefoot. When I was growing up, my grandparents lived in the Caribbean, in a house with lime trees and lizards scurrying up the walls. We used to visit them every winter, escaping the frozen tundra of western New York. Definitely paradise!
6. What book would you read on winter’s day?
Last winter, I read Sarah Conley by Ellen Gilchrist and I loved it. It’s just the right blend of happy and sad, heartbreaking and uplifting. Not to mention that Ellen Gilchrist is a pro—I felt like I was in great hands reading her story. I think I’ll read it again this winter. And there’s even a huge snowstorm in the beginning!
7. Do you believe in happily ever after?
Yes. Well, actually, I believe in happy-ever-after-with-some-work-and-some-good-luck-and-occasional-bumps-that-must-be-taken-with-a-dose-of-humor. It’s certainly not all happy, but a lot of it can be. And as for the bad stuff, you have to find someone who can laugh about it with you.
8. What makes something romantic?
With the right people, anything can be romantic, even being stranded on a runway for eighteen hours, as my husband and I were en route to our honeymoon. And with the wrong person, all the candlelight and French restaurants in the world can’t add up to romance.
9. What’s your favorite winter activity?
Sledding with my son in Riverside Park. There’s this huge hill near our apartment and he’s just starting to do the mini-ramps. I love running up and down the hill and watching him whiz by, pure glee on his little face.
10. Opposites attract or repel?
It depends on what kind of opposites. My husband and I are different in a lot of ways—like he loves having music on and I need quiet. Or he’ll devour a steak and I’m a lifelong vegetarian. These are the kinds of differences that make life interesting. But on a deep level, like what we believe in and how we view the world, we are similar. I suppose if I met my true opposite, in a worldview sort of way, I wouldn’t be enamored.
Thank you SO much for being here Carolyn! If you haven't picked up TANGLED yet, I highly recommend you do!
Head on over to Harper Teen's 28 Days of Winter of Escapes - Day 8 and take the Poll to win!
Kisses and Toodles!!
