I decided that it’s unfair that only the writers with books coming out ever get interviewed. Over the next few months, I will interview a few aspiring writers. That way, when their books are published, you can say, “Oh…I knew them when!”

The first writer I’m interviewing is Alexa Barry. You might know her from her older blog, Marmite and Tea, or from her current blog, Not Enough Bookshelves. Alexa is a great support to me and has recently joined my critique group (well, I roped her in because I knew she’d be honest!). She’s also, a fun friend. And she’s a Brit, which just makes her naturally cool, but she’s living in Washington D.C. for now, so she’s working on her Americanisms. Here’s my interview with Alexa.

1.    What were your favorite books when you were a teen? As a young teen Judy Blume. Then I got very into historical fiction, especially the Tudors.

2.    What’s on your iPod or CD player? Glee!

3.    What’s your favourite website? Goodreads

4.    What are your hobbies that don’t have to do with writing? Yoga & running

5.    What do you read in the bathroom? The New Yorker

6.    What’s the best piece of advice anyone ever gave you (or you learned from a book)?

Live with intention

Walk to the edge

Listen hard

Practice wellness

Play with abandon

Laugh

Choose with no regret

Continue to learn

Appreciate your friends

Do what you love

Live as if this is all there is

Mary Anne Radmacher

7.    What’s the riskiest thing you ever did and how did it work out for you? Quit my job and retrained as a teacher. It worked out pretty good.

8.    Where do you see yourself in ten years? In bookstores nation wide!

9.    I gave you twenty questions and asked you to answer seven. Were you tempted to answer all twenty? Why? Because if I didn’t answer all 20 it wouldn’t be finished and I have to finish things 🙂

10. What’s the most embarrassing thing that happened to you in high school? I fainted during Mass and had to be carried out. My Dad always joked that God struck me down

11. What are you reading now? Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld, it’s very, very good.

12. What author or book have you recently discovered that you want the world to know about? Cracked up to be by Courtney Summers

13. If you could live anywhere for a year, where would it be? San Francisco

14. Do you know how to cook? What’s your specialty? I can follow a recipe but I’m not a instinctive cook.  3 bean chilli

15.  Are you a sports fan? Who’s your team? Only football, England and Man U (that would be soccer to all you North Americans!)

16.  Do you speak any foreign languages? Spanish but I think I’ve forgotten nearly all of it.

17. When’s the last time you rode a bike? Last year

18. Do you make plans in advance when you travel, or just hope for the best?

I used to hope for the best but now, with the baby it is planning all the way!

19. What’s the coolest writing-thing that’s happened to you since you sold your first book? Oh I wish I could answer this one but I need to finish the thing first!

20. Go on, give us some writing advice. You know you want to! Interpret write what you know as broadly as possible ( I can’t remember where I read that I think it’s Stephen King). My own is write what you enjoy writing.

Joëlle’s note: I send all of these questions to each writer and ask them to choose seven to answer. I’m pretty sure this over-achiever will be on bookshelves before we know it because going the extra mile always pays off in writing! Thanks for playing Alexa!