Over on Janet Reid’s site, along with author Elizabeth Norris, she’s been running her Pay it Forward contest…more like a very intense competition, which you can read all about here. As she nears the big decision, she has posted questions that the finalists will have to answer. I am always a sucker for a meme or a form, and if no one asks me to answer questions or fill something out, I’m not above just doing it anyway.*

So…from Janet’s blog:

EACH ANSWER HAS TO BE 25 words or less.**

Tell us about your book:
The Right & the Real is about a teen whose father is in a cult. She won’t join and gets kicked out on the street.

Why do you want to attend Backspace?
Do I get docked if I’m not sure what Backspace is (other than I know it’s the prize in Janet’s contest)?

Are you afraid to eat lunch with a Shark? It depends on what we’re having. I’ve heard she likes sushi, in that case, yes. Soup we can share, though.

West Side Story: Jets or Sharks? When you’re a Jet you’re a Jet all the way. From your first cigarette to your last dyin’ day.

If you could save the life of any one fictional character who would it be and why? (thanks to blog reader FeakySnucker for this one) Juliet comes to mind, but she’d be kind of whiny without her Romeo. I’m going with Dobby. Who wouldn’t want to save him?

Is there a book that makes you think “If I could write one thing like that, I’d die happy.” (stolen from a Jeff Somers blog post) The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson. This book really moved me. And then it gave me solace when I needed it.

What’s the most terrifying thing you’ve lived through?  (thanks to blog reader NotAWarriorPrincess for this one) I was going to say a certain administration, but I’m wary of being political on my blog, so I’ll say tornadoes in Tennessee.

When you’re published, what will you do to Pay It Forward? (thanks to blog reader Charley for this one) While I am published, I’m unfortunately not rich. But I now buy books. It might not sound like much, but I think it helps.

*The real reason I’m doing this is because I love the pay it forward idea…or sending the elevator back down to the ground floor from the penthouse, which is my personal favourite analogy for this idea.

**I especially love contests and forms that have limited word counts. The challenge is dorkily fun! Play along in the comments if you like.