Sonja Foust

It’s another first for me: My first few fanmails (from people who aren’t, like, my mom). I had one girl ask if I could give her a bookmark (um, which I couldn’t, since I don’t have any– sorry!), and another girl told me my story “inspired” her (!) and asked for a signed photograph. After I got done squee-ing my little brains out, I realized, um, the only picture I have of me not in electronic format is probably a cheesy wedding picture. So off to Walgreens tomorrow to get some photos printed.

This whole Author Thing is pretty awesome.

Here’s a second for me: I sent off a short story query today. Cross your fingers for me. Want to see the blurb? K, good, I knew you would:

In A Cat’s Eye
Short Paranormal (11,500 words)

Loner P.I. Blake Alexander hoped he wouldn’t have to involve anyone else in the investigation of his grandfather’s death, but the live-in nurse, Karma, suspects foul play… and has secrets of her own. Little does she know, the secret of who Blake really is could kill them both. Can Blake resist giving Karma the truth, and perhaps his heart, or will she convince him to confide all to save her—and himself—from the danger prowling in the misty orange grove?

Whee! Check out my first interview from Kimmy at Lectitans! She is a great question comer-upper. I had oodles of fun answering. She also wrote a lovely review for me. Thank you Kimmy! Now everyone go click the links.

Blatantly ripped from Kimmy…

Hardback or trade paperback or mass market paperback?
Mass markets fit in my purse the best. If I carry a hardback in my purse, people think I put it in there deliberately to beat would-be purse snatchers. Which isn’t a bad idea. Harry Potter to the rescue again.

Bookmark or dog-ear?
Dog-ear. I know, it’s evil, but bookmarks fall out and I haaaaaate losing my place.

Alphabetize by author, alphabetize by title, or random?
Each genre has a shelf, which is then alphabetized by author. If it’s a series, it goes in sequential order. Otherwise, multiple books by the same author in the same genre are alphabetized by title.

Keep, throw away, or sell?
Sort of sell. I don’t keep books after I read them unless they’re special. (I have a collection of autographed ones, for example.) If I’m not keeping them, I put them up for trade or I just leave them on park benches or in airports or wherever.

Keep dust jacket or toss it?
Keep.

Read books with their dust jackets on or off?
On, and I’m very careful with them. They do not get torn or bent or misshapen (and if I think they will, I take them off, even though it pains me to read a book without its dust jacket).

Short story or novel?
Ooh, both, definitely. I love anthologies, and of course novels are great fun.

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?
Um, Harry Potter I suppose. Lemony Snicket is a little too dark and creepy for me, although I hear the later Harry Potter books get a little dark and creepy too. Shh, don’t tell, I’ve only read the first Harry Potter, so I have a lot left to learn.

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
I really like to get to a good stopping point. It’s usually at least at a section break, if not a chapter break. I’ve been known to make people (my husband) wait until I can get to a break.

“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”?
It was a dark and stormy night. Love those suspenses.

Buy or borrow?
Buy usually. I read slow, so if I borrow, it takes me a long time to give back and that makes me feel guilty.

New or used?
Either, unless I know the author. Then definitely new.

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendations, or browse?
I have such a long TBR list right now, they’re all coming from that. But my TBR list came from a lot of reviews.

Tidy ending or cliffhanger?
I hate cliffhangers at the end of a book. Hate hate hate. Cliffhangers are meant for chapter endings, not book endings. I don’t care if it’s a trilogy. You still have to tie up all the important parts at the end of the book.

Read in the morning, afternoon, or evening?
Most of the time, it’s evening, since I work all day. Sigh. Stupid work.

Stand-alone or series?
Either. But if the series book has a huge cliffhanger leading into the next book, it makes me upset. And then sometimes I refuse to read the next book out of spite. I’m so passive aggressive.

Favorite series?
A lot of romance writers do really nice series. The Bridgerton series by Julia Quinn is one of my favorites. The characters sort of continue through all the books, but each book is its own story and you don’t have to read them in order. Perfect.

Favorite children’s book?
It’s been a looooong time since I read a children’s book other than Harry Potter, but the one that I’ve remembered since I read it when I was a children was The Man Who Was Poe by Avi.

Favorite books which deserve more praise and more attention?
Jenna Black is a fabulous up-and-coming paranormal romance author. She definitely deserves more praise and attention, but I think she’s going to get it, because she’s great!

Favorite books read last year?
So many. I don’t think I can pick just one.

Favorite books of all time?
Gah! The question about books I read LAST year made my head explode. I certainly can’t answer this one.

What are you reading right now?
A Woman Scorned by Liz Carlyle

What are you reading next?
Probably something nominated for a Rita. I’m trying to read as many as I can so I’ll be able to root for people at RWA Conference this year.

What is your favorite book to re-read?
I don’t really reread. I know, I know, but I’ve always got a huge stack of new stuff to read, and I want to read THAT.

Do you ever smell books?
Well. Not intentionally.

Do you ever read primary source documents?
No, unless I’m forced.

I haven’t posted anything on my blog about Virginia Tech, mostly because I haven’t quite been able to wrap my head around it. Such a tragedy, and so many angles of sadness. It’s a lot to think about.

Anyway, in support of the Hokies, I’ve got on my orange and maroon today. Best wishes to the community and families.