We recently published an excellent story by Ruby Cowling at The Forge – please do read
Ruby also agreed to take part in an interview with me. Spoiler alert! I think she might be the only person to ever choose tofu over bacon (so far).
1) How do you organise your bookshelves?
Top shelf of best bookcase: Best Books Ever, featuring George Saunders and George Eliot. Next shelf down: great books that almost made it to the Top. And so on down. Then short story collections, then poetry and plays. The other bookcases are chaos, though I try to keep non-fiction quarantined from the rest.
2) Have you ever been on a retreat?
Many.
3) Bacon VS Tofu – who wins? Why?
My heart says bacon but all my other organs say tofu.
4) What is your favourite smell?
Ugh–I’m a bit phobic about the word “smell.” (And I’ll go out of my way to avoid saying “smelly.”) Probably the *aroma* of woodsmoke on clothes.
5) You have to swap places with one other writer for a week. Who and why?
George Saunders, obviously—because I’d come back a better person.
6) Who is your favourite Neighbours character?
It’s been decades since I watched it, so I actually had to go to Google images for this one. Des Clarke!
7) What would you cook if Salman Rushdie came for dinner?
Something chewy.
8) What is your favourite biscuit?
Something dark-chocolate-and-gingery.
9) Do you have a poster/picture on your wall? Describe it.
I have a watercolour nude done by the chap who owns the framing shop down the road.
10) What is your motto for life?
“Chill the f*** out.” Only as a reminder, because I’m doing the opposite all the time.
11) What’s your most played song right now?
The deeply satisfying “Funtimes in Babylon” by Father John Misty.
12) Unicorns, mermaids or dinosaurs?
Dinosaurs, because actual existence is a pretty strong trump card.
13) Have you ever seen a ghost?
Not a *ghost*, exactly…
14) What did you do last Saturday night?
Watched the football and then had a ridiculously early night.
15) Do you have any writing rituals?
Rituals, no, but I’ve started using the Pomodoro technique and can hugely recommend it for Getting Stuff Done.
16) Tell me a secret.
No way! My current WIP is all about the importance of not sharing.
17) What would you do if you were invisible for the day?
Probably just loads of eavesdropping. (Just to contradict the entire message of my current WIP.)
18) Can you write a haiku about your story?
A bunch of women
Spending a week in the woods
But who can they trust?
19) What’s your favourite swear?
Heavens to Betsy!
20) What question should I have asked you?
Where do you get your ideas from? *KIDDING.*
Many thanks for taking part (superb haiku!)
Sara Crowley 