Thursday, July 17, 2008

First Anniversary Jamboree!

Welcome to Day Four of the Mavens' First Anniversary Jamboree! Thanks so much for hanging out with us the past year. We've enjoyed sharing successes, frustrations, and milestones. Here's to another year!

We've asked our favorite authors to answer some burning questions and every day this week we're giving you the inside scoop. Be sure to read the bonus question and answer Monday through Thursday for the chance to win fabulous prizes. And please, share your own answers...if you dare!

How old were you when you got your first crush? Do you have a current crush? (For the purposes of our survey, we disallowed significant others and spouses.)


Alesia Holliday
13. I was a math geek and was alternately crushing on the other math geek in the class and the swim champion (I like brains *and* brawn, evidently. LOL). Toss up between Gerard Butler and Hugh Jackman, but only in bad boy roles.


Debra Dixon
Check out her YA story in the WITCH HIGH anthology coming in October. Debra's Belle Books has great summer titles available and is excited about the launch of Belle Bridge Books.

I was probably 14 and had an agonizing crush on my best-friend's big brother. And I'm currently crushing on any number of men. It's a hobby. My husband is aware of it. Robert Downey, Jr. in IRON MAN was totally crushworthy.

Tanya Michaels, author of A DAD FOR HER TWINS, a "State of Parenthood" book from Harlequin American Romance, in stores Sept 08! (Tanya's also a speaker at RWA this year!)
Kindergarten. His name was William. We played superhero on the playground. He was my first kiss--giving me chicken pox just in time for vacation! I don't have a steady current crush, although I'm infatuated with several different television characters depending on how great their plotlines and dialogue (and their eyes...and their smiles) are in any given episode. I'd feel bad for my husband, being saddled with such a fickle wife, but since he has some pretty big crushes of his own, I'm guilt-free.




Julie Leto
Probably VERY young and on that little boy who was on HR Puffinstuff. My current crush? Colin Firth. Alan Rickman. If I was seventeen again, it would be Daniel Radcliffe. I'm such a Harry Potter geek.


I crushed out of control on Jimmy Gallagher in second grade - green eyes, crooked smile, sandy blonde hair. Today, I'm writing a hero named Dan Gallagher - green eyes, crooked smile, sandy blonde hair. Some dreams die hard. I crush on my heros, and the occasional celeb, and this hottie that lives down the street who's home for college. Fortunately, my husband is both tolerant and gorgeous, so my crushing is a source of amusement (and writing inspiration) only.



Oh, probably like 5. It was either Ricky Schroeder or that kid who played Albert on Little House on the Prairie. And of course I still have celebrity crushes now. I'm a currently a slave for Clive Owen, Colin Firth, James McAvoy...really, I could go on all day.

Honestly? Third grade. His name was Mark Murray and he had horses. It was a double whammy! LOL. The first serious crush (first kiss), was in the eighth grade, when I was thirteen. My current crush is singer Chris Cornell.

Ten. Do I have a current crush? Yes. But I ain’t telling.



Virginia Henley
I got my first crush at 13 - it was Robert Wagner. My current crush is Johnathan Rhys Meyers.

Today's Prize Question is:

What's the most extreme activity you've ever done?...

In your comment, correctly match each author with their extreme activity and you'll be entered in a drawing for a cool prize! (In the event no one gets all matches correct, the person with the most will win. In the event of a tie, we'll draw.)

-Rappelling off the side of a mountain
-Sailed across the South Pacific Ocean in a 42-foot catamaran. Swam with sharks, got deathly ill from fish poisoning, and skirted hurricanes along the way.
-Raising my autistic son
-White water rafting in Idaho - terrifying, exhilerating, unforgettable.
-Climbing the Mayan ruins in Belize. I hate heights and so climbing it was the most extreme thing I have ever done. When I reached the top and looked out onto the endless landscape of the jungle and ruins, I cried. Because of the height and the beauty. Getting down was a whole other adventure. I don't do extreme sports because I am clumsy as all hell and I know I would kill myself trying to do it. And I rather like life, thank you.
-When I was young and stupid, I'd pretty much ski or ride anything you could pull behind a boat. And we tried to ski some very interesting things behind some very interesting boats. And if you're wondering, you can get enough speed out of a 14 foot, flat-bottomed fishing boat with a decent motor to surf a door. It wasn't that exciting but we felt someone had to at least see if it could be done.
-Parasailing (just once, against my will)—don’t ask.
-Climbed Skiddaw and Helvellyn Mountains in Cumberland, England

Delilah Marvelle
Jennifer Haymore
Roxanne St. Clair
Karen Lingefelt
Virginia Henley
Debra Dixon
Alesia Holliday
Amie Stuart


4 comments:

Angie Fox said...

Great question! Does writing a book count? That feels extreme at times - some days more than others!

Vicki said...

Okay, these were hard and really guessing here:



Jennifer Haymore - Rappelling off the side of a mountain

Roxanne St. Clair - Sailed across the South Pacific Ocean in a 42-foot catamaran. Swam with sharks, got deathly ill from fish poisoning, and skirted hurricanes along the way.

Karen Lingefelt - Raising my autistic son

Amie Stuart - White water rafting in Idaho - terrifying, exhilerating, unforgettable.

Virginia Henley - Climbing the Mayan ruins in Belize. I hate heights and so climbing it was the most extreme thing I have ever done. When I reached the top and looked out onto the endless landscape of the jungle and ruins, I cried. Because of the height and the beauty. Getting down was a whole other adventure. I don't do extreme sports because I am clumsy as all hell and I know I would kill myself trying to do it. And I rather like life, thank you.

Delilah Marvelle - When I was young and stupid, I'd pretty much ski or ride anything you could pull behind a boat. And we tried to ski some very interesting things behind some very interesting boats. And if you're wondering, you can get enough speed out of a 14 foot, flat-bottomed fishing boat with a decent motor to surf a door. It wasn't that exciting but we felt someone had to at least see if it could be done.

Debra Dixon - Parasailing (just once, against my will)—don’t ask.

Alesia Holliday - Climbed Skiddaw and Helvellyn Mountains in Cumberland, England

Darcy Burke said...

My first "boyfriend" was Mike Ferry. There's a cute picture of us hugging when we were 4 or 5. I have way too many current crushes to name, but since The Dark Knight opens at midnight, I'll shout out Christian Bale. Yummmmm.

I'm not a thrill-seeker, but I have been parasailing in Mexico and snorkeling in Hawaii. I've also driven (extreme in its own steering wheel-clutching way) in Scotland, Wales, and England and was even struck (in the car, mind you) by an Edinburgh city bus.

Erica Ridley said...

I think I was in 3rd grade when I had my first crush... and I think it was only because every other girl in my class had a crush on the same boy. Sad, sad.

Most extreme activity I've ever done... probably skydiving. Super fun!

Manuscript Mavens










Manuscript Mavens