I have known Patty for
over forty years. During that time we've discussed everything, even though in
the early years some of it was fueled by her famous rum slushes. But time
goes by, and stuff needs to be updated. So, when looking for a candidate to
interview, I could think of no better person (plus my landscaper doesn't speak
English, and the cat won't sit still . . . )
Here come six
burning questions:
What advice would you give today to the 20-year-old
Patty?
Was she ever really that young? Well, as a
matter of fact, she was married
already and only a year away from becoming a mother. And since she proceeded to
see all her dreams come true, I probably wouldn’t bother trying to advise her.
But if you put a gun to my head (which in our genre is not that unlikely), I’d
tell her to own who she is and not
worry what others think of her. Well—very well—into her 60s, she seems to have
finally learned that.
If you had to get out of your house permanently
and in a hurry, what one item would you take with you?
My computer, because it holds most of my
pictures and writings. And although I back it up regularly, most of the backup
is in my office with my computer! (Really must explore that Cloud one
day . . . )
If you could interview one living person, who
would it be and why?
Well, after YOU—which is next month’s blog
post—I would say my 94-year-old mother, a veritable fount of wisdom and family
history. But I already interviewed her and need only transcribe the tapes from
our decade-ago drive from Palm Desert to San Francisco. SO, I guess I would
choose to interview Herman Wouk, my favorite living author. I know he has a
thing or two he could teach me.
 |
| Betty Phelps Obermeier also taught her daughter, Patty, to crochet. |
If you could live anywhere, and take your loved
ones with you, where would it be?
Hmmm . . . that’s a tough
one because there are so many places I love, none more so than where I live
right now. So I might as well make it easy on myself and have all of them move to Door County, Wisconsin!
(That means you’d have to start packing, too, Rozzie!)
We both know what the joy of writing is, but
what's the most frustrating thing about it?
Definitely finding mistakes after multiple
proofreadings. This explains why I love our beta readers and proofreaders so
much. It takes many, many eyes. I mean, have you seen the challenges on Facebook where you’re asked to
read something with more than half the letters missing? How our eyes see what
they are supposed to see? Still, that’s not how we want to present our books to
our readers!
What's your favorite book in The Val & Kit
Mystery Series, and why?
Ah, the toughest question yet. Truly, it’s
whichever book I’m reading at the moment. (And yes, unlike all the actors who
say they never watch themselves on the screen, I do read and reread our books.
Still looking for missing letters! And still enjoying our girls and their
antics J! ) But if you wielded that
gun again, I’d probably say Death in Door
County. Always, it’s the humor I like best, but also there’s an extra dose
of intrigue, and it spans generations of family and friends. What could be
better? Oh, and I love the setting J
