Behind the Pen: with Meljean Brook (+giveaway)

I love interviews.  But I find the artists behind the stories equaling intriguing, and I think they deserve as much limelight as their characters.  So here instead of a list of questions about the story, the plot, and the characters I ask authors the same 11 questions about themselves and hopefully get a glimpse behind the pen...

Meljean Brook's latest release, The Iron Duke, was one of my favorite finds of 2010.  I just loved it. Loved the world building, loved the characters, loved that it conquered my fears of steampunk.  So, I couldn't have been more thrilled when she agreed to answer my questionnaire.  If you haven't had the opportunity to read The Iron Duke yet, then slap a fuzzy red hat on me and call me Santa, because I'll be giving away my copy to one lucky commenter.  


Details

• Your comment is your entry
• If you follow the site you get an extra entry
• US & CA only
• Contest will end Dec 26th at midnight (pst)
• Winner will be announced here shortly after that

Q1: What is the last book you read? 

Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King. When I’m short on time, I really love to fit short stories and novellas in, and I’ve been an almost-lifelong King fan.

Q2: If you were stuck on a desert island, what book would you like to have with you? 

A book about how to build a raft from materials found on a desert island.

Q3: What is your favorite swear word? 

“Eff”. I have a little girl, so I can’t say the real word out loud anymore.

Q4: What is your biggest pet-peeve? 

When my husband takes the bag out of the kitchen garbage can and places it on the floor “because we can fit more stuff in there.” That drives me crazy, because it’s really short for, “I don’t want to take out the freaking garbage right now, honey” and invariably, the bag will tip over.

Q5: What quality do you most like in a man? 

Aside from one who will take out the garbage? :-D I like compassion mixed with intelligence.

Q6: What quality do you most like in a woman? 

Compassion mixed with intelligence.

Q7: What profession, other than your own, would you like to attempt? 

I’d like to be a spy. So many cool gadgets!

Q8: If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? 

The Maldives. Have you seen pictures of the water there? Sure, as a redhead, I’d burn in an instant ... but, wow. Those are some beautiful islands.

Q9: What inspires you? 

For my work, everything does – from cruelty to kindness, from big headlines to little moments that I observe between strangers. Personally, though, I’m inspired by books and the stories we all make up to explain our lives. 

Q10: If you could be one person (dead or alive) for a day who would you be? 

Shakespeare, just to see what it was like when words ran through his head. What is writing like when you’re William Shakespeare? Is it the same as the rest of us? I’d want to know.

Q11: Mac or PC? 

I wish it was a Mac, but at this point, I’ll probably never change from a PC.