More Answers, in Which Ancient Histories are Revealed

— June 09, 2010 (8 comments)
L. T. Host asks: What the deuce IS a jelly baby?

Like little, chewy babies, but you eat them!

I'm curious which PART of the CA coast-- if you're in the middle-ish, here's hoping it warms up before Fiance and I take a trip up there mid-July. If you're down south, you picked a good time to come. This is the NICE weather everyone talks about when they talk about CA. :)

We were in Southern California (Orange County and, briefly, San Diego). So yeah, pretty much the definition of Perfect Weather.

I'm also curious why you picked Thailand?

The simple answer is because my wife Cindy is Thai. The complex answer involves mission trips, a little mysticism, and a DTR (not in that order). We could talk about it over coffee, except I don't drink coffee. (Seriously though, you can e-mail me or something if you want the longer story).

C. Michael Fontes asks: What prompted you to become foster parents in Thailand?

The short answer to this one is the mysticism: God called us. The less short answer: Cindy's had a heart for orphans since she was young. When we decided to be overseas missionaries, we had a vague idea of running an orphanage/planting a church in whatever country we ended up in. But after we got here, that all kind of changed.

Emmet asks: In a no-holds-barred fight who would you rather be, the Emperor or the Lord Marshal (obviously the answer is Riddick, but other than that)?

Let's take a look:




The Emperor's prescience pretty much cancels out the Lord Marshal's coolest abilities. Plus, you know, it's not like he has a pretty face to protect. As long as Darth Vader's not around, I gotta go with Palpatine.

Anica is a great name, but if there had been no vetoing process (Cindy), what would have been on her birth certificate?

The only girl names I tried to push were Anica and Serenity (the latter being your suggestion, as I recall). But if I'd had a boy, and no wife to stop me, he'd be either Morpheus or Optimus Prime.

Would you rather write an amazing book (LOTR caliber) that doesn't get published until after your death, or a shite book that gets made into a bunch of movies (Twilight), and all your friends pat you on the back and say "great job" but then ridicule you on message boards around the internet, and you will have no other books to redeem yourself? 

So either way my career is depressing and full of rejection? In that case, give me the movies.

Would you rather give up cheese for the rest of your life, or be a vegan for a year? 

Definitely vegan. Uh... vegans can still eat bacon, right?

Bane of Anubis asks: How could you choose Aliens over Dragons? :P 

[Bane is referring to being a finalist in Nathan's contest, wherein I was a total jerk and voted Josin over him.]

See, Bane, like any good American I assumed my vote didn't really matter. How was I to know you'd tie? As soon as I get my time machine working, the first thing I'm going to change is my vote, I swear.

jjdebenedictus asks: Do these jeans make my butt look big? 

I can honestly say, from my point of view, they do not.

Myrna Foster asks: Do you have any other family over in Thailand?

Me? No. But Cindy's dad lives in Bangkok. She also has approximately one thousand aunts, uncles, and cousins scattered throughout the kingdom. One of them drew me a family tree once trying to explain it all. It took him like half an hour. I don't remember any of it.

What do you have in your writer's "drawer?"

You mean the stuff you'll never, ever read? Folks who've been around here a while will remember my first novel, Travelers, which got trunked after 60 straight rejections. Also before Pawn's Gambit, I wrote and submitted another Air Pirates short story to BCS, trunking it because it just wasn't working. And before that there was a short story that would eventually evolve into my current WIP, Cunning Folk. That one...is not very good at all.

Do you really own an umbrella chair?

.......no.

And lastly, Carrie says: I'm relatively new to your website. I'm curious to hear on what are your thoughts in regards to writer's block.

Which I'll answer on Friday. Thank you, everyone, for your questions! I enjoyed answering them. Hopefully you enjoyed it too.

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8 comments:

  1. OMG Optimus Prime! If the hubby had suggested that, I just might have caved. :)

    Very cool to get to know you (more)! :)

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  2. Eurgh, those don't look very appealing. (Jelly babies).

    But interesting answers, and you guys were pretty close to me while you were here, yay! Proximity coolness!

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  3. I'd choose Morpheus, though Prime Heine's got a certain ring to it, methinks :)

    And given the results, I'm glad you voted for Josin... now, if I'd been one vote short...

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  4. I love how seriously you took that Emperor vs. Lord Marshal question. Good choice.

    Also, it's good wives have veto power...Nick's picks for Dino Boy were Lothar and Ulric. *Sigh*

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  5. "Jelly Babies, it's fun to bite their heads off" --Tony Ding (one of my English professors. Yes, these are the things I learn in college)

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  6. Thanks for the Jelly Babies link. That part about American fans pelting the Beatles with Jelly Beans made us laugh.

    Robyn read your post with me. We liked the Emperor's weakness and Cindy's family tree too. BTW, Cindy's family totally counts. Ben's family is huge too; I can remember immediate family and most of the aunts and uncles, but I'm pretty pathetic when it comes to cousins.

    It's a good thing you have Cindy to veto O. Prime Heine.

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  7. Susan: I can't take credit. Optimus Prime was actually my sister's suggestion :-)

    LT: *fistbump* Whereabouts are you anyway?

    Bane: If you'd been one vote short, I'd have dropped off the internet and come back under an anonymous moniker. Something like "Bane of Bane".

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  8. Natalie: I honestly don't know how else I could've taken that question :-) Also, for the record, Nick is awesome.

    Taryn: I'm a fan of all foods with heads.

    Myrna: So glad you and Robyn enjoyed it (and I'm kinda stoked that Robyn is reading my blog :-). I think you're doing better than me on family names, but in my defense, most of their names are Thai.

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