Lurker Week

As I write this, I have 97 followers, almost the magic number 100,* but (a) I'm pretty sure that many people don't actually read this blog and, more importantly, (b) I hardly know any of you.

So I'm devoting my three posts this week to getting to know YOU -- in serious ways, funny ways, and maybe even potentially uncomfortable ways (don't worry, you won't have to play if you don't want to). While I'm exceedingly happy to hear from my regular commenters, I'd love LOVE to hear from folks who read but don't normally comment (commonly called lurkers). I swear, you'll never have to comment again if you don't want. But if you just let me know once this week that, yes, you're reading my blog, it'll make me all kinds of happy. Even more so if I get to learn a little bit about you.

So today it's question and answer time for you. Feel free to skip questions you don't have an answer for. Post your answers in the comments (I will too--shouldn't this go both ways after all?):
  1. Where are you from?
  2. Favorite genre to read?
  3. Favorite genre to write (if you're into that sort of thing)?
  4. Which Star Wars character would you be?
  5. Best book you've read in the last 6 months? 
  6. Gandalf the Grey stops in for a cup of tea. What do you talk about?
  7. Name up to 5 favorite movies.
  8. Your pirate crew/ninja clan/former employer has given you the Black Spot. What do you do about it?

* Though 100 is really only magic in base ten. 97 is actually better: a palindrome in octal, the beginning of the lowercase characters in ASCII, the number of characters that can be typed on a standard English keyboard, and the seventh happy prime. (And really, how can you go wrong with something called a "happy prime"?).

23 comments:

fairyhedgehog said...

Hi Adam, I almost feel like I should apologise for being a regular!

I know that not everyone who's following me actually reads me. At least one of my followers has sadly passed on but of course Blogger doesn't know that. And my Google reader keeps resubscribing me to sites that I've unsubscribed from!

Anyway, I always read your blog so I thought I'd answer some of your questions just cos I felt like it. :)

1. Where are you from?
Epsom

2. Favorite genre to read?
Sci fi

3. Favorite genre to write?
Not a genre but I like writing flash.

4. Which Star Wars character would you be?
I'd rather be in Star Trek, working with Jean-Luc Picard.

5. Best book you've read in the last 6 months?
Dark & Disorderly by Bernita Harris.

7. Name up to 5 favorite movies.
Avatar.

I hope you get lots of delurkers!

Adam Heine said...

Oh no, fairy! I love my regulars! I'm horribly sorry if it sounded like I didn't. I very much want you guys to answer these too. There's a lot I don't know about even you folks :-)

1. From: California (Bay Area originally, then San Diego)
2. Read: Sci-fi/fantasy, either adult or YA
3. Write: Same as #2
4. Star Wars Character: Used to be Boba Fett, but I really liked Ewan MacGregor's Obi-Wan despite the odds ("the odds" being the chances of a good performance in a movie in which George Lucas has complete creative control). I think I'd be a Jedi.
5. Good Book: Hunger Games
6. Gandalf: I don't know. Who came up with these stupid questions?
7. 5 Movies: Uh... Empire Strikes Back, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Incredibles, The Matrix, and every movie by Hayao Miyazaki.
8. Black Spot: Obviously I'd kill the pathetic assassins sent for me and take their place. Unless it's the Kraken spot then uh... Screw it, I do the same thing!

IanBontems said...

1. From?
Newcastle

2. Fave genre read?
Fantasy/Sci-fi

3. Fave genre write?
Fantasy/Horror

4. StarWars Char?
I'd like to be Han, but honestly? I’d probably end up being either Chief Moisturizer to Emperor Palpatine, or a young rookie whose first mission is to attack the Death Star.

5. Best book in last 6 months?
The Hunger Games, or the Skulduggery Pleasant series.

6. Tell me Gandalf, do hobbits feet smell? And by the way, grey really isn't your colour. Ever thought of white?

7. Movies.
Aliens, The Hustler, Pan’s Labyrinth, O brother Where Art Thou?, and The Empire Strikes Back.

8. Got Black Spot?
I'd be running like hell, or would grudgingly take a bath.

Adam Heine said...

Heh, you know Ian, one of those rookies was Wedge Antilles, and he did okay :-) I'll have to check out the Skulduggery Pleasant series.

MattyDub said...

It should also be pointed out that 7 is itself a happy prime, so that makes 97 that much better!

1. Where are you from?
Depends on how you define "from", but for brevity, we'll say "Napa".
2. Favorite genre to read?
Fantasy or sci-fi, I guess.
3. Favorite genre to write (if you're into that sort of thing)?
n/a, sorry.
4. Which Star Wars character would you be?
I'd like to be Chewbacca - loyal and highly competent. I fear I'm Luke - whiny and feckless.
5. Best book you've read in the last 6 months?
Hm...this is cheating, but The Book of the Short Sun, by Gene Wolfe. It's cheating because it's three books, but they're all one story, so my conscience is pretty clean on this one.
6. Gandalf the Grey stops in for a cup of tea. What do you talk about?
Well, he was pretty tempted to use the Palantir to see the hands of Feanor working. I'd probably ask about that, and see where things went from there. I mean, how is Feanor regarded now in the undying lands, especially after the kinslaying? It seemed surprising that he chose Feanor, of all the things he could see.
7. Name up to 5 favorite movies.
I don't know, "favorite" is such a tricky word, but here are some movies I really like: Jaws, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Incredibles, and Fellowship of the Ring.
8. Your pirate crew/ninja clan/former employer has given you the Black Spot. What do you do about it?
But I'm not a rose, so how...ohhhh; sorry, wrong wp link. Well, I'd try to defuse the situation, probably by defeating the ringleader and perhaps offering better rewards to those who feel disgruntled. You want to keep your organization intact, you know?

MattyDub said...

Actually, now that I think a bit more, it was Gandalf the White who had the Palantir. Let me know if you want me to revise my answer for #6.
-M

Susan Kaye Quinn said...

I'm a regular, but I'll give it a shot anyway.

Where are you from?
Thousand Oaks, California

Favorite genre to read?
SF/MG/YA

Favorite genre to write?
Same; also romance, go figure.

Which Star Wars char?
Han, of course. Flies the fastest barely-legal ship, is great with a blaster, and gets frozen in carbonite. Doesn't really bother me that he's a boy; all the best characters were in the 70's. (See: BSG. Starbuck was even better as a girl)

Best book you've read in the last 6 months?
Leviathan

Gandalf the Grey stops in for a cup of tea. What do you talk about?
Er, one lump or two?

Name up to 5 favorite movies.
District 9, Pride and Prejudice, The Dark Knight, Pirates of the Caribbean, Sherlock Holmes

Your pirate crew/ninja clan/former employer has given you the Black Spot. What do you do about it?
Start ranting "Out damn spot!" with a crazed look on my face and hope that distracts them long enough to make my getaway.

Unknown Blogger said...

Adam:

Yours is one of the blogs that I subscribe to because "I know the author!" I'm not a writer, I don't aspire to be one (occasionally daydream about it though), and I'm not that much into sci-fi (enjoy it, but its not a passion). Despite all that, I greatly enjoy your blog and I do learn from it. So, thanks!

#1 Where are you from? Newport Beach, CA
#2 Favorite genre to read? Historical Fiction, but its hard to find good stuff in this genre.
#3 Favorite genre to write (if you're into that sort of thing)? N/A
#4 Which Star Wars character would you be? The older I get and the more hair I grow in odd places --- I think I might be part Wookie.
#5 Best book you've read in the last 6 months? Freakenomics, but I haven't done nearly enough book reading. Check back with me in August after I've had my vacation.
#6 Gandalf the Grey stops in for a cup of tea. What do you talk about? um, "you're from Lord of the Rings, right? So, like um, what's the deal with the ring?"
Name up to 5 favorite movies.
#7 Your pirate crew/ninja clan/former employer has given you the Black Spot. What do you do about it? um, err, uh, I didn't click the link, so I have no idea.

jjdebenedictis said...

Hey, I read your blog, but I use Google Reader rather than Blogger's "followers" function, so you never knew! (Mwahahahaha.)

1. Canadialand!
2. Fantasy
3. Ditto
4. Probably Leia, since she's smart, takes no caca from anyone, and is--oh, yes--female. That last bit makes role models rare, when you consider most movies.
5. The Steel Remains by Richard Morgan
6. "Dude. The f*ck you doing here? What? Yeah, I have non-caffeinated. Say--have you ever met Dumbledore?"
7. Children of Men
8. Ask for resumes, character references and university transcripts, then begin interviewing the interested candidates.

The tea served at the interview would be poisoned.

vic caswell said...

heya adam! i'm brand new to following you, and i read your posts... well the last two at least (what?!? i'm new!sheesh!):) i LOVE the geekery!

1.Kansas
2. umm.. Sci/fi, Fantasy, Horror, YA, and strangely enough Classics
3. See above (minus the classics of course!)
4. ummm... nope, not coordinated or brave enough to be any of them. :) is there a clumsy one? C3PO?
5. Published? City of Bones by Cassandra Clare... but I love my critique partner's book Simon's Paradox much more! (and I really loved City of Bones!!)
6. Bilbo! He's the coolest and i'm sure Gandalf has ALL the details!
7. Dead Poet's Society, Serenity, Amistad, I Am Legend and Labrynth.
8. Mr. Clean Magic Eraser? it worked on the crayon on the wall.

Unknown said...

Where are you from?

Neverland (or San Diego if you wanna be litteral)

Favorite genre to read?

Good Writing

Favorite genre to write (if you're into that sort of thing)?

I skew everything into fantasy. Even Nonfiction. Blame in kon metaphysics.

Which Star Wars character would you be?

An Ewalk

Best book you've read in the last 6 months?

Silverlock

Gandalf the Grey stops in for a cup of tea. What do you talk about?

The weather. His new beard trim. How Shadowfax has been getting along.

Name up to 5 favorite movies.

Pan's Labrynth. Secret of Roan Innish. The Illusionist.

Your pirate crew/ninja clan/former employer has given you the Black Spot. What do you do about it?

Laugh and give him a bigger, blacker, rounder spot. Then go hunt down some treasure just in case I never get the chance again and brush up on my chess skills (you know in case death wants to strike a bargain when he shows up)

Kieran said...

1. Originally from Cupertino, CA but moved to Grand Rapids, MI in 1995.
2. Fantasy / Thriller
3. Thriller (if I were able to finish anything I start).
4. Sometimes I feel like I would be Hans Solo, other times I feel like I'd be Jabba the Hut - depending on my laziness to productivity factor for the day.
5. No specifics, but I've been on a Seth Godin (nonfiction business/marketing/society) kick.
6. I'd definitely want to know about his latest endeavors and encounters. Oh, and selfishly I'd want to know if he could teach me a few tricks, of course.
7. What Dreams May Come, Chicago, Nightmare Before Christmas, Into the Woods (Broadway recording), Back to the Future I/II/III, Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom.
8. Quickly craft up a chunk of software to reverse the effects, apply the code to a disposable nanobot, and inject it into myself.

**silently goes back to lurking**

Victoria Dixon said...

Not a frequent commenter, perhaps, so I guess I'm a lurker.

Where are you from? Ohio, no Oklahoma, no Missouri, no Kansas. Where do I live now?
Favorite genre to read? History and Fantasy.
Favorite genre to write (if you're into that sort of thing)? Historical Fantasy
Which Star Wars character would you be? Princess Leia as a Jedi.
Best book you've read in the last 6 months? Oooh, tricksy. It's a tossup, but it's between Kay's "Under Heaven" and "Escaping the Tiger," both of which are reviewed on my site.
Gandalf the Grey stops in for a cup of tea. What do you talk about? Valinor.
Name up to 5 favorite movies. Stranger Than Fiction, Pride & Prejudice (A&E), Red Cliffs (unedited version), Lord of the Rings (I'll cheat and take the whole series) and it's too hard to choose a fifth! AAAGH!
Your pirate crew/ninja clan/former employer has given you the Black Spot. What do you do about it? Leave home to find my fate and lead danger away from my family.

Emmet said...

You know me so I'll stay away from the obvious.
2. It varies, my top five books are spread through 5 genres.
3. Theology and thinking about Sci-Fi
4. Lando Calrissian
5. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
6. Seriously, whats with the stupidity of man?
7. We've been down this road before
8. Stay on land or remove the hand, if neither of those are options... kill everybody.

A.L. Sonnichsen said...

1. Hong Kong
2. Probably MG
3. YA - though I'm thinking I might switch to MG after this book I'm working on because that's my favorite genre to read.
4. Definitely Padme/Amidala
5. I seriously enjoyed a book I just finished last night -- A Year Down Yonder. Hilarious.
6. I'd just have him tell me stories and blow smoke rings in my face. That would be enough. Maybe I could get him to set off a few fireworks while he was by.
7. Waiting for Guffman, The Lord of the Rings Triolgy (and that's not because you mentioned Gandalf, by the way!), The Red Violin (though I have to fast forward some parts), all the BBC long versions of classic novels.
8. Take an emergency trip to the Bahamas with the intention of disappearing for awhile. They'd never find me!!

This was fun, Adam. :) Thanks for wanting to get to know us. I might just have to steal this idea, if that's okay with you.

Amy

Anonymous said...

Hi, I have posted a few times and will also answer a few of your questions:

1. I'm originally from a small town (Jay) deep in the Adirondacks which is also only 17 miles from the Olympic village of Lake Placid.

2. My favorite genre to read is fantasy and paranormal.

3. I enjoy writing stories that are set in the paranormal/supernatural realm.

4.Hmm, I love Han Solo so I'd be him :)

7.My fav 5 movies are: When Harry Met Sally, Lord of the Rings, Avatar, Dead Poets Society, and Good Will Hunting

Adam Heine said...

Glad you enjoyed it, Amy. You're welcome to steal any ideas you like from me :-)

Unknown said...

I'm a day late to the party, didn't have time to comment yesterday. :( But I'm here now! And sorry if I don't ever comment...I follow a gazillion people.

Okay, here goes:

1. Ft. Smith, AR but I go to school in Russellville, AR and am planning on moving to NY after graduation this Spring.

2. OMG I hate picking just one thing, so favorite genres- just about all things that fall under fantasy and science fiction and I read more YA/MG than Adult.

3. Umm, see above. :)

4. I would totally be either an Ewok or a Jawa.

5. How could you ask that?! I've read more great books in the last 2 months than I have in a year! Okay, okay- Shade, Leviathan, Stray, Soulless, and (historical) Her Mother's Daughter.

6. I'd probably ask him what happens if his staff gets broken, 'cause, ya know, that happened (didn't it? Man it's been a while, need to reread the books.) and I'm curious as to what impact, if any, that has on his ability to do magic.

7. You're mean about all these favorites. The Mummy (remake), Star Wars, Avatar, Australia, and Benjamin Button.

8. Finish my book and try to get it published before things get bad. I think.

This was fun. I might have to do something like this soon to get to know my followers since most of them never even say hi. *sigh*

Amie McCracken said...

I didn't see this post because I wasn't on on Monday. So I'll answer these now and then read Wednesday's post.

1. Where are you from?
Colorado, I live in Germany now.

2. Favorite genre to read?
Literature

3. Favorite genre to write (if you're into that sort of thing)?
Literature or Fantasy

4. Which Star Wars character would you be?
R2D2

5. Best book you've read in the last 6 months?
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffery Eugenides

6. Gandalf the Grey stops in for a cup of tea. What do you talk about?
Magic! and fireworks

7. Name up to 5 favorite movies.
Lord of the Rings, Marie Antoinette, Pride and Prejudice, Transformers, Gone in 60 Seconds...wait, I have to stop?

8. Your pirate crew/ninja clan/former employer has given you the Black Spot. What do you do about it?
Slap it back onto his hand and walk away.

Asea said...

I'm not exactly a lurker, but you may not know much about me, so here goes...

Where are you from? Ithaca, NY, but I now live in St Petersburg, Russia

Favorite genre to read? Literary fiction. I think. Ondaatje, Potok, Boerk, that sort of stuff.

Favorite genre to write (if you're into that sort of thing)? Urban Fantasy

Which Star Wars character would you be? Hmm, maybe Biggs?

Best book you've read in the last 6 months? Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow

Gandalf the Grey stops in for a cup of tea. What do you talk about? research I've been doing for him on lore and long forgotten magical objects

Name up to 5 favorite movies. The Princess Bride, The Prestige, Stranger than Fiction, Live Free or Die Hard, Firefly (ok, so that's a TV show)

Your pirate crew/ninja clan/former employer has given you the Black Spot. What do you do about it? Raise an eyebrow and leave to find a new ninja clan. Black spots only work on the weak minded, like jedi mind tricks.

JL said...

Sorry, I am just now getting to this, but it's been a busy week, so here goes!

I am very much a lurker! I have been following your blog for some time now. My husband, Kieran, suggested your blog to me in hopes that it would help me with my own writing; it has. Here are a few things about me.

1)Where are you from?
-Michigan

2)Favorite genre to read?
-Mystery/Suspense

3)Favorite genre to write?
-Mystery/Suspense

4)Which Star Wars character would you be?
-Princess Leia

5)Best book you've read in the last 6 months?
-One For the Money, by Janet Evanovich

6)Gandalf the Grey stops in for a cup of tea. What do you talk about?
-Magic, of course!

7)Name up to 5 favorite movies.
-Pretty Woman
-Sleeping With the Enemy
-Stir of Echo's
-Sixth Sense
-Silence of the Lambs

8)Your pirate crew/ninja clan/former employer has given you the Black Spot. What do you do about it?
-I would thank them for giving the black spot to me, smile, and then ask what the heck it's for.

Hepius said...

Adam,

I've been away from my blogs for a while. Doing some catchup now...

1. Where are you from?
Pennsylvania, USA

2. Favorite genre to read?
Fantasy/Historical Fiction

3. Favorite genre to write?
Fantasy

4. Which Star Wars character would you be?
I want to be Han Solo. I'm pretty sure I'm C3P0.

5. Best book you've read in the last 6 months?
Killer of Men, by Christian Cameron

6. Gandalf the Grey stops in for a cup of tea. What do you talk about?
The nature of evil. (And where to buy pointy hats.)

7. Name up to 5 favorite movies.
The Commitments, La Femme Nikita, It's a Wonderful Life, Casablanca, LOTR.

8. Your pirate crew/ninja clan/former employer has given you the Black Spot. What do you do about it?
Put a bullet in the guy who gave it to me, stuff it in his mouth, and ask, "Who's next?"--Han Solo me. Or... run like hell--C3P0 me.

Matthew MacNish said...

Was I really not coming here yet in July, 2010? I guess not. This is too much fun to skip, so here goes:

1) Where are you from?

Seattle, Washington

2) Favorite genre to read?

Epic Fantasy

3) Favorite genre to write (if you're into that sort of thing)?

Favorite? I don't know what that means, per se. I write YA Speculative Fiction. I never set out to, though.

4) Which Star Wars character would you be?

I am Yoda.

5) Best book you've read in the last 6 months?

Published? This is Not a Test, by Courtney Summers.

6) Gandalf the Grey stops in for a cup of tea. What do you talk about?

How I get to Middle Earth, during the fourth age, and spend the rest of my days, living retired in Hobbiton, smoking longbottom leaf, and drinking golden ale at The Green Dragon.

7) Name up to 5 favorite movies.

The Lord of the Rings, Akira, Princess Mononoke, A Clockwork Orange, Star Wars.

8) Your pirate crew/ninja clan/former employer has given you the Black Spot. What do you do about it?

Go on an adventure.