Wordsmoker

1. I was born in Massachusetts but spent only two days there. When I say I was born in Massachusetts it comes out “Eye was bo-orn en Massa Chew Sits” (see #11) so most people think I’m joking.

2. I am an Air Force brat. I was raised all over the States but spent most of my childhood in the UK, where my father was Base Commander. He sexually abused me.

3. I am the only child of two only children. My father is dead; my mother is on her fourth marriage.

4. I have been married for 17 years and counting.

5. I left home at 14.

6. My preferred pets are cats and gerbils. In my 20’s I owned a lot of snakes.

7. Previous jobs included waitressing, working in the rat-room of a herpetarium, bartending and selling knives door-to-door.

8. I now teach at a University. I teach on campus for one semester and during the summer take students to work on a dig in one of those “but aren’t they all Muslim?” countries.

9. I will eat anything if it is wrapped in a corn tortilla. That is not a metaphor

10. I will only drive standard. Anything else is not driving.

11. I claim Texas as my identity: I speak Texan, I wear cowboy boots (I wear ‘em well) and I can ride.

12. I spell like a Brit. When I published my first book I was given the choice by my British publisher of Yank or Brit; I chose Brit.

13. My son was born via emergency C-section eight days before I defended my doctoral dissertation.

14. I know 8 languages other than English: five of them are dead languages. Two I know only in their classical form so when I travel in the countries where the modern version is spoken I sound like a Victorian and people fall about laughing.

15. I am a Yellow-Dog Democrat.

16. I live in one state and work in another, commuting every other week. The commute takes two flights and approximately 7 hours door-to-door.

17. I read police procedurals, love movies with lots of sex and violence and watch only cable shows, with the exception of Justified (see #18).

18. Deadwood was the 2nd greatest series ever on TV.  The Sopranos was the best overall, but in terms of bang for the buck I’ll take Deadwood. I own the complete 3 season DVD set and have watched it a ridiculous number of times.

19. I have been described as ‘prickly” but I prefer to think of myself as bullshit-intolerant.

20. I once stood on the roof of Hagia Sophia.