Free Book Friday / Top 10 Interview Questions

I have a few interviews in the queue for January, so in the meantime, here are a few of my favorite questions—and answers, from 2021:

Musician Abigail de Niverville – The very first question.

In 33 1/3 words (see what I did there?) or less, tell me a little about you.

I’m a musician and author from the East Coast, now living in Toronto! I also play the oboe, sing, and write lyrics. I’m very inspired by the places I grew up around back home. Did I do that right?

You’re a little over, but I’ll let it pass.

C. Streetlights

Do you have a favorite meal or snack to eat that other people just think is weird?

I really enjoy rice cakes with peanut butter. People don’t get it and complain about how tasteless and dry rice cakes are, but honestly, with peanut butter it is *chef’s kiss*.

I do like peanut butter. I discovered Jiff Dark Roasted recently. Now that’s…as you put it…*chef’s kiss*.

I am putting that on my shopping list to give it a try. I’m usually a Skippy girl, but the dark roasted sounds delicious.

Effie Kammenou

You are of Greek ancestry. Does it bother you when people mispronounce gyro?

Ah, the gyro. With the way it’s spelled, I don’t blame Americans. This is what it looks like in Greek: γύρο. That letter that looks like a y is gamma. But it’s not a hard g. It’s g and y together formed in the back of the throat. Perhaps, if the English spelling dropped the g, it wouldn’t be as mispronounced. And that’s your Greek lesson of the day!

I suppose its that same way with Vietnamese “Pho”.  

Yes! That’s another understandable common mistake.

Dani Hoots

What’s something you say that you think is funny, but no one else does?
Werewolf jokes
Care to share one?
How do you stop a werewolf from attacking you? Throw a stick and shout “fetch!”

Cara Cilento

You mention on your blog “…being an award-winning author who writes with LGBTQ+ themes is hardest of all.” What I find hard is saying the acronym. I’ve seen several other  versions: LGBTQ2, LGBTQ2S, LGBTQ2s+, LGBTQIAPK, LGBTQIA+, LGBTQQIP2SAA. Any thoughts for  people who may be confused with this? 

There are a lot of versions and everything keeps changing. I even wrote a blog about how the gay flag has changed so I understand where people can become confused. I think we should all be focused on making the world a better place for the  straight and LGBT+ community. I think the time we spend on what we call ourselves could be better spent on people and not labels.

Kyle A. Massa

Do you have a favorite meal or snack to eat that other people just think is weird?

Taco Bell. I have an irrational affection for that place.

I think you should try Maui Taco—if there is still one in Manhattan. There was only one more in the mainland US—at the Minneapolis airport.

Dang, Google tells me there are none left on the mainland. But if I ever make it out to Hawaii, I’ll buy a taco and cheerily announce, “This one’s for Leon.”

That’s sad news. I always looked forward to the mad dash between flights.

Now onto the best of the lightning round:

Nicole Pierman

What number am I thinking of?
Number 3 because that’s my favorite number and yours too (from now on). 

G.G. Collins

Ever pick up an armadillo?
No, but they’re really cute

A.R. Silverberry

Favorite city?
Drive south of the sleeping lady and her soaring redwoods, cross a golden bridge—where on a clear day you cast your eyes twenty miles out to sea and just make out the islands—and you find it. Most days you hear the foghorns.

You could go to the marina. Today you don’t. You pass an expansive park, housing two grand museums. Then you’re heading down Van Ness. Better stop at Tommy’s Joynt for the world’s best pastrami on rye. Afterward, there are more destinations than you can explore in one day. You might walk the wharf and fight the seagulls over a loaf of the greatest sour dough bread on the planet. Or head to Chinatown, the largest and oldest outside of Asia, for dim sum. Or take in Jackson Pollack at MoMA. Or drive the up-and-down dizzy streets. Or the crookedest. You might take in a ball game or the strains of the world-class symphony orchestra, or simply head to Telegraph Hill for the panoramic view.

Whatever you do, you’re charmed and seduced, and it never leaves your heart.
So … San Francisco.
[Grins]

Elizabeth O’Carroll

What number am I thinking of?
11
Close enough.

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There you go. Some of the highlights of my first 13 interviews. You can read them all in their entirety here:

https://linesbyleon.com/the-interviews/

The story behind Free Book Friday:

I’ve met many authors and readers during my time marketing, cross-promoting, and blogging. I think writers have a responsibility to inform readers about all the indie authors out there in the very crowded world of book publishing. You can’t do it alone, and why would you when you have a supportive group available?

Readers don’t just read one author – they stick with their favorite genres. There lies the power in cross-promotion. If one of my readers buys a book from an author I promote, then chances are there will be a reciprocal effect, or so is the hope. Do I want to boost sales? Of course I do. Do I want to boost other’s sales? Why not. It’s called karma.

BookFunnel and StoryOrigin Promos

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Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.

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