The Questions Behind 5 Things

Sep 12, 2011 | Friends, Giveaways, Freebies, & Contests

For the past four months, I’ve been devoting my Thursday blogs to asking some of my favorite authors and good friends to give up five things about themselves that you might not know. I thought it would be a fun and unique way to introduce new authors to all of you.

This is how it works: I email a bunch of victims, er, good friends, acquaintances, authors I’ve read and enjoyed, and ask them to pick five questions out of a list of 10 (or to make up their own) and share the five things they think is interesting or unique about themselves.

Here are the 10 questions/categories they have to choose from:

1. Favorite indulgence:

2. First memory:

3. The last book you read:

4. Favorite place to shop online:

5. If you could go on a date with one of your heroes, which one and why?

6. Favorite dessert

7. Most played song on your iPod

8. Secret passion (hobby, finding apps to get money, collections, sport, thrill seeking)

9. Coolest celeb you’ve ever met (other than me)

10. Best advice your mother/grandmother/cool funky aunt/sister/college roommate gave you about men

Some of the answers have been surprising—Hello, Megan Crane and Toni Blake have both been in touching range of George Clooney. Finding out that Robyn DeHart and I both love the Don Juan DeMarco soundtrack, and that no one wants to share the advice their mother gave them about men. Or that said advice is just unrepeatable.

What’s the deal with that?

But here is where I want your input. What questions am I missing? What would you add to the list? I’m bringing back my Monday blog contest to get all of you to dig deep and give up the question you want answered by your favorite authors. Or, tell me who you want featured here.

Prize: A box of books! Of course. I’ve been collecting some great reads over the summer and now it is time to share them.

This is how you enter for a chance to win:

1) Leave a comment below with your questions for my upcoming Thursday interviews. If you are reading this on Facebook, you can only enter at my actual blog. Facebook does not allow contests via their site. http://elizabethboyle.com/blog/?p=1376 and/or

2) Tweet the following: @ElizBoyle hopes one of you can take home this box of books. http://elizabethboyle.com/blog/?p=1376

Do both and you are entered twice! I’ll give you all until midnight, PT, Saturday, September 17th to get your entries in and then I will pick one lucky winner.

Make sure to check back here Monday, September 19th to find out if you won.

39 Comments

  1. Brigett Carroll

    Did you have a nickname growing up? Where is the most beautiful/romantic place you’ve ever been?

  2. Rhonda Jones

    I would love to know how do you pick the names of the Hero/Heroine?
    Do you celebrate when you finish a book and what you do?
    I would like to see Kathryn Caskie, Courtney Milan, Eloisa James,Miranda Neville,Suzanne Enoch just to name a few

  3. Trudy

    Do you really believe in HEA’s???

    PS/ my mother gave me this advice: don’t ever give up your job for a man.

  4. Ora

    Since romance authors always write about falling in love, when and how did you discovered you were in love? Did you feel like someone hit you over the head with a sledgehammer or did it happen gradually?

  5. Michele Stegman

    I’d like to see Mary Jo Putney and Madeline Hunter here!

  6. eli yanti

    hi cathy,

    i have some questions if could be add on your list :

    1. why writing book is interest for an author?
    2. if you do research before writing a book?
    3. where usually the idea of writing book came from? are you willing to accept ideas from your fans?

    i would like to see all author HR if could =D

  7. Debbie

    Q: What’s your strongest/most productive writing habit?
    Q: What’s your scariest moment as a writer? I’m thinking about taking chances not necessarily about being stalked, but that’d be interesting, too.
    Q: What story would you write now if you were a “virgin” author without public or industry expectations?
    Q: What’s the craziest pen name you ever considered?
    Q: Who’s your favorite character – your or someone else’s you’d like to see die a horrible death or suffer an embarrassing set down?

  8. melanie Adkins

    Have you ever thought, wow, I wish this person were real, when writing a character?

    Where is the strangest place a story idea came to you from?

    What is one story you’d love to write but haven’t for some reason?

    Macladie25 at yahoo dot com

  9. Eva

    Here’s my question: have you ever gotten an idea from random everyday things, like going to the grocery store or being at a restaurant? We always hear conversations going on around us, so I wondered if you ever picked up anything from something going on around you and started or maybe added to your storyline.

  10. Julie

    Where do you go for inspiration when the creativity well is running a little dry?

    Tweeted!

  11. Jane

    I want to know what their biggest vice or worst habit is.

  12. Emily Tardy

    If you could, where would you spend most of your time?

    emilytardy@yahoo.com

  13. Heather

    Okay here is one..

    what is the very first romance book that you read?

  14. Michele Hayes

    I would like to know who their favorite authors are. I love to read and am always looking for new sources.

  15. Laura T

    Hi Elizabeth,

    I always enjoy hearing how a favorite author met her husband/significant other. Was it instantaneous or did one need convincing?

    I also like to hear what writer or book impacted their decision to write HR?

    I tweeted about your giveaway and hope you will enter my name in the drawing. Thanks,

    Laura T
    heartoftexasbooks[at]yahoo[dot]com

  16. Lisa B

    What books are you looking forward to reading this fall?

    What new authors have you recently added to your TBR pile.

    This year i’ve found alot of brand spanking new authors that had some great books.

    Lisa B

    Tweeted this too.
    @Modokker

  17. Melissa Porter

    I would like to learn more on Sarah McCarty, Stefanie Solane and Lorelei James. They are some of my favorite authors as well.

    I like to learn how some come up with their stories. Do they actually get ideas from real life? Have they gotten ideas from others in their family or friends?
    What are their favorite stories and what do they like to read the most?
    Thank you.

  18. Debbie D.

    What is your best/worst high school memory?

    Who do you like better Bill or Ted? and why?

    What nocturnal animal would you be if you had to choose and why?

    Why does glue not stick to the bottle?

    If you could have sex with any superhero, who would you choose and why?

    If you could have only 3 electrical appliances in your house, what would they be and why?

    and I’m retweeting 🙂

  19. Kaetrin

    Favourite toy as a child.

    I’ve tweeted too! 🙂

  20. Jessica Van Vleet

    What do you NEED to write? Silence? Music? Chocolate?

    (I tweeted, too!)

  21. Linda McDonald

    I’ve been enjoying the author interviews.

    Q: Of places you have traveled to, what is your favorite?

    Q: If you had to choose to spend your time in the mountains, near a lake, or at a beach, which would you choose?

    Q: What are your top three favorite movies?

  22. Susan T.

    What blogs do you visit?
    If you were not writing, what job would you have?
    Who are you must-buy authors?
    If you were going to an island for a long time, name 5 things you would bring.

  23. Shana

    What caused your interest in romance books? Was it a certain book? character? influence?

  24. Michelle G.

    I would love to know if authors have a favorite hero not from one of their books. Or where they were when they first saw their books on the shelf for sale.

  25. Raonaid Luckwell

    1. Most embarrassing song on ipod.
    2. Pen names – If they have them how did they decide on the name to use, their forumla
    3. pen names vs true names

  26. PhyllisC

    If you could choose any 3 people in history to meet, who would they be?

    I tweeted the contest too. @MamaCrab1

  27. Michelle AB

    What is the weirdest name you’ve come up with for characters?
    Do you have a significant other/friend that you bounce ideas off of?
    How does creating characters and worlds feel?

    Tweeted
    http://twitter.com/#!/MABledsoe/status/114129660446642176

  28. Mariee

    Q. What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done?
    Q. Describe your book in 10 words or less.
    Q. Do you have any weird writing quirks or rituals?

    I also tweeted about the giveaway:
    https://twitter.com/marieimy/status/114126335122735104

  29. RebeLovesBooks

    I’d love to learn authors’ answers to questions they get about where they find inspiration for sex scenes!

    I’d also like to hear most embarassing writer conference stories, as I suspect there’s lots of fodder there.

  30. Linda

    1. Print or ebook?
    2. Favorite authors and/or books?

    Thanks!

  31. Julie Kim

    Just wanted to say hi Elizabeth.

  32. Julie Kim

    null

  33. Julie Kim

    Sorry about the last comment. Hi Elizabeth.

  34. Na S.

    Hi Elizabeth! Some questions to consider:

    Q: Which literary character is your current best friend?

    Q: What are some books on your keeper shelf?

    Q: Do you have a special writing place where you are mos productive?

    Q: Which books are you looking forward to reading?

  35. eli yanti

    hi elizabeth,

    one question more :

    Did the author’s husband ever jealous with the hero in their wives’s novel or ever hope to be like them?

  36. Betty Hamilton

    How do you feel about the current state of the publishing business?
    How do you think this will affect you?
    Do you personally own an e-reader?
    Are you involved in self-publishing?
    How much of your work time is spent on other than writing?

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