Today we’re welcoming my dear friend, and fabulous author, Leanne Shirtliffe to the blog! Her author bio tells you everything you need to know about her hilarious new book Mommyfesto. “Leanne is a humor writer whose motto is “If you can’t laugh at yourself, laugh at your kids.”” She’s a blast, and I’m thrilled to have her with us for a Five Things post today…

1) What’s your strongest/most productive writing habit?

My most productive writing habit is that I’m deadline driven. When I set (or am given) a deadline, I meet it. Of course, being deadline driven is basically a polite way of saying that I’m a procrastinator who gets the job done—just barely, and with varying amounts of collateral damage depending on the project—by the time it’s due.

2) What is the very first romance novel that you read?

I read lots of Danielle Steele paperbacks when I was a teenager, mostly when I was working in the field (my parents had a large wheat farm), waiting for the combine to come and dump the grain into the 5-ton trucks I drove. I doubt farm-girl-me was the reader that Danielle Steele had imagined when she was penning Fine Things or Thurston House, but her books got me through some long days.

3) If you could be a superhero, power would you choose and why?

I would choose the power of having my children listen to me—wait for it—the FIRST TIME I said something. Can you imagine not repeating yourself? All the fights it would save? All that extra time you’d have?

4) If you were going to an island for a long time, name 5 things you would bring.

Assuming survival gear is out, I’d happily pack the following:

1. A lifetime supply of peanut butter
2. The complete works of Shakespeare (I teach high school English in my spare time, so I can be a bit of a nerd.)
3. Paper
4. Pen
5. Colin Firth (I should likely say “my husband,” but someone has to lead the search effort.)

5) What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done?

When I was 25, I accepted a job teaching high school at an international school in the Middle East. I moved to Bahrain as a single woman, and then proceeded to meet the man who’d become my husband (who also happened to have been born in the same Canadian city as me).

Leanne is giving away a copy of Mommyfesto to one (random) reader. To be entered to win a copy, just tell us in the comments below what five things YOU would wish to be marooned on a deserted island with!

When she’s not wrestling her kids for the Wii remote, you can usually find Leanne on her website, Facebook, or Twitter.