Dissecting Writers                                   Madame lavender

The following questions are taken from a profile of Scottish author Ian Rankin for bookshop chain Waterstone's:
http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/pages/content/1285/
Now all but two have been posed to our resident Doctor, Madame Lavender:  http://deepundergroundpoetry.com/poets/MadameLavender/


What was your favorite childhood book?

I don't recall any one specific favorite book, but there were series books I enjoyed--"Little House on The Prairie"
series, by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and all of the Jenny Linksy stories by Esther Averill.


-Which book has made you laugh?

A few of them, actually, which are dark humor:  "The Gates" and "The Infernals"  by John Connolly, and "Damned" by Chuck Palahniuk


-Which book has made you cry?

"Lisey's Story" by Stephen King;  I read it while recovering from mastectomy surgery, and had no idea that the heroine in the book would be attacked by the villian, wielding an electric can opener which he took to her breast and mangled it open.  That really hit me badly.


-Which book would you never have on your bookshelf?

The Satanic Bible


-Which book are you reading at the moment?

"The Book Thief" by Marcus Zusak


-Which book would you give as a present to a friend?

I actually did give a book as a gift to a friend, and it was "The Shack" by William Paul Young.  It was about a father who's favorite daughter was murdered as a child and they never found her body, until the father underwent a lifetime of soul-searching and had an encounter with God that led him to healing and also finding her remains.

-Which other writers do you admire?

I read anything by Chuck Palahniuk, and the humorous books by John Connolly--love, love, love, black humor.  Stephen King is also a favorite, and I enjoy the satire of Voltaire.


-Which classic have you always meant to read and never got round to it?

Hmmm, not really sure on this one--nothing's coming to mind.


-What are your top five books of all time, in order or otherwise?

In no particular order:
"Candide" by Voltaire
"11/22/63" by Stephen King
"Left Behind" (series" by Tim LaHaye)
"The Warriors" (series by Erin Hunter)
The Bible (by God)


-What is the worst book you have ever read?


"Basic and Applied Statistics" --a textbook I had back in college....
-Is there a particular book or author that inspired you to be a writer?

-What is your favorite time of day to write?

Anytime that's completely quiet, but sometimes things come out when I'm driving or working in the lab, hence why I carry a pad of paper and pen with me all the time to jot things down.


-And favorite place?


I don't have a favorite place, other than somewhere that I can be undisturbed.  I visit cemeteries and other lonely places like wooded paths and railroads, for inspiration.


-Longhand or word processor?

Longhand for when something comes when I'm not near a computer, but all gets typed into my laptop, regardless of how it starts.

-Which fictional character would you most like to have met?

Probably Anne Rice's Vampire, Lestat


-Who, in your opinion, is the greatest writer of all time?

I don't know if there's any one in particular, but I would say that I have a great respect for those who have written their accounts of having survived the Holocaust.  I am fascinated with reading such books, and anything to do with that part of WWII, as the topic is a great perspective re-aligner;  by that, I mean, when life for me starts hitting hard and sucking, (and it tends to do that a lot...)  I read books about Auschwitz and all the atrocities against the Jews, and it makes me look at my own life, differently.  No matter how shitty my life gets at times, those books are a reminder that there's someone else who's life has been even shittier, so suck it up and keep on, keeping on.


Which book have you found yourself unable to finish reading?

The Bible--that has to be taken in sections and small portions.  I don't think it was meant to be read cover to cover, but in pieces, as needed.


What is your favorite word?

"Sisu", which is Finnish for an overall attitude of being bold, gutsy, unafraid, courageous--sort of like a Chuck Norris take no crap attitude, but also a nice guy at the same time.