Download a PDF of the 100 Unusual Interview Questions.
Lisa’s Answers to Interview Questions
If you could visit the past or future, which one would you choose? Why?
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I enjoy researching, reading, and thinking about both. You become a time traveler when you do that.
There are moments from my past that I would visit again — if only to savor it more deeply and refresh it with details.
Brain studies have shown that when we dip into memory, we tend to ‘write over the files,’ like a zip drive. As time passes, memories are defined more by the emotional connections rather than facts.
Name something that makes you uncomfortable or anxious.
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I am an introvert who needs a certain amount of quiet time to feel healthy. Any situation that involves crowds or new people causes anxious feelings.
I can project a confident demeanor when I am working or advocating for someone else. Repetition and success have taught me that the outcomes are usually better than what I imagine — or fear.
Think about punctuation marks. Which one would you pick to describe your personality and why?
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This is a cool question! I have a few punctuation marks that I use regularly. When I researched them, I found that they easily translate into personality traits.
Tilde ~
The tilde is pronounced TILL-duh or TILL-dee. It’s sometimes called a ‘twiddle.’ Isn’t that fun to say three times in a row? To me, the tilde looks like a friendly wave that means ~ go with the flow ~ hello there ~ hugs ~!
As a graphene, it is related to the IT, mathematical, and programming world. That aspect of my personality is not dominant, but it is in there.
Ampersand &
The ampersand can have an elaborate design or be simple and functional. It was originally a ligature (tie) of the letters E and T (“et” in Latin means ‘and.’)
The word, ‘ampersand’ evolved in the seventeenth century when the alphabet was recited in English-speaking-schools. “And, per se and” was said before singular letters that could also stand alone as words, such as ‘a’ and ‘I.’
I like the ampersand because it doesn’t stand alone. It combines two or more things to create something new.
Ellipsis …
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, an ellipsis ( … ) is
1 a: the omission of one or more words that are obviously understood but that must be supplied to make a construction grammatically complete b: a sudden leap from one topic to another
2 : marks or a mark (as …) indicating an omission (as of words) or a pause
This punctuation mark is lovely because it signifies two people communicating ‘on-the-same-page.’ The speaker’s meaning is understood without having to complete the sentence.
Em dash —
The em dash is versatile. Per The Punctuation Guide, the em dash can be used in place of commas, parenthesis, and colons. Depending on how it is used, it gives increased emphasis in a sentence and makes it more readable.
You’ve just been bitten by a vampire/werewolf/zombie/ charmed snake. What do you do next?
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The steps involved are no different from what one would do after any life-changing, traumatic event — except for the immortal, shapeshifting, brain-eating, or unavoidable ‘ssss’ pronunciation parts.
- If first aid is required, attend to that.
- Calm down.
- Gather data.
Questions to ask or answer about the event.
Is it poisonous? How long until effects appear? What will those look like? If it is not poisonous, what are the supernatural changes that will occur? Are those acceptable or not acceptable? If they are not acceptable, can anything be changed? Does changing it require a quest? Is the quest something that is possible to accomplish?
If it comes down to accepting what has changed, then a plan must be formulated for how to move forward.
You are a member of your town’s tourist board. Name five aspects of your area that would appeal to visitors.
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Outdoor activities: Hiking, mountain biking, and visiting the Yuba River.
Regional events: South Yuba River Citizen’s League Environmental Film Festival, and Music in the Mountains performances are just a few!
Restaurants, theater, and production companies, music, and art rival that of larger towns.
Nevada City is just below the (deep) snow line. A few times each winter, we have a delightful dusting of snow that brings with it a sense of magic.
If you’re planning to visit, the Outside Inn a popular place to stay within walking distance of downtown.
Do you play a musical instrument?
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I don’t play, but I collect instruments to decorate the house. My collection includes; an ocarina, an African Djembe drum, Moroccan drums, a didgeridoo, a singing bowl, wooden percussion frogs, a melodica, an Indian Flute, a mbira, and a saxophone.
When you are working, do you wear flip-flops, clogs, fuzzy socks, slippers or go barefoot?
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Fuzzy slippers, plus fluffy sweatshirts or sweaters. Cold hands (and feet) – warm heart – a glitchy circulatory system – or both?
What is the most important part of a sandwich?
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Being a ‘salad person’ I’d have to go with the vegetables. But since the question is about a sandwich, it must be the bread.
A recent favorite is sourdough bread with turkey, lemon hummus, and homemade sauerkraut.
How old were you when you first started writing?
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Writers are born.
One of the first stories I wrote (and stick figure illustrated) was about going into the deep darkness of the garage. By accident, I stuck my hand into a spider’s web.
After telling my mother about it, she went to look. In the middle of the web perched a large, black, shiny spider with a red hourglass on its underside. An emergency room trip happened next.
The Dr. told my mother that if I’d been bitten, I’d have red stripes going up and down my arm. False alarm — sorry, Mom, for scaring you!
Various articles were published in school and local newspapers. Lots of personal writing — describing trips, decoding dreams, and diary entries over the years. Therapeutic writing consistently helped me understand painful relationship issues.
Professional writing came in the forms of grant applications, proposals and reports, brochure, promotional, and marketing copy.
My first book was a cooperative project with friend and author, Lisa Boulton. I photo illustrated her story, Toby Bear and the Healing Light in 2012.
I published Haylee and the Traveler’s Stone in 2014, the sequel, Haylee and the Last Traveler in 2018, Phineas Gage: After the Accident Years in 2017, and Crossing: A Chinese Family Railroad Novel in 2024.
If you had to describe an author platform in two sentences to a six-year-old, how would describe it?
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You’re supposed to make lots of online friends. If people ‘friend you,’ then maybe they’ll read your book(s).
If you could do a book over again, what would you do differently with the story arc, plot, characters, scenes, production, or marketing?
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Every book project teaches you something new! My obsessions, tweaks, and updates focused on production.
With the Haylee books, I’d been studying serialization. It seemed like a worthwhile idea to divide the story into thirds. Smaller word counts are less intimidating for new readers.
I’d connected with a fantastic audiobook narrator who liked the story. She recorded the first (third) then decided to wait to see how sales went before committing to recording more. This created a snarl that could never be completely unwound. Because my narrator held licensing rights to the part of the story she recorded, I couldn’t re-record the entire book in another version.
With Phineas Gage, the initial cover design was black and slightly spooky because it blended his actual face with his skull that is still held by the Harvard Medical Museum. The book is more of a cozy mystery than a horror story, which is how many people interpret the black cover. I created a different cover – blue, ‘Western’ themed – to reflect the not-horror aspect. The black cover is with Amazon and the blue is with Draft2Digital.
All seemed OK with Phineas until a few years later when I went to publish Crossing: A Chinese Family Railroad Novel (also on Draft2Digital). In the years between books, Amazon changed rules that now looked like Phineas was violating. Crossing production was held up while the Phineas issues were storted.
While it’s likely that most authors (indie or traditionally published) strive for perfection, that is an unattainable goal. My husband has commented that watching me tweak and update my projects explains behaviors he’s observed in other authors he follows.
Is there a time-frame or subject area that you’d like to work with?
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So far, it looks like California history during the mid-nineteenth century has captured my focus and attention.
Historical fiction brings history to life in a way that is educational, entertaining, and memorable.
For California travelers and tourists who have read the Haylee books, I hope they gained a sense of what it was like in the days when San Francisco, Berkeley, and Sacramento first formed as well as what a rural farming valley town was like in the 1980s.
Crossing: A Chinese Family Railroad Novel is set in the mid-1860’s and takes place at locations along the I-80 Corridor between Auburn and Truckee, with key scenes taking place at Donner Summit. My goal with that story was to give readers a sense that they know (and love) the Chinese families who built a major transportation network in the U.S. I achieved those feelings for myself and if reader comments are reliable, I’m confident I achieved that for others too.
What has changed in your writing process since publishing your first book?
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When I first began writing seriously, I approached it like I did my business. I was intense and driven to the extent that juggling balls for other aspects of life were frequently fumbled. My biggest shift in thinking came when I realized that writing, for me, is more of a creative endeavor rather than a business venture.
A writing friend recently said it this way, “Your books are projects, not products.”
Balance is important…so is preparing dinner for the family. I want my son to remember a mom who was present and pleasant, not one who was screaming to be left alone.
There are satisfactions to be gained in every aspect of book creation – research, composition, editing, production, and even pushing oneself to find readers once it’s complete.
Authors and artists create because they need to. Few of us will ever attain Stephen King-like status, but leaving behind a lasting creation — one that you’ve put all your heart and soul into — and that you feel proud of — brings a level of satisfaction that money can’t buy.