I was recently asked to be part of the Haunted Halloween Blog Tour 2012. Now, anyone who knows me, knows that I love to be part of things, so it was no surprise I said yes. I had the choice to either host a blog or interview. I picked the latter, mostly because I always have something to ask someone.

The recievers of said questioning were none other than:

Armand Rosamilia:

and

Tonia Brown

(Now you know what they look like… Just in case.)

I suppose I should be fair (and conceited)… This is me:

Alright, enough wasting time with pictures… Let’s get on with this interview!

Hi! *shakes hands* I’d like to first start off by saying thanks for asking me to be part of this.

Now, I’m not going to guarantee my questions are “normal” but I’ll try to keep them as sensical as possible. I’m going to start with a writing question, since I’m just a newbie writer and am still learning A LOT from the more seasoned authors.

1 – Whenever I’m on vacation I seem to fall off the writing wagon when I’m away from the house. How are you guys in this respect to discipline? Do you try to keep on schedule or make up for missed words when you’re back to the grind?

Tonia Brown: I usually take two vacations a year, a week at May Day and a week for Halloween. Both are functional because our church stays busy at these times of year. (We have a big gathering at both Beltane and Samhain.) I need to be off of the night job so I can get other stuff done. In respects to that, when I am off for these weeks, I don’t really have time to write. It’s sort of a vacation from everything else so I can focus on this one thing until it is done.

Armand Rosamilia: I just came off a 10 day ‘vacation’ with Biketoberfest being down here in Florida. I spend my time eating out, drinking way too many beers, and hanging out until 2 am and then having to still get up at 6 am to take my son to school. Didn’t get any writing done worth a crap, and now I’ll spend the week trying to play catch-up. But it is so worth it to make pretend I am a bad ass biker dude for a few days before driving away in the beat-up Kia Spectra. It’s red, by the way… very bad ass color.

Tonia, I think I need to get myself on a better schedule and Armand, I made your answers red because of the bad-ass colour comment. (I am Canadian, so bear with my extra vowels…) Okay, here’s one more “Help-Mandy-Write” question and this one’s about writer’s block or how you deal with said blockage.

2 – When the ideas just aren’t flowing, what’s would be the strangest thing you do (or have done) to get yourself back in the word groove?

Tonia Brown: When a book is being particularly difficult, I talk to myself, or rather I talk to the character that I am struggling with. I clean house or take a walk or drive, and while I am doing this mundane task I interview my character and take mental notes on their reactions to my questions. I don’t do this in my head, I do it aloud. And yes, I switch voices back and forth. How else would I know when it is me talking and when it is the character?

Armand Rosamilia: I once wrote an entire short story on napkins, sitting in a diner by myself, and mumbling it out the entire time. The waitress must have thought I was crazy, with me grunting dialogue and jumping around like I was drunk. Hell, I now remember I was drunk when I wrote it. I must have looked insane… 3 am, smelling like beer, talking to myself and asking for more napkins.

Ahhh, so it’s focus I require. Hmmm focus eh… I think I can work on, ooooh look, A SQUIRREL!
Off writing now and onto Halloween! (There’s that lack of focus again…)

3 – What are your Halloween plans for this year? Do you usually go all out with the decorating and costumes or do you keep it more low-key and save the scares for your writing?

Tonia Brown: The husband and I decorate the house a bit, but we live out in the sticks so it’s just for our benefit. Fifteen years we’ve lived here and we have never gotten a trick-or-treater. We went to one party this year so far, and should hit a few haunted houses closer to the actual day of Halloween. My husband had a silly idea to be the pope as a werewolf, or as he called it the Lycanthropope. (Long story, don’t ask!) I was left with little choice but to be his Papal Bull.

Aside from that, our church has a big Samhain service planned that should be awesome. It always is. We reenact the descent of Inanna into the underworld, and have a dumb supper and everything. It’s so much fun.

Armand Rosamilia: I need to go to Tonia’s for Halloween. Living in Florida for the holidays is so boring. No one goes out and trick or treats, I take my daughter to the mall for candy. My two older kids aren’t even interested anymore. I’d love to say I run a haunted house or chase the neighborhood kids with an axe, but I treat it like every other day.

I’m heading to Tonia’s with you next year, all I do here is chase kids with an axe… and it’s not all it’s cut out to be. *Shrugs* Maybe it would be better if I could catch the little bastards, but I just figure “Hey, at least I’m exercising!”

My stomach just growled… On that note, here’s question #4 😀

4 – Have you ever eaten/tried brains? (Maybe not a good idea to divulge if you’ve eaten human brains… I’m thinking animal…) If not, what’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever tried? (I wanted to say “put in your mouth” but opted for the cleaner version. Hehe!)

Tonia Brown: I have never had brains, but only because I’ve never had the opportunity. I would probably try them if offered. I will pretty much try anything once. (Yes, read into that as much as you like, it’s all true!) I think horse is the weirdest thing I have eaten, mainly because folks don’t eat it anymore like they used to.

Armand Rosamilia: So many dirty, dirty thoughts about Tonia and Mandy went through my head… I am such a wimp when it comes to food. I’ve never eaten anything strange or stuff I don’t absolutely know what it is. Hell, I don’t even eat condiments: no ketchup, mustard, relish, mayo… boring. Why am I starting to see a pattern to this interview? Tonia does crazy cool stuff and I am so damn boring…

They sell horse meat here in Quebec but not in Ontario, so I’m not too sure about it, but my good friend loves it. I’m a foodie, so I tend to try everything once. Yes, brains are on my list.

Last question. A correct answer here is worth 1000$ dollars!
(Okay, there’s no money, but I figured it would make a good lead in.)

5 – You find a genie in a bottle, but the cheap bastard only gives you one wish… What do you wish for? (More wishes or another genie do not count.)

Tonia Brown: The ability to know just what to say to resolve any conflict. I’m not saying I would always do it, but it would be useful to know how to help. Either that or a never-ending bucket of fried chicken. Yea gods, I love fried chicken.

Armand Rosamilia: World peace and to end hunger. Nah, screw that. I want the ability to either eat anything I like but to suddenly be totally fit and even hotter than I am (if it’s even possible)… or the power to move you.

Well, I’m about 160lbs… Pretty sure you can move me just by shoving me. If you catch me unaware, I’d probably catch air. How’s that for the power to move me? And Tonia, I’ll be over with chicken as soon as possible… 😉

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And that concludes my five question interview with Tonia Brown and Armand Rosamilia.
Thanks so much for including me in your Haunted Halloween Blog Tour and taking the time to chat with me.

MDG